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For anyone who's dreamt of going to The Metropolitan Opera, sitting in those seats as the lights dim and the chandeliers ascend, we've got something for you. It's not quite front-row seats, but it's the next-best view: from anywhere you want!
The Met Opera is streaming Lincoln in the Bardo from composer Missy Mazzoli, for free, all over the world. The showing of Mazzoli's world-premiere opera, plus a libretto by Royce Vavrek, will go live on YouTube on November 14 at 8pm. And if you can't tune in then, don't worry! The recording will stay up through November 18. The Saturday performance is the last in a sold-out run at Lincoln Center.
“With the final performances of our run completely sold out, we decided to share Lincoln in the Bardo for free with our global audience,” said Met general manager Peter Gelb.
Lincoln in the Bardo is a ghost story set in Abraham Lincoln’s Washington in 1862 during the Civil War. The opera takes place in "the bardo" (a so-called ghostly realm) where President Lincoln is the only living character. The action comes when his recently deceased son, Willie, arrives. It brings stunning realizations and magical transformations of the cemetery’s ghosts. Ultimately, it's a show about the president accepting his son’s death and, subsequently, his mission to free enslaved people. The production incorporates puppetry, pyrotechnics and an actual live horse.
“Opera is being transformed by powerful new works like Lincoln in the Bardo," Gelb added, "and we hope our efforts will be rewarded with donations to our Make the Met Forever fundraising campaign.”
The stream is being done in an effort to support the $1.5 billion Make the Met Forever fundraising campaign. Viewers will be invited to donate and interact via live chat. Anyone who misses the boat for the free virtual show will be able to pay to see the recording on Met Opera on Demand starting November 20—you can choose from a range of paid viewing options.
George Saunders—who authored the novel that was then adapted into the opera—will introduce the broadcast, and at intermission, viewers will watch a 17-minute documentary about the show's making, produced by Dua Lipa’s Service95.
Actors include Peter Mattei as Lincoln, Christine Goerke as the Reverend, Anthony Roth Costanzo as Miss Elise Traynor, Jonah Hoskins as Bevins, Ryan McKinny as Vollman and more. Yannick Nézet-Séguin serves as the conductor.