LA TRAVIATA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 01/22/1949
Antonicelli; Steber, Di Stefano, Merrill
MOD Audio SID.19250214
Steber has her only broadcast of Violetta (late replacement for Sayao), and is clearly in top form and vocally and musically this is one of the best. DiStefano is more promising of tone than execution. It’s his first time at the Met in the part, and he only has seven more, the last in 1952. Merrill is in one of his signature parts, and the voice is truly a “wall of beautiful sound”. Paul Jackson in volume 1 of his 3 volume annotated coverage of Met broadcasts gives a very detailed review of this performance and is particularly enthusiastic on Steber “glorious from start to finish and one of the finest in [Met] broadcast history”and Antonicelli.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Original Air Date: 03/02/1974
Pritchard; Walker, Elias, Goeke, Corena, Tozzi
SID.19250315
The Met does Barber too much and this kind of casting from 37 years ago is pretty weak tea, Corena and Tozzi excepted. Corena the supreme Bartolo for 2.5 decades has 10 Met broadcasts, eight of them have been on Sirius, and two of them are on Met Player. Almost any of them are more worthy of your time than this one. I love Corena’s Bartolo ( he has 10 broadcasts!!! pick another) , but this is no star outing from the Met which has many fine Barbieres. There are other ways to honor Rosalind Elias.
LULU:Berg
Original Air Date: 04/02/1988
Levine; Malfitano, Mazura, Troyanos, Hamilton, Foldi
SID.19250316
Lulu is not a regular item for me, but Mazura and Troyanos were specialists, and Leighton Kerner, the late Village Voice critic found her the most satisfying of 11 Lulus he had encountered. I don’t find Lulu a very good audio only encounter, and it’s sad that the Dexter production which was telecast with Migenes (replacing Stratas) has not made its way to Met OperaonDemand, but is on a Met issued DVD in the Levine 40th anniversary DVD box.
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / PAGLIACCI:Mascagni / Leoncavallo
Original Air Date: 12/07/1985
Navarro; Behrens, Moldoveanu, Clark / Pilou, Vickers, Milnes
MOD Audio SID.19250318
New wave of Wagner singer (Behrens) meets older wave (Vickers) but it’s Cav/Pag, not Wagner. Behrens’ only run as Santuzza at the Met is a distant memory for me, and she doesn’t rise to one of the great Santuzzas (now Dimitrova, not always a favorite, DOES). Vickers’ debuted in 1960 as Canio, and this 1985 broadcast performance is his final Canio at the Met. As always Vickers does it his way. He is not quite as demented as his Colon (Buenos Aires) broadcast but if you get his message (and I do), he does great honor to his farewell at the Met to this role in his antepenultimate broadcast.
IL TRITTICO:Puccini
Original Air Date: 12/08/2018
de Billy; Wagner, Blythe, Álvarez, Gagnidze, Muraro, Opolais, McKay, Blythe, Mkhitaryan, Blythe, Ayan, Domingo, Muraro
MOD Audio SID.19250535
THE QUEEN OF SPADES:Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 04/10/1999
Gergiev; Domingo, Gorchakova, Söderström, Hvorostovsky, Borodina, Putilin
MOD AudioMOD Video SID.19260102
This performance is too late for Soderstrom, too late for Domingo, and too late for Gorchakova. You can see the video of from five days later on MOoD as well. Better to hear the first season of the production with Gregorian who succeeded Heppner, Guleghina who succeeded Mattila with Rysanek. That has been on Sirius, but is not on MOoD. If Sirius had been at work when the production premiered we would have a broadcast of Heppner and Mattila at their very best. MOD is from 4-15-99 performance.
ERNANI:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/09/1985
Fulton; Mauro, Mitchell, Elvira, Plishka
MOD Audio SID.19260103
This first revival retains only Leona Mitchell from the production premiere. Particular attention should be paid to Pablo Elvira, a little light for his character, but a most agreeable voice. Mauro is no Pavarotti, but this is a well prepared performance of one of my favorite Verdi operas. Only Mitchell survives from the production opening cast the previous season. Elvira was a lovely lyric baritone, but I prefer a MacNeil or Cappuccilli in this showy part. Among my very favorite early Verdi, even if this is not the performance I would first pull off the shelf.
