The week in NY opera (January 7-13)

A return to semi-normalcy after the holiday season, though winter cold season is also upon us.

Metropolitan Opera
Turandot (M/Th), Maria Stuarda (T/SE), Trovatore (W/SM), Rondine (F)
Two newcomers this week: the alternate cast of Trovatore (Racette, Blythe, Marco Berti, and Alexey Markov) and the Puccini rarity La Rondine. The latter brings the debut of Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais, whose originally scheduled debut two seasons back in Boheme was dropped without much comment. How she'll do in this show so perfectly fit for Angela Gheorghiu, I have no idea. (Had to skip this morning's dress rehearsal.)

Prototype
Sumeida's Song (W/Th/F)
Soldier Songs (F/SE/Su)
These one-hour chamber operas are the most recognizably "opera" offerings of this inaugural "festival of opera-theatre and music-theatre" at multiple downtown venues. The former is the world premiere of young Arab-American composer Mohammed Fairouz’'s setting of a classic 20th century Egyptian theater piece, and the latter a more stylized piece on war by David T. Little, who earlier this season premiered "Dog Days" in NJ.