I am taking part in Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverly @ "How Sweet The Sound," and my pink contribution for this week is this beautiful vintage opera costume worn in 1907 by the soprano Josephine Jacoby in the role of the Princess di Bouillon at the NY Metropolitan Opera premiere of the opera Adriana Lecouvreur. (please click on the photo to enlarge it to see all the detail in the dress)Ms. Jacoby can be seen wearing the dress in the photograph below:
I took the photo below in the lower lobby of the Metropolitan Opera house at Lincoln Center when we attended the opera Lucia di Lammermoor last Tuesday evening. It shows the staircase leading up to the parterre seats, and if you click on the photograph to enlarge it you can see how vintage costumes are displayed in glass cases outside the opera hall. I also have photos in this blog post of some other costumes, and also inside the opera hall, taken when we attended the opera Don Giovanni in December, if you'd like to see them also.
The opera Lucia di Lammermoor, by the composer Gaetano Donizetti, is over three and a half hours long, as it takes place in three acts with two lengthy intermissions to allow for set changes, yet the evening seems to float by in a fraction of the time because of its many superb orchestral instrumental solos and bel canto arias.
The opera is set in Scotland and is based on the Sir Walter Scott's novel "The Bride of Lammermoor," which is about a woman forced to marry a man of her parent's choosing instead of her true love. She goes crazy on her wedding night and kills her husband, and then later her jilted lover kills himself. Very dramatic!
In the current Met production the beautiful soprano Anna Netrebko plays Lucia, Mariusz Kwiecien plays her brother Enrico, and Giuseppe Filianoti replaced the ill Rolando Villazon in the role of Edgardo the evening we saw it.
The entire synopsis of the opera can be read on the Metropolitan Opera web site.
Going to the opera is one of the best entertainment values in New York City, and I highly recommend attending a production if you visit the city during the opera season. For more information about the 2008 -2009 season visit the Met web site.
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36 comments:
The Met - one of our real treasures.
I didn't know about pink Saturday - will have to check it out. I missed the dress when we were at the Met last week -- too busy talking during intermission. I'll be listening to Lucia on the radio broadcast today. A friend of mine - Suzanne Martinucci - is one of the quiz panelists.
The dress is amazing! It's wonderful that they save and display the old costumes.
What a treat that would be---to attend The Met!! That costume is just wonderful--and it's so great that there is a photo of the singer wearing the dress so long ago!
I hope all is well with you--I can tell you are keeping busy!! :)
Happy PSat. Dana
Wow! Nothing like a light evening at the opera. LOL!
That first costume is out of this world gorgeous. Talk about dressing like royalty...just wonderful. The way the garments are displayed is a very nice touch as well. I would enjoy seeing them all.
I am pink with envy. You are so blessed to be able to attend the opera! I never cared for opera until I heard Luciano Pavarotti, then I was hooked. I was lucky enough to hear him in concert in Dallas just before he retired. What a great loss; there will never be a voice like his again!
Pat, The dress is stunning, happy Pink Saturday, I envy you having the Met so close, I was looking at Rolando Villazon's web-site only last night (he is my fave) but he seems to be plagued with ill health and voice problems again, it is such a shame. I have been looking at the Mets schedule for April/May trying to get Vanni to agree :). A beautiful post Pat, glad you had a wonderful evening, hugs, Kathy.
Gorgeous dress!
Happy Pink Saturday!
Susan
I always love to visit your site - I feel like I learn so much more about New York city on a more personal level. I would love to visit someday but I am such a chicken livers that I don't really fly anywhere and I don't really travel far from home but you make it enticing.....Robyn
I have not been to the Opera in years... my son is interested in seeing an Opera... I should buy some tickets... wonder if I could borrow your pink gown to attend the Opera!
ENJOY your Pink Saturday!
Fifi
Happy Pink Saturday! I love your post, the dress is beautiful! I really enjoyed reading some of your blog! I have always wanted to visit New York, so it was nice to see all your pictures.
