FIDELIO:Beethoven
Haitink; Meier, Sooter, Roar, Macurdy, Blegen, Atherton
Original Air Date: 04/10/1982
SID.20150648
This is Haitink’s only Met season, and Meier is pinch-hitting for Verrett who was sick for two other performances (also sung by Johanna Meier) in the run as well. Hard to believe the original casting for Florestan was Sooter, but in any event he gets a fine review from Harriet Johnson of the NY Post. To my knowledge, Verrett’s 3 performances are her only times in the part.
ELEKTRA:Strauss
Böhm; Nilsson, Rysanek, Madeira, Stewart, Nagy
Original Air Date: 02/27/1971
MOD Audio
SID.20150749
This performance marks Madeira’s Met farewell, and reveals some of the vocal weakness that is surely partly resultant from her illness and death a little more than a year later. The rest of the cast, and especially Bohm are white hot. For Madeira at her best, go to the Bohm studio with Inge Borkh as Elektra. A very satisfying recording on all counts.
PETER GRIMES:Britten
Davis; Vickers, Amara, Evans, Madeira, Chookasian
Original Air Date: 02/11/1967
SID.20150750
HIghly recommended. This is the first of Vickers’ four broadcast Peter Grimes and the partnership with Colin Davis yields some first-rate music making. It is the first broadcast by Vickers in the new production from the Lincoln Center Met’s first season. Colin Davis only has four broadcasts from the Met (two Grimes, Wozzeck, Pelleas) and he and Vickers contributed memorable performances on both sides of the Atlantic. This is the third performance of the Vickers/Davis/Guthrie 1967 production which added a great role to Vickers’ gallery of overwhelming portrayals. While Britten was reportedly none too pleased with Vickers’ approach, the royalty coffers were greatly enriched by Vickers performances around the world which put Grimes solidly into mainstream repertory. There is a commercial video from Covent Garden (with Davis conducting as well) which is highly recommended in addition to this broadcast. Two years later the exact same cast broadcasts it again and this second broadcast of the Guthrie/Davis/Vickers Grimes is on MOoD.
ALCESTE:Gluck
Panizza; Bamptom, Maison, Warren
Original Air Date: 03/08/1941
SID.20150751
This is one of the few 1940s broadcasts that gets to Sirius, but neither the 1952 with Flagstad, nor the 1961 with Farrell (both in English) have made it to Sirius. Again, it seems the translation is inhibiting their inclusion. Review of Pitts Sanborn in the World-Telegraph, Mme. Bampton Sings Role of Alceste – Following the present method of frequently changing the allotment of prominent roles, the Metropolitan management offered its third Alceste last evening with a new representative of the name part. After the fiery magnificence of Marjorie Lawrence as Alcestis came the lyric charm of Rose Bampton. Comely, tall and statuesque, Mme. Bampton showed in her carefully studied poses and gestures what pains she had taken to portray the self-sacrificing heroine persuasively to the eye. And in her singing tenderness and pathos found touching expression. Since this was only Mme. Bampton’s first assumption of an inexorably exacting role, we may look for further development later on of its more cogently dramatic aspects. Her voice seems now, under sympathetic guidance, to have found a congenial lyric field. Her tones were often of delightful quality last evening, her phrasing was marked by grace and fine taste and there was always the thought of the accomplished musician. Altogether, Mme. Bampton may be congratulated cordially on her present achievement, which holds the promise of even better things to come. Once more Rene Maison supplied an admirable Admetus. Francesco Valentino replaced the indisposed Leonard Warren as the High Priest of Apollo, singing well apart from an excessive vibrato. The beauty of the tableau at the end of Act II made up in part for the pinchbeck naiveties that met the eye.
DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE:Mozart
Levine; Battle, Araiza, Hemm, Serra, Moll
Original Air Date: 02/09/1991
SID.20150752
This is the simultaneous broadcast/telecast of the new David Hockney production (based on a Glyndebourne original). The video has been on DVD also. Serra’s tone is a bit white, but very accurate, and the overall casting is of high quality.
LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN:Offenbach
Varviso; Alexander, Dooley, Scovotti, Cvejic, Amara, Martin
Original Air Date: 02/27/1965
SID.20150753
This performance goes back to the old house, and has the distinction of being John Alexander’s only broadcast Hoffmann. His career is distinguished by regularly being asked for by the biggest named sopranos in the world–Beverly Sills, Montserrat Caballe, Renata Tebaldi, Leontyne Price, and a repertory that was as comfortable in Mozart and the French, as he was in German (Walther and Bacchus among his roles) and Italian. He was a bit like Alberto Remedios, but with more coloratura flexibility; both with sweet voices that could cope with roles that often defeated less technically secure colleagues. Antonia is one of Amara’s best parts.
