L’ELISIR D’AMORE:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 12/24/1960
Cleva; Formichini, Söderström, Corena, Guarrera
SID.19360208
This is the premiere year of the new production, where most notably Corena arrived in a balloon, and also ushered in a fine series of productions designed by Robert O’Hearn and directed by Nathaniel Merrill. One might almost call them anti-Regie, but very solid design and production values. Formichini was a replacement for Valletti, but the afternoon is Corena’s, still unsurpassed in this role. Check out the Bergonzi and Kraus afternoons with him as well; both are on Met Player. The key figure in the MET L’Elisirs is the nonpareil Fernando Corena in his first season as Dulcamara. He holds the house record at 53, but I was surprised to see how close Plishka is at 47 Formichini is a substitution for Valletti.
DIE WALKÜRE:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/23/1961
Leinsdorf; Nilsson, Edelmann, Kuchta, Vickers, Dalis, Wiemann
MOD Audio SID.19360209
The two real vocal standouts are Nilsson and Vickers, who would put down in London a few months later a marvelous studio version with George London, Rita Gorr, and Gre Brouwenstijn under Leinsdorf; the Valkyries are a particularly strong group, among the best ever. A positive word on Ernst Wiemann, a German Giaiotti : a strong voice with a solid technique and well schooled in the German repertoire. Dalis is an incisive Fricka.
FAUST:Gounod
Original Air Date: 01/04/1958
Morel; Gedda, Güden, Hines, Merrill, Roggero
MOD Audio SID.19360211
Gedda (in his first season and his first broadcast) is extremely fine. This performance is also available on MOoD. The other bulwark is Robert Merrill’s Valentin. Guden and Hines are OK, but certainly not the first interpreter you would want to hear. Gedda and Merrill are top drawer, better stlll are several Marguerites to Guden, and Hines while earnest is far from Siepi’s league. Siepi has not one but TWO broadcast Fausts from the Met with Bjorling– 1950 and 1959 and these are long overdue for retransmission and listing in MOoD. Siepi has six broadcast Mephistopheles, only two of which have been on Sirius, the 1955 with Peerce and De Los Angeles and Merrill (also on MOoD) and 1964 with Morell and Moffo. This has been on before and Gedda and Merrill certainly are very fine in their parts, but the continue avoidance of the TWO Bjoerling (1950 and 1959 my preference is for 1959) broadcasts is a big gap in the Met broadcast legacy on Sirius. Where is the 1949 with Kirsten and DiStefano. The Morel is also on Met Player.
LA FORZA DEL DESTINO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/30/1961
Schick; Farrell, Tucker, Merrill, Hines, Vanni, Corena
SID.19360212
This production was on tour in Dallas five months later with Amara replacing Farrell who was ill, and Peerce who was doing his first Alvaros with the Met. Schick has the forces very mobilized. Farrell is not ideal, but nice to hear her. The men are all in close to absolute prime even if the fare is more Idaho than pasta, it’s top quality.
THE GHOSTS OF VERSAILLES:Corigliano
Original Air Date: 01/04/1992
Levine; Stratas, Hagegård, Quilico, Horne, Clark, Fleming
MOD Video SID.19360213
This was a basically successful Met commission and beautifully cast and prepared. Best experienced with the video from a telecast the next week), which is available from Levine’s 40th anniversary DVD package and in MOoD. The video really helps the work along. . Commissioned by the Met and with a libretto by William M. Hoffman, the work imagines an opera put on by the ghost of Beaumarchais for the ghost of Marie Antoinette and the other spectral residents of Versailles. The sold-out, seven-performance premiere run featured an all-star cast that included Teresa Stratas, Håkan Hagegård, Renée Fleming, Graham Clark, Gino Quilico, and Marilyn Horne.
?pubId=76009399001&videoId=5860078056001
L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI:Rossini
Original Air Date: 02/21/1981
Rescigno; Horne, Blake, Berberian, Bruscantini
MOD Audio SID.19360214
This is the third of Horne’s four Met Isabellas. She is a noted Rossinian, a great advocate for young singers. She totally dominates the Isabella roster at the Met, also see Borodina with Furlanetto in the 21st century. Baltsa who has a very limited Met career did bring her Rossini heroines to Chicago but her recordings are more interesting, and Berganza even more so. WIsh the 2004 Italiana with Borodina, Florez, and Furlanetto would be rebroadcast. The men especially are extremely fine.
