Verdi’s Falstaff returns to the Met on March 12

  • Baritone Michael Volle sings Falstaff, his first Verdi role at the Met
  • Daniele Rustioni conducts a cast led by members of the 2019 production, including soprano Ailyn Pérez, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, and contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux
  • The Saturday, April 1, matinee will be transmitted live to movie theaters worldwide as part of the Met’s Live in HD series

New York, NY (February 14, 2023)—Verdi’s exuberant final opera, Falstaff, returns to the Met for six performances, March 12–April 1. Baritone Michael Volle, who masterfully performed Hans Sachs in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg last season, sings the title character, his first Verdi role at the Met. Joining Volle are several members from the production’s 2019 run, including soprano Ailyn Pérez as Alice Ford, fresh from her triumphant run as Blanche de la Force in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites; mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano as Meg Page; and contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux as Mistress Quickly. In addition, soprano Hera Hyesang Park returns to the Met—following her performances last season as Pamina in Mozart’s The Magic Flute—as Nannetta, alongside tenor Bogdan Volkov as Fenton and baritone Christopher Maltman as Ford, all making their Met role debuts. Maestro Daniele Rustioni conducts.  

Falstaff largely follows the plot of Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, with some additional material drawn from the Bard’s Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2. Director Robert Carsen, whose acclaimed production premiered at the Met in 2013, sets the action in England of the 1950s. The creative team also includes set designer Paul Steinberg, costume designer Brigitte Reiffenstuel, and lighting designers Robert Carsen and Peter Van Praet.

Falstaff Broadcast in Cinemas, Radio, and Online

The performance of Falstaff on Saturday, April 1, will be transmitted live to movie theaters around the globe as part of the Met’s Live in HD series.

The March 16, 23, and April 1 performances of Falstaff will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SiriusXM Channel 355. The April 1 performance will also be broadcast over the Toll Brothers–Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network. Audio from the March 16 and 23 performances will be streamed live on the Met’s website, metopera.org.

For more information on Falstaff, including casting by date, please click here.