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA:Verdi
Lewis; Morell, Ross, Merrill, Peters, Forrester
Original Air Date: 12/06/1975
SID.20150755
Merrill who had a virtual lock on Renato for two decades (one broadcast to Milnes) is still in decent form for his final season. The rest of the cast is not ideal. I saw Elinor Ross several times in Philadelphia, and while it was not an especially beautiful voice she could be a notable Gioconda and Turandot, and her video Norma from Germany with Del Monaco is well up to the task. Amelia is another matter, but paired with Morrell, this is not the afternoon for glorious Verdi. Forrester has a very distinguished concert career, but she’s wrong for Ulrica at the Met. It’s too late for Peters as Oscar — she’s very good in 1955. This is Merrill’s final broadcast (he has three farewell Germonts with Moffo which constitute the final operatic appearance for both at the Met. My memory of this performance is not especially positive. Elinor Ross was a fine singer. I saw her a decade earlier in Philadelphia with an excellent Gioconda, Aida, and Turandot. She also has on Youtube a mostly complete Norma with Del Monaco from Germany. She is well up to the competition there. This is I think a bit late. For Merrlll’s Renato I strongly recommend 2 of his earlier Renatos from 1963 (with Nilsson and Tucker) and 1966 (with Price and Bergonzi). Lewis is not an inspiring conductor for me.
LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS / LE ROSSIGNOL / OEDIPUS REX:Stravinsky
Gergiev; Trifonova, Banks, Zifchak / Forbis, Blythe, Nikitin
Original Air Date: 02/21/2004
SID.20160101
The Stravinsky evening as originally done by Levine with Hockney designs and Dexter direction was not as big a hit as the French evening, Parade, from Dexter and Hockney, but I prefer this to Rake’s Progress. Gergiev has a distinctive take on Stravinsky and always worth a listen in the Russian repertoire.
RODELINDA:Handel
Summers; Fleming, Scholl, van Rensburg, Blythe, Dumaux, Relyea
Original Air Date: 05/06/2006
MOD Video
SID.20160102
This performance in the second season of the production and Scholl’s first appearance at the Met. There was a third broadcast which includes an HD moviecast of Rodelinda with Fleming and Scholl under Bicket (whom I prefer to Summers) but the intervening 4 years do not benefit either Fleming or Scholl. This video is available also in MOoD so you can compare for yourself. I like Scholl much more than David Daniels so this is my preferred Rodelinda.
AIDA:Verdi
Badea; Rautio, Sylvester, Zajick, Pons, Plishka
Original Air Date: 03/02/1996
SID.20160104
While this is prime Zajick, the rest of this cast does not attract me. There are far worthier broadcasts including Solti and Steinberg from the 1960s, Curtis-Verna’s only broadcast Aida (replacing Tebaldi) with a sterling supporting cast from the 50s, etc. etc. Sylvester has 2 other broadcasts his first with Sweet and Zajick in 1994, and his last in 1997 with Sweet and Toczyska and I think Sweet is to be preferred if Sylvester (who is a solid Radames) is your primary interest.
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE:Bartók
Levine; Ramey, Norman
Original Air Date: 01/28/1989
SID.20160105
What is defective about this is that in March of 2013 [and March 2015] the rebroadcast included the second work of the afternoon Schoenberg’s Erwartung with Norman. Rebroadcasting half the afternoon? I’ll try to be up and check and see if both works are actually on. Bluebeard with a much weaker cast is scheduled in a new production in 2014-2015 (the starrier fare of this season is Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta with Netrebko and Beczala. I find it a bit tone deaf to be honoring Norman’s 70th birthday with a broadcast that is incomplete and not yet honored in Met Opera on Demand or DVD for both the Bluebeard and the Erwartung. Although the Bartok is done in an English translation it was telecast as well. Norman is at her considerable best, and it would be nice if this performance could be issued somehow. Ramey is a very strong Bluebeard. It’s one of the few post 1977 videos not available in any form, either MOoD or DVD.
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Rudolf, Siepi, Conner, de los Angeles, Guarrera, Miller
Original Air Date: 04/07/1956
MOD Audio
SID.20160106
I don’t remember this performance specifcally, but Siepi and de los Angeles are among my favorite Figaro and Countess. What is so critical in a FIgaro is the conductor and Max Rudolf was starting to fill in some of the assignments Stiedry had regularly commanded. I’ll be checking this performance out to see if it merits the many positive comments from Jackson. I’m not as taken with Conner and Guarrera as Jackson is, but the overall performance is worthwhile.
