IL TROVATORE:Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/04/1961
Cleva; Corelli, Price, Dalis, Sereni, Wilderman
MOD Audio SID.19170741
This is now on Sony Historic CD as well as MOoD. Only a few weeks after Corelli and Price’s joint debut, the electricity is still firmly in place. Merrill was the scheduled Luna, but a snowstorm kept him stranded in New Rochelle. Dalis is not Simionato or Barbieri, but very musical and she is not a potted plant. This performance comes from the debut season of both Corelli and Price, and why they were such a sensation is clear from this broadcast. It’s also available in Sony Classical’s Historic Met CD series. Sereni and Dalis hold up their end (Sereni was a replacement for Merrill who was trapped in a snowstorm in New Rochelle) and Verdi is well served.
IDOMENEO:Mozart
Original Air Date: 01/15/1983
Levine; Lewis, Valente, Behrens, von Stade, Alexander
SID.19170742
This is the first of two Valente Ilia broadcasts, and she is excellent. Behrens’ Elettra is not to my taste. Both Vaness and Studer are much more to my liking. Levine does very fine work here and deserves credit for solidly putting this work in the Met repertory. Valente is under-represented on MOoD (only Nanetta in Falstaff) and still catches the ensemble in its first year of the new production.This is the first of two Valente Ilia broadcasts, and she is excellent. Behrens’ Elettra is not to my taste. Both Vaness and Studer are much more to my liking. Levine does very fine work here and deserves credit for solidly putting this work in the Met repertory. Valente is under-represented on MOoD (only Nanetta in Falstaff) and still catches the ensemble in its first year of the new production.
I PURITANI:Bellini
Original Air Date: 12/13/1986
Bonynge; Sutherland, Blake, Milnes, Ramey
SID.19170529
This is Sutherland in her penultimate Met season and still singing this music at 60, and in many passages even better than she sang them 10 years earlier at 50. She also leaves us with the legendary New York and Philadelphia concert performances with a resplendent Nicolai Gedda. Blake is not Pavarotti, but Milnes and Ramey have a lot to offer in the other roles.
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / PAGLIACCI:Mascagni / Leoncavallo
Original Air Date: 02/04/1995
Badea; Guleghina, Jóhannsson, Pola / Dessì, Martinucci, Nucci
SID.19170745
Another Cavalleria of minimal interest– there must be something better in the archives. The Pagliacci does feature a qualified if not often encountered cast. Martinucci only has 25 performances in 7 seasons at the Met and this Canio is only 3 before his farewell. He has a very decent Fanciulla with Dimitrova, and is the Chenier on Milnes 25th anniversary broadcast. I saw him in Chicago in Gioconda, and he worked regularly in the top European houses I think for maybe another decade.
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 02/19/1966
Varviso; Peters, Kónya, Guarrera, Díaz
SID.19170746
It’s a change from the Sutherland 1966 performance 10 months later, but Konya is not my idea of Edgardo, and I prefer the bigger scaled Lucias to Peters. As Roman Hruska once commented on a Supreme Court nominee – Mediocrities have to be represented as well.
DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG:Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/17/1976
Ehrling; Stewart, Saunders, Cox, Leib, Macurdy, Riegel
SID.19180101
Jackson in his execrably edited third volume of Met broadcast history makes Ehrling into a Swiss conductor, when of course he was a native Swede through and through. Stewart has a notable recording of Sachs for Bavarian Radio under Kubelik with Janowitz and Konya that can still be located on specialty labels (Fischer-Dieskau’s effort with Jochum on DG effectively blocked this from what would normally have been the logical label. Jean Cox recently passed on, and was the infamous Siegfried at my 1978 Chereau performance at Bayreuth– Kollo mimed and Cox sang from offstage as he did not know the complex staging. Arlene Saunders long a NYCO favorite finally gets to the Met towards the end of her career, but per Jackson is still quite a successful Eva. So lots of curiosity for this performance.
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE:Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/01/1958
Stiedry; Vinay, Harshaw, Thebom, Edelmann, Cassel
MOD Audio SID.19180316
This is Stiedry’s broadcast farewell, and comes only a month before his final Met appearance in Don Giovanni. I prefer Harshaw in her other assignments like Ortrud or Brunnhilde a bit more. Thebom and Cassel are very high quality support.
