Met Opera to Present Traditional Production of Bellini’s I Puritani on New Year’s Eve

The Metropolitan Opera will present a new production of Bellini’s I Puritani on New Year’s Eve, directed and designed by Charles Edwards and conducted by Marco Armiliato, with Lisette Oropesa singing the role of Elvira. Edwards’s staging is deliberately traditional: the set is a 17th‑century Puritan town hall with pews and a pulpit of distressed wood, and the cast will wear period garb, including large felt hats for men and caps for women.

The production forgoes the projections and special effects used in many recent Met stagings; Oropesa said, “It’s very traditional,” and praised the literal, straightforward approach after performing the role earlier this year in Paris on a much more allegorical set. Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, called the choice “a retro move,” and framed it as part of a balance the company is trying to strike between adventurous, technologically driven works and classic productions.

The company last mounted a new Met production of I Puritani 50 years ago, and the opera has been performed just 63 times at the Met compared with Bellini’s Norma, which has appeared 175 times. Edwards said he considered a contemporary transplant but opted to let the work “speak for itself,” and performers including tenor Lawrence Brownlee, who sang Arturo in Paris, welcomed a homage to tradition.

Key Topics

Culture, Metropolitan Opera, I Puritani, Bellini, Charles Edwards, Lisette Oropesa