AIDA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/11/1950
Cooper; Welitsch, Vinay, Harshaw, Merrill, Hines
MOD Audio SID.19360315
Welitsch has some powerful moments, and a pleasure to hear early Merrill in this role. He is the Met champion Amonasro with 72 (MacNeil is 71, and Amato 70)
JENUFA:Janácek
Original Air Date: 01/25/2003
Jurowski; Mattila, Polaski, Begley, Ventris, Nadler
SID.19360316
Jenufa is among the most accessible of Janacek, but this new production for Mattila is a bit unlovable. Polaski did not equal Silja or Rysanek. Jurowski’s conducting is very good, but in the end Jenufa should have more warmth, and it’s not there in the singing. Mattila is in decent form, Polaski is an unpersuasive Kostelnicka, Mattila and Polaski (encouraged by the director) can be cold with little of the warmth that one should finally feel at the opera’s resolution.
RIGOLETTO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 05/01/2019
Luisotti; Feola, Zaharia, Hymel, Gagnidze, Ivashchenko
SID.19360535
Verdi’s tragic jester returns in Michael Mayer’s neon-bedecked, Las Vegas–themed production. Baritones Roberto Frontali and George Gagnidze share the title role, and soprano Nadine Sierra reprises her portrayal of Gilda, the role that helped launch her now-blossoming Met career. Tenors Vittorio Grigolo, Francesco Demuro, Matthew Polenzani, and Stephen Costello share the role of the lascivious Duke, and Nicola Luisotti conducts.
WOZZECK:Berg
Original Air Date: 12/31/2005
Levine; Held, Dalayman, Clark, Fink, Forbis
SID.19370102
Excellent performance on all counts. The 2001 videotaping of Wozzeck performances with Struckmann and Dalayman finally made it into Levine’s 40th anniversary DVD box (but not in print separately. As long as one is looking into Levine boxes, his 40th anniversary CD box contains a different Wozzeck : Jose van Dam, Anja Silja, Ragnar Ulfung, Richard Cassilly, Dieter Weller; March 8, 1980.
DER ROSENKAVALIER:Strauss
Original Air Date: 02/18/1956
Kempe; Stevens, Della Casa; Edelmann, Güden, Herbert
MOD Audio SID.19370103
Della Casa, no more beautiful woman ever trod the operatic stage. With Kempe in the pit for his final Met broadcast, this is a wonderful all-around performance. This performance has been on, but not frequently. An absolute rave. If maybe a little late for Stevens, Della Casa and Guden are in absolute prime. Kempe appeared too little and we certainly need his Arabella (in English) with Steber, Guden and London to appear on Sirius. Don’t miss.
ROMÉO ET JULIETTE:Gounod
Original Air Date: 12/06/1986
Domingo; Kraus, Gasdia, Plishka, Harris, Schexnayder
MOD Audio SID.19370104
This broadcast documents Gasdia’s only season at the Met. The run, Kraus’ only times in Romeo at the Met, also featured six performances with Soviero, whom I would have preferred in the broadcast.
VANESSA:Barber
Original Air Date: 02/01/1958
Mitropoulos; Steber, Gedda, Elias, Resnik, Tozzi
MOD Audio SID.19370105
Vanessa received its world premiere with this cast two weeks before this broadcast. Though Steber was not the first choice for the title role, she does some of her best broadcast singing on this. The Skating aria (later removed by Barber from the published score) has as many technical hurdles as any of Steber’s Mozart heroines, and she is up to them. The libretto gets its deserved criticisms, but Barber’s music has allowed the work to continue performances if none yet in the Met’s Lincoln Center theatre.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Original Air Date: 04/03/1976
Woitach; Zylis-Gara, Alexander, Casei, Uppman, Castel
SID.19370106
All three of ZG’s Cio-Cio Sans have been on Sirius 76 and 79 under Woitach, 81 under Fulton, though none have made it to Met Opera on Demand (MOoD). She is very solid, but we really need the Stella/Fernandi and Tucci/Bergonzi. Stella premiered the 1958 production and is probably her best broadcast representation. She deserves to be heard in this role.
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/09/1950
Reiner; Vinay, Traubel, Thebom, Nilsson, Schöffler
SID.19370107
With leads like these, and Reiner in the pit, this is well worth investigating. Traubel has 40s broadcasts with both Melchior (3) and Svanholm with conductors like Leinsdorf, Beecham, and Busch. Alas none of these have been on Sirius. Enjoy this example of the original “St. Louis woman.”