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE:Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/01/1958
Stiedry; Vinay, Harshaw, Thebom, Edelmann, Cassel
MOD Audio SID.19180317
This is Stiedry’s broadcast farewell, and comes only a month before his final Met appearance in Don Giovanni. I prefer Harshaw in her other assignments like Ortrud or Brunnhilde a bit more. Thebom and Cassel are very high quality support.
MANON LESCAUT:Puccini
Original Air Date: 03/31/1956
Mitropoulos; Albanese, Björling, Guarrera, Corena
SID.19180318
For me, one of the top 10 Met broadcasts ever. Highly recommended. This performance is on MetPlayer, although not so marked in the Met data base.This is one of the very greatest ever Metropolitan broadcasts. I am not a major fan of Albanese, but here she is at her very best, and Mitropoulos is something special. It comes up occasionally but not quite monthly so one never tires of hearing it. Sirius has still not broadcast the 1959 Tebaldi-Tucker Manon Lescaut which is of the same quality though the approach is very different. Though Albanese and Bjorling recorded this together, their white hot broadcast under Mitropoulos (who is not on the recording) is the way to experience this opera. For me, one of the top 10 Met broadcasts ever. Highly recommended. This performance is on MetPlayer, although not so marked in the Met data base. This is one of the very greatest ever Metropolitan broadcasts. I am not a major fan of Albanese, but here she is at her very best, and Mitropoulos is something special. It comes up occasionally but not quite monthly so one never tires of hearing it. Albanese and Bjorling have a perfectly nice RCA recording (with the plush of Merrill as Lescaut), but the addition of Mitropoulos and a live matinee audience make this one of the greatest performances ever. Manon Lescaut is my favorite Puccini opera. The music for the two principals always thrills me. The Met should put up the Tebaldi Tucker performance from 1959 which is only a hair behind this 1956 performance, but for those of you who haven’t sampled, and you like Puccini at all, this is a feast. Albanese and Bjorling have a perfectly nice RCA recording (with the plush of Merrill as Lescaut), but the addition of Mitropoulos and a live matinee audience make this one of the greatest performances ever. Luckily, it is also in MOoD to hear as often as you want. Manon Lescaut is my favorite Puccini opera. The music for the two principals always thrills me. The Met should put up the Tebaldi Tucker performance from 1959 which is only a hair behind this 1956 performance, but for those of you who haven’t sampled, and you like Puccini at all, this is a feast.
DER FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER:Wagner
Original Air Date: 01/27/1968
Klobucar; MacNeil, Rysanek, Parly, Tozzi
SID.19180319
I saw one of the performances in this run and MacNeil is quite a fine Dutchman, and Rysanek continues to be the standard in this role. No one does the end of the opera like her. I very much enjoyed this run. People may forget that MacNeil studied under the premiere Dutchman of the 20th century–Friedrich Schorr. This is one of Tozzi’s most congenial parts, and I’ve certainly never seen a Senta to compare with Rysanek. She broadcasts the opera 5 times between 1960 and 1970, and both the 1963 with Bohm, London, and Konya and this 1968 are available in MOoD. Both are wonderful. Three of Rysanek’s peerless Senta are available in MOoD, including this one. If Klobucar and MacNeil are not Bohm or London, this performance still has much to commend it. Ticho Parly is far from being up to Konya’s high quality Erik however.
Various:Various
Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
Various Artists
SID.19180320
Various selections between scheduled operas. Siriusxm Radio and web player will show the Composer and Title.
THE GREAT GATSBY:Harbison
Original Air Date: 01/01/2000
Levine; Hadley, Upshaw, Croft, Graham, Baker, Lieberson
MOD Audio SID.19180422
Levine is a great promoter of Harbison’s work, but I miss the appeal. First appearance of Hunt Lieberson whose only other role was Didon in the new Troyens production whose broadcast marks Hunt Lieberson’s Met farewell in February 2003 before her untimely death in July 2006.
LA TRAVIATA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 04/06/1957
Cleva; Tebaldi, Campora, Warren
MOD Audio SID.19180423
This performance divides some people. To use the old 4 act nomenclature, Tebaldi’s best act is not Act 1, but for me Acts 2-4 make for stiff competition for any Violetta. The Act 2 duet with Germont and the final act are one of the great performances in Met broadcast history. Tebaldi only did this at the Met one season, but Bing took her everywhere for 21 performances, This is about halfway through the run. Warren is a most sympathetic Germont.
