2017-18 Live Broadcasts

LA GIOCONDA:Ponchielli
Original Air Date: 02/03/1990
Santi; Dimitrova, Beccaria, Fondary, Toczyska, Plishka
SID.19200316
The distaff side was definitely an Iron Curtain special, with both Dimitrova and Milcheva from Bulgaria and Toczyska from Poland. Beccaria replaced Pavarotti (who ended up never doing the part at the Met). I had seen DImitrova in Chicago not long before and was disappointed with her there, and she was the same at the Met. Fondary is an interesting singer, but not at the level of Manuguerra who has many of the same sensibilities. — This revival was originally scheduled for Pavarotti (he never did Enzo at the Met after all), and Beccaria is very short ration for a part that often featured Corelli or Tucker. I saw Dimitrova in both Chicago and the Met, and she was no more than B+. She had the right size voice, but not the right personality to make Gioconda memorable. Marton was much better. Toczyska, by contrast with Dimitrova, is not so gifted vocally, but she is a strong musician and dramatic presence and makes the most of what she has. An excellent second level Amneris in many venues in the 1980s and 1990s. Santi lets the work sprawl too much– Patane and Cleva (I had previously listed Molinari-Pradelli who does not have the opera at the Met or as far as I can see anywhere else ) are much more to the task at hand. Toscanini, Serafin, and Panizza all have double digit Met Gioconda totals. — This is a Pavarotti cancellation, and I had seen Dimitrova in Chicago the year before. In neither NYC nor Chicago did it count as one of her best roles. With the possible exceptions of Dimitrova and Toczyska no one else is much above replacement level. I love Gioconda, but this is not the cast. And a mini-Gioconda cast is one can well do without.

SAMSON ET DALILA : Saint-Saens
Elder; Garanca, Alagna, Naouri, Azizov, Belosselskiy
OAD SID.18390106 /  Encore SID.19200535
SUMMER ENCORE  – Opening Night of 2018-2019 Season
Program
When mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča and tenor Roberto Alagna joined forces for a new production of Carmen at the Met, the results were electrifying. Now this star duo reunites for another sensual French opera when they open the season in the title roles of Saint-Saëns’s biblical epic Samson et Dalila. Darko Tresnjak, who won a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2014 for A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, makes his Met debut directing a vivid, seductive staging, featuring a monumental setting for the last-act Temple of Dagon, where the hero crushes his Philistine enemies. Sir Mark Elder conducts the first new Met production of the work in 20 years.

Production a gift of the Gramma Fisher Foundation, Marshalltown, Iowa, and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang, PhD. and Oscar Tang

Additional funding from The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Endowment Fund and William R. Miller”

TOSCA:Puccini
Original Air Date: 01/06/1979
Conlon; Verrett, Pavarotti, MacNeil
MOD Audio SID.19210102
This performance has the same three leads as the telecast from a few weeks earlier– Tajo replaces Corena as the Sacristan. The video is of greater interest because there are relatively few complete performances on video with Verrett, and while the broadcast is OK, her voice qua voice was not an ideal Puccini instrument. Both performances appear in Met Opera on Demand (MOoD) and the video is also available for commercial DVD purchase. The DVD features a discussion between Gobbi (the stage director) and MacNeil about Scarpia; there is also a bonus of Pavarotti and Verrett rehearsing with Conlon. One of the better Tosca broadcasts in the new house.

IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Original Air Date: 03/13/1982
Davis; Workman, Battle, Blake, Capecchi, Montarsolo
MOD Audio SID.19210103
The Met Database shows this as previously rebroadcast on Sirius, but not recently. The plus is relatively early Battle performance, but she also has a 1988 telecast reissued on commercial DG DVD (still available per Amazon). The difference between William Workman and Leo Nucci on the DVD is considerable. I was surprised that this telecast is not in MOoD. In fact, the two videos there are the excellent DiDonato, Florez, Mattei performance rom the first season of Met LIve in HD, and the second last season’s Barbiere with Isabel Leonard, Brownlee, and Maltman. Surely this 1988 performance needs to be in MOoD.

