OTELLO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/11/1967
Mehta; Caballé, McCracken, Gobbi, Lorenzi
MOD Audio SID.18420642
This is the first Otello broadcast from the new house at Lincoln Center, and I attended an earlier performance in the run. 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 performance is available in Met Opera on Demand (MOoD) and definitely worth your time.
1/16/12 – I remember this revival well, but in the house and on the airwaves, it was certainly strongly performed by all. 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.
I PURITANI:Bellini
Original Air Date: 03/30/1991
Bonynge; Gruberova, Merritt, Gavanelli, Plishka
MOD Audio SID.18420636
This is primarily for Gruberova fans. She doesn’t sing in USA much so just as well since she only has two Met broadcasts, this Puritani and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos. Of greater interest would be her Queen of the Night (Met debut) and the new production of Traviata with Kleiber and Shicoff (neither broadcast; in today’s world of live Sirius, we would likely be hearing both)
MIGNON:Thomas
Original Air Date: 01/27/1945
Pelletier; Stevens, Melton, Benzell, Pinza
MOD Audio SID.18420743
“There are some great tunes in Mignon but I find the opera doesn”t hold up well — I saw it staged in Dallas with Horne (1974), and it was a LONG evening. Pinza is very fine here. Mignon”s last broadcast appearance is 3 years later with Marilyn Cotlow as Philine which is more than 6 decades ago. That Mignon farewell has not been on Sirius.
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Original Air Date: 02/12/1994
Rudel; Morris, McLaughlin, Fleming, Croft, Bunnell
MOD Audio SID.18420744
This is is Fleming’s first featured broadcast (she has a small part in Ghosts of Versailles) and it’s one of her best roles. The late — he died just a few weeks ago (2016) –Julius Rudel is too often underestimated, but he presided over many a fine Figaro at the NYCO before taking up residence at the Met. Morris and McLaughlin are an interesting servant pair and any performance with Senechal is guaranteed some attention. This performance is featured in MOoD.
7/8/13 – Fleming’s previous broadcast appearance was in the small role of Rosina (Countess) in Ghosts of Versailles, so her Nozze Countess is really her first broadcast feature. Rudel is a fine Mozartean with plenty of fine Figaros over at NYCO before moving over to the Met. Fleming and the whole cast are well matched. Recommended. Also in MOoD.
3/29/11 – Fleming’s Countess is rarer than you might think. She only has nine performances since her Met debut (in this role) in 1991. This broadcast is only her third and is available also on Met Player. She premieres the new production with Terfel and Bartoli, but only does the telecast (which is available on Met PLayer).
As for missing historic broadcasts, the original Texaco broadcast with Albanese and Pinza from 1940 should certainly be rebroadcast, and the Countesses of Eleanor Steber (five from 1943-50) and Victoria de los Angeles (1952) with the superb Count of Giuseppe Valdengo. Jarmila Novotna is a superb Cherubino on many of those Steber Countesses.
NORMA:Bellini
Original Air Date: 02/17/1973
Cillario; Caballé, Cossotto, Cossutta, Tozzi
MOD Audio SID.18420745
This is from Caballe’s first run at Norma with the reliable Cossotto; they are certainly a team. Cossutta missed the premiere, and this is his debut; he would go on to do 12 more Polliones with Caballe, Galvany, and Verrett and that is his Met career. Tozzi would not be my choice for Oroveso.
This performance presents Caballe and Cossotto’s take on the Norma duo for the first time at the Met, and is preserved on Met Player as well. Norma is one of Caballe’s best roles. In terms of Norma, there was no complete broadcast of Norma with Ponselle (the Acts3-4 from 1931 do not survive as far as I’v ever heard). Ponselle is followed by Cigna and 3 broadcasts with Milanov (2 from 1944 in different seasons, and 1954 with Thebom (Barbieri only did the premiere). One of the 1944 performances at the minimum should be played, and my memory is that the Cigna is also available in decent sound. Sirius has not rebroadcast the 1982 Norma with Negri (making her house debut on the broadcast) where she replaced Scotto. Would like to hear this again.
ADRIANA LECOUVREUR:Cilea
Original Air Date: 02/11/1978
López-Cobos; Caballé, Carreras, Cossotto, Quilico
MOD Audio SID.18420747
“I’m not a special fan of Adriana, and like it best when the title role is a specialist like Olivero whom I saw in Hartford and Newark; the aircheck from Naples is the one to get with Simionato, Corelli, and Bastianini. There are 3 MOoD versions starting with the Caballe above, very solid, but a bit bland, a Scotto/Shicoff/Cortez performance from 1983 is a good late career effort from her (her commercial under Levine with Domingo and Obratzsova is better) but the most recent MOoD features 2009 Domingo in his only Met matinee broadcast with Guleghina,and Borodina. Much too late for Domingo who debuted at the Met 4 decades earlier. Unlike Adriana, Maurizio is not a mid-range role.” (RWW)
TANNHÄUSER:Wagner
Original Air Date: 01/24/1987
Levine; Cassilly, Norman, Randová, Hagegård, Rootering
MOD Audio SID.18420749
NOTE: Levine has three broadcasts after these in October 2015 (8,19,27) with Westbroek, DeYoung, Botha, Mattei, Groissbock
RWW: Amazingly, this is Levine’s last broadcast Tannhauser. A run of performances 10 years later with Sharon Sweet, Jon Frederic West, and Bryn Terfel was prior to the broadcast season (I saw one of these terrific performances) are his final Met appearances in the opera to date. Tannhauser remains one of Levine’s highest totalsat 62, but none since 1997, and none broadcast since this 1987, but I also think it’s one of his best efforts and Norman presents a beautiful, if unconventional Elisabeth, and the orchestra and chorus are on top form. This performance is in MOoD and highly recommended on Sirius this week as well.