I LOMBARDI:Verdi
Original Air Date: 01/15/1994
Levine; Flanigan, Pavarotti, Beccaria, Plishka
MOD Audio SID.19370208
This is the Met’s only broadcast of Lombardi. Pavarotti is in both the December telecast and January broadcast and Ramey was in the premiere and telecast, Plishka in the audio broadcast. Neither Flanigan nor Beccaria are really up to this major assignment. Flanigan except for two Musettas the following fall, disappears from the Met roster. Her contributions to contemporary opera are significant, and she has some excellent work at NYCO, including a fine Lady Macbeth. Both this broadcast and the telecast a month earlier in December are on Met Opera on Demand (MOoD). The telecast was originally to have been Millo, but she left the production shortly after opening night. Ramey did the Met premiere (and telecast), but Plishka is on this broadcast. This broadcast is Beccaria’s Met farewell. Levine, the chorus, Pavarotti, and the bass deliver rather well some of Verdi’s lustiest music, but it’s far from the level of Ernani in terms of finish. In a week’s rotation, Lombardi is an interesting diversion. I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata to use its full name only got to the Met stage with this series of performances. Millo who originated the production was mostly replaced by Flanigan after 2 performances. Beccaria in a major part really is lacking in the face you want. Pavarotti of course gets La mia letizia, one of the great Verdian tenor arias; there is also the unforgettable trio (with violin obbligato) which Levine did for Gniewek as much as for himself. It’s not as good as either Ernani or Macbeth in my view, but several of the choruses are stirring, and with the newly energized Palumbo leadership, the Met could well revive this. The distinctive Pavarotti aside, the soprano and tenor parts could be very reasonably cast today. This performance at hand is also on MetPlayer.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/17/1982
Levine; Hofmann, Dunn, Stewart, Hines, Meredith
MOD Audio SID.19370209
The main claim to fame is the superb sound of the orchestra. Vocally Levine has better casts, and the failure to bring to Sirius the 1985 broadcast with Vickers, Rysanek, and Moll is very surprising; it has been issued as a Met premium CD. This is the 4th of Levine’s 12 Parsifal broadcasts, and is available like three others in MOoD. Hofmann was certainly effective in the theatre, but I prefer Vickers (esp. the 1985 with Rysanek) or Domingo (with Gwyneth Jones’ farewell from 1995 with PD). Stewart is an excellent Amfortas, but I like a voice a bit smoother than Hines– Siepi or Moll. For Dunn, some of the second act writing is very challenging.
OTELLO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/11/1967
Mehta; Caballé, McCracken, Gobbi, Lorenzi
MOD Audio SID.19370211
This is the first Otello broadcast from the new house at Lincoln Center. Caballe is very fine in the fourth act, but earlier acts do not find her fully engaged. McCracken and Gobbi are fully engaged from first note, and Mehta is a solid participant. Sirius continues to deprive us of Tebaldi’s 1955 and 1958 Desdemonas which capture her (especially 1955) in remarkable voice. This is Caballe’s first broadcast from the Met, and McCracken, Gobbi and Mehta are wonderful partners. Compared to some other Desdemonas, I found her a little short until Act Four, but in the final act she was on all eight cylinders. I love the chemistry of McCracken and Gobbi. This fine performance is available on MetPlayer also. There never was a tenor quite like James McCracken—a veritable force of nature vocally, he fought his way to an international career that would come to be dominated by his seething portrayal of the title role of Verdi’s Otello. In this March 11, 1967, broadcast conducted by Zubin Mehta, McCracken’s finely sung Otello rages with a raw-nerve fury but also brings heroic tenderness to the love duet and his final moments. Montserrat Caballé’s singing, regal in its beauty throughout, gives way to towering passion in Desdemona’s clash with Otello in Act III. Tito Gobbi is utter, impeccable evil as Iago, heard in the savage glee he finally takes in hurling Cassio’s name, like a knife, at Otello at the end of Act II. This performance is available in Met Opera on Demand (MOoD) and definitely worth your time.