DON CARLO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/07/1964
Adler; Corelli, Rysanek, Herlea, Dalis, Tozzi, Uhde
MOD Audio SID.19210104
This performance is in the Sony Historical CD series. Corelli is the centerpiece, but he despite being in thrilling voice, is a bit of a mess. Rysanek has her moments, some very good, some not so good. Herlea is a successful debutant as Rodrigo, and Dalis a distinctive Eboli. The great Met Ebolis are shortly to arrive with Bumbry, Cossotto, Verrett and Zajick. This performance is heavily cut and Tozzi shows signs that his voice is no longer in prime condition, but one of the most beautiful voices ever in that prime.

ELEKTRA:Strauss
Original Air Date: 01/10/1976
Hollreiser; Schröder-Feinen, Knie, Varnay, Dooley, Nagy
SID.19210105
This is Schroder-Feinen’s first of 3 Met Elektras this season, though Hollreiser had begun the season with Mastilovic in the title role. Varnay was a constant in all performances. I never had the pleasure of seeing Schroder-Feinen, but this is one of her very best performances. Knie is in her Met debut. Highly recommended. I should also recommend this for MOoD as there is NO representation of the Varnay Klytemnestra there.

IL TROVATORE:Verdi
Original Air Date: 01/13/2001
Rizzi; Shicoff, Mescheriakova, Zajick, Frontali, Kavrakos
SID.19210208
Though Zajick does her best, she is almost completely wasted with this cast. This was possibly Volpe’s most disastrous new production.

PARSIFAL:Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
MOD Audio SID.19210209
The main attraction here is Pape’s first Gurnemanz. I was not much taken with Gergiev’s work, but the part is a good one for Domingo, and the rest of the cast are top tier. It’s certainly a change from Levine, and one of Domingo’s better German offerings. Because of the contributions of Pape and Gergiev, MOoD should have this performance as well. Pape is represented in the new production on video on MOoD and on DVD. There are a number of Parsifals that have not made it to either Sirius rebroadcast or MOoD. Broadcasts featuring Crespin (under Pretre, 1966) Varnay with Hotter, 1954, Dalis with Siepi and Stewart, 1971 and several interesting casts under Levine including Gwyneth Jones are all unrepresented.

STIFFELIO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/05/1994
Levine; Domingo, Sweet, Chernov, Plishka, Riberi
SID.19210211
Stiffelio was a Met premiere in 1993, and it was telecast and later reissued on DVD. The video is from the fall series of performances (11/13/1993) which is also on MOoD. This broadcast is from the brief spring series later that season. Stiffelio is a good part for Domingo (and would have been a great one for Vickers). Chernov was still promising at the time of this broadcast, but his two successors in the part, Fu and Dobber show how weak the baritone ranks are.

CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / PAGLIACCI:Mascagni / Leoncavallo
Original Air Date: 04/04/1953
Erede; Milanov, Baum, Valentino / Rigal, Del Monaco, Silveri
MOD Audio SID.19210212
This performance is most notable for Del Monaco’s relatively early Canio. The role is his farewell 6 years later in 1959. The 1959 broadcast should be added to the Sirius rotation / MOoD because it features Mitropoulos in the pit, but also Warren in one of his greatest roles. Warren’s previous broadcast Tonio was 1951.

I VESPRI SICILIANI:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/20/1982
Levine; Scotto, Ochman, Elvira, Raimondi
MOD Audio SID.19210213
Scotto could be an interesting singer in this music, but not by 1982–simply too much Lady Macbeth and Gioconda, among other things. I didn’t see her in 1974 which many people still rave about. 1974’s Arrigo was Domingo who had opened the season with Deutekom. Domingo never does the part after that 1974 run (he’s not in the spring 1975 broadcast)– it is among Verdi’s most challenging tenor assignments. Ochman is best described as earnest. Pablo Elvira was too little heard at the Met, and died prematurely. The broadcast mikes probably give him an extra volume boost, but he has nice Verdian style. Raimondi is never a favorite of mine, but Procida is one of the great Verdian bass roles– listen to Christoff with Callas (not from the Met). Siepi never did Procida at the Met and his omission from the Met premiere was part of his departure from the Met in April 1973.

