Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The opening of a new season at the Metropolitan Opera marks the pinnacle of gala time in New York, with its red carpets, lavish dinners and flowing champagne. But for many opera aficionados, the excitement of a new season lies less in the glamour than in the upcoming roster of singers: buzzy young singers making their debuts and beloved Met stars taking on new roles.There was a collective stir in the audience when the 30-year-old debutante Vasilisa Berzhanskaya sang her first notes in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann. The Russian mezzo has a big, refulgent voice that easily fills the Met auditorium, from a cavernous lower register to a ringing high C that would be the envy of any soprano. It’s a bit much for the role of Nicklausse, the titular hero’s young friend, and Berzhanskaya attacks Offenbach’s buoyant score as if it were Verdi or Wagner, but it’s the type of Met debut that promises exciting things in the future.Even Berzhanskaya’s talents aren’t enough to outshine Benjamin Bernheim’s Hoffmann, the drunk poet who goes unsuccessfully from lover to lover. It’s one of the most gruelling roles in the repertoire, but the French tenor brings impeccable style and honeyed tone to the part. He is an appealing stage presence, sparring effectively with an imposing Christian Van Horn as Hoffmann’s various nemeses. The American bass-baritone has long been a solid presence at the Met, and his suave rendition of the devilish Dapertutto’s aria showed off his impressive upper register.The two men vie for the affection of the opera singer Stella, who gets little music of her own but is given a glamorous performance by Pretty Yende. Yende doubles as the doomed Antonia, but the part lies too low; she turns pitchy and fluttery in her aria and duet. Clémentine Margaine brings luscious tone and presence to the courtesan Giulietta, vamping her way across the stage in satin, but it’s Erin Morley whose stratospheric high notes and flawless musicality steal the show as the automaton Olympia.★★★★☆It was in the role of Olympia that the Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak made her Met debut two decades ago, and she has since graduated from the coloratura repertoire into heavier Italian fare. Puccini’s Tosca is her weightiest role to date, but she maintains the youthful sound and agility of her coloratura past. She’s a canny performer, pacing herself for the dramatic outbursts and digging into her lower register to provide the necessary verismo thrills without tiring herself out for the final act.She deserves a stronger supporting cast, with a vocally pale Scarpia from George Gagnidze and a dramatically uninvolved Cavaradossi from SeokJong Baek, though Baek does provide some thrilling high notes. David McVicar’s production of Tosca and Bartlett Sher’s Hoffmann are conventional but attractive stagings, their elaborate sets eliciting applause. The real revelations in Tosca come from conductor Xian Zhang, who brings a symphonic sweep to the score with an eye for orchestral detail and balance. Zhang, like Hoffmann conductor Marco Armiliato, is one of those artists who are often taken for granted at a house like the Met, but can turn a routine revival into something special.★★★☆☆‘Les contes d’Hoffman’ to October 18, ‘Tosca’ to January 23, metopera.org
