“FAUST : Gounod
Original Air Date: 01/04/1964
Cast: Cleva; Morell, Moffo, Siepi, Ruzdak, Martin
Media: MOD Audio SID.18190425 Tags: Archive; 2018
Siepi is the outstanding contribution here. He has 6 Mephisto broadcasts, but still missing from the Sirius/MOoD roster are the 2 Bjorlings from 1950 and 1959, and 1969 with Lorengar, Gedda, and Merrill. The recently deceased (fall 2013) Janis Martin is featured in this 1964 performance before her move to Europe and starring roles.”
“LE NOZZE DI FIGARO : Mozart
Original Air Date: 04/22/2006
Cast: Wigglesworth; Relyea, Rost, Isokoski, Mattei, Coote
Media: MOD Audio SID.18190426 Tags: Archive; 2018, Mozart
Interesting casting for Nozze di Figaro and Isokoski’s last week at the Met. I thought her a very fine singer, but she’s no spring chicken. Mattei is an excellent Count.”
“RIGOLETTO : Verdi
Original Air Date: 04/08/1967
Cast: Gardelli; MacNeil, Gedda, Peters, Giaiotti, Amparan
Media: MOD Audio SID.18190427 Tags: Archive; 2018, Verdi
MacNeil made his Met debut as Rigoletto in 1959, his overwhelming performance an instant sensation. With a silvery, pinpoint voice, Peters had become virtually the Met’s resident lyric soprano and would go on to sing 88 performances of Gilda with the company, more than any other artist. This was one of only five performances Gedda gave as the Duke at the Met.
Review of Fred Kirby in Billboard – MacNeil Is Outstanding In the Met’s Rigoletto
Cornell MacNeil, cast in the title role of Rigoletto, definitely is the outstanding singer in this season’s performances of the Verdi warhorse at the Metropolitan Opera. MacNeil’s rich baritone made up for some spotty singing by other principals last Saturday (19). An exception was Bonaldi Giaiotti’s Sparafucile, which was a tower of strength. Giaiotti clearly is one of the company’s most dependable artists.
Roberta Peters, as sweet a Gilda as ever, sang prettily, but sounded thin in spots, especially the Caro nome ending, while John Alexander, the possessor of a rich lyric tenor voice, seemed more interested in demonstrating it than in portraying the Duke. This was really evident at the ending of La donna e mobile, when he lost Lamberto Gardelli, an experienced operatic conductor leading the opera for the first time at the Met this season.
The opera house’s wealth of basses again was apparent in the fine job by Raymond Michalski in the small, but important role of Monterone. Nedda Cassei again was a competent Maddalena. The serviceable production seemed at home in the new house, but, MacNeil, in his two arias and in duets, was the afternoon’s star. What a voice!The Metropolitan Opera recently lost one of its most cherished artists, soprano Roberta Peters, who passed away in January at the age of 86. Peters graced the Met stage for 515 performances over 35 years, specializing in lyric coloratura roles to which her silvery voice brought a special radiance. Met Opera Radio on SiriusXM celebrates her remarkable contribution to the company with a pair of special broadcasts that feature Peters in two of her signature roles. The first, a newly remastered 1967 performance of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte from the Met’s inaugural season at its new home in Lincoln Center, captures her dazzling interpretation of the Queen of the Night. The second, the Sirius premiere of a broadcast recorded just a month later, offers a glimpse of Peters as Gilda in Rigoletto, a role she sang more times at the Met than any other artist in the company’s history.”
“DON PASQUALE : Donizetti
Original Air Date: 01/20/1979
Cast: Rescigno; Bacquier, Sills, Kraus, Hagegård
Media: MOD Audio SID.18190529 Tags: Archive; 2018
This is Beverly Sills’ farewell production and her company farewell comes at the end of the Met spring tour in Detroit. This is the audio broadcast that followed the national telecast by 9 days, and marks her Metropolitan Opera House farewell. Both performances are available in Met Opera on Demand (MOoD). I find Sills’ video a congenial interpretation even if I prefer the Netrebko video. For audio, I prefer the younger Kraus with Grist and Corena.”