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / PAGLIACCI:Mascagni / Leoncavallo
Original Air Date: 12/10/1988
Siciliani; Dimitrova, Mauro, Fondary / Giacomini, Soviero, Pons
SID.19370212
Though Dimitrova was well regarded for her power and skill in the “big” roles, her Santuzza was one of the very best I’ve ever heard, and more importantly, seemed very personal. Her voice is satisfyingly volcanic this afternoon. No less impressive is the Pagliacci with Giacomini’s farewell to the Met. He is on top form for this Canio. Soviero has a strong Nedda as well. Siciliani gives full veristic sway in his conducting. Recommended.
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Original Air Date: 03/05/1977
Bedford; Morris, Blegen, Harper, Carlson, Ewing
SID.19370213
Morris was quite a decent Figaro, and Blegen and Ewing were solid Susanna and Cherubino. Harper is odd casting for a house accustomed to Steber, De Los Angeles, Della Casa, Lorengar Te Kanawa, and Fleming.
FIDELIO:Beethoven
Original Air Date: 03/10/1951
Walter; Flagstad, Svanholm, Schöffler, Ernster, Conner, Klein
MOD Audio SID.19370214
This performance marks Flagstad’s return season after an absence of ten years. She also has a Fidelio broadcast under Walter from 1941 which has now also been rebroadcast and finds Flagstad on even finer form on Sirius. Walter and Flagstad are the attraction with the supporting cast variable.
LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN:Offenbach
Original Air Date: 03/27/1982
Chailly; Domingo, Morris, Welting, Troyanos, Eda-Pierre, Howells
MOD Audio SID.19370316
This is Chailly’s only Met appearance, and is the premiere year of the Schenk, Schneider-Siemssen production. I’m surprised this performance is not the one in MOoD instead of the Levine from 1993. Much as I like Vaness and Held, an 11 year younger Domingo with the above cast (and especially Senechal) would seem more likely. Still, this performance is a welcome choice for the Sirius rotation (it’s not often included).
DIALOGUES DES CARMÉLITES:Poulenc
Original Air Date: 05/11/2019
Nézet-Séguin; Leonard, Pieczonka, Morley, Cargill, Mattila, Portillo, Croft
Live in HD SID.19370535
EUGENE ONEGIN:Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 03/24/1979
Järvi; Mazurok, Kasrashvili, Shicoff, Jones, Plishka
SID.19380208
As much as I enjoy Hvorostovsky’s Onegin, I will never forget Mazurok live. He broadcasts the opera twice in 1979 (but in two separate seasons) and he is great both times. Kasrashvili is very good as is Shicoff. Mazurok’s later performance is Kabaivanska’s Met farewell and with Gedda under Tchakarov. I slightly prefer this one as Shicoff is heard too little on Met broadcasts, and this is one of his best roles. This peformance should be in MOoD. *** I always have time for Mazurok’s Onegin. While he may not have evoked the visualfrissons that Hvorostovsky regularly manages, when it comes to vocalism Mazurok was the Russian Robert Merrill, but with stylistic authenticity for his native repertoire. This performance has a lot of energy to it, and Kasrashvilil and Shicoff give their all. Credit to Jarvi for his leadership. *** This is the first of Mazurok’s 2 Onegin broadcasts (the second is only 9 months later in the next season), but I prefer this one because of Jarvi’s conducting. Mazurok was for me the Russian Merrill (meant as the highest compliment). We saw too little of him because this was not the best time for Soviet-American relations. He is thrilling here.
ARABELLA:Strauss
Original Air Date: 03/17/1984
Janowski; Andrade, Nentwig, Battle, Rendall, Dunn, Mazura
SID.19380102
I like Janowski very much as a conductor, but the substitution of Andrade for Te Kanawa who did the rest of the run lowers the voltage considerably, and Nentwig is not a high profile Mandryka for my taste; here was a role George London was absolutely perfect for, and it’s a shame the translation challenges of Sirius seem to keep the Kempe led Met premiere season off the air with Steber and London truly inspired. The problems with translations fall on deaf ears here since the translation was by John Gutman, longtime Met asst. Manager. For real value rebroadcast this less often and get London and Steber on the air– it’s the Met at its best.
find Kasarova’s voice totally wrong for Massenet, and she didn’t make for much electricity with Alagna. Werther is more popular than Manon these days– a good bit shorter, and the Manon leads harder to cast well. In light of the mercurial (and new papa to be) Alagna, it will be interesting to hear this again. Kasarova took multiple attempts before finally showing up at the Met, and I felt her unusual timbre was not a good fit for Charlotte, nor an especially congenial match for Alagna. In many ways I feel as if Alagna sings better today. Let’s see if I feel the same way listening to this broadcast. When I saw this in the house in 2004 with this cast I was pretty disappointed. This was when Alagna’s singing was not really appealing at all. He had the style down, but I wish he would return to Werther with the kind of singing he has been doing the last two seasons. Both of Kraus’ fine performances (one with Crespin, the other with von Stade) are on Met Player.
