Maria Guleghina and Plácido Domingo star in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur, which opens at the Metropolitan Opera on February 6 with Domingo returning to sing the role of his Met debut 40 years ago. Guleghina sings Adriana, the famous actress in love with the military hero Maurizio, sung by Domingo. Olga Borodina sings the Principessa di Bouillon, Adriana's rival for Maurizio's affections, and Roberto Frontali is Adriana's faithful friend Michonnet. Marco Armiliato conducts all performances, and Marcello Giordani sings the role of Maurizio on February 17. All the principal singers other than Domingo are performing their roles for the first time at the Met. Mark Lamos stages this revival, with set designs by C.M. Cristini after sketches by Camillo Paravicini and costume designs by Ray Diffen with additional costumes by Jane Greenwood. Lighting design is by Duane Schuler and choreography by Sergei Gritsai.
On September 28, 1968, Domingo made his Met debut substituting on short notice for Franco Corelli and singing opposite the great Italian soprano Renata Tebaldi, for whom the present production was created. Reviewing the performance, The New York Times called him "the Met's hottest young artist," and went on to describe him as "a strapping fellow with a plangent and sizeable voice, as well as considerable stage magnetism."
Adriana Lecouvreur is based on The Life of the famous 18th century French actress Adrienne Lecouvreur and her love affair with Louis XV's great general, Maurice de Saxe (Maurizio in the opera). The best known work by Italian composer Francesco Cilea, it is a passionate and melodic verismo opera that has long been a favorite of Italian prima donnas. The Met first staged it for the glamorous Lina Cavalieri in 1907, with Enrico Caruso as Maurizio. Tebaldi and Corelli sang the premiere of the current production in 1963, and its revivals since then have included such illustrious cast members as Montserrat Caballé, Renata Scotto, Mirella Freni, José Carreras, Regina Resnik, and Fiorenza Cossotto.
Maria Guleghina, one of the world's most celebrated dramatic sopranos, adds the role of Adriana Lecouvreur to her Met repertoire. Renowned for her portrayals of some of the most notoriously demanding roles in the soprano repertory, Guleghina last season sang Lady Macbeth in the new production of Verdi's Macbeth, which was part of The Met: Live in HD series, as well as the title role of Bellini's Norma. Since her 1991 Met debut as Maddalena in Andrea Chénier, she has been heard in more than 100 performances with the company in roles that include Giorgetta in Il Tabarro, Dolly in the company premiere of Sly, Tosca, and Aida.
Placido Domingo has had one of the most remarkable careers in the Met's 125-year history. He has sung an astounding 611 performances and 45 roles with the company, as well as numerous appearances in galas and concerts. In addition, he has conducted 127 performances of 9 operas. He has performed in 21 opening night performances at the Met, more than any other principal artist in history, including the legendary Enrico Caruso. The 40th anniversary of Domingo's Met debut was celebrated on September 28, 2008 with a special dinner on the stage of the Met and will be fêted again on March 15, 2009, when the Met marks its 125th anniversary with a special gala performance. Domingo's Met career has included many firsts, among them the title role in the world premiere of Tan Dun's The First Emperor (2006), which was later transmitted around the world as part of The Met: Live in HD series; the title role in the United States premiere of Franco Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac (2005); the title roles in the Met premieres of Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's Sly (2002) and Verdi's Stiffelio (1993); and the role of Danilo in the Met premiere of Lehár's The Merry Widow (2000). He has taken leading roles in 24 new production premieres at the Met and appears regularly in the company's television and radio broadcasts.
Later this season, Domingo returns to another of his best-known roles: Siegmund in Wagner's Die Walküre, which he sings on April 28 and May 5, in the final two performances of Otto Schenk's landmark production of Der Ring des Nibelungen.
Olga Borodina adds the role of the Principessa to her Met repertory after having sung the role of Laura in La Gioconda earlier this season. The Russian singer is among the handful of mezzo-sopranos on international stages today whose repertory covers the wide spectrum from dramatic Verdi parts (Eboli in Don Carlo, Amneris in Aida), to lyrical seductresses by French composers (Dalila in Saint-Saëns's Samson et Dalila and the title role in Bizet's Carmen), to bel canto characters (Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri and La Cenerentola), to the powerful heroines of her native Russia (Marina in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov and Pauline in Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades), all of which she has performed at the Met.
