LA BOHÈME:Puccini
Original Air Date: 02/03/2007
Rizzi; Gallardo-Domâs, Giordani, Arteta, Croft, Relyea, Plishka
SID.19120101
[NYTimes Review] Rodolfo and Mimi Soar Again By ANTHONY TOMMASINI JAN. 26, 2007 ….It was as Rodolfo that Mr. Giordani made his 1995 Met debut, and it is always rewarding to hear the role sung by a true Puccini tenor. Still, he has been branching out in recent years into weightier repertory, like Verdi’s Manrico and, at the Met, the hefty title role of Berlioz’s “Benvenuto Cellini.” While such choices testify to his adventurousness, they may explain why his Rodolfo seemed to have lost some of the velvety grace and glowing richness of earlier years. At times he ended melodic phrases abruptly and halted in his delivery. At his best Mr. Giordani can certainly invest a Puccini phrase with vibrant sound and soaring lyricism. Ms. Gallardo-Domâs may not have a conventionally beautiful sound, and soft high singing does not come naturally to her. The earthy expressivity and subtle intensity of her singing, however, made her an affecting Mimi. There were strong performances from the hearty baritone Dwayne Croft, a veteran Marcello; the bright-voiced soprano Ainhoa Arteta as Musetta; and the robust young baritone Aaron St. Clair Nicholson as Schaunard, the role of his Met debut last fall. The most complete vocal and dramatic portrayal came from the charismatic bass-baritone John Relyea as Colline. The bass Paul Plishka did double-duty as the hapless landlord Benoit and the wealthy Alcindoro. Carlo Rizzi was the very capable conductor.
FIDELIO:Beethoven
Original Air Date: 12/18/1993
Michael; Evans, Heppner, Hale, Rootering, Donath, Schade
MOD Audio SID.19120317
This is not my favorite Fidelio, but more notable as Anne Evans’ Met farewell. Helen Donath has a small Met career (21 performances). She has a fine voice as first heard on the Solti Rosenkavalier as Sophie. I saw her several decades later in DC as she had moved up to the Marschallin. She has been active in selected parts well after her Met Susannas which came at the end of the Fidelio season (but not broadcast). Robert Hale was second choice for Wotan during a number of the Morris years and married at least two sopranos– Inge Nielsen and Marina Poplavskaya.
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/06/2008
Barenboim; Lehman, Dalayman, DeYoung, Youn, Grochowski
MOD Audio SID.19120318
Celebrated Wagnerian conductor Daniel Barenboim made his Met debut with this production of one of opera’s greatest dramas. Gary Lehman and Katarina Dalayman are the legendary title characters in this searing story of love and destiny. Kwangchul Youn sings King Marke, the betrayed monarch whose understanding and forgiveness comes too late to save the lovers’ life. Michelle DeYoung is Isolde’s servant Brangäne and Gerd Grochowski sings Kurwenal, Tristan’s faithful companion. I’ve enjoyed Dalayman in other Wagner roles, and Barenboim in his Tristans from Bayreuth and La Scala, but my memories just didn’t show this hanging together as well. I’ll be listening again via MOoD as well.. We are finally starting to have Gelb era broadcasts in the rotation and it is good to be able to hear some new views.
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/06/2008
Barenboim; Lehman, Dalayman, DeYoung, Youn, Grochowski
MOD Audio SID.19120319
Celebrated Wagnerian conductor Daniel Barenboim made his Met debut with this production of one of opera’s greatest dramas. Gary Lehman and Katarina Dalayman are the legendary title characters in this searing story of love and destiny. Kwangchul Youn sings King Marke, the betrayed monarch whose understanding and forgiveness comes too late to save the lovers’ life. Michelle DeYoung is Isolde’s servant Brangäne and Gerd Grochowski sings Kurwenal, Tristan’s faithful companion. I’ve enjoyed Dalayman in other Wagner roles, and Barenboim in his Tristans from Bayreuth and La Scala, but my memories just didn’t show this hanging together as well. I’ll be listening again via MOoD as well.. We are finally starting to have Gelb era broadcasts in the rotation and it is good to be able to hear some new views.