MANON LESCAUT:Puccini
Original Air Date: 03/12/1966
Adler; Kabaivanska, Tucker, Walker, Esparza
MOD Audio SID.19260104
While I still want to hear Tucker and Tebaldi from 7 years earlier, this gives us the advantage of hearing a young Kabaivanska. I saw her do this part with a young Domingo pretty contemporaneous with this broadcast in Fort Worth, and what a pair they were. Esparza is for party tapes, and Walker was promoted as a more cornfed Merrill. Cornfed he may be, but any comparison to Merrill is not critically alert. Merrill on the Albanese Bjorling recording is like sable (the fur not the fish). Also available on MOoD (Met Opera on Demand) Manon Lescaut is my favorite Puccini and Kabaivanska is an excellent Manon. Sirius is still omitting the 1959 broadcast with Tebaldi and Tucker when both are at their absolute best. Esparza is an unfunny Thanksgiving joke; he makes Corena sound like Ezio Pinza.
DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE:Mozart
Original Air Date: 02/21/1998
de Waart; Bonney, Lopardo, Finley, Dunleavy, Moll
MOD Audio SID.19260105
I want to take a listen to this broadcast, esp. for Bonney and Finley. I wrote a few months ago on some missing gaps in Zauberflote: If relatively recent sound is the criterion, more rotation of the Lorengar, Deutekom from 1968 is called for and I would love to hear again the 1970 and 1972 broadcasts which have not yet made it to Sirius. The 1970 features the matchless Papageno of Hermann Prey (and live performance is quite a different thing than the recording studio) Popp is out there for one of her last times as the QotN; the 1972 features the strong Queen of Edda Moser and an unusual Pamina, Adriana Maliponte. If sound is not the sole criterion, it would be nice to hear Bruno Walter conducting in the early 40s, with Steber leading the three ladies in three broadcasts succeeded in 1945 by Regina Resnik. Kipnis and Pinza are 2 of the Sarastros. For really splendid Mozart in English, the 1950 with Steber moving up to Pamina, and Tucker as Tamino; Erna Berger sings the Queen in English under Stiedry.
IL TROVATORE:Verdi
Original Air Date: 01/21/1989
Levine; Pavarotti, Millo, Cossotto, Milnes, Plishka
MOD Audio SID.19260106
Milnes’ farewell comes in Aida in March 1997, but his appearances in plum video and broadcast assignments drop off in his final decade. This IS Cossotto’s Met farewell, and she is authoritative in her standard way. Pavarotti and Millo are both very solid.
LOHENGRIN:Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/11/1953
Stiedry; Sullivan, Steber, Harshaw, Björling, Ernster
SID.19260107
I prefer Steber at Bayreuth, but this is a very decent performance. There are two strange omissions in modern Met broadcast Lohengrins: the 1967 new production with Bjoner, Ludwig, Konya, Berry, Milnes (very well cast!) under Bohm and even more inexplicable the 1985 with Tomowa-Sintow, Marton, Domingo. Very unusual for a Domingo assumption to go undocumented, and T-S and Marton are a fabulous combination. I find the best of Lohengrin as great as anything Wagner ever wrote. Two years later Uhde and Edelmann now anchor the bass clef, and Steber after her summer at Bayreuth is much more to the task. The 1955 revival is on MOoD and is more strongly recommended. Sigurd Bjorling (no relation to Jussi) has one season at the Met.