GIULIO CESARE:Handel
Original Air Date: 04/21/2007
Bicket; Daniels, Swenson, Coote, Bardon, Zazzo
MOD Audio SID.19210214
Bicket knows this turf well, but a countertenor Caesar doesn’t work for me, but the whole of the work is tough going for me. I leave it for others to comment. I’m not good with Caesar in the hands of a countertenor. The cast is solid, but I’m not a Handelian so caveat auditor. Handel is not my specialty, but Bicket gets consistently good notices for his handling of Baroque operas. Cesare is notable for a number of lovely arias for Cleopatra (and one of Sills’ calling card roles.)

COSÌ FAN TUTTE:Mozart
Original Air Date: 12/07/1991
Hager; Vaness, Lopardo, Ziegler, Cowan, Upshaw, Feller
SID.19210424
Vaness is the champion Fiordiligi at the Met with 44 performances (Steber, the number 2 only has 29). She deserves her top place because in an era of very fine Mozart singers, her assumption ranked with the best. I always find the Vaness tone a little less individual than a Steber, a Lorengar, Te Kanawa, or Fleming, but all the pieces really come together for her. I’m not sure one does not do better in terms of overall casting with one of the other Vaness broadcasts or the telecast (with Bartoli as Despina ) which is available in MOoD.

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LA BOHÈME:Puccini
Original Air Date: 09/25/2018
Gaffigan; Car, Blue, Grigolo, Dupuis, Luciano, Rose, Maxwell
SID.19210535
Puccini’s timeless masterpiece of love and loss features two casts of young stars. Sopranos Nicole Car (in her highly anticipated Met debut) and Ailyn Pérez share the role of the ill-fated Mimì, opposite tenors Vittorio Grigolo and Michael Fabiano as the ardent poet Rodolfo. After a celebrated Met debut as Mimì in 2017, Angel Blue returns as the spitfire Musetta, and Etienne Dupuis (in his Met debut) and Lucas Meachem share the role of Marcello. James Gaffigan conducts.

LA FAVORITA:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 03/11/1978
López-Cobos; Verrett, Pavarotti, Milnes, Giaiotti
SID.19220102
This is a very fully sung performance. I remember better Leonora de Guzmans from Verrett (Dallas about 1971 and a sizzling concert performance at Carnegie with Kraus some years earlier), but this cast gives all they have. Still, this is a zingy performance and one will not be bored. It’s on Met On Demand as well. This remains the only broadcast of Favorita, and it is a shame that it has now been out of the Met repertory for more than three decades. Zajick for one made a great success with the part in Spain. The opera is more easily cast than Puritani. Milnes is far from my favorite baritone, but this performance has all singers well up to the mark with plenty of energy from all.

LA CENERENTOLA:Rossini
Original Air Date: 03/11/2000
Campanella; Larmore, Giménez, Alaimo, Corbelli
MOD Audio SID.19220103
This is Larmore’s second Angelina broadcast (the first was 1998 with Levine conducting). Corbelli is the Dandini, and Alaimo the Magnifico. Eight years later Corbelli moves down to Magnifico. A little of this opera goes a long way with me.

DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE:Mozart
Original Air Date: 02/09/1991
Levine; Battle, Araiza, Hemm, Serra, Moll
SID.19220104
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.

ROMÉO ET JULIETTE:Gounod
Original Air Date: 01/25/1986
Cambreling; Shicoff, Malfitano, Plishka, Harris, Schexnayder
SID.19220105
Malfitano and Shicoff make for a good pairing, and this is the first appearance of Juliet’s “Potion”aria which is now quite standard.

CARMEN:Bizet
Original Air Date: 02/16/1952
Reiner; Stevens, Tucker, Conner, Silveri
MOD Audio SID.19220106
My operagoing just missed Stevens , but I saw Tucker many times. The special attraction is the work of Reiner, and he is definitely worth hearing in live performance. Silveri is not my ideal as Escamillo, but only Merrill (beauty of voice) and van Dam (style AND voice) regularly please me in this deceptively difficult part. The RCA recording made shortly after the opening of this production with Met forces substitutes Peerce for Tucker (because of RT’s exclusive Columbia contract), Albanese for Conner and Merrill for Silveri.

SIMON BOCCANEGRA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 04/02/1960
Mitropoulos; Guarrera, Milanov, Bergonzi, Tozzi, Flagello
SID.19220107
This is the production that premiered with Warren a month earlier and he died the week following the premiere onstage in Forza. Guarrera who was not intended by nature as Simon does a fine job of characterization. Flagello is the most splendid Paolo you’ll ever hear, and this is Bergonzi’s only round of Gabrieles. This is Mitropoulos’ penultimate broadcast, Butterfly coming two weeks later. What great work came from his hand in the late 1950s.

DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Original Air Date: 03/03/1973
Maag; Siepi, Moser, Flagello, Lorengar, Shirley, Elias
SID.19220208
This is Siepi’s farewell broadcast to the Met, and Moser and Lorengar are particularly good foils for him. I wish Corena had joined him for the this, but Flagello is a very solid Leporello. We are still missing from Sirius Siepi’s 1957 new production broadcast and his 1967 with Sutherland and Lorengar under Bohm. Two of Siepi’s best Don Giovanni broadcasts have not been on Sirius (with Steber and Della Casa under Bohm in 1957 and Bohm again with Sutherland and Lorengar in 1967). This is Siepi’s Met broadcast farewell, his final performance coming a month later as Don Basilio in a Prey/Horne Barbiere. The first Siepi Don to be broadcast in the Sirius series, mighty Cesare had 11 broadcasts of the role between 1952 and 1973. Lorengar and Moser are under-represented on commercial recordings, but both fine Mozarteans; this is also George Shirley’s final broadcast, and along with Simon Estes, they are the only African American males to have had any significant (leading roles, broadcasts) role at the Met so far. Two other Siepi Don Giovanni broadcasts are urgently requested: the 1957 under Karl Bohm with the new production cast (Steber, Della Casa, Peters, Peerce for Valletti in the broadcast, Corena) and the 1967 also under Bohm with the most potent bass clef for the final scene in the history of the opera (Siepi, Flagello (in his prime which this 1973 isnt), Giaiotti plus Sutherland and Lorengar); the 1978 telecast and subsequent broadcast should be revisited for Julia Varady’s only Met appearances and fine ones as Elvira and a very young but juicy of voice James Morris along with Sutherland again. Once again I will make a plea for two of Siepi’s great Don Giovanni broadcasts, the first year of the Graf/Berman production in 1957 with Bohm conducting Steber and Della Casa, and a decade later in the first season in Lincoln Center again with Bohm conducting and Sutherland in a rare Met non-Bonynge appearance with Lorengar and Flagello from this cast, but 6 years earlier. These two continuing omissions leave big gaps on both Sirius and MOoD. . And while I am at it I will make a plea for Siepi’s 3 unheard Faust Mephistophes– 2 with Bjorling in 1950 and 1959 and his final broadcast of Faust with Gedda, Lorengar, and Merrill from 1969.

SIEGFRIED:Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/10/1993
Levine; Jones, Johns, Morris, Gjevang, Zednik, Wlaschiha
SID.19220209
This 1993 cycle catches at least three performers in splendid voice: Morris, Zednik, Wlaschiha. Siegfried has not been especially well served on the airwaves. Melchior only has one complete from 1937 (not yet broadcast on Sirius), and the 1951 with Svanholdm and Traubel has also not been heard. Surprisingly Nilsson’s first cycle (1962) Siegfried has also not been heard, and Hopf possibly excepted, the remainder of the cast is extremely strong. Let’s hear prime Frick, Kuen, London, Nilsson, Arroyo (Forest BIrd).This is Gwyneth Jones’ only broadcast Siegfried Brunnhilde from the Met, and my memory is that Johns is a solid Siegfried. This should be in MOoD. I saw Jones at Bayreuth in 1978, but I think this is the cycle that found her in more satisfying voice than usual. Morris (James), Zednik, Wlaschiha, Salminen are just about as well as you can do.

SIEGFRIED:Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/10/1993
Levine; Jones, Johns, Morris, Gjevang, Zednik, Wlaschiha
SID.19220210
This 1993 cycle catches at least three performers in splendid voice: Morris, Zednik, Wlaschiha. Siegfried has not been especially well served on the airwaves. Melchior only has one complete from 1937 (not yet broadcast on Sirius), and the 1951 with Svanholdm and Traubel has also not been heard. Surprisingly Nilsson’s first cycle (1962) Siegfried has also not been heard, and Hopf possibly excepted, the remainder of the cast is extremely strong. Let’s hear prime Frick, Kuen, London, Nilsson, Arroyo (Forest BIrd).This is Gwyneth Jones’ only broadcast Siegfried Brunnhilde from the Met, and my memory is that Johns is a solid Siegfried. This should be in MOoD. I saw Jones at Bayreuth in 1978, but I think this is the cycle that found her in more satisfying voice than usual. Morris (James), Zednik, Wlaschiha, Salminen are just about as well as you can do.