CARMEN:Bizet
Original Air Date: 04/20/1968
Lombard; Bumbry, Tucker, Freni, Díaz
MOD Audio SID.19180424
Arguably three of the major voices of the 20th century, and whether you like their way with Carmen or not, they are not inexperienced. Bumbry, in particular, is the most notable LIVE Carmen I ever heard vocally. Though I wasn’t much of a fan of the Barrault production, she was splendid, and so she is here. Tucker premiered the previous production 18 years earlier with Stevens under Fritz Reiner with direction by Tyrone Guthrie. It’s not my favorite Tucker role, but he is exceeded in frequency only by Martinelli at the Met. Freni is caught in her youthful splendor. The French may not make for Academie Francaise, but Paris thought her their choice for Marguerite. I think her Micaela in this period is the one I always hear in my brain. Diaz looked fine as the Toreador (and even he ranks 4th in all-time at the Met) but he’s not in the same league as the others. I’m going to to take a 21st century listen.
FAUST:Gounod
Original Air Date: 03/17/2007
Benini; Vargas, Swenson, Abdrazakov, Yun, Deshayes
MOD Audio SID.19180425
The singers are OK, but there are some major Fausts still in the vault– including Bjorling from 1950 one month after his opening night Don Carlo for Bing and 1959, both with Siepi. Why Swenson ends up with 6 broadcasts in MOoD and major artists have half is inexplicable to me. Not one of the glory nights of the Gelb decade.
DON PASQUALE:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 01/09/1965
Varviso; Corena, Peters, Alva, Guarrera
MOD Audio SID.19180426
For me the stars of this broadcast are the matchless Corena and Peruvian tenor Luigi Alva. Alva is still with us and remains much beloved in his home country as well. In terms of style and stage presence, Alva yielded nothing to his more famous successors as Ernesto Alfredo Kraus and fellow Peruvian Juan Diego Florez. Corena shows up again five years later with Reri Grist and Kraus under Carlo Franci. Luckily both performances are in MOoD.
LA CLEMENZA DI TITO:Mozart
Original Air Date: 12/06/1997
Levine; Rolfe Johnson, von Otter, Vaness, Kirchschlager, Grant Murphy
SID.19180427
Vaness and von Otter team up with Levine for Idomeneo also. Clemenza has some glorious moments, but I like Idomeneo better. One of Carol Vaness’s best efforts at the Met.
DER FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER:Wagner
Original Air Date: 01/27/1968
Klobucar; MacNeil, Rysanek, Parly, Tozzi
SID.19180428
I saw one of the performances in this run and MacNeil is quite a fine Dutchman, and Rysanek continues to be the standard in this role. No one does the end of the opera like her. I very much enjoyed this run. People may forget that MacNeil studied under the premiere Dutchman of the 20th century–Friedrich Schorr. This is one of Tozzi’s most congenial parts, and I’ve certainly never seen a Senta to compare with Rysanek. She broadcasts the opera 5 times between 1960 and 1970, and both the 1963 with Bohm, London, and Konya and this 1968 are available in MOoD. Both are wonderful. Three of Rysanek’s peerless Senta are available in MOoD, including this one. If Klobucar and MacNeil are not Bohm or London, this performance still has much to commend it. Ticho Parly is far from being up to Konya’s high quality Erik however.
RODELINDA:Handel
Original Air Date: 01/01/2005
Bicket; Fleming, Daniels, van Rensburg, Blythe, Mehta, Relyea
MOD Audio SID.19180529
Fleming is the star in all three seasons of Rodelinda at the Met, and the first two broadcasts from 2005 (this one) and 2006 have a major shift with Bicket handing over to Patrick Summers, and the lead countertenor role from David Daniels to Andreas Scholl. The telecast/moviecast is on Decca DVD and in MOoD comes five years later in 2011 and returns Bicket to the podium, but for my money finds Scholl in considerably diminished form compared to his excellent effort in 2006. I’m not a big fan of Handel, and while several of the individual arias are notable, the absence of ensembles (except for the glorious duet for Blythe with the lead countertenor) and the ABA aria style make for a long afternoon or evening of listening or watching. The comings and goings of Rodelinda at the Met are well documented in MOoD, and this first broadcast is a good place to start.
