Donizetti
Varviso; Sutherland; Kónya, Herlea, Giaiotti
Original Air Date: 12/05/1964
MOD Audio
SID.19480212
This is Sutherland’s second broadcast Lucia, and not often heard. Konya is not my favorite Edgardo, but for those who don’t want to hear Bonynge, they get another figure at the podium.
Various:Various
Various Artists
Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
SID.19480213
LA BOHÈME:Puccini
Cleva; Stratas, Raimondi, Bower, Sereni, Tozzi
Original Air Date: 02/04/1967
SID.19490102
This is early Stratas, and Raimondi, Sereni, and Tozzi are a very authentic group of supporting Bohemians. What is unusual is this has not been on Sirius in the last five years. Stratas has a famous video with Carreras from the premiere season of the Zeffirelli Boheme in 1982 20 years after her first Met Boheme as a 23 year old. From her debut in 1959 until 1964 she appears on the airwaves only in very small roles but with the new production of Last Savage she jumps to the big time and this Boheme is her first broadcast from the new house in Lincoln Center. Gianni Raimondi does not have a long Met career (1965-1968) but both of his broadcasts this Rodolfo and a later Tosca with Crespin are of fine quality. He was over 40 at his Met debut and died in 2008 at the age of 85. His Rodolfo is preserved on film as he originated the famous Zeffirelli Boheme at La Scala with Freni and Karajan. Beverly Bower has the distinction of singing the first performance in the new Lincoln Center Opera House, a student matinee of Fanciulla del West . She had also been an NYCO stalwart before joining the Met. Sereni and Tozzi were part of the normal Met Boheme ensemble.
DIE WALKÜRE:Wagner
Ehrling; Nilsson, McIntyre, Martin, Vickers, Dunn, Rundgren
Original Air Date: 03/01/1975
SID.19490103
I’m never a very big fan of Ehrling’s Ring, and Rundgren is one of the weaker Wagner basses we’ve heard. Nilsson has other performances where she is better caught. I’m always a big fan of Vickers, and as Siegmund he was pretty mighty right to the end (and this end is still a decade away). Janis Martin was on the rocks as Rossweise 10 years earlier under Steinberg (this performance is important for several reasons, not least George London’s only broadcast Wotan with Nilsson, Vickers, Rysanek in top form); Martin is also Sieglinde 2 years later in a most interesting cast (also not yet on Sirius) with Rita Hunter, James King, Norman Bailey, all under Leinsdorf. I remember this broadcast very well and it should be restored to the airwaves.
DIE WALKÜRE:Wagner
Ehrling; Nilsson, McIntyre, Martin, Vickers, Dunn, Rundgren
Original Air Date: 03/01/1975
SID.19490104
I’m never a very big fan of Ehrling’s Ring, and Rundgren is one of the weaker Wagner basses we’ve heard. Nilsson has other performances where she is better caught. I’m always a big fan of Vickers, and as Siegmund he was pretty mighty right to the end (and this end is still a decade away). Janis Martin was on the rocks as Rossweise 10 years earlier under Steinberg (this performance is important for several reasons, not least George London’s only broadcast Wotan with Nilsson, Vickers, Rysanek in top form); Martin is also Sieglinde 2 years later in a most interesting cast (also not yet on Sirius) with Rita Hunter, James King, Norman Bailey, all under Leinsdorf. I remember this broadcast very well and it should be restored to the airwaves.
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Levine; Hampson, James, Cheek, Schuman, Olsen, Swenson
Original Air Date: 01/13/1996
SID.19490105
I’m not a big fan of Hampson’s Giovanni, but in his three broadcasts (all with Levine) he has some interesting supporting casts in 1991 and 2004. I lean toward more encounters with the 2004 broadcast with the elusive (for the Met) Anja Harteros. This is an all-American cast FWIW.
ARIADNE AUF NAXOS:Strauss
Levine; Meier, Kollo, Gruberova, Troyanos, Monk, Duesing
Original Air Date: 03/10/1979
SID.19490106
Even though Kollo is rather hard pressed, Johanna Meier substituting for Leontyne Price is a worthy replacement, and Gruberova and Troyanos among the very best to have ever touched their two roles. It is one of Gruberova’s two Met broadcasts (the other is Puritani), so highly recommended.
SIMON BOCCANEGRA:Verdi
Levine; Milnes, Tomowa-Sintow, Moldoveanu, Plishka, Clark
Original Air Date: 12/29/1984
SID.19490107
The main attraction here is Tomowa-Sintow who has only 7 Met broadcasts. This performance is also available on DVD. This performance lacks a certain spark, but the singing is very solid.
DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE:Mozart
Levine; Milne, Polenzani, Goerne, Miklósa, Moll
Original Air Date: 04/16/2005
MOD Audio
SID.19490208
This is the broadcast from the first year of the Taymor production. This is an extremely solid cast with no weak links. Goerne was originally scheduled for the premiere in the fall, but had an injury, and was replaced by Pogossov. Roschmann was the premiere Pamina (and an outstanding one) but her only appearances on Sirius so far have been non-matinee broadcasts for Sirius subscribers. The Sirius 3 x a week of contemporary performances are invaluable. This is Moll’s broadcast farewell and his final Met appearance is Sarastro one week later (not marked in the Met Database-still true 4/2015) Moll also sang Commendatore in Don Giovanni in the evening after this Zauberflote matinee.