FALSTAFF:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/08/1986
Levine; Taddei, Neblett, Monk, Cossotto, Blegen, Ahlstedt
MOD Audio SID.19120422
Its particularly good to have this performance back on the radio. Taddei and Cossotto make a most interesting pair, and I’m sorry she did not do more of the part. I don’t have strong memories of Neblett and Monk. Taddei who came very late to the Met did this run of Falstaff followed by a run in L’elisir which was broadcast and has been on Sirius. If they run that performance again I will check it out. Taddei’s actual Met farewell is as Dulcamara in Met in the Pennsauken Cooper River Park in New Jersey with Hong as his Adina. Taddei appeared as both Scarpia and Rigoletto in Philadelphia (both with Tucker) and I also saw his Leporello in Dallas (with Sutherland and the EMI gang), Germont (with Callas) and much later Leporello again in San Francisco with Siepi. The Met was not starving for good baritones in those days, so we got too little of him and very late. He has a nice non-Met legacy of studio and live performances. He died at 93 June 2, 2010.
LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 12/28/1940
Papi; Pons, Jobin, Petina, Baccaloni
MOD Audio SID.19120423
This performance has also been issued in the Sony Historical CD series from the Met. The surprise was that this was Pons’ only Met broadcast of Marie–she has thirteen Lucia broadcasts!!!!! This broadcast is her first time in the part at the Met (Broadcast production premieres were not common prior to Gelb) She was a huge Met star. She was my third Lucia (Callas and Sutherland first); that Fort Worth Lucia was not the way to remember her. Generally I don’t find Fille as strong a work as either Don Pasquale or L’Elisir d’Amore. This is not only the incomparable Lily Pons’s first performance in Donizetti’s comic opera at the Met; it is her only broadcast as Marie. Equal parts dazzling singer and romping tomboy, she is totally charming. No wonder Time magazine put her on its cover. Salvatore Baccaloni is Sergeant Sulpice and Raoul Jobin is the man who steals Pons’s heart. In this famous World War II-era broadcast Pons interpolates “La Marseillaise” at the end—bringing a cheering Met audience to its feet.
BENVENUTO CELLINI:Berlioz
Original Air Date: 12/27/2003
Levine; Giordani, Bayrakdarian, Del Carlo, Jepson, Lloyd
MOD Audio SID.19120424
This is the opera’s only broadcast from its only season. There is much lovely music along the way, but it does not have cumulative impact for me. Giordani copes not always pleasantly with an extremely challenging role. I think twice a year for Cellini is just about the maximum desired cycling. Once a year would be enough for me especially since it’s in MOoD.
DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE:Mozart
Original Air Date: 12/15/1973
Maag; Moffo, Alva, Gramm, Shane, Hines
SID.19120425
This Zauberflote turns up as among the most commonly broadcast Flutes. I’m not sure why except that it is in generally good sound. Shane and Hines are the only two performers with 29 and 55 performances respectively who are major exponents of their roles. One thing that lowers the availability is that from 1941 until 1967, it was performed exclusively in English, and generally Sirius plays no performances performed in translation.
AIDA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/02/1996
Badea; Rautio, Sylvester, Zajick, Pons, Plishka
SID.19120426
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.
MANON:Massenet
Original Air Date: 02/28/1987
Rosenthal; Malfitano, Gulyás, Holloway
SID.19120427
This was the first Met broadcast of Massenet’s Manon in almost a quarter century, and despite the authentic touches of Rosenthal and Senechal, the Ponnelle production and some casting was a dud. We’ll see Manon fares in the new production in a few weeks with Netrebko. Gulyas who was a cover tenor when not performing in Khovanshchina had been called into duty when Neil Shicoff was suffering from pharyngitis. Several other tenors were pressed into debuts after the broadcast including Jerry Hadley and Gregory Kunde. I would vote for the 1959 Manon with De Los Angeles and Gedda which has never been heard on Sirius.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Original Air Date: 03/24/2007
Benini; Mattei, DiDonato, Flórez, Del Carlo, Relyea
Live in HDMOD Video SID.19120428
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.
