DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL:Mozart
Original Air Date: 03/24/1990
Levine; Devia, Heilmann, Moll, Mills, Magnusson
MOD Audio SID.19050208
This performance is most notable for Moll’s matchless Osmin which he had premiered at the Met 10 years earlier, but Berberian did the spring broadcast and Levine’s authoritative conducting. Devia is a fine Constanze if not as interesting as Steber in the Met premiere in 1947 (in English, so that among many reasons will probably prevent us from ever hearing it in the Sirius series), Sills (not at the Met, but at NYCO and also in English. The production in 1980 was originally to have been with Sutherland in her only effort with Levine, but the Bonynges were holding out for a Merry Widow production in addition to the Constanze, and the casting ended up with Edda Moser, a fine Mozartean just a few years after her peak — she has a recording of Mozart concert arias that rank up with the very best. Heilmann is in his premiere Met season after some successful recordings (including Solti’s second Flute with Moll and Sumi Jo)
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 12/08/1956
Cleva; Callas, Votipka, McCracken, Sordello, Campora, Franke, Moscona
MOD Audio SID.19050529
The matinée of Lucia di Lammermoor on December 8, 1956, represents the sole Met broadcast of Maria Callas (1923-77). Callas’s Met career was frustratingly meager: in three seasons, she sang just twenty-one performances. Her company debut, in Norma, on October 29, 1956, was preceded by artistic triumphs in Europe and Chicago and an avalanche of pre-opening publicity; in his memoirs, Met general manager Rudolf Bing called Callas’s debut “undoubtedly the most exciting of all such in my time at the Metropolitan.” The soprano’s first two Met seasons were colored by her dissatisfaction with some of the aging stagings in which the company presented her: the Lucia, for example, dated from 1942, although the soprano wore costumes designed by Ebe Colciaghi for a 1954 La Scala production. A disagreement with Bing over proposed repertory for 1958-59 ended with the diva’s well-publicized “firing”; Callas did not return to the Met until 1965, when she sang two Toscas, her final opera performances in the U.S.
Callas’s Lucia conductor was Fausto Cleva (1902-71), the Trieste-born maestro who led seventeen of her Met appearances. The afternoon’s Edgardo was Italian lyric tenor Giuseppe Campora (1923-2004), who had joined the Met roster in 1955, as Rodolfo. Enzo Sordello (b. 1927), Callas’s Enrico, was the focus of the soprano’s wrath when she claimed that the Italian baritone held the final note of the “Se tradirmi” duet too long; heard today, Sordello’s action seems the result of confusion rather than malice. Nevertheless, in his memoirs, Bing claims that he canceled the balance of the baritone’s contract after the Lucia matinée contretemps. Greek bass Nicola Moscona (1907-75) sang fifty-seven Lucia Raimondos during his twenty-five seasons with the company; the first of his more than 700 Met performances was as Ramfis in 1937. An even more impressive Lucia record-holder was Ohio-born soprano Thelma Votipka (1906-72), whose more than 1,400 Met performances during her twenty-nine seasons with the company included 116 Alisas. Another American, tenor James McCracken (1926-88), shone as the afternoon’s Normanno; then in his fourth season of singing comprimario parts at the Met, McCracken would leave the company to build his resumé in Europe in the late 1950s. McCracken returned to the Met in triumph in 1963 as the Moor in a new production of Otello and remained one of the company’s best-loved stars until his death.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Original Air Date: 02/26/2000
Rudel; Crider, Larin, White, Josephson, Fitch
SID.19050210
I saw Crider’s Butterfly, and she didn’t make it for me. Arroyo, who was not a great Butterfly, sang it very well. Crider is several vocal grades below. The Met has had many wonderful Butterflys, but this is not among them, and to leave Stella, Tucci (with Bergonzi, Lorengar and Gorchakova (don’t laugh, when she first came I was overwhelmed by her Butterfly, and Gatti conducted slowly, but thrillingly). Better to re-run the excellent Soviero Butterfly– she has two broadcasts, the 1994 has been on Sirius, but the 1996 has not. Both are with Leech as is the Gorchakova. There are other forgettable Butterflys that follow Crider, but there are fine Butterflys, and I’ve listed five.