Gina
So when is opera season? Since I've never been to the opera...I think it would be great fun to take in my first one in New York someday...at the Met.
You sure found something that none of the rest of us would think of! How cool and...how lovely. Thanks so much.
Wow the dress is beautiful,I love the detail work.Thanks for showing some history on the opera,I'm glad you had a wonderful time....Barb
Hi Pat!
The dress is amazing! I did click to make it bigger and my gosh...what a feat to create that.
Have a great Pink Saturday!
Deanna :D
Hi Pat,
Wouldn't it be fun to dress like that every now and again? I love all the details.
Happy Pink Saturday my friend!
xo Cori
Oh, what a magnificent Pink Saturday Post. I have been to the Met several times when I lived in New York. This opera sounds lovely. Once upon a time Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews performed at the Met. My father was a cameraman at the time for CBS, and we had box seats right next to the stage.
Happy Pink Saturday
Karen
The dress is gorgeous.. thank you for sharing your lovely photos. Happy Pink Saturday....
Pat, that dress is amazing! And can you imagine how heavy it must be to wear?! It is such a lovely color, and the design is pretty incredible as well. I would love to have seen it worn in an opera performance! Thanks for sharing.
XO,
Sheila :-)
I'd love to go to the operas..though we hardly have any, the nearest is Singapore. Wow..I do imagine myself moving around in that dress.
What an amazing dress! It must've taken ages to make with all that embroidery and be so heavy to wear.
I hope your son had a hapy 30th birthday.
One thing I would like to do before my daughter moves out of the city is to go to the opera...the costumes alone are amazing but I love opera too...City Opera of NYC used to come to the city nearest us and I managed to see a few of their operas...sadly they have stopped doing that...finances I suppose:(
Oh how I dream of going to the Met some day. I would love it - regardless of what was showing.
Happy Pink Saturday, Pat.
Hi Pat! Lovely post! I must confess that I had one of the worst experiences of the Lucia at the Met; Some day in the early 1990s... but of course Callas was unbeatable on the role and her memories from the records were haunting the lady who was having her première at the Met; forgot her name... ;)
Meanwhile Blogtrotter has entered Rajasthan and waits for you! ;) Enjoy and have a great week!
You know, I have never been to the opera. That dress is absolutely gorgeous. You have enticed me to see what offerings we have here in Boston.
See you next week.
That is an amazing costume. Thanks so much for your explanation of the opera--I always learn so much when I come here Pat--thanks for taking the time for these neat posts.
OH MY GOSH!!!! That dress is AMAzing!!!! :) wow!
Have you ever seen an opera with Michele Pertusi? He's very talented.... plus he's from my hometown! Her's a link that maybe can interest you http://turismo.parma.it/Inglese/page.asp?IDCategoria=260&IDSezione=1094&ID=34554
Again, you take me to wonderful places while I drink my morning espresso! I love your blog.
xox
Love the costume!
Paz
I simply can't believe the incredible detail on the dress .. thank you so much for giving us yet another peek into NYC!
Hi Pat :)
That IS very dramatic! I hope to go one day :)
Happy Birthday to Vince! He and his family are beautiful.
Oh and I'm thrilled I picked up the coffee habit after reading your post on it. Those diseases run on both sides of my family... yikes!
hugs,
rue
Hi Pat...Girl, I'm from Texas and when you speak "opera", it's like a foreign language to me...
however, if I ever get to NYC again in this lifetime, I will try to attend an opera... ;-) Bo
Hope you had a good Monday! And I just LOVE the super baby pic! :)
Amazing dress. Thanks for sharing! :)Nancy
Sounds very intense! That's some dress!
We're off to see "La Traviata" this Sunday, but nowhere as grand as The Met. Boo hoo.
Kat
Wow! I saw this opera many years ago, here in Toronto. It was spectacular.
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