TANNHÄUSER:Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/26/1966
Rosenstock; Nuoti, Nilsson, Stewart, Macurdy
SID.19120529
Originally the title role was to have been taken by Windgassen, but he cancelled his run a week before the performances. Nilsson does both Elisabeth and Venus (scheduled as such) and this 1966 revival is the last time the Dresden version of Tannhauser has been heard at the Met; the Dresden had only come in the 1954 new production under Szell. Another Hungarian, Georg Solti had brought the Paris version back to the Met in the 1960 revival, and when Levine did a new production in 1977, Paris became the house standard for choice of versions. Nuotio was not much more than a placeholder, and I think the Met had better repetiteurs than Rosenstock so overall this run doesn’t have much to recommend itself except Nilsson’s generous voicing of both roles, and Thomas Stewart’s Wolfram in his debut Met season.
ELEKTRA:Strauss
Original Air Date: 12/30/1978
Leinsdorf; Mastilovic, Marton, Cornell, Bailey, Ulfung
SID.19120530
This broadcast marks Leinsdorf’s only season of Elektra since his debut and sophomore seasons in the late 1930s. Mastilovic is a solid if not especially memorable Elektra, and Eva Marton who never brought her outstanding Elektra to the Met (I saw one of her early ones in 1990 at Covent Garden) but IS a memorable Chrysothemis as well.. Gwynn Cornell who had made quite a splash in New Jersey as Laura to Bumbry and Tucker in Gioconda debuts (I think as a replacement for Dunn) as Klytemnestra. Though quite a vocal talent, this is a big dramatic role and her inexperience shows. Norman Bailey who only has four Met broadcasts is not yet represented by his Wotan which has an interesting cast (also with Leinsdorf) in Rita Hunter, James King (his only Met airwaves outing as Siegmund) and Janis Martin.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Original Air Date: 03/24/2007
Benini; Mattei, DiDonato, Flórez, Del Carlo, Relyea
Live in HDMOD Video SID.19120531
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.
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE:Bartók
Original Air Date: 01/28/1989
Levine; Ramey, Norman
SID.19120532
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
Original Air Date: 01/28/1995
Levine; Alaimo, Upshaw, Vaness, Croft, Ziegler
SID.19120533
This is very much a “Levine repertory” cast. Upshaw, Croft, Vaness figure prominently in Levine’s performances with a native as Figaro. Senechal is a marvelous Basilio. This is Alaimo’s only season as Figaro, and his historical broadcast competition is major, to just mention Siepi and Terfel. Upshaw has one other broadcast (three years earlier) when I saw her and was unimpressed. She was musically fine, but I find the tone very one-dimensional. Vaness and Croft and dependable performers, but again not on the top drawer of other singers. Vaness is an excellent Mozartean and her Fiordiligi, Vitelia, and Electra all have much to commend them, but the Countess can always stand an extra dose of tonal glamour, and that is not hers to give. The Met has featured some very glorious Countesses: Steber, De Los Angeles, Della Casa, Te Kanawa, Fleming, all with fine broadcast representations.
FALSTAFF:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/08/1986
Levine; Taddei, Neblett, Monk, Cossotto, Blegen, Ahlstedt
MOD Audio SID.19120534
Its particularly good to have this performance back on the radio. Taddei and Cossotto make a most interesting pair, and I’m sorry she did not do more of the part. I don’t have strong memories of Neblett and Monk. Taddei who came very late to the Met did this run of Falstaff followed by a run in L’elisir which was broadcast and has been on Sirius. If they run that performance again I will check it out. Taddei’s actual Met farewell is as Dulcamara in Met in the Pennsauken Cooper River Park in New Jersey with Hong as his Adina. Taddei appeared as both Scarpia and Rigoletto in Philadelphia (both with Tucker) and I also saw his Leporello in Dallas (with Sutherland and the EMI gang), Germont (with Callas) and much later Leporello again in San Francisco with Siepi. The Met was not starving for good baritones in those days, so we got too little of him and very late. He has a nice non-Met legacy of studio and live performances. He died at 93 June 2, 2010.