NORMA:Bellini
Original Air Date: 02/28/1976
Masini; Caballé, Verrett, Alexander, Michalski
SID.19220211
I was at this performance which was very exciting. Verrett takes just about every option ever imagined for an Adalgisa, and with Alexander as a very strong partner–one of the most frequent partners for Sutherland, Caballe, Tebaldi, Leontyne Price, Beverly Sills, he was among the most accomplished tenors around as comfortable with Mozart as he was with French opera. Verrett moves up to Norma title role two months later on Met tour in Boston– quite a spectacular evening for her. I saw one of this run, and Verrett was to do her first Norma (title role) two months later with the Met on tour which I saw. Caballe is in better voice on her earlier effort with Cossotto (her best ever in most people’s eyes and ears was the Orange Norma (on Hardy video). This is Verrett at very close to her absolute peak, and she does many of the interpolations heard on her studio Adalgisa with Sills. John Alexander is a very solid Pollione (and of course sang the role with Sutherland as well). He was an extremely versatile singer with technique to take him from Mozart (Ferrando at the beginning of his career, Arbace (Idomeneo) at the end to Richard Strauss, Wagner at the end. A propos of fine Cassios in Otello, he is on the Santi second season McCracken broadcast from 1964. His 379 Met performances over 26 years is a distinguished legacy

PETER GRIMES:Britten
Original Air Date: 12/31/1994
Conlon; Rolfe Johnson, Fleming, Opie, Walker, Howard
MOD Audio SID.19220212
Excellent all-around performance. Fleming in an unusual role and Rolfe Johnson taken from us much too soon. I like hearing a young fresh voice as Ellen Orford. This is Fleming’s only season as Ellen Orford, and I find her youthful singing a most pleasant plus.

ADRIANA LECOUVREUR:Cilea
Original Air Date: 02/26/1983
Fulton; Scotto; Shicoff, Cortez, Sereni
SID.19220213
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.

UN BALLO IN MASCHERA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/28/1959
Schippers; Stella, Hurley, Madeira, Peerce, Merrill
MOD Audio SID.19220214
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.

WERTHER:Massenet
Original Air Date: 03/04/1972
Behr; Corelli, Elias, Boky, Cossa
SID.19220315
As much as I love Corelli, I’m afraid the best thing about him in Werther are his press pics. Werther and Romeo come at the end of his Met career and give one no idea of what he had to offer. I don’t even mind his Faust recording with the Bonynges, but this is too late. The Met has other Werthers which are more interesting. This is the second of Corelli’s two Werther broadcasts (both with Elias). It is also available on MOoD (Metropolitan Opera on Demand, formerly Met Player) Corelli looked great as Werther, but when one is just listening, I think one does better with Kraus or Carreras, or these days, Kaufmann.

KÁT’A KABANOVÁ:Janácek
Original Air Date: 01/09/1999
Mackerras; Malfitano, Randová, Straka, Koptchak, Clarke, Karnéus
SID.19220316
Mackerras is a notable Janacek conductor, and the whole is well performed, but I don’t feel the warmth I do from Jenufa or even Makropoulos . Still, a nice contrast to other repertory. Mackerras is a master of the Czech repertoire, but I really need the visual to work for me with Kat’a.

MEFISTOFELE:Boito
Original Air Date: 11/08/2018
Rizzi; Meade, Fabiano, Van Horn, Check
SID.19220535
The spectacular Robert Carsen production returns to the Met for the first time since 2000, with bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as the diabolical title character, tenor Michael Fabiano as Faust, and soprano Angela Meade as Margherita. Mefistofele is the celebrated and only completed opera by Arrigo Boito—who famously collaborated with Verdi on the libretti for Otello and Falstaff. Production co-owned by the Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera; Production a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Julian H. Robertson, Jr. and Mrs. and Mrs. Wilmer J. Thomas, Jr.; Additional funding by the Rose and Robert Edelman Foundation, Inc.