SUSAN GRAHAM RETURNS TO THE MET FOR A COMPANY ROLE DEBUT - SESTO IN MOZART'S GLORIOUS OPERA SERIA LA CLEMENZA DI TITO, FOR FOUR PERFORMANCES ONLY MS. GRAHAM, ALWAYS A SPECTACULAR MOZART SINGER, ASSUMES HER FIFTH MOZART ROLE AT THE MET SINCE HER HOUSE DEBUT IN ZAUBERFLÖTE Susan Graham is about to take on her second company role debut of the season at the Metropolitan Opera: Mozart's Sesto in La clemenza di Tito on May 3. Her portrayal of the title character in Iphigénie en Tauride last fall was described by Opera News as "near-definitive," and the Associated Press wrote that she "commanded the stage from start to finish, ... bringing believability to her vulnerability, anger, and dismay." It's almost unbelievable that the great mezzo has not previously sung the role of Sesto in her 20-year Met career, which encompasses 14 roles so far. Ms. Graham portrays the part of the unwitting betrayer of Roman emperor Titus for the first time with the company on Saturday evening, May 3, with tenor Ramón Vargas as Titus, and conducted by Harry Bicket. The performance will be streamed live from the house on the Internet. When Ms. Graham last performed the role of Sesto, at the Opéra national de Paris in 2005 (available on DVD), Opera News reported, "The greatest success of the evening was enjoyed by Susan Graham as Sesto. ... The mezzo's singing of 'Parto' ... brought the house down." Local critics were "taken by the warmth and the emotion in Susan Graham's voice as well as her breathtaking acting" (Le Figaro) and described the event as "An evening of overwhelming beauty" (Le Monde). Susan Graham's season began with the Met's first staging in more than 80 years of Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride, with Plácido Domingo as her brother Oreste. She has had an almost entirely French season, singing three great concert works by Berlioz (La Mort de Cléopâtre, Les nuits d'été, and L'enfance du Christ) as well as Ravel's Shéhérazade and a recital program of 24 songs by 22 composers. The Financial Times wrote of her recital at London's Wigmore Hall: "There were many delights in the course of the evening. ... Susan Graham's voice is well suited to this repertoire, with its easy higher register giving her access to soprano luminosity as well as mezzo warmth. Her French is excellent and she is neither too fey, nor too forceful." Susan Graham is Sesto at the Met in Mozart: La clemenza di Tito May 3, 6*, 10m, & 15 * The May 6 performance will be streamed live on the Internet by the Met at 8.00 pm - www.metoperafamily.org