NEW YORK—Even before the first note, there were a pair of standing ovations—one when the chorus filed in and another when concertmaster Benjamin Bowman walked on to tune up the orchestra.
About 90 minutes later, when conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin relaxed his arms, the 3,600 people filling the seats of the Metropolitan Opera House responded with 8.5 minutes of thunderous applause, bringing wide smiles and hints of tears to the 200-plus performers on stage.