JENUFA:Janácek
Original Air Date: 02/17/2007
Belohlávek; Mattila, Silja, Silvasti, Morris, Dever
SID.19180530
I was disappointed in this production when it was new in 2003, and had seen Silja recently in Barcelona and found her inferior to Marton who was almost as impressive as Rysanek had been as the Kostelnicka. This is Mattila’s second Jenufa broadcast, here first 4 years earlier was with Polaski under Jurowski. Now that we are more aware of Jay Hunter Morris, I will take another listen. Do love Jenufa, but not every performance automatically clicks. The Benackova/ Rysanek under Conlon in 1992 broadcast definitely “clicks!” Alas no Jenufa in MOoD. Belohlavek is a fine Janacek conductor, but both Mattila and Silja are too mature for my taste. The other interest is the first Met broadcast appearance of Jay Hunter Morris,now a Met Siegfried; he had debuted 3 days earlier as Steva. I wish the Met had telecast Mattila’s Jenufa either the first year of the production or with this revival.
LA CLEMENZA DI TITO:Mozart
Original Air Date: 12/06/1997
Levine; Rolfe Johnson, von Otter, Vaness, Kirchschlager, Grant Murphy
SID.19180531
Vaness and von Otter team up with Levine for Idomeneo also. Clemenza has some glorious moments, but I like Idomeneo better. One of Carol Vaness’s best efforts at the Met.
SAMSON ET DALILA:Saint-Saëns
Original Air Date: 04/18/1987
Fournet; Vickers, Horne, Quilico
MOD Audio SID.19180532
This is Vickers’ farewell to the Met (not announced in advance). For many of us, he is a legendary singer who spans the beginning of our operatic journey, and 26 years later still shines very brightly indeed. In almost every assumption he not only gave his individual commitment (he was Giasone to Callas in my first opera in 1958 in Dallas) but simply encompassed roles as few ever do and was always in the top rank and usually best ever seen in the roles. Samson is certainly one of those roles, and if the opera has been a bit overdone on Sirius, I am never finished with my enjoyment of Vickers. Horne is a singer I admire on many fronts– her support of young artists, the advocacy for vocal recitals, and certainly outstanding Rossinian efforts. But I’m not much of Rossini guy, and I find many of her ventures beyond not to my taste, Verdi (even as Quickly) really doesn’t work and Dalila doesn’t compare with my first (Rita Gorr in the premiere of the O’Hearn Merrill production in 1964) or some of my best more recent ones– Borodina’s voice was made for those languorous lines. This is Vickers’ only broadcast of Samson et Dalila, and sometime min the last 3 years has been added to MOoD as a testament to his work and whom we lost July 13, 2015 after a long illness.
ERNANI:Verdi
Original Air Date: 04/10/1965
Schippers; Corelli, Price, Sereni, Siepi
MOD Audio SID.19180533
The Met has two outstanding Ernani broadcasts from the mid 1960s, both with Schippers and Leontyne Price. The first is with Bergonzi and MacNeil, and the second features the special contributions of Corelli and Siepi. Luckily both are on MOoD, with the first also issued on Sony Historical CD. I love Ernani, and both these performances belong in every Verdi lover’s playlist. Ernani is back this season with Domingo in the baritone role; his only Met appearance in the title role was in 1971 (not broadcast).
