How America built its greatest opera house.
Fifty years ago on September 16, 1966, the Metropolitan Opera opened the doors to its new home at Lincoln Center. Met General Manager Rudolf Bing presided over the most anticipated date on the New York cultural calendar with the Met’s world premiere of Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra. The great Leontyne Price commanded the stage and the city’s luminaries and powerbrokers mingled beneath multi-story murals painted for the new house by Marc Chagall. John D. Rockefeller III welcomed an illustrious audience that included First Lady Bird Johnson and her guests Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, leading statesmen, Vanderbilts, Whitneys and Astors. As the headline of the New York Times read the next morning, “New Metropolitan Opera House Opens in a Crescendo of Splendor.”
As early as 1908, the Metropolitan Opera began planning for a new home that would provide the company with a cutting-edge modern theater to compliment the golden era of singers appearing on its stage. The momentous opening of the Met at Lincoln Center nearly half a century later owed its success to a perfect storm of cultural and political forces. Robert Moses, the most powerful figure shaping the landscape of 20th century New York City, wanted the slums of the Upper West Side cleared as part of Title 1 urban renewal. Rockefeller envisioned the first modern American cultural campus and had the money to fund it. All that was needed was a lead institution to anchor the development and secure its success. Star architect Wallace K. Harrison, who cut his teeth on Rockefeller Center and oversaw the design of the UN, was tapped for the project. The Metropolitan Opera would finally have a new home.
This film takes a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of an opera house against the backdrop of the politicians, philanthropists, artists and institutions that collectively shaped the cultural life of New York City, including the people who were displaced from their homes to make room for the new center. Their intersection would lead to the transformation of a neighborhood and the building of one of the crown jewels of the city’s cultural institutions.
The film draws on the rich archival resources of the city of New York, Lincoln Center, news organizations and private libraries for footage of the planning and construction of the new Met. The film also looks to cultural programming of the day such as the Bell Telephone Hour network special “Countdown to Curtain” which documented the planning and production of the Met’s historic opening night.
Key interviews for the film include renowned singers who participated in the inaugural season at the Met, including legendary soprano Price, as well as key Met staff members, cultural leaders, and historians, writers and critics from the arts, politics and architecture.
The Opera House © 2017 The Metropolitan Opera
MORE ART TO DISCOVER
No passport required, no front-row ticket needed — just an open mind and a love for the arts. Art on Film is a brand-new Emberlight series that brings legendary performances, iconic documentaries, and visionary works of art to the big screen and transports audiences beyond the boundaries of live, in-person productions.
Whether it’s a hit show from Broadway or a film that redefines storytelling, Art on Film offers a window into the broader artistic world and brings you face-to-face with the magic, creativity, and cultural impact of global artistry, right here in Ironwood.
