Also known as the Met, the Metropolitan Opera House opened in the late 60's and has been entertaining patrons consistently ever since. The Metropolitan Opera House is the home of the NYC's most high profile opera, which has been in operation since 1883. The Met is found in the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, on Broadway between 63rd and 64th St.
Chagall Murals
The first of the opera house's fascinating features are the two murals created by Marc Chagall that hang in the lobby of the Met.. One mural is called "The Sources of Music" and one is called "The Triumph of Music". They can be seen from the Lincoln Center Plaza.
Strong Pedigree
The architecture of the Met was designed by Wallace Kirkman Harrison. Harrison was a Massachusetts born architect who has had a hand in many public projects around New York City, including Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.
Extra Stages
As the new opera house, the Met replaced an older location on Broadway and 39th. An interesting fact is that the dimensions of the key stage of the older house and the new house are about the same, but the new Met has about 6 times the area, due the fact that the designers added extra stages on the sides and in the rear of the venue.
Short Lived Opening Act
The initial performance at the new Met the opera Antony and Cleopatra by Samuel Barber. The opera premiered on the 16th of September in 1966. The opera starred Leontyne Price as Cleopatra and Justino Diaz as Mark Antony. Alas, the opera bombed, and the Met soon dropped it from its line-up.
The Big Curtain
Trivial but intersting, the Met has the largest front curtain of any performance venue in existence. The front curtain is the drape that hangs behind the proscenium arch, and is made out of golden damask.
Longest Performer
Charles Antony has logged the most performer hours at the Met. Antony is a tenor that made his debut on March 6, 1954 at the old Met. Surprisingly, Antony is still performing at the new Met today, with over 2,000 performances to present.
Famous Debuts
Almost thirty operas have premiered at the Met. These premieres include The Voyage, The Great Gatsby, The Ghosts of Versailles and others.
British Invasion
The Who was the inductory rock group to perform at the Met Around 1970. Who knew?
Strange but True True
Tenor Richard Versalle died while in the middle of a performance at the Met. He died on the 5th of January in 1966 in the middle a performance of "The Makropulos Case", after singing "You can only live so long". Versalle was on a ladder, had a heart attack, and fell to the stage in a truly dramatic performance.
Chagall Murals
The first of the opera house's fascinating features are the two murals created by Marc Chagall that hang in the lobby of the Met.. One mural is called "The Sources of Music" and one is called "The Triumph of Music". They can be seen from the Lincoln Center Plaza.
Strong Pedigree
The architecture of the Met was designed by Wallace Kirkman Harrison. Harrison was a Massachusetts born architect who has had a hand in many public projects around New York City, including Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.
Extra Stages
As the new opera house, the Met replaced an older location on Broadway and 39th. An interesting fact is that the dimensions of the key stage of the older house and the new house are about the same, but the new Met has about 6 times the area, due the fact that the designers added extra stages on the sides and in the rear of the venue.
Short Lived Opening Act
The initial performance at the new Met the opera Antony and Cleopatra by Samuel Barber. The opera premiered on the 16th of September in 1966. The opera starred Leontyne Price as Cleopatra and Justino Diaz as Mark Antony. Alas, the opera bombed, and the Met soon dropped it from its line-up.
The Big Curtain
Trivial but intersting, the Met has the largest front curtain of any performance venue in existence. The front curtain is the drape that hangs behind the proscenium arch, and is made out of golden damask.
Longest Performer
Charles Antony has logged the most performer hours at the Met. Antony is a tenor that made his debut on March 6, 1954 at the old Met. Surprisingly, Antony is still performing at the new Met today, with over 2,000 performances to present.
Famous Debuts
Almost thirty operas have premiered at the Met. These premieres include The Voyage, The Great Gatsby, The Ghosts of Versailles and others.
British Invasion
The Who was the inductory rock group to perform at the Met Around 1970. Who knew?
Strange but True True
Tenor Richard Versalle died while in the middle of a performance at the Met. He died on the 5th of January in 1966 in the middle a performance of "The Makropulos Case", after singing "You can only live so long". Versalle was on a ladder, had a heart attack, and fell to the stage in a truly dramatic performance.
About the Author:
Jeff Myers has been fascinated by all of the great events held at the Metropolitan Opera House for a number of years. He has written many articles about several topics, please look for his writing here.
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