MANON LESCAUT:Puccini
Original Air Date: 03/31/1956
Mitropoulos; Albanese, Björling, Guarrera, Corena
SID.19180636
For me, one of the top 10 Met broadcasts ever. Highly recommended. This performance is on MetPlayer, although not so marked in the Met data base.This is one of the very greatest ever Metropolitan broadcasts. I am not a major fan of Albanese, but here she is at her very best, and Mitropoulos is something special. It comes up occasionally but not quite monthly so one never tires of hearing it. Sirius has still not broadcast the 1959 Tebaldi-Tucker Manon Lescaut which is of the same quality though the approach is very different. Though Albanese and Bjorling recorded this together, their white hot broadcast under Mitropoulos (who is not on the recording) is the way to experience this opera. For me, one of the top 10 Met broadcasts ever. Highly recommended. This performance is on MetPlayer, although not so marked in the Met data base. This is one of the very greatest ever Metropolitan broadcasts. I am not a major fan of Albanese, but here she is at her very best, and Mitropoulos is something special. It comes up occasionally but not quite monthly so one never tires of hearing it. Albanese and Bjorling have a perfectly nice RCA recording (with the plush of Merrill as Lescaut), but the addition of Mitropoulos and a live matinee audience make this one of the greatest performances ever. Manon Lescaut is my favorite Puccini opera. The music for the two principals always thrills me. The Met should put up the Tebaldi Tucker performance from 1959 which is only a hair behind this 1956 performance, but for those of you who haven’t sampled, and you like Puccini at all, this is a feast. Albanese and Bjorling have a perfectly nice RCA recording (with the plush of Merrill as Lescaut), but the addition of Mitropoulos and a live matinee audience make this one of the greatest performances ever. Luckily, it is also in MOoD to hear as often as you want. Manon Lescaut is my favorite Puccini opera. The music for the two principals always thrills me. The Met should put up the Tebaldi Tucker performance from 1959 which is only a hair behind this 1956 performance, but for those of you who haven’t sampled, and you like Puccini at all, this is a feast.
FAUST:Gounod
Original Air Date: 03/17/2007
Benini; Vargas, Swenson, Abdrazakov, Yun, Deshayes
MOD Audio SID.19180637
The singers are OK, but there are some major Fausts still in the vault– including Bjorling from 1950 one month after his opening night Don Carlo for Bing and 1959, both with Siepi. Why Swenson ends up with 6 broadcasts in MOoD and major artists have half is inexplicable to me. Not one of the glory nights of the Gelb decade.
DON PASQUALE:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 01/09/1965
Varviso; Corena, Peters, Alva, Guarrera
MOD Audio SID.19180638
For me the stars of this broadcast are the matchless Corena and Peruvian tenor Luigi Alva. Alva is still with us and remains much beloved in his home country as well. In terms of style and stage presence, Alva yielded nothing to his more famous successors as Ernesto Alfredo Kraus and fellow Peruvian Juan Diego Florez. Corena shows up again five years later with Reri Grist and Kraus under Carlo Franci. Luckily both performances are in MOoD.
Various:Various
Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
Various Artists
SID.19180639
Various selections between scheduled operas. Siriusxm Radio and web player will show the Composer and Title.
THE GREAT GATSBY:Harbison
Original Air Date: 01/01/2000
Levine; Hadley, Upshaw, Croft, Graham, Baker, Lieberson
MOD Audio SID.19180641
Levine is a great promoter of Harbison’s work, but I miss the appeal. First appearance of Hunt Lieberson whose only other role was Didon in the new Troyens production whose broadcast marks Hunt Lieberson’s Met farewell in February 2003 before her untimely death in July 2006.
LA TRAVIATA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 04/06/1957
Cleva; Tebaldi, Campora, Warren
MOD Audio SID.19180642
This performance divides some people. To use the old 4 act nomenclature, Tebaldi’s best act is not Act 1, but for me Acts 2-4 make for stiff competition for any Violetta. The Act 2 duet with Germont and the final act are one of the great performances in Met broadcast history. Tebaldi only did this at the Met one season, but Bing took her everywhere for 21 performances, This is about halfway through the run. Warren is a most sympathetic Germont.
CARMEN:Bizet
Original Air Date: 04/20/1968
Lombard; Bumbry, Tucker, Freni, Díaz
MOD Audio SID.19180743
Arguably three of the major voices of the 20th century, and whether you like their way with Carmen or not, they are not inexperienced. Bumbry, in particular, is the most notable LIVE Carmen I ever heard vocally. Though I wasn’t much of a fan of the Barrault production, she was splendid, and so she is here. Tucker premiered the previous production 18 years earlier with Stevens under Fritz Reiner with direction by Tyrone Guthrie. It’s not my favorite Tucker role, but he is exceeded in frequency only by Martinelli at the Met. Freni is caught in her youthful splendor. The French may not make for Academie Francaise, but Paris thought her their choice for Marguerite. I think her Micaela in this period is the one I always hear in my brain. Diaz looked fine as the Toreador (and even he ranks 4th in all-time at the Met) but he’s not in the same league as the others. I’m going to to take a 21st century listen.