LA FORZA DEL DESTINO:Verdi
Noseda; Voigt, Licitra, Delavan, Ramey, Komlósi, Pons
Original Air Date: 03/11/2006
MOD Audio
SID.19490209
I love Forza del Destino, but it’s a rather disjointed work, and not an easy sing for ANYONE. I saw Voigt who did the part early in her Met career with the lamented Sergej Larin. For this broadcast, it’s Licitra, also destined to leave us too soon. For me it’s too late for Ramey, Delavan does not impress me and this 2006 broadcast does not catch Voigt in anything like the voice she had a decade earlier. What is MOoD doing featuring this performance when another Sirius Forza broadcast with Tebaldi and Tucker from 1960 only gets an occasional rotation and no presence for Tebaldi in this role in MOoD. Noseda is a quality conductor, but why such special pleading for Voigt and Licitra?
Wagner
Nézet-Séguin; Volle, Wagner, Glueckert, Selig
Original Air Date: 04/29/2017
SID.19490210
LIVE BROADCAST
DER FREISCHÜTZ:Weber
Ludwig; Kónya, Lorengar, Feldhoff, Mathis
Original Air Date: 04/15/1972
MOD Audio
SID.19490211
This is the only Met broadcast of Freischutz, and despite some good work from the treble/tenor clef, Ludwig’s conducting does not give it the sparkle it needs. Feldhoff is more adequate than commanding. One cannot blame the Met entirely, this work simply is not as much a part of the standard opera house repertoire as it was 50 years ago.
Verdi
Panizza; Ponselle, Jagel, Tibbett
Original Air Date: 01/05/1935
SID.19490212
This is now the oldest broadcast to appear in the Sirius series. Ponselle and Tibbett are absolute magic in the 2nd act duet under Panizza. It’s not SACD, but still a remarkable document. The Met database is still [October 2016]) not up to date on some of these more recent additions to the Sirsi and MOoD coverage. This is now the oldest broadcast to appear in the Sirius series. Ponselle and Tibbett are absolute magic in the 2nd act duet under Panizza. Will be curious to hear what improvement if any they’ve made to the sound.
CARMEN:Bizet
Lewis; Horne, McCracken, Amara, Krause
Original Air Date: 03/10/1973
SID.19490213
I was surprised to find that there is only one other Horne-McCracken Carmen broadcast (from a year later with Reardon for Krause). The loss to the broadcasts is the premiere of the production with them under Bernstein (there is a commercial DG recording, but esp. for McCracken, live is very different). Most of the protagonists in Met broadcast Carmens have been represented back to 1937 with Ponselle. There are three 1950s performances which include two Joses from Mario del Monaco,and one with Giuseppe di Stefano, all with Stevens. I’ve heard excerpts of these, and they should be broadcast. The second Del Monaco from 1957 features Mitropoulos in the pit, so that would be first on my list. The DiStefano has been available on private recordings and features Di Stefano breaking her arm (literally) and her clearly saying Put my arm down. I would put in a word for Borodina’s 2001 Carmen (she has been streamed in recent years) with Richard Leech and snappy conducting from Bertrand de Billy. Vocally she is the most glamorous Carmen in some time, and especially so on this broadcast. Horne was very good when she opened the season under Bernstein, but the performance became steadily less subtle vocally,and by the time Lenny was gone, I found it very vin ordinaire Same cast and conductor (except Reardon for Krause) broadcast it again a year later in a performance available on MOoD. The performers are no better.
ARABELLA:Strauss
Eschenbach; Fleming; Ketelsen, Bonney, Very, Forst, Halfvarson
Original Air Date: 12/15/2001
MOD Audio
SID.19490214
This is Fleming’s only Met broadcast outing as Arabella. Eschenbach was the fly in the ointment when I saw the production prior to the broadcast, and so he remains. Because of the English translation used prior to the new production, Sirius listeners are regularly denied the glories of Steber under Kempe in the premiere season of 1955, and Della Casa from 1957-1965. Della Casa has studio and stage Arabellas in German from other sources, but Kempe is a special Straussian, and Steber is in particularly stunning voice with London from the premiere year. 09/24/2012 – I thought Eschenbach was the real fly in the ointment when this revival came around. Fleming is in very beautiful voice, but the performance as a whole lacks magic. Arabella takes special handling and this doesn’t really get it. 03/27/2012 – I saw an earlier performance in the run, and while OK, Fleming did not have a great deal of personality. The singing was excellent. I prefer Steber or Della Casa. 8/2/2011 – For me, Eschenbach is a bit of the fly in the ointment, but this is still a solid Arabella cast. This does give me a chance to make a plea for the Met premiere broadcast of Arabella (in English — part of the delay I am sure) with Steber, Guden, London, under Rudolf Kempe. What a magnificent performance from all concerned
AKHNATEN:Glass
Kamensek; Larusdottir, Bridges, Costanzo, Blake, Liverman, Bernstein, James
Original Air Date: 12/07/2019
SID.19490639
First Intermission
Mary Jo Heath interviews General Manager Peter Gelb about the 2019-20120 season.
Philip Glass Feature
Mary Jo Heath interviews Maestro Karen Kamensek
Second Intermission
Backstage Pass #1 – Loren Toolajian interviews Anthony Roth Costanzo
Backstage Pass #2 – Loren Toolajian interviews Dísella Lárusdóttir, J’Nai Bridges, and Zachery James
Lise Davidsen Feature
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
SID.19500208
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
SID.19500209
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
SID.19500210
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
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Original Air Date: 01/01/9999
SID.19510102