GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET: Le Comte Ory

Rossini’s vocally dazzling comedy stars bel canto sensation Juan Diego Flórez in the title role of this Met premiere production. He vies with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, in the trouser role of Isolier, for the love of the lonely Countess Adèle, sung by soprano Diana Damrau.

Bartlett Sher, director of the Met’s hit productions of "The Barber of Seville" and "Les Contes D’Hoffmann," describes the world of the opera as, “a place where love is dangerous. People get hurt. That can be very funny and very painful. Rossini captures both—with the most beautiful love music Rossini ever wrote.”

This performance made headlines the world over as—less than an hour before curtain time—tenor Flórez assisted in the delivery of his first child. He welcomed the baby boy into the world, then raced to the Met to sing the opera’s demanding title role.

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