THE QUEEN OF SPADES:Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 02/14/2004
Jurowski; Domingo, Dalayman, Palmer, Chernov, Zaremba, Putilin
SID.19050211
This is Domingo’s last round out as Gherman, which seemed like yesterday but is now over a decade gone. Jurowski is an interesting conductor and I like Dalayman’s Lisa. Chernov does not have the finish of Hvorostovsky, but it all depends on one’s reaction to Domingo’s Gherman. This is Domingo’s second Gherman, and I much prefer Palmer to Soderstrom and Dalayman to Gorchakova. This is late Chernov, and I must take a listen to see how he is. Jurowski is a top drawer conductor in my view. Not a short work, but a lot of thrilling music. I like Jurowski very much as a conductor, and the cast is not without interest. It’s a shame the first year of the production with Mattila and Heppner at their peak and the final role at the Met for Rysanek, that no broadcast exists– one of the many reasons I love the live Sirius three times a week.
MANON:Massenet
Original Air Date: 04/07/2012
Luisi; Netrebko, Beczala, Szot
MOD Video SID.19050212
This audio was the first time the Met has rebroadcast the audio track of a Live in HD. This was a bit of a breakout part for Beczala who had slimmed down and certainly made an effective foil for the Netrebko Manon. I enjoyed her in the theatre even if she were no Patricia Brooks , or Faith Esham (both at City Opera, Wagner broadcast, and for me both better than the very good and much more famous Manon it finds him far from his two decade mastery of Sills.) When I want to listen to Manon, I need go no further than the early 19250s recording on EMI with Victoria de los Angeles and Henri LeGay under Pierre Monteux. Sirius does play the 1954 Met performance with VDLA and Cesare Valletti also under Monteux (and is available on MOoD). Still unbroadcast is the 1959 with VDLA and Gedda under Jean Morel. Wagner.
LA CENERENTOLA:Rossini
Original Air Date: 01/24/1998
Levine; Larmore, Vargas, Alaimo, Corbelli
MOD Audio SID.19050213
The 2000 broadcast with Larmore features Campanella and Gimenez. This 1998 broadcast is the original cast from the fall 1997 premiere except with Larmore for Bartoli. The Bartoli performance is preserved on video on MOoD. New York has seen a lot of Cenerentola in the 17 years since it premiered– Bartoli, Larmore,Borodina, Ganassi, Garanca, DiDonato. Neither Borodina nor Ganassi were broadcast– I liked Borodina very much and the Ganassi performances featured Florez’ first NYC Ramiros.
IL TROVATORE:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/17/1973
Cillario; Domingo, Caballé, Cossotto, Merrill, Vinco
MOD Audio SID.19050533
Caballe only has one broadcast among her 8 Leonoras, but she’s not the only one bidding farewell to Trovatore on the airwaves with this run-Domingo and Merrill were also concluding. The most successful performer for the afternoon is Cossotto in her first Azucena broadcast. She has two more concluding with her 16 years later effort with Millo, Pavarotti and Milnes (available on MOoD). It’s one of her best parts and she was one of the pre-eminent interpreters worldwide for three decades.
ORFEO ED EURIDICE:Gluck
Original Air Date: 04/09/1955
Monteux; Stevens, Güden, Hurley
SID.19050315
Stevens has two runs at the Met in 1955 under Monteux and three seasons later with a broadcast now under Max Rudolf and with Amara the Euridice. For my money no one ever looked better as Orfeo, but the audio only record is not nearly as memorable. Monteux is a legendary conductor (world premieres of Rite of spring and Daphnis and Chloe in Paris), but not sure that Gluck finds him at his best. This Orfeo is from his penultimate Met season. Monteux who also recorded it with Stevens, is really part of history (he conducted the world premieres of Rite of spring and Daphnis and Chlore). Stevens is a much beloved Met figure, but I think there are better ways to experience Orfeo.
THE FIRST EMPEROR:Dun
Original Air Date: 01/13/2007
Dun; Domingo, Futral, Groves, Tian, DeYoung
Live in HDMOD Video SID.19050316
This is Domingo’s vehicle and the broadcast and HD performance from its premiere season. Sony issued a commercial DVD. Better to watch than listen to. I enjoyed seeing the production, and while it’s not on my weekly rotation, it held my interest more than Glass’ The Voyage. The simultaneous broadcast/HD moviecast is available on commercial DVD and MOoD (Metropolitan Opera on Demand).
