In 1985, Leon Klinghoffer was a passenger on board the cruise liner Achille Lauro when it was hijacked by the Palestinian Liberation Front. During the course of the hijacking Klinghoffer was shot dead, and his body thrown overboard. The Death of Klinghoffer explores the details surrounding this tragic event, and while it never details the murder itself, has still proved a highly controversial work. With music by Pulitzer Prize winning composer John Adams, and a liberetto by Alice Goodman, Death of Klinghoffer is a powerful mediation on the sanctity of life (or lack thereof) and a demonstration of Opera's ability to confront challenging, topical subjects.

This is the first production of the work by the Metropolitan Opera and stars the Tony Award winning Paulo Szot as the eponymous Klinghoffer.