On Saturday, December 1, the 88th Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcast season begins with Mefistofele by Italian composer and librettist Arrigo Boito.

Mefistofele has not hit the Metropolitan Opera stage since the 1999-2000 season. The opera stars bass-baritone Christian Van Horn, tenor Michael Fabiano, and soprano Angela Meade, all in Mefistofele role debuts. Conductor Joseph Colaneri leads the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus.

Mefistofele has served as a showcase for many renowned basses and bass-baritones. Its uninhibited lyricism, lush melodies, and entrancing solo and choral passages will captivate listeners, demonstrating why the work is still performed today.

The opera debuted in 1868 at La Scala in Italy under the composer’s baton. Based on the Faust legend, it is the only completed opera with music by Boito, who served as the librettist for several operas, including Verdi's Otello and Falstaff. Although Mefistofele was not initially well-received, it later achieved success when revisions were made in 1875 and 1876.

This Saturday, the broadcast intermissions will feature live interviews with artists, the Met’s General Manager Peter Gelb, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director. Mary Jo Health will host with commentator Ira Siff in the broadcast booth.

The Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcasts are the longest-running classical music series in American broadcast history, bringing great opera to millions of homes around the world.

Tune in for Mefistofele on Saturday, December 1 at 1 p.m. EST on WHRO-FM. The season will continue through May 11.

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