DON CARLO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 04/21/1984
Levine; Ciannella, Caballé, Bruson, Verrett, Plishka, Hines
SID.19380104
This performance is not on so often, and it is Bruson’s Met farewell–he is STILL singing!!! His Met debut was 15 years earlier on the broadcast Lucia with Moffo 2/1/69. He has a good sense of Verdian line, but I like a bit more squillo. Zancanaro is a tone more to my liking, but he always seemed to prefer fishing to visiting NYC. Caballe only has an opening night run of Toscas ahead of her (none broadcast), so this serves as her broadcast farewell. She’s a more uneven singer than when she arrived 20 years earlier, but only made it to 98 performances. She always seemed happier at Carnegie Hall and a music stand handy. At her best she could make some lovely sounds. Verrett is not in the first flush of youth either, but this cast — Ciannella excepted– are people well up to their roles, and since it is my favorite Verdian opera for sure and close to my all-time top, this performance makes a welcome addition to the week. Caballe’s first Elisabetta broadcast is from Bing’s final season (the one with the endlessly held B (I believe) with Bumbry, Siepi, Milnes, and Domingo which has not been on Sirius at all and except for the Scotto Troyanos video from 1980 there is nothing in the Met streaming service from 1964 (Rysanek, Corelli) till 1992, These two Caballe Don Carlos belong there. [Alas, the streaming service is still missing these Don Carlos]
THAÏS:Massenet
Original Air Date: 01/28/1978
Pritchard; Sills, Milnes, Gibbs
SID.19380106
For a long time this was the only Met broadcast of Thais, but with Fleming’s effort in 2008 one can hear a much fresher sound in the title role. I love Massenet, but I often prefer Esclarmonde to Thais (Manon and Werther are better by far). It’s on twice a year, but has seemed more frequent. 7/31/12 Fleming was far preferable. The Sills performance is on MOoD as is the Fleming video. Has been on Sirius a lot. I’m not a big fan of the performance. 3/7/12 This returns after several months layoff. Sills is not an especially good Thais, but why not mark this down for twice a year. 9/20/11 Through no demand from me, here comes the Thais again. I prefer the opera to L’assedio di Corinto, but do not show Sills off in a flattering light. It is also available as often as you want to hear it on Met Player. 5/9/11 Thank goodness this was NOT videoed. Sills did not have enough vocal allure for this role. Fleming’s broadcast and video are available in every format including Met Player, as well as a commercial CD that precedes her Met performances by several years. This Sills Thais is on Met Player and appears disproportionately often in the rotation. Sills clearly brought a number of people to opera but she was one of the first singers I grew weary of because of excessive hype. Her Cleopatra was very fine at NYCO.
IL TROVATORE:Verdi
Original Air Date: 04/09/1977
Veltri; McCracken, Scotto, Verrett, Quilico, Smith
SID.19380107
Azucena is one of Verrett’s best roles, and she has three excellent broadcasts, 1971, this one, and a 1987 performance which is Sutherland’s farewell. Scotto understands the style, but a smoother, more velvety voice is called for. McCracken who is 3d in Met Manricos (only Martinelli’s 69 and Baum’s 60 are higher has only one other Trovatore broadcast from 1969 which is Bumbry’s only Met broadcast Azucena. Could we get that rebroadcast on Sirius sometime? Bumbry is severely underrepresented on Met Opera on Demand with only one Amneris, one Carmen, and one Salome. She’s a Kennedy Center honoree, and has many distinguished broadcasts. McCracken only has 4 performances in MOoD, the same as Baum.
COSÌ FAN TUTTE:Mozart
Original Air Date: 02/27/1982
Levine; Lorengar, Rendall, Ewing, Carlson, Battle, Gramm
MOD Audio SID.19380315
This is Lorengar’s broadcast farewell (actual farewell the following week) in one of her best roles. I saw her in this Met run as well as her DC appearance with her home company, Deutsche Oper, Berlin under Bohm. Ewing is a delicious Dorabella, and Levine knows how to make this work grab you.