“Lincoln in the Bardo” Gets an Opera at the Met

The Metropolitan Opera will open its 2024 season with a landmark production, an operatic adaptation of George Saunders’s novel Lincoln in the Bardo, premiering on October 19. Composed by Missy Mazzoli, this work marks the first-ever world premiere at the Met by a female composer since the institution’s founding in 1883, underscoring a significant milestone in American operatic history.

Lincoln in the Bardo explores a deeply poignant chapter centered on the death of Abraham Lincoln’s young son, Willie, who passed away at the age of eleven. The narrative unfolds over the course of a single night within a liminal spiritual realm inspired by Tibetan Buddhist concepts of the bardo—a transitional state between life and the afterlife. This setting is vividly realized on stage as a fragmented representation of Oak Hill Cemetery, the historical resting place where Willie was temporarily interred.

The production’s design embraces a blend of realism and abstraction, with layered stage elements illuminated by neon accents to evoke a sense of spectral ambiguity. Director Lileana Blain-Cruz emphasizes the intentional blurriness between tangible landscapes and void spaces, reflecting the unsettled nature of the souls trapped in this otherworldly dimension.

Among these wandering spirits is Willie Lincoln himself, encountering numerous shades of tormented entities, each portrayed with costumes symbolizing the circumstances of their deaths, from carriage injuries to fire scars. The visual storytelling is augmented by puppet artistry from James Ortiz, notable for his work on Project Hail Mary, who animates the eerie tendrils that imprison some souls and crafts imposing puppet suits representing those irrevocably ensnared by the bardo.

Despite its somber themes, the opera incorporates moments of striking spectacle, including a pyrotechnic display simulating the moment Willie’s spirit transcends physical constraint. This effect, a thirty-foot firework, was carefully engineered to embody what Saunders described as a ‘‘matterlight blooming’’—a luminous and sonorous flash that signifies the soul’s passage beyond.

This premiere is part of the Met’s broader programming commemorating the United States’ 250th anniversary. However, the production’s exploration of grief, loss, and the consequences of America’s fraught history, including slavery and civil war, resists simple patriotic interpretation. Instead, it offers a meditation on dignity and compassion amid human suffering.

Alongside this operatic event, the New York cultural landscape is vibrant with diverse artistic expressions. The reformation of Animal Collective, the experimental pop band, has been announced for limited reunion performances in major cities, including New York, rekindling interest in their 2005 album Feels.

In the visual arts, Malcolm Peacock’s latest exhibition presents intimate graphite portraits of Black men in states of spiritual yearning, accompanied by a sculptural installation adorned with synthetic braids. This work invites viewers into a contemplative space blending reverence and cultural symbolism.

Dance enthusiasts can engage with Indian classical traditions as the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble returns to the Joyce Theatre with Odissi performances, featuring the return of choreographer Surupa Sen, while Kuchipudi dance is showcased through a solo concert by Sreelakshmy Govardhanan at Danspace Project.

Film programming also enriches the city’s offerings. The completion and release of William Greaves’s 1972 documentary Once Upon a Time in Harlem presents a rare oral history of Harlem Renaissance figures, revitalized for contemporary audiences at the Film Forum.

Together, these events demonstrate New York’s ongoing commitment to presenting multi-dimensional artistic narratives that intersect history, identity, and innovation, with the Met’s Lincoln in the Bardo standing out as a transformative cultural moment.