“CARMEN : Bizet
Original Air Date: 03/15/1941
Cast: Pelletier; Swarthout, Kullman, Albanese, Warren
Media: MOD Audio SID.18190530 Tags: Archive; 2018
This performance is on MOoD. Swarthout was certainly a media creation of the 30s and 40s and lasted into the 50s as an occasional panelist on What’s my line? When I was first listening to older generation singers, I kept hearing from friends that she had a glamorous reputation (she’s in 5 Paramount films). Whatever the appeal then, my ears never heard much.
Albanese and Warren are heard in less familiar roles. Warren does not do Escamillo after 1944, and Albanese has no Met Micaelas after 1949. There are many Met performances from the 40s more deserving than this one, but it has its curiosities.”
“NABUCCO : Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/03/1960
Cast: Schippers; MacNeil, Rysanek, Siepi, Fernandi
Media: MOD Audio SID.18190531 Tags: Archive; 2018, Verdi
MacNeil and Siepi are both excellent in the Met’s first Nabucco production. Rysanek gives her all, but really not the right match of voice and role for her.
One does not hear the lead male roles sung like this anymore.
This performance has also been reissued in the Met’s Verdi bicentennial CD box. In fact, this broadcast from a single season was Nabucco’s only presence in the Met repertoire until early 2000.”
“RUSALKA : Dvorák
Original Air Date: 12/11/1993
Cast: Fiore; Benacková, Heppner, Martin, Toczyska, Koptchak
Media: MOD Audio SID.18190638 Tags: Archive; 2018
This is from the first Met season for Rusalka and Benackova is a worthy heroine. For the broadcast a young Ben Heppner is the Prince replacing Neil Rosenshein. There is a later broadcast with Fleming and Antonenko which I don’t remember so well and would love to hear again. Zajick did the Jezibaba premiere but ceded the broadcast to Toczyska who is a very fine artist. I love the work, and never miss a chance to hear.
8/25/14 – This is from the first Met season for Rusalka and Benackova is a worthy heroine. For the broadcast a young Ben Heppner is the Prince
replacing Neil Rosenshein. There is a later broadcast with Fleming and Antonenko which I don’t remember so well and would love to hear again. Zajick did the Jezibaba premiere but ceded the broadcast to Toczyska who is very fine artist. I love the work, and never miss a chance to hear.
3/4/14 – This is quite a wonderful performance with Benackova, Heppner, and Koptchak especially strong. I love Rusalka and this premiere Met season of it, the ensemble is of high quality. This is a performance that belongs in MOoD.
9/11/12 – I love Rusalka, and this is its only broadcast until Fleming’s 2009 run where three performances were on Sirius, and one of them was in the matinee series on the Met International network. Belohlavek is an authentic conductor, but I think Fiore does just fine with his excellently prepared cast.
11/22/11 – I love the music in Rusalka and this is the Met’s first season with it. Martin is the only one less than excellent, but the Foreign Princess is a very awkwardly written role, so not all the blame goes to her. Even if some of the names are unknown to you, they are well up to the considerable vocal demands.
7/5/11 – Benackova was the first broadcast Rusalka at the Met, and this performance captures her very well. Heppner early in his Met career is on fine form as is the lesser known Koptchak as the Water Sprite. Martin is a bit tested as the Foreign Princess– a very difficult part, no one makes it sound easy. Still, a lovely opera in a fine performance, and this is well deserving being added to the Met Player repertory besides its visibility on Sirius.
1/17/11 – Benackova to the manner born, and early Heppner. Toczyska and Koptchak really on top of things as well. Love this work.”
“FAUST : Gounod
Original Air Date: 01/04/1964
Cast: Cleva; Morell, Moffo, Siepi, Ruzdak, Martin
Media: MOD Audio SID.18190641 Tags: Archive; 2018
Siepi is the outstanding contribution here. He has 6 Mephisto broadcasts, but still missing from the Sirius/MOoD roster are the 2 Bjorlings from 1950 and 1959, and 1969 with Lorengar, Gedda, and Merrill. The recently deceased (fall 2013) Janis Martin is featured in this 1964 performance before her move to Europe and starring roles.”