RUSALKA:Dvorak
Nézet-Séguin; Fleming, Beczala, Magee, Zajick, Relyea
Original Air Date: 02/08/2014
Live in HD
SID.20160107
Read RWW’s Review of the Live in HD broadcast of this cast.
DER ROSENKAVALIER:Strauss
Thielemann; Liang, Tomowa-Sintow, Rootering, Grant Murphy, Schulte
Original Air Date: 02/20/1993
SID.20160208
Thielemann conducts a lovely performance with Tomowa-Sintow in her Met broadcast farewell. Liang was a two performance replacement for Mentzer and whose only other Met appearance is part of the First Emperor run. Most notable for Thielemann’s conducting and Tomowa-Sintow’s Marschallin — her Met farewell is a week later.
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / PAGLIACCI:Mascagni / Leoncavallo
Badea; Guleghina, Jóhannsson, Pola / Dessì, Martinucci, Nucci
Original Air Date: 02/04/1995
SID.20160209
Another Cavalleria of minimal interest– there must be something better in the archives. The Pagliacci does feature a qualified if not often encountered cast. Martinucci only has 25 performances in 7 seasons at the Met and this Canio is only 3 before his farewell. He has a very decent Fanciulla with Dimitrova, and is the Chenier on Milnes 25th anniversary broadcast. I saw him in Chicago in Gioconda, and he worked regularly in the top European houses I think for maybe another decade.
DON CARLO:Verdi
Levine; Sylvester, Millo, Chernov, Zajick, Ramey, Koptchak
Original Air Date: 03/14/1992
SID.20160211
Sylvester, Millo, Chernov, and Zajick all repeat their roles from the Levine Sony Classical studio recording and this broadcast has been added to MOoD relatively recently ; Ramey who is the recording’s Inquisitor moves up to Filippo for this Met series including this broadcast, with Koptchak taking over the GI. This is the first of Zajick’s three broadcast outings as Eboli, and she is one of the best. Chernov who never quite turned into the new Robert Merrill still had a beautifully burnished tone, and his voice is a more natural fit than say Keenlyside (at least at the Met). This is Millo’s final Elisabetta with the Met (her earlier broadcast is in 1986). This is Ramey’s first of two Filippo broadcasts — 2002 (also with Zajick) is under Gergiev. Sylvester is a first rate Don Carlo, and while I loved this past season’s conducting by Nezet-Seguin, this 1992 cast is a world above the most recent casting and one of the best balanced Don Carlo casts ever.
LA TRAVIATA:Verdi
Strasfogel; Moffo, Morell, Sereni
Original Air Date: 04/21/1962
SID.20160213
I’m sure I heard this performance while I was still living in Texas, but despite the visual glamor of Moffo, I find her appeal in this part limited. Along with Albanese (not one of my favorites) with 87, Moffo with her 80 Violettas totally dominate the chronology. Sembrich and Bori are the next two down and by more than two and half dozen. Most Violetta totals at the Met hover between 15 and 25. This is Moffo’s first Violetta broadcast, so probably her best. Her other two (in different seasons) come in 1967, and I know those performances well. Although Moffo had a high selling Traviata for RCA, this is the first of her three broadcasts, and the only one that has been on Sirius. I like her commercial, but as early as 1967, vocally I found her compromised (but always with huge E flat). Morell and Sereni are OK, no more. This is the first of Moffo’s three Violetta broadcasts; the other two are in 1967 (in different seasons). Moffo was a gorgeous Violetta, and very successful. I’m not sure how well it bears up in live performance in an audio only mode, but I’ll give this a try. As for the other Met broadcast Traviatas, I wish the Met would reach back to the 1935 Ponselle/Tibbett Traviata under Panizza. This has been on private labels for years and exists in good enough sound. Ponselle will not be to everyone’s taste, but I find the duet with Tibbett with Panizza’s masterly support to be of the highest quality. Albanese is the dominant Violetta (with several broadcasts from Sayao none on Sirius), but her only appearance on Sirius is her last Violetta broadcast in 1959. It’s a little late, but since I don’t much care for her Violetta (see Paul Jackson’s analysis of Met broadcasts– he worships Albanese), she is partnered by Valletti, and they make a winning pair. Two performances which have been on Sirius and are both on Met Player are the Steber with DiStefano and Merrill from 1949 (she’s replacing Sayao and practically doing a lesson in vocal technique and exquisite vocalism) and Tebaldi from 1957, where first act transpositions are mostly irrelevant to one of the most celebrated performances ever. Tebaldi did 21 performances in a single season, and Bing sent her everywhere. If not quite the perfection of the Tosca, this Violetta is quite memorable. Almost worth a Met Player subscription on its own. Surprisingly, the 1964 Sutherland Violetta has not been on Sirius. This omission should be corrected as part of the Guild’s upcoming memorial to her. I saw her Violetta at least 3 times, and it was one of her most memorable roles. Sutherland is not the only omission that should make its way to Sirius. I remember Cruz-Romo’s fine 1973 broadcast (very much in the Tebaldi tradition), Rita Shane replacing Sills in 1976 (Wixell’s only Germont broadcast), Maria Chiara in 1977, Malfitano in 1982 (I think the first to do two verses of Addio del passato), Maliponte in 1984 (I don’t remember this performance but she’s a favorite of many on this list including me) 1987 with Tomowa Sintow (again I have no memory, but she’s a singer I remember fondly) and the 2000 broadcast with Gallardo-Domas. While I thought Butterfly too heavy for her, her Violetta is one of the very best, and this has not made it to Sirius. Sirius has some heavy lifting to do for Traviata!
