Lorin Maazel, one the world's most esteemed maestros, will return to the Metropolitan Opera for the first time in 45 years to conduct five performances of Wagner's Die Walküre, beginning January 7, 2008. These performances will be Maestro Maazel's first conducting assignments at the Met since the 1962-63 season, when he made his debut conducting performances of Mozart's Don Giovanni and Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier.

Music lovers and opera fans who were not able to attend the Met's sold-out live, high-definition (HD) transmissions that launched in movie theaters last month will be given another chance to experience the phenomenon. Beginning with an encore broadcast of Julie Taymor's production of The Magic Flute this week, the Met has launched a series of encore presentations in the United States, Canada, and Europe from January through March 2007.

Even the best seats in the house were free at the Metropolitan Opera's dress rehearsal of "Madama Butterfly". Operagoers sat cross-legged on the red-carpeted floor of the grand tier, eating bag lunches. Patrons nestled into $375 seats free. People wandered across the stage, snapping pictures.

Renowned director Stephen Wadsworth leads a team of award-winning designers for the opera companies' first joint production; acclaimed mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and legendary tenor Plácido Domingo star in New York cast.

On the heels of the success of their first co-production, Puccini's Madam Butterfly, English National Opera (ENO) and the Metropolitan Opera announce that they will co-produce Philip Glass's Satyagraha. The new production is a collaboration with director Phelim McDermott and designer Julian Crouch, two of the three co-artistic directors of the visionary British theatre company, Improbable. It opens at ENO in April 2007 and at the Met in April 2008.

Tickets for the Metropolitan Opera's first live high-definition broadcasts into movie theaters will go on sale. As part of the company's efforts to build a larger audience around the globe, the Met is launching "Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD," a series of six performances to be broadcast live via satellite into movie theaters across the U.S. and Canada, with select titles broadcast in the United Kingdom.

On the heels of the success of their first co-production, Puccini's Madama Butterfly, English National Opera (ENO) and the Metropolitan Opera announce that they will co-produce Philip Glass's Satyagraha. The new production is a collaboration with director Phelim McDermott and designer Julian Crouch, two of the three co-artistic directors of the visionary British theatre company, Improbable. It opens at ENO in April 2007 and at the Met in April 2008.

Live backstage interviews and dynamic new content will revitalize iconic broadcast series to appeal to a broader audience. Season launches with Mozart's Idomeneo on Saturday, December 9 and runs through Saturday, May 5.