NEW YORK CITY: THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE

May 2023

I am blown away that I have a son who enjoys opera. He didn't get that from his dad, that's for sure. When he suggested we could all go to the Metropolitan Opera House to see a performance of Verdi's Aida, I was on it right away, and Bob reluctantly agree to come with us.

The "Met" opened in 1966 and has a capacity of over 4,000 guests, making it the largest repertory opera house in the world. It is also one of the most technically advanced and has astounding acoustics.

It is located in the Lincoln Center, a complex of buildings on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I don't know how the LDS Church was able to get the property for the temple just a block away, but what an amazing location. The Juilliard School of Music is also just around the corner from the Met.

This is Geffen Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic. There are 35 large paintings that comprise a temporary artwork on the side of the building. Collectively, they are entitled "San Juan Heal" and celebrate both Lincoln Center and the Black and Puerto Rican neighborhood (named San Juan Hill) that was displaced when the performing arts complex was built.

We went to a Saturday matinee, and there was a lot going on in the area. 

I think this guy was an Aida cast member, don't you?

Across the square from the Met is the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. In between the two legendary arts centers is a pool with the statue Reclining Figure by Henry Moore.

The inside of the Met is a swirling mass of exploding lights and twisting staircases. 

We took turns posing for pictures.

Bob, Andrew, Judy

Michaela, Andrew, Judy

Two 30' x 36' murals painted by Marc Chagall hang in the lobby. The colors and swirling movement fit the space perfectly. Apparently they are worth about $20 million. When the sun is shining on them through the front windows, curtains are drawn over them to protect them.

I love this 9' x 25' mosaic mural by Rashid Johnson and entitled The Broken Nine on one of the stair landings. Nine figures are pieced together from pieces of broken ceramics, mirrors, and wood, and there are touches of paint all over.

The hall itself is gilded and grandiose. We had seats in the nosebleed section, but it was great for people watching and the acoustics, as I mentioned earlier, were spectacular.

The Italian master composer Giuseppe Verdi was commissioned to compose this opera to celebrate the opening of the Suez canal in 1869. He at first declined, but when he was offered the enormous sum of 150,000 francs, he reconsidered. It's production was held up by war in France, and it finally debuted in Cairo in 1871 to grand acclaim. However, Verdi himself said Aida was "pretentious silliness." Nevertheless, it has been a very popular opera and has been performed at the Met and its predecessor New York opera house over 1,100 times since 1886. 

Aida is the story of an Ethiopian princess being held captive in Egypt during a time of war. She and the Egyptian general (who is leading the war against Ethiopia) fall in love, and the rest is tragedy upon tragedy. The cast of Aida includes at least 80 performers. In the version we saw, live animals were ridden and walked across the stage. It was quite a spectacle.

Well, THREE of us had fun, and the other one got a good nap!!