ELEKTRA:Strauss
Original Air Date: 02/23/1952
Reiner; Varnay, Wegner, Höngen, Schöffler, Svanholm
MOD Audio SID.19260208
The Met premiere of Elektra was broadcast in 1932 with Gertude Kappel making a memorable appearance in the title role. I have only heard parts of this, but the whole broadcast does survive. The remaining four performances that season had Rossini’s Il Signor Bruschino as a “”curtain raiser””. The 1938 revival with Rose Pauly was not broadcast and was paired with Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi (from Trittico) for the first four, and the fifth was with Menotti’s Amelia goes to the ball. The 1952 broadcast featured this week is the first broadcast in 20 years and features Varnay at the ripe age of 34 in the title role. She went on to sing the role all over the world for two decades before moving on to Klytemnestra. Reiner had conducted a groundbreaking Salome in 1949 with Welitsch, and conducted Varnay in the last two Salomes of the 1952 season after this run of 5 Elektras. I can’t think of a singer (all of 34) who did both title roles in the same season. This is available in Met Opera on Demand (MOoD) as well. 2/6/2012 – This is not a premiere on Sirius, but it is not played often enough. Reiner and Varnay are in tremendous form–one of her very best roles, and this revival was the first at the Met in more than a decade. Reiner was a supreme Straussian. He broadcast Salome with Welitsch, this Elektra, and 3 Rosenkavaliers, 2 with Steber (1 with Stevens, 1 with Novotna) and one with Varnay as Marie Therese. The only thing more interesting about that broadcast would have been to SEE her as Marie Therese. Let’s hear it for the unearthing of Varnay’s Rosenkavalier. Until then, enjoy the House of Mycenae from this February 1952 matinee. 3/11/2011 – Reiner is a great Straussian, and Varnay a great Elektra. That’s quite enough for me. The only broadcast Elektra to precede this is 1932 with Gertrude Kappel. Alas, I do not believe this 1952 performance survives. Certainly I’ve never heard it. The reviews are ecstatic. The 1966 performance which features Resnik’s only Met broadcast Klytemnestra I would like to hear again (it hasn’t been on Sirius). Nilsson and Rysanek are well caught 5 years later with Bohm; Madeira is at the very end of her career and not well served. Ute Vinzing (with Christa Ludwig as Klytemnestra) and Penelope Daner (with Rysanek as Klytemnestra), both under Levine have not been on Sirius, and i would especially like to hear the Vinzing performance again. Daner had replaced Behrens for all performances after the premiere of the new production. Two years after the disastrous Behrens premiere (the Times gave a glowing review to her for a performance that I thought would be interrupted at any moment) , Behrens returned in much-restored voice, and that broadcast was captured in a video with Fassbander that is in the Levine 40th DVD box set as well as Sirius broadcasting.
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/10/1955
Mitropoulos; Peerce, Milanov, Merrill, Peters, Anderson
SID.19260209
Historically, the major importance is Anderson in her only broadcast. She’s showing every one of her years. She had made her debut the previous season in a short run of 3 Ulricas. I’m not a Peerce fan, but he is OK. Merrill begins his string of eight of nine Ballo broadcasts over a 20 year period (only Milnes breaks the chain in 1973 for 1). Milanov is better heard with Bjorling from the Met in 1940 which was issued in the Verdi Bicentennial Met CD box. It should also be in MOoD. conducted by Mitropoulos– always of interest to me. This performance is in MOoD (as is Anderson’s premiere season with Tucker and Metternich) She’s in pretty rough voice on both outings. 10 years earlier and it would have been a different story. A great singer, and I didn’t know until checking the Met Database this afternoon that her Met farewell was actually in Cleveland in Ballo with Bjorling a few months later.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM:Britten
Original Air Date: 12/21/1996
Atherton; McNair, Kowalski, Rose, Streit, Bunnell, Gilfry, Gustafson
MOD Audio SID.19260210
The work was revived under Conlon in 2013 for 3 Sirius streamed live broadcasts, one of which was rebroadcast on Sirius as part of their June Friday night encores, but no national free network. I saw a lovely production at the original Sadler’s Wells Theatre almost 20 years ago under the late Richard Hickox. It’s one of those works I seem to like less as the years go on, but that may be just me.
ESCLARMONDE:Massenet
Original Air Date: 12/11/1976
Bonynge; Sutherland, Aragall, Tourangeau, Grant
MOD Audio SID.19260211
This is the Met’s only broadcast of Esclarmonde, and the performance in addition to the predictable glitter from Sutherland, captures Aragall in one of his best performances. For many, his material was the best of absolute best, and the new generation of tenors in the 1970s, but it never quite all came together. Here is the exception. Enjoy.