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Original Air Date: 01/30/2019
Meister; Willis-Sørensen, Lombardi, Garifullina, de Barbeyrac, Pisaroni, Abdrazakov, Cedel, Kocán
SID.19050321
SEASON PREMIERE
PROGRAM
Baritone Peter Mattei and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni star as opera’s most notorious seducer in Mozart’s masterpiece of dark comedy. Cornelius Meister makes his Met debut conducting performances that also include sopranos Rachel Willis-Sørensen and Guanqun Yu as Donna Anna, sopranos Federica Lombardi and Susanna Phillips as Donna Elvira, and basses Ildar Abdrazakov and Adam Plachetka as Leporello. Production a gift of the Richard and Susan Braddock Family Foundation, and Sarah and Howard Solomon Additional funding from Jane and Jerry del Missier, and Mr. and Mrs. Ezra K. Zilkha Revival a gift of the Metropolitan Opera Club
CARMEN : Bizet
Original Air Date: 02/02/2019
Langrée; Phillips, Margaine, Alagna, Simpson
Live in HD SID.19050640
INTERMISSION FEATURES
-Backstage Pass: HD Host Ailyn Pérez interviews Clémentine Margaine
-Backstage Pass: HD Host Ailyn Pérez interviews Children’s Chorus Master Anthony Piccolo and Members of the Children’s Chorus
-Commentator William Berger interviews Luca Pisaroni about Don Giovanni
-Backstage Pass: HD Host Ailyn Pérez interviews Alexander Vinogradov
-Backstage Pass: HD Host Ailyn Pérez interviews Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna
Mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine reprises her remarkable portrayal of opera’s ultimate seductress, a triumph in her 2017 debut performances, with impassioned tenors Yonghoon Lee and Roberto Alagna as her lover, Don José. Omer Meir Wellber and Louis Langrée share conducting duties for Sir Richard Eyre’s powerful production, a Met favorite since its 2009 premiere.
Production a gift of Mrs. Paul Desmarais Sr.
THE FIRST EMPEROR:Dun
Original Air Date: 01/13/2007
Dun; Domingo, Futral, Groves, Tian, DeYoung
Live in HDMOD Video SID.19050749
This is Domingo’s vehicle and the broadcast and HD performance from its premiere season. Sony issued a commercial DVD. Better to watch than listen to. I enjoyed seeing the production, and while it’s not on my weekly rotation, it held my interest more than Glass’ The Voyage. The simultaneous broadcast/HD moviecast is available on commercial DVD and MOoD (Metropolitan Opera on Demand).
Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/11/1989
Levine; Shicoff, Price, Weikl, Troyanos, Raimondi, Rootering
SID.19060102
The Price here is Margaret Price and her only other Met broadcast is Otello with Domingo and Milnes from her debut year in 1985 which has so far eluded the airwaves. Shicoff is also under-represented so this performance is especially welcomed — this is only the third rotation since its first Sirius rebroadcast in 2014. The rest of the male cast are not my favorites in this very favorite opera of mine.
FAUST:Gounod
Original Air Date: 04/05/1997
Rudel; Leech, Fleming, Ramey, Croft, Bunnell
MOD Audio SID.19060103
This is a fine performance with all performers at full throttle. Rudel has conducted his share of Fausts (many more at the NYCO than the Met), and I reacted most positively to the last time it was on. Fleming is in especially fine form. It’s one of her best roles –her best predecessor as Marguerite was Freni, who only did the part with the Met in the fall of 1966 and thus never broadcast it. Mention should be made of two other fine Marguerites Diania Soviero whose 1991 broacast has been picked up by Sirius and Pilar Lorengar’s 1969 broadcast with Gedda, Siepi, and Merrill under Silvio Varviso which has not been on Sirius and certainly deserves coverage.
AIDA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 01/27/2001
Levine; Voigt, Pavarotti, Borodina, Delavan, Bezzubenkov
MOD Audio SID.19060104
This performance commemorates the centenary of Verdi’s death, and except for the plush offered by Borodina, there is not much here. This is where I first started to hear real stylistic limitations in Voigt’s performances (well before the surgery), but as I am preparing this, it is really quite remarkable that Pavarotti is out there at the age of 66 (!!!) as Radames. The visual was supposedly very compromised, but my memory from the radio was OK, not more, but Giovanni Martinelli (KING of Radames with 123 Met performances from 1915-1943!!!!!! was only 58 at his last Met effort) I’ll give Pavarotti another listen.
ADRIANA LECOUVREUR:Cilea
Original Air Date: 03/19/1994
Abbado; Freni, Lima, Toczyska, Milnes
SID.19060105
I enjoyed seeing Freni in the role, but Fedora turned out to be a much more congenial role for her late period. Tocyzyska is always an alert performer.
ARIADNE AUF NAXOS:Strauss
Original Air Date: 04/23/1994
Levine; Voigt, Schmidt, Dahl, Stratas, Prey, Oswald
SID.19060106
Voigt is in very fresh voice here, but Schmidt and Dahl are not to my taste, and I think Stratas over sings the part of Composer. Better to hear the 1979 performance with one of Gruberova’s only 2 Met broadcasts with Kollo, Troyanos, and Johanna Meier in the title role.
AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY:Picker
Original Air Date: 12/24/2005
Conlon; Gunn, Racette, Graham, Zajick, Larmore
MOD Audio SID.19060107
An American Tragedy was premiered at the Met and should have been HDd during a scheduled revival in 2008 which was taken by Last Emperor (in hopes of a China tour which did not materialize). Zambello directed, and she remains faithful to the work which was revived at Glimmerglass in 2014 in a revised edition. On the radio the real standout is Zajick who makes conventional lines sound momentous, but the overall cast was well chosen.
PETER GRIMES:Britten
Original Air Date: 04/05/1969
Davis; Vickers, Amara, Evans, Madeira, Chookasian
SID.19060208
This is the same cast and conductor as the production premiere the previous season in the new house’s inaugural season when the third performance was broadcast. Colin Davis, Jon Vickers, and Geraint Evans are the gold standard in this work.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/24/1956
Stiedry; Svanholm, Harshaw, Schöffler, Edelmann, Pechner
SID.19060209
“I only heard parts of this performance, so I checked Jackson to see where he was. Except for a glancing mention of Svanholm, this performance is ignored in favor of the 1954 Stiedry performance which he doesn’t much care for which features Hotter’s farewell to the Met (very few appearances). Only Hotter comes in for considerable praise. A few pages later he takes great pleasure in the Pretre 1966 Parsifal with Konya , Crespin and Hines. This is one of Crespin’s very best broadcast efforts, and belongs both on Sirius and in MOoD.”
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/24/1956
Stiedry; Svanholm, Harshaw, Schöffler, Edelmann, Pechner
SID.19060210
“I only heard parts of this performance, so I checked Jackson to see where he was. Except for a glancing mention of Svanholm, this performance is ignored in favor of the 1954 Stiedry performance which he doesn’t much care for which features Hotter’s farewell to the Met (very few appearances). Only Hotter comes in for considerable praise. A few pages later he takes great pleasure in the Pretre 1966 Parsifal with Konya , Crespin and Hines. This is one of Crespin’s very best broadcast efforts, and belongs both on Sirius and in MOoD.”
I VESPRI SICILIANI:Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/11/2004
Chaslin; Radvanovsky, Casanova, Nucci, Ramey
MOD Audio SID.19060211
Elena was a major breakout role for Radvanovsky, and she was the deserved star of this revival. Nucci, who has appeared irregularly but continuously since his debut in 1980 last appeared at the Met in this 2004 broadcast where he is in fine voice as he was on the Nabucco broadcast six months earlier (prior season). His current engagements show him as busy as any Verdi baritone before the public with an appearance in January 2016 at La Scala as Rigoletto with Nadine Sierra, where they encored the Si, vendetta duet (!!!!). Casanova has good style in arguably Verdi’s most challenging tenor part. This revival catches Ramey after the wobble had started to set in (I date at around 2002). He’s still very commanding, but it’s just a bit too late to be top quality. Procida is one of the greatest of Verdi bass roles right up there with Fiesco, if not quite at the level of Filippo II. Chaslin conducts a well prepared performance, and so nice to have this performance in the Sirius rotation. With Radvanovsky’s new status, this performance should be added to MOoD. This is true two years ago, and is still the case. 6/26/2012 – Ramey is a bit too late for Procida here, but Chaslin’s conducting and the other three principals are very good . Vespri is hard to sing, and never overwhelms me like Don Carlo, Ballo, Simon, or Forza, but there are still some Verdian moments to enjoy. The only competitive Met broadcast. 9/28/11 – Vespri has some great music but I find it the weakest of any of Verdi’s post Rigoletto operas. This revival was the big showcase for Radvanovsky who regularly featured some of the biggest E naturals ever heard at the Met (at the end of th e Bolero). Nucci still had surprising sap left, but 2 or 3 years too late for Ramey, and Casanova will be ok on the radio, but he did not have an ideal stage appearance. 2/8/11 – It’s not Don Carlo or Simon Boccanegra, but one of the first exposures of major league Radvanovsky. Not quite enough panache for the dramatic sections, but some stirring singing. Casanova better heard than seen, and Nucci in fine shape, esp. for his age. Just a little too late for Ramey. Much better at Scala under Muti.
Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/16/1938
Bodanzky; Melchior, Flagstad, Branzell, List, Huehn
SID.19060212
This performance was first on Sirius last May when the Met’s bicentennial box of Wagner broadcasts was issued on Sony Classical and subsequently in MOoD. It’s not surround sound, but adding a major Flagstad Melchior Tristan is an important event. A not miss performance in any week.
