The Metropolitan Opera HD Live: Lucia di Lammermoor with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón

In January 2009, Anna Netrebko makes her highly-anticipated return to the stage, following a six-month maternity leave after having given birth to her first son Tiago Aruä on 5. September 2008, to sing the title role in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, first at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg on 14. and 17. January 2009 and then at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on 26. and 29. January and 3. and 7. February 2009.

All four of her Met performances are sold out. The performance on 26. January 2009 will mark her role debut at the Met where she will be partnered on stage with tenor Rolando Villazón in their first joint appearance at the Met since April 2007, when the Met celebrated its 40th anniversary at Lincoln Center with a gala featuring the star singers.

The Lucia di Lammermoor performance on Saturday 7. February 2009 will be transmitted by The Met: Live in HD to movie theaters worldwide (1 PM ET/10 AM PT). An encore presentation will be given on Wednesday 18. February 2009 (7 PM local time). This one will be Netrebko's third consecutive Live in HD transmission from the Met, after those of Bellini's I Puritani on 6. January 2007 and Gounod's Roméo et Juliette on 15. December 2007.