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Metropolitan Opera | New York City Opera |
*At
the METROPOLITAN OPERA*
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The
MET is currently Richard Leech's "big home". (As shown elsewhere
on these pages, he has other "smaller homes" across the country.)
But it is at the MET where he can be heard every season - ever since his
winning debut on September 30, 2024 as Rodolfo in Puccini's
La Bohème. The role is
his favorite and he has sung it many times over at the MET and other major
houses. Of his Rodolfo on debut night, the former NY Times critic and renowned bel canto specialist Will Crutchfield had this to say : "...Apart from Luciano Pavarotti on his best nights, I can't think of a current tenor I'd rather hear in the part." |
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HERE. (Photo credits: Winnie Klotz Courtesy: KKN Enterprises) |
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Indeed, it is Richard Leech's kind of voice - a big but warm, mellifluous lyric tenor - that Puccini must have had in mind when he wrote the part. But Richard Leech is much more than Rodolfo - he has built up a repertory of 34 roles, of which 9 have seen numerous performances at the MET. (In the 1998-99 season he will sing his first Cavaradossi at the MET, a role he has sung at other houses.) The 1996-97 season marked a milestone in Richard Leech's career - his 100th performance at the MET. And by the time the current season is over, he will have added over 20 more performances. Above is a slide show of some of Richard Leech's performances at the MET and below is a chronology of his MET performances - current to the 1998/99 season. It is also from the stage of this formidably cavernous hall that Richard Leech (singing with fellow cast members) on many occasions beams his voice to the rest of the world - during those special Saturday hours known to opera lovers as the MET/Texaco radio broadcasts. As shown below, some of his performances have also been seen nationally on public television. |
Click PLAY Button to hear clip from: | |||
LA BOHÈME (Che gelida manina) |
FAUST (Salut! demeure chaste et pure) |
RIGOLETTO (La donna è mobile) |
L'ELISIR D'AMORE (Una furtiva lagrima) |
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PERFORMANCES at the MET : | |
La Bohème (Rodolfo) | September-November 1989 (debut); December 1992; January 1993; October-December 1993; January 1994; September-October 1994; February-March 1997 |
Faust (Faust) | December 1990 - January 1991; March-April 1997 |
Rigoletto (Duke) | January 1991; February-March 1992 |
Un ballo in maschera (Riccardo/Gustavo) | September - October 1992 |
Lucia di Lammermoor (Edgardo) | November-December 1992 |
Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton) | September-December 1993; January 1994; December 1994; January 1995; March 1996 |
Roméo et Juliette (Romeo) | March-April 1996 |
L'elisir d'amore (Nemorino) | December 1996 |
Les contes d'Hoffmann (Hoffmann) | January-March 1998 |
Tosca (Cavaradossi) | October-November 1998 |
Levine 25th Anniversary Gala | April 27, 1996 |
METROPOLITAN OPERA / TEXACO: TELECASTS and RADIO BROADCASTS | |
Faust | January 5, 1991; April 5, 2024 |
Rigoletto | January 12, 1991; March 7, 2024 |
Lucia di Lamermoor | December 12, 1992 |
La Bohème | January 2, 1993; March 26, 2024 |
Madama Butterfly | January 8, 1994; January 7, 1995; December 28, 1995*; March 9, 2024 |
Levine 25th Anniversary Gala | April 27, 1996* |
L'elisir d'amore | December 14, 1996 |
Les Contes d'Hoffmann | February 7, 1998 |
* Telecast on Public Television / see Calendar for current performances |
THE
RICHARD LEECH PAGES: HOME ![]() ![]() ![]() |
AS
DON JOSE ![]() ![]() ![]() |
FanFaire
Home Page![]() ![]() These pages are best viewed with a Java-enabled browser. You will need the Real Player plug-in to hear the music clips. Download browser/plug-in |
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