2017-18 Live Broadcasts

LA BOHÈME:Puccini
Original Air Date: 03/30/1957
Kozma; Kirsten, Tucker, Hurley, Bastianini, Siepi
SID.19200106
Last on Sirius: Before 2011 (I searched my archives 3 ways, and though the Met says it has been rebroadcast on Sirius, my answer is not recently; the Tucker Columbia recording with Sayao was on in December 2012, and his Sirius rebroadcast Boheme with Tebaldi was in November 2012) The special pleasure are Bastianini and Siepi who only did one other Met performance together in Boheme (not broadcast) a year earlier.

LOHENGRIN:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/24/1955
Stiedry; Sullivan, Steber, Harshaw, Uhde, Edelmann
SID.19200107
This performance is also available on MOoD, and is the second of Steber’s two Elsa broadcasts from the Met. The only singer not much to my taste on this broadcast is Edelmann, Pape and Giaoitti have spoiled us for how good this part can sound. Steber after her season in Bayreuth is in her element especially the second and third acts . The AM sound cannot disguise the fact that the orchestra is on much stronger footing in Wagner now than in the 1950s. It’s always grand to experience Steber in one of her best roles. I generally prefer Steber in the Bayreuth performance, but this is a solid cast and Uhde is a strong Telramund as well.

THAÏS:Massenet
Original Air Date: 12/20/2008
López-Cobos; Fleming, Hampson, Schade
Live in HDMOD Video SID.19200208
Although the video has been available almost continuously on MOoD, I find this performance preferable to the Sills Milnes, which was massively overplayed in the first years of Sirius Radio. I rather like Thais as a break from other titles in the repertory.Although the video has been available almost continuously on MOoD, I find this performance preferable to the Sills Milnes, which was massively overplayed in the first years of Sirius Radio. I rather like Thais as a break from other titles in the repertory.

GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG:Wagner
Original Air Date: 01/11/1936
Bodanzky; Lawrence, Melchior, Hofmann, Schorr, Manski, Meisle
MOD Audio SID.19200209
This is one of the earliest Met broadcasts to appear on Sirius, and it’s great to have Lawrence and Melchior in respectably decent sound for the period. It’s regrettable that Flagstad never broadcast Gotterdammerung (Prologue only during World’s Fair Year) from the Met, but Melchior is top tier and we simply have not heard a singer like him since. This also appears in the Met Wagner bicentennial CD box.

OTELLO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/15/1964
Santi; McCracken, Rysanek, Colzani, Alexander
SID.19200211
I would much prefer us hearing several other McCracken Otellos which have not been broadcast, especially the 1963 with Tucci at her considerable best under Solti or McCracken’s last in 1972 under Bohm which is marked as having been on Sirius, but not very often. McCracken holds the Met record at 59 followed by Domingo at 40, and Vickers and Leo Slezak at 31. Rysanek bids farewell to Verdi at the Met with a whimper. (she has a Don Carlo broadcast a month later that at least has a few high points, but some poor sections there as well). In more than 20 years after these performances, she is not heard in Italian opera except for an occasional Tosca (the last in 1979).

EUGENE ONEGIN:Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 02/23/1985
Järvi; Nucci, Griffel, Raitzin, Jones, Plishka
SID.19200212
Jarvi has a better cast 6 years earlier– the magnificent Mazurok as Onegin, and Shicoff in one of his best parts. I also prefer Kashrashvili. The 1979 performance is regularly on Sirius . That’s worth your time. The 1979 Onegin really deserves to be in MOoD. With so many Russian singers and audience members, Onegin seems almost as regular as Rigoletto. I am more impressed by Mazurok’s two broadcast outings, one with Jarvi conducting as well.

AIDA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/03/1962
Schick; Tucci, Corelli, Dalis, MacNeil, Tozzi
MOD Audio SID.19200213
I much enjoy the energy and passion of all the singers. Tucci is definitely a lyric Aida, but she knows the idiom well and is very solid. George Schick who was a staff conductor at the Met for some years, knows how to keep the forces under control without stifling any of the artists’ expressive impulses. The men definitely ate their Wheaties before the performance. Enjoy.

BILLY BUDD:Britten
Original Air Date: 03/31/1979
Leppard; Stilwell, Pears, Morris, Glossop, Ward
MOD Audio SID.19200214
Pears created the role of Captain Vere three decades earlier, and James Morris’ Claggart is one of the great post-war assumptions. Luckily the Met has recently added the video of the 1997 telecast with the late Phillip Langridge as Vere, Dwayne Croft, and Morris once again being the evil anchor as Claggart. This 1979 performance is the first broadcast of the Met’s Budd production, and is Pears’ final Met appearance Much of this attention is surely coming because of the Britten centenary. One of the Met’s most distinguished productions.

FIDELIO:Beethoven
Original Air Date: 02/13/1960
Böhm; Nilsson, Vickers, Uhde, Czerwenka, Hurley, Anthony
MOD Audio SID.19200315
This performance was issued also on Sony’s Met Historic CD series, as well as being in MOoD. Bohm, Nilsson, and Vickers bring all the exaltation and passion one could want to this opera. Vickers still continues to leave most other Florestans in the dust. What a privilege to have seen him from beginning (1958 in Dallas) to end great performances well into the 1980s. He’s not for everyone, but in his core roles– Grimes, Otello, Siegmund, Florestan, Samson, Parsifal, Tristan, Enee he never left audiences wanting. One of the very greatest singers ever to appear on ANY stage, and it was my privilege to have shared so many evenings with him. Czerwenka is not my idea of Rocco, but Bohm, Nilsson and Vickers are pretty unbeatable, and no one plays the Leonore No. 3 like Bohm.

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.

THAÏS:Massenet
Original Air Date: 12/20/2008
López-Cobos; Fleming, Hampson, Schade
Live in HDMOD Video SID.19200424
Although the video has been available almost continuously on MOoD, I find this performance preferable to the Sills Milnes, which was massively overplayed in the first years of Sirius Radio. I rather like Thais as a break from other titles in the repertory.Although the video has been available almost continuously on MOoD, I find this performance preferable to the Sills Milnes, which was massively overplayed in the first years of Sirius Radio. I rather like Thais as a break from other titles in the repertory.

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”

THAÏS:Massenet
Original Air Date: 12/20/2008
López-Cobos; Fleming, Hampson, Schade
Live in HDMOD Video SID.19200640
Although the video has been available almost continuously on MOoD, I find this performance preferable to the Sills Milnes, which was massively overplayed in the first years of Sirius Radio. I rather like Thais as a break from other titles in the repertory.Although the video has been available almost continuously on MOoD, I find this performance preferable to the Sills Milnes, which was massively overplayed in the first years of Sirius Radio. I rather like Thais as a break from other titles in the repertory.

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.

“
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.