For my money although Tannhauser does not have as much great music as Lohengrin, the Paris/Vienna revisions make Tannhauser a bit more exciting in the theatre. This performance is available on Met Player and is Levine’s most recent in theatre broadcast. Levine does have a wonderful run in 1997 with Jon Frederic West, Terfel and Sweet , but that run was not on the matinee broadcasts (in the current environment we would get to hear this cast.) Levine’s strong conducting, and Jessye Norman’s Elisabeth (not commercially recorded) are the most distinctive features.
Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/02/1957
Stiedry; Harshaw, Windgassen, Böhme, Uhde, Schech, Madeira
MOD Audio SID.18450101
Donizetti
Original Air Date: 12/05/1964
Varviso; Sutherland; Kónya, Herlea, Giaiotti
MOD Audio SID.18450102
Mozart
Original Air Date: 12/09/2006
Levine; van Rensburg, Röschmann, Deshorties, Kozená. Francis
MOD Audio SID.18450103
Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 04/10/1999
Gergiev; Domingo, Gorchakova, Söderström, Hvorostovsky, Borodina, Putilin
MOD AudioMOD Video SID.18450104
Verdi
Original Air Date: 04/04/1959
Cleva; Gari, Rysanek, Merrill, Thebom, Hines, Uhde
MOD Audio SID.18450105
Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/19/1987
Bonynge; Pavarotti, Sutherland, Verrett, Nucci, De Grandis
MOD Audio SID.18450208
Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/02/1944
Szell; Traubel, Janssen, Bampton, Melchior, Thorborg, Kipnis
MOD Audio SID.18450212
Mozart
Original Air Date: 03/04/1967
Krips; Raskin, Shirley, Uppman, Peters, Macurdy
MOD Audio SID.18450214
Donizetti
Original Air Date: 12/05/1964
Varviso; Sutherland; Kónya, Herlea, Giaiotti
MOD Audio SID.18450319
Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 04/10/1999
Gergiev; Domingo, Gorchakova, Söderström, Hvorostovsky, Borodina, Putilin
MOD AudioMOD Video SID.18450423
Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/19/1987
Bonynge; Pavarotti, Sutherland, Verrett, Nucci, De Grandis
MOD Audio SID.18450425
Verdi
Original Air Date: 04/04/1959
Cleva; Gari, Rysanek, Merrill, Thebom, Hines, Uhde
MOD Audio SID.18450529
Mozart
Original Air Date: 03/04/1967
Krips; Raskin, Shirley, Uppman, Peters, Macurdy
MOD Audio SID.18450530
Verdi
Original Air Date: 04/04/1959
Cleva; Gari, Rysanek, Merrill, Thebom, Hines, Uhde
MOD Audio SID.18450531
Donizetti
Original Air Date: 12/05/1964
Varviso; Sutherland; Kónya, Herlea, Giaiotti
MOD Audio SID.18450535
Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/02/1944
Szell; Traubel, Janssen, Bampton, Melchior, Thorborg, Kipnis
MOD Audio SID.18450636
Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/19/1987
Bonynge; Pavarotti, Sutherland, Verrett, Nucci, De Grandis
MOD Audio SID.18450637
Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/02/1944
Szell; Traubel, Janssen, Bampton, Melchior, Thorborg, Kipnis
MOD Audio SID.18450639
Mozart
Original Air Date: 12/09/2006
Levine; van Rensburg, Röschmann, Deshorties, Kozená. Francis
MOD Audio SID.18450640
Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 04/10/1999
Gergiev; Domingo, Gorchakova, Söderström, Hvorostovsky, Borodina, Putilin
MOD AudioMOD Video SID.18450641
Mozart
Original Air Date: 03/04/1967
Krips; Raskin, Shirley, Uppman, Peters, Macurdy
MOD Audio SID.18450745
Mozart
Original Air Date: 12/09/2006
Levine; van Rensburg, Röschmann, Deshorties, Kozená. Francis
MOD Audio SID.18450749
Rossini
Original Air Date: 04/07/1973
Levine; Prey, Horne, Di Giuseppe, Corena, Tozzi
MOD Audio SID.18460103