TOSCA:Puccini
Original Air Date: 01/01/1977
Santi; Bumbry, Giacomini, Milnes
SID.19060213
A little of Tosca goes a long way with me, but Giacomini is under-represented on the Sirius broadcasts and I find Bumbry an enjoyable Tosca.
SAMSON:Handel
Original Air Date: 03/01/1986
Rudel; Vickers, Mitchell, Te Kanawa
SID.19060214
The Met did a “big house” Handel for Vickers, no HIP around here; it’s a particular treat to have Te Kanawa as the Israelite Woman. Vickers’ final two Met broadcasts are this Samson and the Saint-Saens Samson et Dalila with Horne. Neither are represented on MOoD and he never broadcast his Don Jose (one was scheduled in 1971 replaced by Domingo) Major lacunae for one of the all time Met legends.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Original Air Date: 12/16/1950
Erede; Valdengo, Pons, Di Stefano, Baccaloni, Hines
MOD Audio SID.19060321
This performance is also available on Sony Historic CD. I always enjoy Valdengo, and Di Stefano is interesting, but Pons is almost NEVER to my taste. She has a long Met career and was a big star. It is not a faceless Barber, but I prefer Corena and gang from later years.
LA FILLE DU REGIMENT:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 02/07/2019
Mazzola; Yende, Blythe, Turner, Camarena, Corbelli
SID.19060428
Tenor Javier Camarena and soprano Pretty Yende team up for a feast of bel canto vocal fireworks—including the show-stopping tenor aria “Ah! Mes amis … Pour mon âme,” with its nine high Cs. Alessandro Corbelli and Maurizio Muraro trade off as the comic Sergeant Sulpice, with mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe as the outlandish Marquise of Berkenfield. And in an exciting piece of casting, stage and screen icon Kathleen Turner makes her Met debut in the speaking role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Enrique Mazzola conducts. A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London; and the Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna; Production a gift of The Annenberg Foundation; Revival a gift of Mrs. Jayne Wrightsman
IOLANTA / BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE:Tchaikovsky/Bartók
Original Air Date: 02/09/2019
Nanasi; Yoncheva, Polenzani, Markov, Azizov, Kowaljow, Denoke, Finley
SID.19060639
Program 020919-iolanta-bluebeard
Intermission Features
Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews Sonya Yoncheva and Matthew Polenzani
Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews Angela Denoke and Gerald Finley
Mary Jo Heath interviews Nadine Sierra about Rigoletto
Mariusz Treliński’s haunting production of the pairing of Tchaikovsky’s and Bartók’s one-act operas makes its first return to the stage since its Met premiere in the 2014–15 season. Soprano Sonya Yoncheva—following her triumphant 2017–18 performances as Tosca—is the blind princess, Iolanta, who discovers love for the first time, opposite tenor Matthew Polenzani as the dashing knight Vaudémont. In Bartók’s chilling Bluebeard’s Castle, baritone Gerald Finley is the menacing Bluebeard, and soprano Angela Denoke is his initially unsuspecting new wife. Henrik Nánási conducts. Co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera Production a gift of Ambassador and Mrs. Nicholas F. Taubman; Additional funding from Mrs. Veronica Atkins; Dr. Magdalena Berenyi, in memory of Dr. Kalman Berenyi; and the National Endowment for the Arts
TURANDOT:Puccini
Original Air Date: 12/03/1966
Mehta; Nilsson, Freni, Corelli, Giaiotti
MOD Audio SID.19070102
This performance is Included in the Met’s 50th Anniversary collection. “Turandot”: The Best To Date at New Met [Unsigned review in the Journal-American of opening night September 26, 1966] The celebrating the opening of the new opera house over, the Metropolitan Opera settled for repertory last night and put on its best show to date. Puccini’s “Turandot” began the regular subscription season as a five-year old production that readily adjusted itself to new surroundings. It looked handsome, and it moved handsomely. Sighs. Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli took the leading roles as usual, the singing was magnificent. What else is there to say! This was a beautifully knit performance. Cecil Beaton’s sets and costumes rate among the best creations. Nathaniel Merrill has achieved some of the most imaginative staging. The cast is excellent. A new element entered with Zubin Mehta taking the conductor’s assignment. He imparts vitality and usually comprehends everything he does. The live acoustics of the pit led to overloud playing, but most interestingly he restrained himself in giving full rein to Puccini’s romanticism.
TANNHÄUSER:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/18/2004
Elder; Seiffert, Voigt, DeYoung, Hampson, Moll
MOD Audio SID.19070103
Seiffert was a more effective Tannhauser than I expected, but my memories of this broadcast from all participants is more solid than memorable.