Werther in Barcelona

Next month, Matthew Polenzani will once again embody the role of Massenet’s Werther at Gran Teatre del Liceu. The plot follows the young man in love, who writes letters to his friend Wilhelm about Charlotte, who rejected him to marry another man after having promised her mother so on her deathbed. A {...}

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Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera

Matthew Polenzani is back at the Metropolitan Opera, where cultures collide in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, a poignant tale of a loyal geisha and a callous American naval officer whose fleeting romance leaves only devastation behind. He stars as Pinkerton opposite Ailyn Pérez as Cio-Cio-San in Anthony {...}

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Un ballo in maschera at Opéra Bastille

Verdi’s opera Un ballo in maschera was inspired by a real historical event: the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden during a costume ball in 1792. Verdi had a run-in with the censors, who were scandalised by the idea of depicting regicide on stage. His masked ball is set in America and focuses {...}

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Schubert and Italian songs in Philadelphia

After his spring 2024 PCMS appearance, Matthew Polenzani returns to the stage of the Perelman Theater alongside pianist Ken Noda to regale the audience with an unforgettable evening of singing on December 16. The first half of the program features Schubert’s Schwanengesang, a deep exploration of {...}

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