FIDELIO:Beethoven
Original Air Date: 12/18/1993
Michael; Evans, Heppner, Hale, Rootering, Donath, Schade
MOD Audio SID.19120535
This is not my favorite Fidelio, but more notable as Anne Evans’ Met farewell. Helen Donath has a small Met career (21 performances). She has a fine voice as first heard on the Solti Rosenkavalier as Sophie. I saw her several decades later in DC as she had moved up to the Marschallin. She has been active in selected parts well after her Met Susannas which came at the end of the Fidelio season (but not broadcast). Robert Hale was second choice for Wotan during a number of the Morris years and married at least two sopranos– Inge Nielsen and Marina Poplavskaya.
BILLY BUDD:Britten
Original Air Date: 04/19/1980
Leppard; Stilwell, Cassilly, Morris, Glossop, Ward
SID.19120636
The Met has broadcast Billy Budd 5 times since its arrival in 1978. This is the second, with Cassilly replacing the Vere creator Peter Pears. The Pears broadcast from the year before has not been on Sirius, and in the case of the most recent Budd broadcast with Dwayne Croft and Phillip Langridge a video was done which has not yet made its way to either Met Player or to a commercial DVD. In memory of Langridge and one of the great Met productions (Dexter at his considerable best), this should move into Met Player, one of the view Met videos left that does not have distribution. The 1980 performance on Sirius next week features Stilwell and Morris repeating their roles from the Met premiere the season before. I find Budd a stronger work overall than Peter Grimes, especially as experienced in the theatre.
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/06/2008
Barenboim; Lehman, Dalayman, DeYoung, Youn, Grochowski
MOD Audio SID.19120637
Celebrated Wagnerian conductor Daniel Barenboim made his Met debut with this production of one of opera’s greatest dramas. Gary Lehman and Katarina Dalayman are the legendary title characters in this searing story of love and destiny. Kwangchul Youn sings King Marke, the betrayed monarch whose understanding and forgiveness comes too late to save the lovers’ life. Michelle DeYoung is Isolde’s servant Brangäne and Gerd Grochowski sings Kurwenal, Tristan’s faithful companion. I’ve enjoyed Dalayman in other Wagner roles, and Barenboim in his Tristans from Bayreuth and La Scala, but my memories just didn’t show this hanging together as well. I’ll be listening again via MOoD as well.. We are finally starting to have Gelb era broadcasts in the rotation and it is good to be able to hear some new views.
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/06/2008
Barenboim; Lehman, Dalayman, DeYoung, Youn, Grochowski
MOD Audio SID.19120638
Celebrated Wagnerian conductor Daniel Barenboim made his Met debut with this production of one of opera’s greatest dramas. Gary Lehman and Katarina Dalayman are the legendary title characters in this searing story of love and destiny. Kwangchul Youn sings King Marke, the betrayed monarch whose understanding and forgiveness comes too late to save the lovers’ life. Michelle DeYoung is Isolde’s servant Brangäne and Gerd Grochowski sings Kurwenal, Tristan’s faithful companion. I’ve enjoyed Dalayman in other Wagner roles, and Barenboim in his Tristans from Bayreuth and La Scala, but my memories just didn’t show this hanging together as well. I’ll be listening again via MOoD as well.. We are finally starting to have Gelb era broadcasts in the rotation and it is good to be able to hear some new views.
Various:Various
Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
Various Artists
SID.19120639
Various selections between scheduled operas. Siriusxm Radio and web player will show the Composer and Title.
DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE:Mozart
Original Air Date: 12/15/1973
Maag; Moffo, Alva, Gramm, Shane, Hines
SID.19120641
This Zauberflote turns up as among the most commonly broadcast Flutes. I’m not sure why except that it is in generally good sound. Shane and Hines are the only two performers with 29 and 55 performances respectively who are major exponents of their roles. One thing that lowers the availability is that from 1941 until 1967, it was performed exclusively in English, and generally Sirius plays no performances performed in translation.
