The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series, first presented in 2009, returns this year with six performances in the parks of all five boroughs, kicking off July 25 at SummerStage in Central Park.
This performance features Met stars Danielle de Niese (soprano), Dimitri Pittas (tenor), and John Del Carlo (bass-baritone), accompanied by pianist Dan Saunders, in a program of favorite arias and duets.
Dimitri Pittas (tenor) was heard at the Met this season as Rodolfo in La Bohème and Macduff in Macbeth. Other Met appearances include Tamino in The Magic Flute, Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore, Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor, the Herald in Don Carlo (debut, 2005), Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette, the First Prisoner in Fidelio, and the First Knight in Parsifal. He is a graduate of the company’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.
Danielle de Niese (soprano) sang Ariel in the Met’s world premiere production of The Enchanted Island this season. She previously appeared with the company as Despina in Così fan tutte, Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice, Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, a Flower Maiden in Parsifal, the Child in L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, Poussette in Manon, and Susanna and Barbarina (debut, 1998) in Le Nozze di Figaro. She is a graduate of the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.
John Del Carlo (bass-baritone) appeared at the Met this season as Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Dansker in Billy Budd. His repertoire with the company also includes Don Pasquale, the Speaker in The Magic Flute, the Prince in Adriana Lecouvreur, the Sacristan in Tosca, Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro, Kothner in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (debut, 1993), Mathieu in Andrea Chénier, Swallow in Peter Grimes, Alfieri in Bolcom’s A View from the Bridge, Quince in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Baron Zeta in The Merry Widow, and Balducci in Benvenuto Cellini.
Dan Saunders has worked as conductor, pianist, and coach in the fields of opera and song. He began his operatic career as rehearsal pianist at the Met and later became an Assistant Conductor with the company. He made his Met debut as harpsichordist in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s 1984 production of La Clemenza di Tito (telecast on Live From Lincoln Center) and subsequently played continuo for many other productions, including Le Nozze di Figaro, Idomeneo, L’Italiana in Algeri, and Don Giovanni.
Event website: www.metopera.org/summer
