For the first time at the Met, soprano Anna Netrebko sings the role of Adriana Lecouvreur, the eighteenth-century actress whose real-life intrigues inspired Cilea’s tragic opera. Adriana is adored by many but loves only Maurizio, sung by tenor Piotr Beczała, who adores her in return.

Maurizio desperately tries to extricate himself from his previous lover, the Princess of Bouillon— mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili. When the princess discovers that Adriana is her rival, she takes desperate measures of her own. In this new production directed by Sir David McVicar, the action is partially set in a working replica of a baroque theatre. Gianandrea Noseda conducts the riveting score.