Met Unveils New Season

The Metropolitan Opera will mount seven new productions — the most since its inaugural season 40 years ago — during its 2007–2008 season, general manager Peter Gelb announced yesterday. Citing increased attendance for the first time in six years — current ticket statistics place this season's sales at 83%, a 9% increase over last season's — Mr. Gelb detailed plans for new productions of "Lucia di Lammermoor," which will open the Met's season on September 24, "Macbeth," "Iphigénie en Tauride," "Hansel and Gretel," "Peter Grimes," "Satyagraha," and "La Fille du Régiment."

Perhaps even more notable than the number of new productions, however, are the new artists such operas will introduce to the Met. Mary Zimmerman, the Tony-award winning artistic director of the Chicago-based Lookingglass Theatre Company, which just completed its New York performances of "Lookingglass Alice" at the New Victory Theater, will conduct "Lucia di Lammermoor." Adrian Noble, former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, is set to direct "Macbeth." And the opera will receive a dose of whimsy from Phelim McDermott of London's Improbable theater company. Improbable is known for its use of puppetry, and Mr. McDermott plans to employ aerialists to perform improvisational puppetry in his production of Philip Glass's "Satyagraha."

In addition, New York Philharmonic artistic director Lorin Maazel will return to the Met after a 45-year absence to conduct five performances of Wagner's "Die Walküre," beginning January 7, 2008.

The opera house also announced plans to expand its movie-house program, in which it broadcasts live transmissions of its operas to selected movie theaters around the country, to eight shows per year from six.