The Metropolitan Opera has announced the operas that will be telecast next season. They are listed below. For further details about the telecasts and the upcoming season, please visit this link.
A few comments about these shows. Two Bellini operas out of a total of eight is an oddity. The first of these will mark the Met debut of Spanish tenor Xabier Anduaga. He has caused a stir because of the beauty of his lyric tenor. The young (b 1995) singer has evoked comparisons to Giuseppe Di Stefano, Alfredo Kraus, and Luciano Pavarotti. He will be joined by Nadine Sierra as the somnambulist.
La Bohème will have no cast, conductor, or orchestra as it has been done so often that the house can perform it on its own.
Andrea Chénier needs a solid spinto or dramatic tenor on the order of Mario Del Monaco, Richard Tucker, or Franco Corelli. Unfortunately, the Met has nobody at their level of excellence and will present Piotr Beczała in the title role. He is a lyric tenor, not up to spinto roles, as his weak appearance as Radames the season showed. He’s also near the end of his career.
Tristan und Isolde is a daunting test for both soprano and tenor. Soprano Lise Davidsen, who just added motherhood (twins) to her roles, should be a fine Isolde. She’s scheduled for Brunhilde in the Met’s Ring Cycle in the 26-27 season. Tenor Michael Spyres, who has the weirdest repertoire in operatic history, could be great or awful as Tristan. Die Zeit wird es zeigen.
2025-26 Season
Vincenzo Bellini
La Sonnambula
Live Performance
Sat, Oct 18, 2025 1:00 PM ET
Giacomo Puccini
La Bohème
Live Performance
Sat, Nov 08, 2025 1:00 PM ET
Richard Strauss
Arabella
Live Performance
Sat, Nov 22, 2025 1:00 PM ET
Umberto Giordano
Andrea Chénier
Live Performance
Sat, Dec 13, 2025 1:00 PM ET
Vincenzo Bellini
I Puritani
Live Performance
Sat, Jan 10, 2026 1:00 PM ET
Richard Wagner
Tristan und Isolde
Live Performance
Sat, Mar 21, 2026 12:00 PM ET
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Eugene Onegin
Sat, May 02, 2026 1:00 PM ET
Gabriela Lena Frank / Libretto by Nilo Cruz
El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego
Live Performance
Sat, May 30, 2026 1:00 PM ET
I hope they choose either a new production for Tristan or return to the one from 2008(?) which has Voight as Isolde. I really disliked the more recent one set on board a ship in contemporary times. And as the orchestra played the prelude in that production, the only thing on the screen was a navigation device of some type. Robbing the audience viewing at home or in the theater of the opportunity to see the orchestra members and the conductor at work.
It’s a new production.
I was so lucky to see Chenier, a top favorite of mine with Corelli, Tebaldi, and Battistiani. Recordings don’t do justice to Tebaldi’s voice. Huge and lush. Got all their autographs too!!