"Wagner's Dream" Documentary Preludes Wagner's Series in U.S.
Movie Theaters Nationwide Beginning May 7
NEW YORK & CENTENNIAL, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
NCM Fathom Events and the Metropolitan Opera will present Robert
Lepage's new production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen,
as well as Wagner's Dream, a new documentary chronicling
the creation of this ambitious new staging this May. The series will
begin Monday, May 7 with the documentary and continue on Wednesday, May
9 with Das Rheingold, the first opera in the cycle.
Tickets are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com.
For a complete list of theater locations and schedule, please visit the
website (theaters and participants are subject to change). Ticket
prices vary by location.
Wagner's Ring
Cycle series will be presented in more than 400 U.S. movie theaters
through NCM's exclusive Digital
Broadcast Network. The series follows the successful sixth season of
the Emmy® and Peabody award-winning The
Met: Live in HD series for the 2011-12 Met season which
featured 11 live operas broadcast to 167 U.S. markets.
The Ring Cycle series planned schedule* is
as follows:
Monday, May 7 - 6:30 p.m. local time
Wagner's Dream — Met premiere of documentary by Susan
Froemke
The stakes could not be higher as visionary director Robert Lepage,
some of the world's greatest operatic artists, and the Metropolitan
Opera tackle Wagner's Ring cycle. An intimate look at the
enormous theatrical and musical challenges of staging opera's most
monumental work, the film chronicles the quest to fulfill Wagner's dream
of a perfect Ring.
Wednesday, May 9 - 6:30 p.m. local time
Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold)
In the first opera in the Ring cycle, the gods of Valhalla clash
with underworld dwarves and brawny giants, with disastrous consequences.
The evil Alberich (Eric Owens) steals gold from the Rhine and
uses it to forge a ring of unimaginable power. Wotan (Bryn Terfel),
the king of the gods, uses magic to steal the Ring, but Alberich places
a curse that guarantees misery for whoever wears it. Wotan's
unwillingness to part with the ring leads him to break a contract with
the giants who have built the gods' new castle in the sky, setting in
motion a chain of events that will end in his own destruction. James
Levine conducts.
Original live broadcast: October 9, 2010
Monday, May 14 - 6:30 p.m. local time
Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)
The mysterious hero Siegmund (Jonas Kaufmann) finds shelter in
the strangely familiar arms of a lonely woman named Sieglinde (Eva-Maria
Westbroek). Their forbidden love leads Wotan's daughter, the warrior
maiden Brünnhilde (Deborah Voigt), to defy morality and intervene
on behalf of the hero. Brünnhilde's transgression forces her father to
choose between his love for his favorite daughter and his duty to his
wife, the formidable goddess Fricka (Stephanie Blythe). Overcome
with grief, Wotan takes away Brünnhilde's godlike powers and puts her to
sleep on a mountaintop, surrounded by a ring of magic fire that can only
be crossed by the bravest of heroes. James Levine conducts.
Original live transmission: May 14, 2011
Wednesday, May 16 - 6:30 p.m. local time
Siegfried
The young hero Siegfried grows up in the wilderness, raised by
Alberich's conniving brother Mime (Gerhard Siegel). He puts
together the broken pieces of the sword Nothung, uses it to slay the
fearsome dragon Fafner, and takes the Ring for himself. To fulfill his
destiny, he must overcome one more opponent—Wotan, now disguised as the
Wanderer, who knows the world of the gods is coming to an end—and cross
through the magic fire to awaken his true love, Brünnhilde. Fabio
Luisi conducts.
Original live transmission: November 5, 2011
Saturday, May 19 - Noon local time
Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)
Siegfried and Brünnhilde's love is torn apart by the curse of the Ring.
A trio of scheming humans separates the two heroes in a desperate
attempt to steal the Ring for themselves. Their villainous plan fails,
but they succeed in murdering Siegfried. Heartbroken, Brünnhilde takes
the Ring and leaps into the hero's funeral pyre, causing a global
cataclysm and the twilight of the gods. Fabio Luisi conducts.
Original live transmission: February 11, 2012
*Programs and casting subject to change. For more details on the
operas, please visit the Met's website at www.metopera.org/hdlive.
"Met Live in HD series fans have been patiently awaiting
the broadcast of Wagner's Ring Cycle into movie theaters but now
the wait is over," said Shelly Maxwell, executive vice president of NCM
Fathom Events. "Kicking off the series is the documentary, ‘Wagner's
Dream,' which chronicles the challenges of making the Met's landmark
production — certainly a must-see for opera fans."
About National CineMedia (NCM)
NCM
operates NCM Media Networks, a leading integrated media company reaching
U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and through mobile technology.
The NCM
Cinema Network and NCM
Fathom present cinema advertising and events across the nation's
largest digital in-theater network, comprised of theaters owned by AMC
Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), Regal
Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) and other leading regional theater
circuits. NCM's theater advertising network covers 177 Designated Market
Areas® (49 of the top 50) and includes over 18,600 screens
(approximately 17,700 digital). During 2011, nearly 671 million patrons
(on an annualized basis) attended movies shown in theaters in which NCM
currently has exclusive, cinema advertising agreements in place. The NCM
Fathom Events live digital broadcast network ("DBN") is comprised of
over 700 locations in 167 Designated Market Areas® (including all of the
top 50). The NCM
Interactive Network offers 360-degree integrated marketing
opportunities in combination with cinema, encompassing 42
entertainment-related websites, online widgets and mobile applications.
National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 48.7% interest in and is
the managing member of National CineMedia LLC. For more information,
visit www.ncm.com
or www.FathomEvents.com.
About the Metropolitan Opera
Under the leadership of General Manager Peter Gelb and Music Director
James Levine, the Met has a series of bold initiatives underway that are
designed to broaden its audience and revitalize the company's repertory.
The Met has made a commitment to presenting modern masterpieces
alongside the classic repertory, with highly theatrical productions
featuring the greatest opera stars in the world. For more information
about the Metropolitan Opera, please visit www.metopera.org.
Press/Media Only, Contact:
NCM
Fathom
Michelle Portillo, 303-792-8651
michelle.portillo@ncm.com
or
Metropolitan
Opera
Lee Abrahamian, 212-870-7457
labrahamian@metopera.org
or
Peter
Clark, 212-870-7457
pclark@metopera.org
or
Sam
Neuman, 212-870-7457
sneuman@metopera.org
Source: NCM Fathom
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