THE METROPOLITAN OPERA

It was, simply, one of the great nights of the season.

--Associated Press  

The staging remains effective. The strong cast was headed by the baritone Alan Held as Wozzeck, an oppressed, impoverished soldier. Mr. Held’s full-bodied sound combined with his haggard, pitiful look made his Wozzeck seem especially delusional and dangerous. As Marie, Wozzeck’s common-law wife and the mother of his little boy, the mezzo-soprano Waltraud Meier was magnificent.

--The New York Times

Gregory Keller’s direction deserves kudos for keeping the energy level high and staying out the way of Meier’s gritty grandeur.

--The New York Post

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Conductor: James Levine

Production: Mark Lamos

Sets & Costumes: Robert Israel

Lighting: James F. Ingalls

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Captain: Gerhard Siegel

Wozzeck: Alan Held

Andres: Russell Thomas*

Marie: Waltraud Meier

Doctor: Walter Fink

Drum Major: Stuart Skelton*

First Apprentice: Richard Bernstein

Second Apprentice: Mark Schowalter

Fool: Philippe Castagner *

Solider: Daniel Clark Smith

Townsman: Raymond Aparentado

Marie’s Child: John Albert

* = debut

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April 4, 9, 13, 16, 2011

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Photos: Cory Weaver (Met Opera), Jiulieta Cervantes (NYTimes)