September 25, 2008

Opening night at the Metropolitan Opera

Last Monday evening, I had the great pleasure of attending the opening of the 2008-'09 season of the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center in New York City, a gala celebrating the opera's 125th anniversary. My invitation to this event came from Peter Gelb, the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera. Initially, I wanted to take my nephew, Christopher Herbert. However, Chris is currently in Europe, auditioning and performing in competitions, furthering his own operatic career. Instead, I invited Chris's good friend Timothy Long, who is a fine classical pianist, as well as an operatic conductor. Tim's most recent conducting engagements include the Wolf Trap Opera, the Operatic Theater of St. Louis, and the Boston Lyric Opera –- so, he was thrilled when I called.

We were treated that evening to three fully staged scenes from Verdi's La Traviata, Massenet's Manon, and Stauss's Capriccio. The star of the evening was the fabulous soprano, Renee Fleming, wearing amazing costumes created by legendary fashion designers –- John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, and Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. Following this exhilarating performance by the entire cast, we sat down to a most delicious dinner held at Damrosch Park, part of Lincoln Center. Come and see my photos from another night on the town!

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Watch me create a special cocktail with Renee Fleming!