“LE NOZZE DI FIGARO : Mozart
Original Air Date: 04/22/2006
Cast: Wigglesworth; Relyea, Rost, Isokoski, Mattei, Coote
Media: MOD Audio SID.18190642 Tags: Archive; 2018, Mozart
Interesting casting for Nozze di Figaro and Isokoski’s last week at the Met. I thought her a very fine singer, but she’s no spring chicken. Mattei is an excellent Count.”
“DON PASQUALE : Donizetti
Original Air Date: 01/20/1979
Cast: Rescigno; Bacquier, Sills, Kraus, Hagegård
Media: MOD Audio SID.18190745 Tags: Archive; 2018
This is Beverly Sills’ farewell production and her company farewell comes at the end of the Met spring tour in Detroit. This is the audio broadcast that followed the national telecast by 9 days, and marks her Metropolitan Opera House farewell. Both performances are available in Met Opera on Demand (MOoD). I find Sills’ video a congenial interpretation even if I prefer the Netrebko video. For audio, I prefer the younger Kraus with Grist and Corena.”
“NABUCCO : Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/03/1960
Cast: Schippers; MacNeil, Rysanek, Siepi, Fernandi
Media: MOD Audio SID.18190747 Tags: Archive; 2018, Verdi
MacNeil and Siepi are both excellent in the Met’s first Nabucco production. Rysanek gives her all, but really not the right match of voice and role for her.
One does not hear the lead male roles sung like this anymore.
This performance has also been reissued in the Met’s Verdi bicentennial CD box. In fact, this broadcast from a single season was Nabucco’s only presence in the Met repertoire until early 2000.”
“SALOME : Strauss
Original Air Date: 03/13/1965
Cast: Böhm; Nilsson, Liebl, Dalis, Cassel, Shirley
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200102 Tags: Archive; 2018, Nilsson
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.”
“DIE WALKURE : Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/01/1969
Cast: von Karajan; Nilsson, Adam, Crespin, Vickers, Veasey, Talvela
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200104 Tags: Archive; 2018, Nilsson, Wagner
To my knowledge this is the only broadcast opera performance (not counting galas) in which both Nilsson and Crespin appear together. This is Crespin’s only broadcast Sieglinde from the Met. It is also Karajan’s final Met performance (he had done the Rheingold broadcast a week earlier (also on MOoD); it is also Josephine Veasey’s Met farewell.
I’m rather sorry that Stewart did not get this broadcast, but he had the first year’s with Nilsson, Rysanek, Vickers,and Ludwig. Adam is experienced (he is in Bohm’s Bayreuth Ring of the same period, but his tone is not so agreeable to me.) This 1969 broadcast is Talvela’s only broadcast Hunding.
The quality of the performance is one of the best postwar Walkures.
2/10/12 -This is one of von Karajan’s two Met broadcasts (the other is Rheingold), and Crespin’s only Sieglinde broadcast. The performance is also on MetPlayer. I’m not a big fan of Adam, but this is still powerhouse casting. Karajan’s conducting is in many ways closer to his early Bayreuth conducting than his 60s studio efforts.”
“DIE WALKURE : Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/01/1969
Cast: von Karajan; Nilsson, Adam, Crespin, Vickers, Veasey, Talvela
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200105 Tags: Archive; 2018, Nilsson, Wagner
To my knowledge this is the only broadcast opera performance (not counting galas) in which both Nilsson and Crespin appear together. This is Crespin’s only broadcast Sieglinde from the Met. It is also Karajan’s final Met performance (he had done the Rheingold broadcast a week earlier (also on MOoD); it is also Josephine Veasey’s Met farewell.
I’m rather sorry that Stewart did not get this broadcast, but he had the first year’s with Nilsson, Rysanek, Vickers,and Ludwig. Adam is experienced (he is in Bohm’s Bayreuth Ring of the same period, but his tone is not so agreeable to me.) This 1969 broadcast is Talvela’s only broadcast Hunding.
The quality of the performance is one of the best postwar Walkures.
2/10/12 -This is one of von Karajan’s two Met broadcasts (the other is Rheingold), and Crespin’s only Sieglinde broadcast. The performance is also on MetPlayer. I’m not a big fan of Adam, but this is still powerhouse casting. Karajan’s conducting is in many ways closer to his early Bayreuth conducting than his 60s studio efforts.”
“IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA : Rossini
Original Air Date: 03/24/2007
Cast: Benini; Mattei, DiDonato, Flórez, Del Carlo, Relyea
Media: Live in HDMOD Video SID.18200106 Tags: Archive; 2018
This is a simulcast of the first season Live in HD videocast. It’s the only matinee broadcast appearance of Mattei, DiDonato and Florez together, and they are a splendid trio.”
“TRISTAN UND ISOLDE : Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/18/1961
Cast: Rosenstock; Nilsson, Dalis, Liebl, Cassel, Hines
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200107 Tags: Archive; 2018, Nilsson, Wagner
This is Nilsson’s second of four Isolde broadcasts from the Met, and is also available in MOoD as is the exact same cast but under Solti in one of his rare Met broadcasts two years later in 1963.
Rosenstock rarely thrills me, but the key question is how well Liebl holds up two years into his Tristan ventures. Nilsson’s first Isolde broadcast from 1960 features Bohm in the pit, but has never been on Sirius, an unfortunate omission.
5/24/2012 – This is Nilsson’s second Isolde broadcast, and Liebel is much helped by the microphones. Nilsson is also available in 1963 with much the same cast under Solti. Both this performance and the Solti are on MOoD.
What has not been on Sirius is Nilsson’s first Isolde from 1960 which features Bohm’s only season in the pit for Tristan and Vinay as her Tristan. The supporting cast is otherwise much the same. Could we dig that one out as well?
8/7/2011 – This performance has been available for some time on Met Player, and Met Player recently added the Nilsson Solti from 1963 with much the same supporting cast. My records show that Nilsson’s debut year Isolde under Bohm has still not been on Sirius.”
“FIDELIO : Beethoven
Original Air Date: 02/13/1960
Cast: Böhm; Nilsson, Vickers, Uhde, Czerwenka, Hurley, Anthony
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200208 Tags: Archive; 2018, Nilsson
This performance was issued also on Sony’s Met Historic CD series, as well as being in MOoD. Bohm, Nilsson, and Vickers bring all the exaltation and passion one could want to this opera. Vickers still continues to leave most other Florestans in the dust.
What a privilege to have seen him from beginning (1958 in Dallas) to end great performances well into the 1980s. He’s not for everyone, but in his core roles– Grimes, Otello, Siegmund, Florestan, Samson, Parsifal, Tristan, Enee he never left audiences wanting.
One of the very greatest singers ever to appear on ANY stage, and it
was my privilege to have shared so many evenings with him.
Czerwenka is not my idea of Rocco, but Bohm, Nilsson and Vickers are pretty unbeatable, and no one plays the Leonore No. 3 like Bohm.”
“ELEKTRA : Strauss
Original Air Date: 02/27/1971
Cast: Böhm; Nilsson, Rysanek, Madeira, Stewart, Nagy
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200209 Tags: Archive; 2018, Nilsson
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.”
“UN BALLO IN MASCHERA : Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/28/1959
Cast: Schippers; Stella, Hurley, Madeira, Peerce, Merrill
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200210 Tags: Archive; 2018, Verdi
I saw Antonietta Stella in this part on November 23, 1963 in Dallas with Di Stefano, Sereni, Berini, and Guglielmi; it was originally scheduled for the 22nd but postponed because of the JFK assassination the day before. I did not see her again until (and last time) in Philadelphia in 1974 in a Puccini gala in Philadelphia celebrating the 50th anniversary of Puccini’s death when she did the 4th Act of Manon Lescaut. The gala also featured Bergonzi and Scotto in Act 1 of Butterfly and with Mastilovic added, Acts 2 & 3 of Turandot– to my knowledge the only stage Turandot appearances for Bergonzi and Scotto.
Back to Ballo. Peerce’s association with Ballo goes back to the 1940s and he also is on Toscanini’s broadcast with Merrill and Nelli. This performance is better than OK, but not one of the great ones such as the Milanov Bjorling from 1940 and Price Bergonzi from 1966, both on MOoD.
This performance was rotated with more regularity early on the Sirius service. Peerce is not my favorite tone in Riccardo, but the overall cast is in good representative form.”
“TURANDOT : Puccini
Original Air Date: 12/03/1966
Cast: Mehta; Nilsson, Freni, Corelli, Giaiotti
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200211 Tags: Archive; 2018, Nilsson, Puccini
Sirius Broadcast Premiere.
