POTSDAM -- The Met: Live in HD series will present its first-ever performances of Gioachino Rossini's final comic opera, "Le Comte Ory," in a live production by Bartlett Sher at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 9 with an encore transmission at 1 p.m. Sunday April 17 at Potsdam’s Roxy Theater.

Maurizio Benini conducts an exceptional cast of stars, led by tenor Juan Diego Flórez in the title role, soprano Diana Damrau as Countess Adèle, and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as Isolier.

The expected running time is three hours. The opera will be performed in French, with English subtitles.

Crane student Vincent Covatto will speak in advance of each performance, including two discussions before the screening of "Le Comte Ory." One talk will be held at 12:15 p.m. on Friday, April 1 in the Crane Green Room on the SUNY Potsdam campus, and the other will be at 12:30 p.m. directly before the opera in Potsdam's Roxy Theater on Saturday, April 9. To learn more about the pre-opera talks, visit metinhid.craneoperaensemble.com.

Rossini's opera "Le Comte Ory" portrays Count Ory, who poses first as a mystical hermit and then as a female religious pilgrim, in order to win the heart of Countess Adèle.

Director Bartlett Sher describes the opera as "a place where love is dangerous. People get hurt. That can be very funny and very painful. Rossini captures both -- with the most beautiful love music Rossini ever wrote."

Ticket prices for the series are: $18 for an adult, $15 for senior citizens, $12 for students and $9 for youth age 18 and under.

Tickets are available by calling the Community Performance Series Box Office at 267-2277, or visiting the Roxy Theater or Northern Music & Video in downtown Potsdam or the CPS Box Office in the lobby of Snell Music Theater. You can also reserve tickets online by visiting www.cpspotsdam.org.