SALOME:Strauss
Böhm; Nilsson, Liebl, Dalis, Cassel, Shirley
Original Air Date: 03/13/1965
MOD Audio
SID.20160214
This is an absolute MUST. Mercifully it’s on Met Player (at least for North America). Bohm and Nilsson are ablaze. I saw two performance this first season of the Rennert/Heinrich production and as much as I loved the Solti recording, and later Nilsson with Solti and CSO at Carnegie Hall, Bohm and Nilsson burned ever so brightly, and the conductor threw in a concert Don Juan before the Salome to warm the orchestra up. I added Ernst Wiemann who as First Nazarene makes his presence known, and he was part of excellent Met singers in secondary parts. The supporting cast is very strongly cast (the five Jews and the Nazarenes Ernst Wiemann and the recently deceased Calvin Marsh are very distinctive. One of the great performances captured, with Nilsson in her only broadcast Met Salome, and it’s a humdinger. Liebl and Dalis both in the new Rennert production and their vivid singing contribute strongly, but in the end it’s a Birgit and Karl show.
BORIS GODUNOV:Mussorgsky
Gergiev; Semenchuk, Antonenko, Balashov, Nikitin, Pape, Petrenko, Ognovenko
Original Air Date: 10/23/2010
Live in HDMOD Video
SID.20160215
ADRIANA LECOUVREUR:Cilea
Fulton; Scotto; Shicoff, Cortez, Sereni
Original Air Date: 02/26/1983
SID.20160216
Scotto is a vivid Adriana, if caught a bit late. A good part for Shicoff. This is not my favorite work, and while Scotto is very attentive to the veristic details, we’re starting to get into the “scratchy” years. While I like the Sony recording (with Obraztsova, Domingo) with her a bit better, she is a vivid Adriana, and Shicoff is an excellent Maurizio. Available in MOoD.
ORFEO ED EURIDICE:Gluck
Rudolf; Stevens, Amara, Cundari
Original Air Date: 01/18/1958
MOD Audio
SID.20160318
The strongest thing about this performance is Rudolf’s conducting. Stevens was definitely a star Orfeo, but she’s never an audio favorite of mine. A very great artist outstanding advocate for American artists , and the role of the arts in general. She had quite a following, but her audios alone do not make a career. She is still with us, and may she have many more years. For me this is much too late for Stevens (She retires in 1960). I did check Paul Jackson’s authoritative volume on Met broadcasts– and he’s at his best in the 40s and 50s, but has nothing to say about this performance. This performance has been on before and is on MOoD.
DER ROSENKAVALIER:Strauss
Thielemann; Liang, Tomowa-Sintow, Rootering, Grant Murphy, Schulte
Original Air Date: 02/20/1993
SID.20160319
Thielemann conducts a lovely performance with Tomowa-Sintow in her Met broadcast farewell. Liang was a two performance replacement for Mentzer and whose only other Met appearance is part of the First Emperor run. Most notable for Thielemann’s conducting and Tomowa-Sintow’s Marschallin — her Met farewell is a week later.
