Hamlet

Composers throughout history have looked to the works of Shakespeare for inspiration—from 19th-century Romantics like Bellini, Verdi, and Gounod to the modern masters Britten, Barber, Bernstein, and Thomas Adès. This musical tradition continued with the world premiere of Brett Dean’s Hamlet at the Glyndebourne Festival in 2017. And during the 2021–22 season, the shattering adaptation of the Bard’s immortal tragedy made its way stateside when it took the Met stage in a powerful production by Neil Armfield. In this performance, recorded as part of the company’s Live in HD series, tenor Allan Clayton, who originated the title role in the work’s premiere, reprises his tour-de-force portrayal, headlining a cast that also features soprano Brenda Rae as Ophelia, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly as Gertrude, tenor David Butt Philip as Laertes, baritone Rod Gilfry as Claudius, and bass-baritone John Relyea as the Ghost of King Hamlet. Maestro Nicholas Carter takes the podium to conduct Dean’s explosive score.