The Met has delivered a knockout blow with Champion, Terence Blanchard’s opera based on the life of former world welterweight champion Emile Griffith
When opera lovers think of the Ring, it’s in conjunction with four epic 19th-century operas composed by Richard Wagner known collectively as the Ring Cycle. Now the renowned Metropolitan Opera Company, founded in 1883 in New York, has added a boxing ring to the dialogue.
On Monday night, 10 April, the Met unveiled its first production of Champion – an opera based on the life of former world welterweight champion Emile Griffith. There will be nine performances running through 13 May. The 29 April performance will be broadcast live in high definition in 47 countries around the world including the United States. In the United Kingdom, the telecast will be available in 155 cinemas located in 19 cities.