For the first time in company history, the Met presents the original five-act French version of
Verdi’s epic opera of doomed love among royalty, set against the backdrop of the Spanish
Inquisition. Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads a world-beating cast of opera’s leading lights, including
tenor Matthew Polenzani in the title role, soprano Sonya Yoncheva as Élisabeth de Valois, and
mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča as Eboli. Bass Günther Groissböck and bass-baritone John Relyea
are Philippe II and the Grand Inquisitor, and baritone Etienne Dupuis rounds out the all-star
principal cast as Rodrigue. Verdi’s masterpiece receives a monumental new staging by David
McVicar that marks his 11th Met production, placing him among the most prolific and popular
directors in recent Met memory.
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