'The Lady of the Lake' Beguiles, in Met Live Screening of Rossini Opera

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Joyce DiDonato as Elena in Rossini's “La Donna del Lago,” screening on The Met: Live in HD on March 14.

• A scene from the first act of Rossini’s “La Donna del Lago” (“The Lady of the Lake”) at the Metropolitan Opera.
• From left, John Osborn as Rodrigo, Joyce DiDonato as Elena and Juan Diego Flórez as King Giacomo V, in Rossini's “La Donna del Lago.”

POTSDAM, NY (02/26/2015)(readMedia)-- The Met: Live in HD will transfix viewers and listeners with the screening of Giacomo Rossini's "La Donna del Lago" ("The Lady of the Lake") on March 9. This is the first-ever production of the opera on the Metropolitan Opera stage.

Bel canto superstars Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flórez lead the cast in this showcase of vocal virtuosity. Set in the medieval Scottish highlands, "La Donna del Lago" is based on a beloved novel by Sir Walter Scott.

DiDonato is the "lady of the lake" of the title, and Flórez is the king who relentlessly pursues her, their vocal fireworks embellishing the romantic plot. Michele Mariotti conducts the opera.

"DiDonato sang Rossini's beguiling phrases with soft yet penetrating richness, subtly folding ornaments and runs into the long melodic arcs," New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini wrote. "Mariotti drew hushed gentle and transparent playing from the inspired Met orchestra."

Rossini's "La Donna del Lago" will screen live from the Metropolitan Opera stage at 12:55 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 at Potsdam's Roxy Theater. There will be an encore screening at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 22.

The opera will be performed in Italian, with English subtitles. The approximate running time is three hours, 30 minutes, including intermission.

The 2014-15 season of The Met: Live in HD is sponsored in the North Country by SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music and J.S. Cinemas.

All productions will be shown live worldwide on Saturdays. There will also be encore presentations offered on Sundays locally. Doors open a half-hour before show time, and there is immediate seating for advance ticket holders.

In The Met: Live in HD, robotic cameras, strategically placed around and behind the stage, capture the beauty and power of live performance from striking angles, and heighten attention to both performance and production. Intermission features and English subtitles bring the stories to life.

Tickets prices are the lowest available in the nation: $18 for an adult, $15 for senior citizens, $12 for students and $9 for youth age 18 and under.

Tickets are available by calling the Community Performance Series Box Office at (315) 267-2277, visiting the CPS Box Office in the lobby of SUNY Potsdam's Performing Arts Center, or online at www.cpspotsdam.org. Tickets can also be purchased at the Roxy Theater immediately prior to the showing.

For more information on the 2014-15 The Met: Live in HD season, visit the Metropolitan Opera website at www.metopera.org/hdlive.

For more information about SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, please visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.

Founded in 1886, SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music has a long legacy of excellence in music education and performance. Life at Crane includes an incredible array of more than 300 recitals, lectures and concerts presented by faculty, students and guests each year. The Crane School of Music is the State University of New York's only All-Steinway institution.

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