When Don Carlo, heir to the Spanish throne, falls passionately in love with Elisabetta of Valois, their future seems assured, until politics intervenes. Elisabetta is given instead to Carlo's own father, King Philip II, to seal a peace treaty between Spain and France. What follows is a collision of personal and political forces, as Carlo's impossible love, his father's jealousy, the scheming of the court, and the iron grip of the Spanish Inquisition drag every character toward tragedy.

The work, Verdi's sixteenth in the genre, is widely considered to be the first of the operatic masterpieces of Verdi's middle-to-late career. Its tragic story revolves around the licentious Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto, and Rigoletto's daughter Gilda. The opera's original title, La maledizione (The Curse), refers to a curse placed on both the Duke and Rigoletto by the Count Monterone, whose daughter the Duke has seduced with Rigoletto's encouragement. The curse comes to fruition when Gilda falls in love with the Duke and sacrifices her life to save him from the assassin hired by her father.

Searing passion, edge-of-your-seat action, and a career-defining title role: No opera is more dramatic than Puccini’s classic thriller. The ever-popular story of a jealous diva, the ardent painter who loves her, and the villainous chief of police who tears them asunder features several of opera’s biggest stars in a grand, immersive production by David McVicar that transports audiences to three picturesque locations in Rome. Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Principal Guest Conductor Daniele Rustioni each take the podium.

Two of today’s leading dramatic tenors—Michael Fabiano and Brian Jagde—take on the tour-de-force title role of what many consider the ultimate Italian opera, Verdi’s monumental Shakespearean tragedy. Beloved sopranos Angel Blue and Ailyn Pérez make their company role debuts as the long-suffering Desdemona, alongside baritones Amartuvshin Enkhbat and Artur Ruciński as the sinister Iago. Daniele Rustioni and Michele Mariotti lead the full forces of the Met Orchestra and Chorus in the exhilarating score.

Famed enchantress Thaïs is the most admired woman in Alexandria, whose beauty and charisma have captivated the city. Entertaining the city’s elite with wit, artistry, and charm, she commands devotion wherever she appears.

Devoted to the goddess Venus, her life is one of excess, until a profound encounter alters her destiny. Athanaël, a monk devoted to God, cannot ignore the spell Thaïs casts over Alexandria, nor the worldly pleasures that define her life. Driven to save her from spiritual ruin, he pursues her relentlessly, and what begins as a mission of faith becomes a consuming obsession—one where the choices they make will decide who will triumph: faith or desire.