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The Metropolitan Opera's 2013-14 season will feature many of the world's greatest singers, conductors, and theater artists in 26 operas, including six new productions, of a varied repertory that ranges from the Baroque era to the 21st century. Met Music Director James Levine will return to the Met podium for the first time in two years, conducting three operas with which he has long been associated a new production of Verdi's final masterpiece Falstaff, Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, and Berg's Wozzeck. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi will be conducting two operas in the 2013-14 season, Rossini's La Cenerentola and Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

Former Monty Python co-stars Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam are preparing for a stage showdown as they each launch their first operas in London. The funnymen are directing productions at rival venues in the British capital, Jones has adapted his short story "The Doctor's Tale" for the Royal Opera House, while Gilliam's "The Damnation of Faust" opens at the London Coliseum.

The stars insist it is a coincidence that they are both taking on new opera ventures, but Jones reveals he has turned to opera fan Gilliam for support, because he's completely new to the genre. He says, "We've been discussing our operas and how they are going..."

"I've only been to two operas in my life, both quite recently. One was Rossini's 'Cinderella', but it was worse than a pantomime. Then I went to 'Anna Nicole' at Covent Garden. I didn't really like the...

Former Monty Python co-stars Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam are preparing for a stage showdown as they each launch their first operas in London.

The funnymen are directing productions at rival venues in the British capital - Jones has adapted his short story The Doctor's Tale for the Royal Opera House, while Gilliam's The Damnation of Faust opens at the London Coliseum.

The stars insist it is a coincidence that they are both taking on new opera ventures, but Jones reveals he has turned to opera fan Gilliam for support - because he's completely new to the genre.

He says, "We've been discussing our operas and how they are going... I've only been to two operas in my life - both quite recently. One was Rossini's Cinderella, but it was worse than a pantomime. Then I went to Anna Nicole at Covent Garden. I didn't really like the music and I found the dialogue a bit daft."

The Doctor's Tale will premiere next month, while the curtain goes up on Gilliam's show in May.