DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/16/1995
Levine; Weikl, Mattila, Heppner, Svenden, Prey, Rootering, Magnussonm Del Carlo, Schaldenbrand, Pape
MOD Audio SID.19110642
Levine has six Meistersinger matinee broadcasts, and this, his second is arguably the most strongly cast with sterling work from Weikl and Prey and wonderful performances from Mattila and Heppner at their best. Very solid casting up and down the line for this deceptively challenging work. Available on MOoD and DVD both. Because of its length, it’s nice to have the choice of when to start and stop
DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/16/1995
Levine; Weikl, Mattila, Heppner, Svenden, Prey, Rootering, Magnussonm Del Carlo, Schaldenbrand, Pape
MOD Audio SID.19110743
Levine has six Meistersinger matinee broadcasts, and this, his second is arguably the most strongly cast with sterling work from Weikl and Prey and wonderful performances from Mattila and Heppner at their best. Very solid casting up and down the line for this deceptively challenging work. Available on MOoD and DVD both. Because of its length, it’s nice to have the choice of when to start and stop
Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/14/1968
Molinari-Pradelli; MacNeil, Tucci, Shirley, Hines, Milnes
SID.19110744
This is MacNeil’s only broadcast Doge, and is almost as notable for Milnes’ turn as Paolo emulating Leonard Warren who had debuted as Paolo in 1939 and premiered a new Met production less than a week before his untimely death onstage. Hines lacks the profile if not the voice for one of the most interesting of Verdi’s bass roles. Tucci and Shirley are decent if not as megawatt as Tebaldi and Tucker or Milanov and Bergonzi in past times, and Te Kanawa and Domingo in more recent times (though even that is more than 25 years ago now). The Met database in one of its rare errors does not show as having been on Sirius, and it’s been on rotation at least 3 weeks in the last four years, and should be in MOoD. In two complete misses on Boccanegra, the 1974 revival had two outstanding portrayals under Eherling: Ingvar Wixell in the title role, and Maliponte as Amelia. Tucker is on exceptional late form as well. Historically there are only two broadcasts 1935 and 1939 with Lawrence Tibbett and Ezio Pinza under Panizza should be added to the MOoD archive.
ERNANI:Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/01/1962
Schippers; Bergonzi, Price, MacNeil, Tozzi, Ordassy, Nagy, Reitan
MOD Audio SID.19110745
This is one of the classic Met broadcasts, and on balance the best of the Ernani broadcasts. Corelli was more of an in-house Ernani, but for the broadcast mikes, Bergonzi is close to ideal. MacNeil, one of the Met mainstay baritones on this occasion delivers an absolutely historic performance with a seemingly unending upper register, but also a command of the style that surpassed any modern baritone at the Met. Price is not ideal as Elvira, but she has many superb moments, especially as captured by the mikes. Fortunately this performance as well as the 1965 with Corelli, Sereni, and Siepi joining Price are BOTH on MOoD, and both performances serve Verdi very well indeed.” Available in a Sony historical CD and on MOoD. As much as I love Bergonzi, the most remarkable performance of the afternoon is MacNeil in one of his greatest if not greatest broadcast appearance. Do not miss.
Giordano
Original Air Date: 03/26/1977
Levine; Domingo, Arroyo, MacNeil, Kraft, Love, Chookasian
MOD Audio SID.19110746
Domingo’s only Met broadcast outing despite appearances in three seasons. There are at least three major broadcasts not yet on Sirius which should be heard, the 1954 with Del Monaco, Milanov, Warren when the production was premiered, the 1960 broadcast with Tebaldi, Tucker, and Bastianini,the greatest Gerard I’ve heard on broadcast or record, and 1966, Tebaldi, Corelli, Colzani, Corelli being the outstanding Chenier of the postwar period for my money. Now these are Cheniers!
DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/16/2000
Gergiev; Morris, Stemme, Wagenführer, Rootering, Grove, Polenzani
MOD Audio SID.19110747
The Met for almost two decades led a charmed life with most Dutchman revivals centered on Leonie Rysanek as Senta, and for the first decade George London as the Dutchman. This performance was an early appearance by Nina Stemme at the Met, long before her acclaimed Brunnhildes around the world in the last 5 years. People were not thinking of her as a future Brunnhilde in 2000, and an important appearance in 2016 as Elektra in a new production.
DEATH IN VENICE:Britten
Original Air Date: 02/26/1994
Atherton; Rolfe Johnson, Allen, Gall, von Aroldingen,
MOD Audio SID.19110748
“I’ve given Britten’s final work several tries in the theatre and on record, and it just doesn’t make it for me. I’m always game for Peter Grimes and Billy Budd, and enjoy Albert Herring as well, so it’s not any antipathy to Britten. But I feel the inspiration as barren as Aschenbach’s view of life. Both Met revivals, the original with Peter Pears from 1974 and this 1994 revival are available in MOoD.”I’ve given Britten’s final work several tries in the theatre and on record, and it just doesn’t make it for me. I’m always game for Peter Grimes and Billy Budd, and enjoy Albert Herring as well, so it’s not any antipathy to Britten. But I feel the inspiration as barren as Aschenbach’s view of life. Both Met revivals, the original with Peter Pears from 1974 and this 1994 revival are available in MOoD.
LA FORZA DEL DESTINO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 01/25/1958
Stiedry; Milanov, Labò, Sereni, Siepi, Roggero, Corena
SID.19110749
The fourth and last of Milanov’s Forza Leonoras. Siepi is the big plus here. A fresher Milanov can be heard in 1952 on MOoD with Tucker and Warren. In her best moments, her Leonora is major, but regardless of year, she can be uneven. Unlike most singing the part at 52, she still has the right voice.
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.