FIDELIO:Beethoven
Original Air Date: 02/13/1960
Böhm; Nilsson, Vickers, Uhde, Czerwenka, Hurley, Anthony
MOD Audio SID.19200747
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.
THE RAKES PROGRESS:Stravinsky
Original Air Date: 02/14/1953
Reiner; Conley, Güden, Harrell, Thebom
SID.19200748
This is the American premiere with the composer in attendance. Worth noting is the director for this production is George Balanchine. It’s still a chilly work for me Not my cup of tea, but a distinguished afternoon, and the U.S. premiere occurs with this broadcast. Reiner is major in every way.
WOZZECK:Berg
Original Air Date: 01/06/1990
Levine; Hornik, Behrens, Clark, McIntyre, King
SID.19200749
Behrens had done Marie in 1985 with Christian Boesch also under Levine. King is luxury casting as the Drum Major, but I think Cassilly’s rougher voice in 1985 is more appropriate. Still well worth a listen.
LA GIOCONDA:Ponchielli
Original Air Date: 02/03/1990
Santi; Dimitrova, Beccaria, Fondary, Toczyska, Plishka
SID.19210101
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.
I VESPRI SICILIANI:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/20/1982
Levine; Scotto, Ochman, Elvira, Raimondi
MOD Audio SID.19210106
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.
COSÌ FAN TUTTE:Mozart
Original Air Date: 12/07/1991
Hager; Vaness, Lopardo, Ziegler, Cowan, Upshaw, Feller
SID.19210107
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.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
MOD Audio SID.19210210
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.
Araiza is an interesting figure. Moving on to Walther in Meistersinger was a mistake, but I never found his Mozart as good as his countryman, Ramon Vargas. Karajan picked him for his Tamino, but I just don’t hear much that is special and this was his Met debut season.
Levy
Original Air Date: 04/01/1967
Mehta; Lear, Reardon, Collier, Milnes, Macurdy
SID.19210316
“Although the music is mostly just serviceable, it was a thrilling evening in the theatre, and I’ve listened to this broadcast several times in Sirius rotation. The Met left nothing to chance in their casting and production. Every part was cast to perfection, and the production by Michael Cacoyannis was more successful than my few attempts when seeing the O’Neill original on which it is based.”
IL TROVATORE:Verdi
Original Air Date: 01/13/2001
Rizzi; Shicoff, Mescheriakova, Zajick, Frontali, Kavrakos
SID.19210317
Though Zajick does her best, she is almost completely wasted with this cast. This was possibly Volpe’s most disastrous new production.
TOSCA:Puccini
Original Air Date: 01/06/1979
Conlon; Verrett, Pavarotti, MacNeil
MOD Audio SID.19210318
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.19210319
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.19210320
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.19210321
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.
I VESPRI SICILIANI:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/20/1982
Levine; Scotto, Ochman, Elvira, Raimondi
MOD Audio SID.19210422
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.19210423
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.)
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
MOD Audio SID.19210425
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.19210427
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.19210428
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.19210529
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.
DON CARLO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/07/1964
Adler; Corelli, Rysanek, Herlea, Dalis, Tozzi, Uhde
MOD Audio SID.19210530
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.
Araiza is an interesting figure. Moving on to Walther in Meistersinger was a mistake, but I never found his Mozart as good as his countryman, Ramon Vargas. Karajan picked him for his Tamino, but I just don’t hear much that is special and this was his Met debut season.
Levy
Original Air Date: 04/01/1967
Mehta; Lear, Reardon, Collier, Milnes, Macurdy
SID.19210532
“Although the music is mostly just serviceable, it was a thrilling evening in the theatre, and I’ve listened to this broadcast several times in Sirius rotation. The Met left nothing to chance in their casting and production. Every part was cast to perfection, and the production by Michael Cacoyannis was more successful than my few attempts when seeing the O’Neill original on which it is based.”
IL TROVATORE:Verdi
Original Air Date: 01/13/2001
Rizzi; Shicoff, Mescheriakova, Zajick, Frontali, Kavrakos
SID.19210533
Though Zajick does her best, she is almost completely wasted with this cast. This was possibly Volpe’s most disastrous new production.
“
Various:Various
Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
Various Artists
SID.19210534
Various selections between scheduled operas. Siriusxm Radio and web player will show the Composer and Title.
“
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Original Air Date: 03/13/1982
Davis; Workman, Battle, Blake, Capecchi, Montarsolo
MOD Audio SID.19210636
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.
“
STIFFELIO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/05/1994
Levine; Domingo, Sweet, Chernov, Plishka, Riberi
SID.19210637
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.
“
ELEKTRA:Strauss
Original Air Date: 01/10/1976
Hollreiser; Schröder-Feinen, Knie, Varnay, Dooley, Nagy
SID.19210638
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.
“
I VESPRI SICILIANI:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/20/1982
Levine; Scotto, Ochman, Elvira, Raimondi
MOD Audio SID.19210639
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.
“
COSÌ FAN TUTTE:Mozart
Original Air Date: 12/07/1991
Hager; Vaness, Lopardo, Ziegler, Cowan, Upshaw, Feller
SID.19210640
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.