Met Opera: Dead Man Walking
$57-$490
- Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano (Sister Helen Prejean)
- Latonia Moore, soprano (Sister Rose)
- Ryan McKinny, bass-baritone (Joseph de Rocher)
- Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano (Mrs. Patrick de Rocher)
American composer Jake Heggie's masterpiece, the most widely performed new opera of the last 20 years, has its highly anticipated Met premiere, in a haunting new production by Ivo van Hove. Based on Sister Helen Prejean's memoir about her fight for the soul of a condemned murderer, Dead Man Walking matches the high drama of its subject with Heggie's beautiful and poignant music and a brilliant libretto by Terrence McNally. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium for this landmark premiere, with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato starring as Sister Helen. The outstanding cast also features bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as the death-row inmate Joseph De Rocher, soprano Latonia Moore as Sister Rose, and legendary mezzo-soprano Susan Graham—who sang Helen Prejean in the opera's 2000 premiere—as De Rocher's mother.
Dead Man Walking contains adult themes and strong language. Parental discretion advised.
Runs Sept 26-Oct 21.
About Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano (Sister Helen Prejean)
About Latonia Moore, soprano (Sister Rose)
About Ryan McKinny, bass-baritone (Joseph de Rocher)
About Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano (Mrs. Patrick de Rocher)
Susan Graham – hailed as "an artist to treasure" by The New York Times – rose to the highest echelon of international performers within just a few years of her professional debut, mastering an astonishing range of repertoire and genres along the way. Her operatic roles span four centuries, from Monteverdi’s Poppea to Sister Helen Prejean in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, which was written especially for her. A familiar face at New York's Metropolitan Opera, she also maintains a strong international presence at such key venues as Paris’s Théâtre du Châtelet, Santa Fe Opera, and the Hollywood Bowl. She won a Grammy Award for her collection of Ives songs, and has also been recognized throughout her career as one of the foremost exponents of French vocal music. Although a native of Texas, she was awarded the French government's prestigious "Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur," both for her popularity as a performer in France and in honor of her commitment to French music.
http://susangraham.com/