Gerald Finley Papageno, Figaro, the Count and Don Giovanni. He made his New York City debut at the Metropolitan Opera on January 24, 1998 in the role of Papageno in "Die Zauberflöte". He has subsequently performed the title role of "Don Giovanni", Marcello in Puccini's "La bohème", and the title role of "Rossini"'s "Guillaume Tell" at the Metropolitan Opera. In addition to his success with Mozart, Finley has been active in contemporary opera. He has created a number of roles including J. Robert Oppenheimer in the world premiere of John Adams' opera "Doctor Atomic" at the San Francisco Opera on October 1,
Mozart and Salieri (opera) on his "Requiem", which a stranger in black commissioned from him. Mozart recalls Salieri's collaboration with Pierre Beaumarchais and asks if it could be true that Beaumarchais once poisoned someone, for genius and criminality are surely incompatible. Salieri then surreptitiously pours poison into Mozart's drink. Mozart begins to play at the keyboard, as Salieri begins to cry. Mozart sees this, but Salieri urges Mozart to continue. Mozart begins to feel ill, and leaves. Salieri ends the opera pondering Mozart's belief that a genius could not murder: did not Michelangelo kill for his commissions at the Vatican, or were those idle