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classical music, opera, theatre
Terence Blanchard: Champion
The Met's new production
29 April 2023, Saturday
4:55 pm - 8:15 pm
one interval
Festival Theatre
Produced by Müpa Budapest
The Met: Live in HD at Müpa Budapest

Just over a year and a half after the Met staged the première of his Fire Shut Up in My Bones, the first opera by an African-American composer to run there in the institution's history, another work by Terence Blanchard will already be making it to New York. Next up at the American opera house will be the six-time Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter and composer's first opera, dating from 2013, in a production conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who is committed to mounting contemporary works, directed by James Robinson, and starring both Ryan Speedo Green and Eric Owens as the legendary boxer Emile Griffith.

Griffith, who died in 2013 at the age of 75, was one of the most successful professional boxers of all time, winning the world championship title in both the welterweight and middleweight categories. The dramatic life story of an athlete who literally fought his way out from a childhood of hopeless poverty was literally made for the stage. This is true whether we think of the lethal KO punch that turned out to end the life of one of his rivals, the storms surrounding his private life and the bisexuality that he acknowledged in his old age, or his final, hopeless struggle against dementia. His story is told in Blanchard's opera, in which the aforementioned two great African-American singers will play the roles of Griffith, one as the young man who is fighting for the title belt, and the other as his older self attempting to look back on his life. Like Owens and Green, Latonia Moore, who portrays Griffith's estranged mother, was featured in the 2019 global broadcast of Porgy and Bess, a magnificent production that marks the last time James Robinson and choreographer Camille A. Brown worked together before joining forces again for this one.

The 'Metropolitan Opera Live in HD' transmissions have been made possible through the cooperation of our partner, liveincinema.eu s.r.o.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest

Conductor:

Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Performers:

Emelda Griffith Latonia Moore
Kathy Hagan Stephanie Blythe
The Young Emile Griffith Ryan Speedo Green
Emile Griffith Eric Owens

Featuring:

The Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra

Creators:

Libretto Michael Cristofer
Set design Allen Moyer
Costumes Paul Tazewell
Lighting Donald Holder
Projection Greg Emetaz
Choreographer Camille A. Brown
Director James Robinson
  • We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.

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