AIDA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/02/1996
Badea; Rautio, Sylvester, Zajick, Pons, Plishka
SID.19120642
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 FILLE DU RÉGIMENT:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 12/28/1940
Papi; Pons, Jobin, Petina, Baccaloni
MOD Audio SID.19120743
This performance has also been issued in the Sony Historical CD series from the Met. The surprise was that this was Pons’ only Met broadcast of Marie–she has thirteen Lucia broadcasts!!!!! This broadcast is her first time in the part at the Met (Broadcast production premieres were not common prior to Gelb) She was a huge Met star. She was my third Lucia (Callas and Sutherland first); that Fort Worth Lucia was not the way to remember her. Generally I don’t find Fille as strong a work as either Don Pasquale or L’Elisir d’Amore. This is not only the incomparable Lily Pons’s first performance in Donizetti’s comic opera at the Met; it is her only broadcast as Marie. Equal parts dazzling singer and romping tomboy, she is totally charming. No wonder Time magazine put her on its cover. Salvatore Baccaloni is Sergeant Sulpice and Raoul Jobin is the man who steals Pons’s heart. In this famous World War II-era broadcast Pons interpolates “La Marseillaise” at the end—bringing a cheering Met audience to its feet.
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE:Bartók
Original Air Date: 01/28/1989
Levine; Ramey, Norman
SID.19120745
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.
MANON:Massenet
Original Air Date: 02/28/1987
Rosenthal; Malfitano, Gulyás, Holloway
SID.19120746
This was the first Met broadcast of Massenet’s Manon in almost a quarter century, and despite the authentic touches of Rosenthal and Senechal, the Ponnelle production and some casting was a dud. We’ll see Manon fares in the new production in a few weeks with Netrebko. Gulyas who was a cover tenor when not performing in Khovanshchina had been called into duty when Neil Shicoff was suffering from pharyngitis. Several other tenors were pressed into debuts after the broadcast including Jerry Hadley and Gregory Kunde. I would vote for the 1959 Manon with De Los Angeles and Gedda which has never been heard on Sirius.
TANNHÄUSER:Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/26/1966
Rosenstock; Nuoti, Nilsson, Stewart, Macurdy
SID.19120747
Originally the title role was to have been taken by Windgassen, but he cancelled his run a week before the performances. Nilsson does both Elisabeth and Venus (scheduled as such) and this 1966 revival is the last time the Dresden version of Tannhauser has been heard at the Met; the Dresden had only come in the 1954 new production under Szell. Another Hungarian, Georg Solti had brought the Paris version back to the Met in the 1960 revival, and when Levine did a new production in 1977, Paris became the house standard for choice of versions. Nuotio was not much more than a placeholder, and I think the Met had better repetiteurs than Rosenstock so overall this run doesn’t have much to recommend itself except Nilsson’s generous voicing of both roles, and Thomas Stewart’s Wolfram in his debut Met season.
BILLY BUDD:Britten
Original Air Date: 04/19/1980
Leppard; Stilwell, Cassilly, Morris, Glossop, Ward
SID.19120749
The Met has broadcast Billy Budd 5 times since its arrival in 1978. This is the second, with Cassilly replacing the Vere creator Peter Pears. The Pears broadcast from the year before has not been on Sirius, and in the case of the most recent Budd broadcast with Dwayne Croft and Phillip Langridge a video was done which has not yet made its way to either Met Player or to a commercial DVD. In memory of Langridge and one of the great Met productions (Dexter at his considerable best), this should move into Met Player, one of the view Met videos left that does not have distribution. The 1980 performance on Sirius next week features Stilwell and Morris repeating their roles from the Met premiere the season before. I find Budd a stronger work overall than Peter Grimes, especially as experienced in the theatre.
ELEKTRA:Strauss
Original Air Date: 12/30/1978
Leinsdorf; Mastilovic, Marton, Cornell, Bailey, Ulfung
SID.19130101
This broadcast marks Leinsdorf’s only season of Elektra since his debut and sophomore seasons in the late 1930s. Mastilovic is a solid if not especially memorable Elektra, and Eva Marton who never brought her outstanding Elektra to the Met (I saw one of her early ones in 1990 at Covent Garden) but IS a memorable Chrysothemis as well.. Gwynn Cornell who had made quite a splash in New Jersey as Laura to Bumbry and Tucker in Gioconda debuts (I think as a replacement for Dunn) as Klytemnestra. Though quite a vocal talent, this is a big dramatic role and her inexperience shows. Norman Bailey who only has four Met broadcasts is not yet represented by his Wotan which has an interesting cast (also with Leinsdorf) in Rita Hunter, James King (his only Met airwaves outing as Siegmund) and Janis Martin.