TANNHÄUSER:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/17/1960
Solti; Hopf, Rysanek, Dalis, Prey, Hines
SID.19260212
This is the first Tannhauser of the season and marks the house debuts of both Prey and Solti. Hopf is not for everyone, but this is a thrilling broadcast with fine work from all, and first appearance of the Paris version of Tannhauser, which Levine continued when the new production debuted in 1977. 1965-66 is the only season with the Dresden version after 1954-55. 10/15/12 – This was the double debut of Solti and Hermann Prey, and the first performance of the season. This was the beginning of a dustup between Rysanek and Solti and when the cast started revolving with three Elisabeths (Rysanek, De Los Angeles, Nilsson), three Wolframs (Prey, Cassel, Wachter), three Venuses (Dalis, Dunn, Harshaw), with only Hopf and Hines staying intact, Solti left after the De Los Angeles performance. His conducting is of a high order and despite the contretemps, Rysanek gives her all. This performance is on MOoD, and is highly recommended. 3/26/12 – This is the first Tannhauser of the season, the Met debuts of Solti and Prey, and the first appearance of the Paris version in post WW2 Met revivals. The Met reverts back to Dresden 5 seasons later when Nilsson doubles both roles, and Windgassen is a late cancellation not well replaced. One Levine comes in with the new production in 1977, it is Paris all the way. All the singers are major German repertory singers. Hopf was pleading a cold that day as well. This is available on MOoD (Met Opera on Demand formerly MetPlayer) as well.
DON PASQUALE:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 03/22/1980
Rescigno; Trimarchi, Peters, Rendall, Duesing
SID.19260213
This is getting quite late for Peters, and Trimarchi only has one Met season. Rescigno is an experienced bel canto conductor, but this is a pretty wan cast.
THE MERRY WIDOW:Lehár
Original Air Date: 12/23/2000
Fisch; von Stade, Hagegård, Welch-Babidge, Groves
SID.19260214
This is the second year of the production originally mounted for Von Stade with Domingo. I hadn’t noticed until preparing this list that the production is by Tim Albery who is also responsible for this coming season’s Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Britten centenary. It’s not often that anything in English translation is on Sirius, but this is. Now if only they could have some of much worthier English translation evenings like Arabella and Cosi fan tutte with Steber and some of the great Boris Godunovs of the 1950s and 60s.
L’ASSEDIO DI CORINTO:Rossini
Original Air Date: 01/17/1976
Schippers; Sills, Verrett, Di Giuseppe, Díaz
SID.19260315
“The following season also with Sills and Verrett under Woitach) are the Met broadcast history of this problematic Rossini work, and both are on MOoD. Verrett is in top form, but I find Sills too late for these assumptions. I find the work as edited for these performances a jumble and they don’t make this reluctant Rossinian any less so. Barbiere remains a miracle and though done to death, still sparkles.”
OTELLO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/24/1940
Panizza; Martinelli, Rethberg, Tibbett, De Paolis
SID.19260316
A great Otello primarily because of Ettore Panizza. Catching all the cast in maybe late maturity, but it’s good to hear some real major league players. No question in their prime they were all splendid singers for these roles. Tibbett is the best of the three on this broadcast. Available on MOoD, but I would love to hear the performance from 2 years earlier to see if Rethberg is any fresher.
MARNIE:Muhly
Original Air Date: 11/10/2018
Spano; Leonard, Kelly, Graves, Davies, Maltman
Live in HDMOD Video SID.19260535
OTELLO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/24/1940
Panizza; Martinelli, Rethberg, Tibbett, De Paolis
SID.19270101
A great Otello primarily because of Ettore Panizza. Catching all the cast in maybe late maturity, but it’s good to hear some real major league players. No question in their prime they were all splendid singers for these roles. Tibbett is the best of the three on this broadcast. Available on MOoD, but I would love to hear the performance from 2 years earlier to see if Rethberg is any fresher.
DIE WALKÜRE:Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/01/1969
von Karajan; Nilsson, Adam, Crespin, Vickers, Veasey, Talvela
MOD Audio SID.19270102
Last appearance at MET by Von Karajan. 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.
