The Metropolitan Opera House opened its doors for the first time in the late 60's and has been enthralling patrons consistently ever since. The opera house is the home of the New York City's most high profile opera, which has been offerring operas since 1883. The opera house is found in the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, on Broadway between 63rd and 64th St.
Chagall Murals
The first of the opera house's engaging features are the two murals created by Marc Chagall that hang in the lobby of the Met.. One is named "The Sources of Music" and one is called "The Triumph of Music". Both murals can be seen from the Lincoln Center's Plaza.
Strong Pedigree
The Met was designed by artist Wallace Kirkman Harrison. Harrison was a Massachusetts born architect-designer who has had a hand in many public projects around New York City, including Manhattan's Rockafeller Center.
Extra Stages
As the new opera house, the Met replaced an older venue on Broadway and 39th Street. An interesting fact is that the dimensions of the key stage of the older house and the new house are about the same, but the new opera house has about six times the area, because the designers added additional stages in the rear and to the sides of the house.
What an Opening Act
The first performance at the new Met was Barber's Antony and Cleopatra. The opera premiered on the 16th of September in 1966. The performance starred Leontyne Price as Cleopatra and Justino Diaz as Mark Antony. Alas, the opera bombed, and the Met shortly dropped it from its repertory.
The Big Curtain
Interestingly the Met has the very biggest front curtain on the planet. The front curtain is the drape that hangs behind the proscenium arch, and is made out of golden damask.
Longest Performer
Charles Anthony has given the most performances at the Met. Antony is a tenor that made his debut on March 6, 1954 at the old Met. Surprisingly, Antony is still performing at the new Met today, with over 2,000 performances to date.
Famous Debuts
Twenty nine operas have premiered at the Met. The premieres include The Ghosts of Versailles, The Great Gatsby, The Voyage and others.
British Invasion
The Who was the first band to perform at the Met Around 1970. Who knew?
Odd but True True
Tenor Richard Versalle died during a performance at the Met. He died on January 5, 1996 in a performance of "The Makropulos Case", after singing "You can only live so long". Versalle was on a ladder, had a cardiac arrest, and fell to the stage in a truly dramatic performance.
Chagall Murals
The first of the opera house's engaging features are the two murals created by Marc Chagall that hang in the lobby of the Met.. One is named "The Sources of Music" and one is called "The Triumph of Music". Both murals can be seen from the Lincoln Center's Plaza.
Strong Pedigree
The Met was designed by artist Wallace Kirkman Harrison. Harrison was a Massachusetts born architect-designer who has had a hand in many public projects around New York City, including Manhattan's Rockafeller Center.
Extra Stages
As the new opera house, the Met replaced an older venue on Broadway and 39th Street. An interesting fact is that the dimensions of the key stage of the older house and the new house are about the same, but the new opera house has about six times the area, because the designers added additional stages in the rear and to the sides of the house.
What an Opening Act
The first performance at the new Met was Barber's Antony and Cleopatra. The opera premiered on the 16th of September in 1966. The performance starred Leontyne Price as Cleopatra and Justino Diaz as Mark Antony. Alas, the opera bombed, and the Met shortly dropped it from its repertory.
The Big Curtain
Interestingly the Met has the very biggest front curtain on the planet. The front curtain is the drape that hangs behind the proscenium arch, and is made out of golden damask.
Longest Performer
Charles Anthony has given the most performances at the Met. Antony is a tenor that made his debut on March 6, 1954 at the old Met. Surprisingly, Antony is still performing at the new Met today, with over 2,000 performances to date.
Famous Debuts
Twenty nine operas have premiered at the Met. The premieres include The Ghosts of Versailles, The Great Gatsby, The Voyage and others.
British Invasion
The Who was the first band to perform at the Met Around 1970. Who knew?
Odd but True True
Tenor Richard Versalle died during a performance at the Met. He died on January 5, 1996 in a performance of "The Makropulos Case", after singing "You can only live so long". Versalle was on a ladder, had a cardiac arrest, and fell to the stage in a truly dramatic performance.
About the Author:
Jeff Myers has been fascinated by all of the great events held at the Metropolitan Opera House for a number of years. He has written many articles about several topics, please look for his writing here.
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