This Friday I’ll be attending the first public concert in Prospect Park: the Metropolitan Opera, Live in Prospect Park:
Two of opera’s biggest stars, soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor Roberto Alagna, will perform together on the Long Meadow Ballfields on June 20 at 8 p.m., together with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. This year’s Prospect Park concert is anticipated to be one of the Metropolitan Opera’s largest outdoor concerts in company history.
The Met’s summertime tradition of free outdoor performances returns with a special one-night only event in Prospect Park. Celebrate the start of summer with two of opera’s biggest stars – Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna- singing popular arias and duets. Ion Marin conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus in the operatic event of the summer
– Met Summer Concert: Live in Prospect Park
They really do mean the start of summer. The Summer Solstice is this Friday, June 20, 23:59 UTC, 7:59pm Eastern Daylight Time, 1 minute before the official start of the concert.
It looks to be an impressive setup. Neighbor and fellow blogger and gardener Brenda caught the construction in progress:
On Monday morning, the Long Meadow was a hive of construction activity. Flat-bed trucks, tractors, and dozens of guys swarmed over the turf for an Opera Barn-Raising of sorts: Turns out this Friday’s concert featuring husband-and-wife team Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna will be a real blowout, with jumbo video screens and a “larger than normal stage.”
The performance will be broadcast live on WQXR-FM (96.3 FM), and streamed live on the Met’s website, www.metopera.org.
The married star couple of Gheorghiu and Alagna will sing popular arias and duets by Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Massenet, and others, conducted by Ion Marin. Gheorghiu and Alagna will perform on a larger-than-normal stage, surrounded by six jumbo video screens that will be strategically placed throughout the area to maximize the viewing experience.