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Original Air Date: 04/14/1990
Levine; Furlanetto, Vaness, Ramey, Putnam, Winbergh, Upshaw
MOD Video SID.19270104
This performance comes 2 weeks after the telecast of the new Zeffirelli production with a number of cast changes Furlanetto and Ramey switch roles with Furlanetto now in the title role, Winbergh replaces Hadley, Putnam replaces Mattila. Although this has been on the radio before, it is not familiar to me, and I will make a special effort to take a listen.
IL PIRATA:Bellini
Original Air Date: 02/08/2003
Campanella; Fleming, Giordani, Croft
MOD Audio SID.19270105
This is the Met premiere of Pirata and to date its only broadcast season, but I don’t find either the soprano or tenor quite right for their parts. This was the performance that started me on my Giordani no listen zone. I was lucky enough to see Caballe do a stage Pirata (2x) in Philadelphia, and she was almost ideally cast. Fleming is a versatile, highly skilled singer, but this part was not for her.
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 12/31/1966
Bonynge; Sutherland, Tucker, Colzani, Ghiuselev
SID.19270106
Sutherland and Tucker are in very hot form. Colzani, who is the perfect Rance we can’t find anymore, is not so well suited to Enrico. Bonynge’s debut broadcast. The contributions of Sutherland and Tucker are quite strong, Colzani less so. It seems to have been broadcast maybe 5 times in the last 3 months. Better that we should have another chance to hear Sutherland’s debut season Lucia , also with Tucker and repeat a few other Lucias. Sirius covers the Met broadcast history well going back to 1937 for LIly Pons. The omissions as far as I can see are Munsel and Peters, not great losses. But one performance from 2/1/69 has not been on Sirius, and it is an UNFORGETTABLE afternoon, the first performance of the season with Moffo, Gedda, Bruson (Met debut), Giaiotti, under Franci (Met debut). The male side of the performance is extremely strong, and you will never hear another Lucia like Moffo’s. I wish a lurker for the Met would wake up to the ridiculous rotation applied to this mostly very good broadcast. STOP playing this for 6 months. Play the 2/1/1969 with Moffo, Gedda, Bruson (debut), Giaiotti , Franci conductor (the men are superb). This 1966 Lucia broadcast does the distinguished career of Anselmo Colzani any favors at all. Do I need to write Mel Karmazin at Sirius?
FALSTAFF:Verdi
Original Air Date: 01/23/1965
Rosenstock; Evans, Tucci, Sereni, Resnik, Raskin, Shirley
SID.19270107
A fine cast is mostly undone by Rosenstock’s foursquare conducting. Where is the 1964 original production broadcast with Bernstein? Bernstein has only 2 Met broadcasts (the other is Cavalleria) and neither has made it to Sirius.
RIGOLETTO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/17/2005
Fisch; Guelfi, Netrebko, Villazón, Halfvarson, Fabiola Herrera
SID.19270208
I was at the first performance of the run, and while Netrebko had her moments, this part was just a bit too high for her. I still enjoyed her, but Villazon had his ups and downs. The real weakness was Guelfi who continued to UNdistinguish Met performances for the next decade plus. Even though he debuted in a series of park Rigolettos in 2000, this 2005 performance marks his Met broadcast debut.
DIE ÄGYPTISCHE HELENA:Strauss
Original Air Date: 03/31/2007
Luisi; Voigt, Kerl, Damrau, Grove, Brendel
MOD Audio SID.19270209
This is the Met’s only broadcast of the Strauss work and Kerl and Damrau are very impressive. I don’t love the work, but like most Strauss, it has its moments. It’s repeated too often in rotation which in no way approximates its importance in the Strauss canon. This was the first Met production in more than eight decades. I love the awakening scene, but for me it’s one of the weaker Strauss works. I shouldn’t complain. No Strauss at all this season or next. To date this is the only Met matinee broadcast of this uncommon Strauss work. The strongest profile is from Damrau who is an excellent Aithra. The opera has some great moments, and was one of Met audience’s first chances to encounter Luisi, now the Principal Conductor.