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.
The Orientalism in the music may be super-imposed, but its romanticism is ingrained. I missed both the lushness and the theatrical magic lurking in the score. In short, the orchestral playing had neither glow nor dramatic bite to do justice to this fullest-scored and most mature of Puccini’s operas.
Just to hear Nilsson and Corelli almost sufficed last night since both were in superb voice. Yet Teresa Stratas gave such an artistically appealing portrayal of Liu that she deservedly belonged in their company. Bonaldo Giaiotti contributed a Timur of vocal and dramatic consequence.
Those conspirators Ping, Pang and Pong carried off their tricky roles more successfully than usual. I thought, thanks to the rapport of Theodor Uppman (new as Ping), Robert Nagy, and Charles Anthony. Thus the performance on stage had the best integration since the season began.
Turandot has found a sure place in the repertory; in fact, it could be developing into an old favorite. Outstanding success does pivot on the title role, to be sure, but at the moment that could not be better cast anywhere.”
“MACBETH : Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/21/1959
Cast: Leinsdorf; Warren, Rysanek, Hines, Bergonzi
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200316 Tags: Archive; 2018, Verdi
This is the Met broadcast premiere of Macbeth, and it’s a sterling cast– also went into the studio to record it as well and long available on RCA. Rysanek at very close to her best.”
“TRISTAN UND ISOLDE : Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/18/1961
Cast: Rosenstock; Nilsson, Dalis, Liebl, Cassel, Hines
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200317 Tags: Archive; 2018, Nilsson, Wagner
This is Nilsson’s second of four Isolde broadcasts from the Met, and is also available in MOoD as is the exact same cast but under Solti in one of his rare Met broadcasts two years later in 1963.
Rosenstock rarely thrills me, but the key question is how well Liebl holds up two years into his Tristan ventures. Nilsson’s first Isolde broadcast from 1960 features Bohm in the pit, but has never been on Sirius, an unfortunate omission.
5/24/2012 – This is Nilsson’s second Isolde broadcast, and Liebel is much helped by the microphones. Nilsson is also available in 1963 with much the same cast under Solti. Both this performance and the Solti are on MOoD.
What has not been on Sirius is Nilsson’s first Isolde from 1960 which features Bohm’s only season in the pit for Tristan and Vinay as her Tristan. The supporting cast is otherwise much the same. Could we dig that one out as well?
8/7/2011 – This performance has been available for some time on Met Player, and Met Player recently added the Nilsson Solti from 1963 with much the same supporting cast. My records show that Nilsson’s debut year Isolde under Bohm has still not been on Sirius.”
“IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA : Rossini
Original Air Date: 03/24/2007
Cast: Benini; Mattei, DiDonato, Flórez, Del Carlo, Relyea
Media: Live in HDMOD Video SID.18200422 Tags: Archive; 2018
This is a simulcast of the first season Live in HD videocast. It’s the only matinee broadcast appearance of Mattei, DiDonato and Florez together, and they are a splendid trio.”
“ROMÉO ET JULIETTE : Gounod
Original Air Date: 02/01/1947
Cast: Cooper; Sayão, Bjorling,, Brownlee, Moscona
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200423 Tags: Archive; 2018
One of the greatest performances to ever emanate from the Met stage. Available on Met Player, SonyCD, and despite the AM sound, Bjorling sings his second and last Met Romeo for the broadcast airwaves. Sayao with somewhat more limited vocal artillery is still every bit his equal artistically, and this performance comes pretty close to universal. If you haven’t heard it in some time, take a listen.”
“ELEKTRA : Strauss
Original Air Date: 02/27/1971
Cast: Böhm; Nilsson, Rysanek, Madeira, Stewart, Nagy
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200425 Tags: Archive; 2018, Nilsson
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.”
“LA JUIVE : Halévy
Original Air Date: 12/13/2003
Cast: Viotti; Isokoski, Shicoff, Futral, Cutler, Furlanetto
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200428 Tags: Archive; 2018
Viotti died only a year or so after premiering the Juive. He was a real talent, and Shicoff, Isokoski and Furlanetto all bring their considerable talents in a production transferred from Vienna. This is the Met’s first season since the mid 1930s and its only broadcast to date. Some early 1930s operas were broadcast but don’t exist. La Juive was never broadcast until 2003.”