RODELINDA:Handel
Summers; Fleming, Scholl, van Rensburg, Blythe, Dumaux, Relyea
Original Air Date: 05/06/2006
MOD Video
SID.20160320
This performance in the second season of the production and Scholl’s first appearance at the Met. There was a third broadcast which includes an HD moviecast of Rodelinda with Fleming and Scholl under Bicket (whom I prefer to Summers) but the intervening 4 years do not benefit either Fleming or Scholl. This video is available also in MOoD so you can compare for yourself. I like Scholl much more than David Daniels so this is my preferred Rodelinda.
DON PASQUALE:Donizetti
Benini; Maestri, Buratto, Camarena, Molnár
Original Air Date: 03/12/2016
SID.20160321
AIDA:Verdi
Badea; Rautio, Sylvester, Zajick, Pons, Plishka
Original Air Date: 03/02/1996
SID.20160322
While this is prime Zajick, the rest of this cast does not attract me. There are far worthier broadcasts including Solti and Steinberg from the 1960s, Curtis-Verna’s only broadcast Aida (replacing Tebaldi) with a sterling supporting cast from the 50s, etc. etc. Sylvester has 2 other broadcasts his first with Sweet and Zajick in 1994, and his last in 1997 with Sweet and Toczyska and I think Sweet is to be preferred if Sylvester (who is a solid Radames) is your primary interest.
LA RONDINE:Puccini
Marco Armiliato [it]: Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Samuel Ramey
Original Air Date: 01/10/2009
Live in HD
SID.20160323
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE:Bartók
Levine; Ramey, Norman
Original Air Date: 01/28/1989
SID.20160324
What is defective about this is that in March of 2013 [and March 2015] the rebroadcast included the second work of the afternoon Schoenberg’s Erwartung with Norman. Rebroadcasting half the afternoon? I’ll try to be up and check and see if both works are actually on. Bluebeard with a much weaker cast is scheduled in a new production in 2014-2015 (the starrier fare of this season is Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta with Netrebko and Beczala. I find it a bit tone deaf to be honoring Norman’s 70th birthday with a broadcast that is incomplete and not yet honored in Met Opera on Demand or DVD for both the Bluebeard and the Erwartung. Although the Bartok is done in an English translation it was telecast as well. Norman is at her considerable best, and it would be nice if this performance could be issued somehow. Ramey is a very strong Bluebeard. It’s one of the few post 1977 videos not available in any form, either MOoD or DVD.
SALOME:Strauss
Böhm; Nilsson, Liebl, Dalis, Cassel, Shirley
Original Air Date: 03/13/1965
MOD Audio
SID.20160425
This is an absolute MUST. Mercifully it’s on Met Player (at least for North America). Bohm and Nilsson are ablaze. I saw two performance this first season of the Rennert/Heinrich production and as much as I loved the Solti recording, and later Nilsson with Solti and CSO at Carnegie Hall, Bohm and Nilsson burned ever so brightly, and the conductor threw in a concert Don Juan before the Salome to warm the orchestra up. I added Ernst Wiemann who as First Nazarene makes his presence known, and he was part of excellent Met singers in secondary parts. The supporting cast is very strongly cast (the five Jews and the Nazarenes Ernst Wiemann and the recently deceased Calvin Marsh are very distinctive. One of the great performances captured, with Nilsson in her only broadcast Met Salome, and it’s a humdinger. Liebl and Dalis both in the new Rennert production and their vivid singing contribute strongly, but in the end it’s a Birgit and Karl show.
ADRIANA LECOUVREUR:Cilea
Fulton; Scotto; Shicoff, Cortez, Sereni
Original Air Date: 02/26/1983
SID.20160426
Scotto is a vivid Adriana, if caught a bit late. A good part for Shicoff. This is not my favorite work, and while Scotto is very attentive to the veristic details, we’re starting to get into the “scratchy” years. While I like the Sony recording (with Obraztsova, Domingo) with her a bit better, she is a vivid Adriana, and Shicoff is an excellent Maurizio. Available in MOoD.
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / PAGLIACCI:Mascagni / Leoncavallo
Badea; Guleghina, Jóhannsson, Pola / Dessì, Martinucci, Nucci
Original Air Date: 02/04/1995
SID.20160427
Another Cavalleria of minimal interest– there must be something better in the archives. The Pagliacci does feature a qualified if not often encountered cast. Martinucci only has 25 performances in 7 seasons at the Met and this Canio is only 3 before his farewell. He has a very decent Fanciulla with Dimitrova, and is the Chenier on Milnes 25th anniversary broadcast. I saw him in Chicago in Gioconda, and he worked regularly in the top European houses I think for maybe another decade.