Before heading back into the scarlet and gold for the Metropolitan Opera’s new season of star-studded novelties and warhorses, spend an evening or two out in front of the house, on Lincoln Center Plaza, revisiting top draws from the seasons bracketing the pandemic. We’re marking our calendars for Philip Glass’s Egyptian-themed Akhnaten (August 28) and Richard Strauss’s Austro-Grecian Ariadne auf Naxos (August 30). For Donizetti fans, there’s the double whammy of “Tragedy tomorrow!” (Lucia di Lammermoor in the much-hated production by Simon Stone, September 2), “Comedy tonight!” (La Fille du Régiment, with Javier Camarena hitting all those high C’s). For the kids, there’s an abridged Cinderella (Massenet’s, starring Isobel Leonard). Opening and closing nights showcase Black talent (Porgy and Bess, August 27; Fire Shut Up In My Bones, September 5). —Matthew Gurewitsch