“DIE WALKURE : Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/01/1969
Cast: von Karajan; Nilsson, Adam, Crespin, Vickers, Veasey, Talvela
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200530 Tags: Archive; 2018, Nilsson, Wagner
To my knowledge this is the only broadcast opera performance (not counting galas) in which both Nilsson and Crespin appear together. This is Crespin’s only broadcast Sieglinde from the Met. It is also Karajan’s final Met performance (he had done the Rheingold broadcast a week earlier (also on MOoD); it is also Josephine Veasey’s Met farewell.
I’m rather sorry that Stewart did not get this broadcast, but he had the first year’s with Nilsson, Rysanek, Vickers,and Ludwig. Adam is experienced (he is in Bohm’s Bayreuth Ring of the same period, but his tone is not so agreeable to me.) This 1969 broadcast is Talvela’s only broadcast Hunding.
The quality of the performance is one of the best postwar Walkures.
2/10/12 -This is one of von Karajan’s two Met broadcasts (the other is Rheingold), and Crespin’s only Sieglinde broadcast. The performance is also on MetPlayer. I’m not a big fan of Adam, but this is still powerhouse casting. Karajan’s conducting is in many ways closer to his early Bayreuth conducting than his 60s studio efforts.”
“DIE WALKURE : Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/01/1969
Cast: von Karajan; Nilsson, Adam, Crespin, Vickers, Veasey, Talvela
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200531 Tags: Archive; 2018, Nilsson, Wagner
To my knowledge this is the only broadcast opera performance (not counting galas) in which both Nilsson and Crespin appear together. This is Crespin’s only broadcast Sieglinde from the Met. It is also Karajan’s final Met performance (he had done the Rheingold broadcast a week earlier (also on MOoD); it is also Josephine Veasey’s Met farewell.
I’m rather sorry that Stewart did not get this broadcast, but he had the first year’s with Nilsson, Rysanek, Vickers,and Ludwig. Adam is experienced (he is in Bohm’s Bayreuth Ring of the same period, but his tone is not so agreeable to me.) This 1969 broadcast is Talvela’s only broadcast Hunding.
The quality of the performance is one of the best postwar Walkures.
2/10/12 -This is one of von Karajan’s two Met broadcasts (the other is Rheingold), and Crespin’s only Sieglinde broadcast. The performance is also on MetPlayer. I’m not a big fan of Adam, but this is still powerhouse casting. Karajan’s conducting is in many ways closer to his early Bayreuth conducting than his 60s studio efforts.”
“TRISTAN UND ISOLDE : Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/18/1961
Cast: Rosenstock; Nilsson, Dalis, Liebl, Cassel, Hines
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200533 Tags: Archive; 2018, Nilsson, Wagner
This is Nilsson’s second of four Isolde broadcasts from the Met, and is also available in MOoD as is the exact same cast but under Solti in one of his rare Met broadcasts two years later in 1963.
Rosenstock rarely thrills me, but the key question is how well Liebl holds up two years into his Tristan ventures. Nilsson’s first Isolde broadcast from 1960 features Bohm in the pit, but has never been on Sirius, an unfortunate omission.
5/24/2012 – This is Nilsson’s second Isolde broadcast, and Liebel is much helped by the microphones. Nilsson is also available in 1963 with much the same cast under Solti. Both this performance and the Solti are on MOoD.
What has not been on Sirius is Nilsson’s first Isolde from 1960 which features Bohm’s only season in the pit for Tristan and Vinay as her Tristan. The supporting cast is otherwise much the same. Could we dig that one out as well?
8/7/2011 – This performance has been available for some time on Met Player, and Met Player recently added the Nilsson Solti from 1963 with much the same supporting cast. My records show that Nilsson’s debut year Isolde under Bohm has still not been on Sirius.”
“SALOME : Strauss
Original Air Date: 03/13/1965
Cast: Böhm; Nilsson, Liebl, Dalis, Cassel, Shirley
Media: MOD Audio SID.18200636 Tags: Archive; 2018, Nilsson
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.”