IL PIRATA:Bellini
Campanella; Fleming, Giordani, Croft
Original Air Date: 02/08/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20020107
This is the Met premiere of Pirata and to date its only broadcast season, but I don’t find either the soprano or tenor quite right for their parts. This was the performance that started me on my Giordani no listen zone . RWW was lucky enough to see Caballe do a stage Pirata (2x) in Philadelphia, and she was almost ideally cast. Fleming is a versatile, highly skilled singer, but this part was not for her.
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Bonynge; Morris, Sutherland, Bacquier, Varady, Brecknock, Tourangeau
Original Air Date: 03/25/1978
MOD Audio
SID.20020208
This is Julia Varady’s only season and broadcast from the Met, and earns a well-deserved place in MOoD. The missing piece is that 9 days earlier the Met telecast this, and it operatic stage. Traubel has never appeared in any form. There is so little Sutherland video from the Met. Of particular interest is Bacquier in his only season as Leporello and Morris makes a youthful but powerful Don. It also captures the last of the Berman production. The video please! Also Sutherland’s only other Donna Anna from the Met is from opening season of the new house at Lincoln Center under Karl Bohm with Siepi, Flagello, and Giaiotti with Lorengar as the Elvira. This has not been recently discussed on SIrius in 5 years and should be in MOoD.
LA GIOCONDA:Ponchielli
Cleva; Milanov, Poggi, Warren, Rankin, Siepi
Original Air Date: 04/20/1957
SID.20020209
Paul Jackson in his history of Met broadcasts only deals with 1953 and 1961 in his volume that covers post 1950 Milanov. Rankin, Warren and Siepi are all among the very best exponents of their roles, but I’ve never gotten Poggi’s message. So it’s all about Milanov, and generally always want her earlier (like 1939) rather than later. Milanov was definitely variable in the 50s for her Giocondas. She has 2 more going as last as 1961. Rankin, Warren and Siepi are fine support, and it all depends what kind of a day ZM is having. Her first (not yet broadcast by Sirius) is her best, though the 1946 is also very good (Tucker’s debut year, and he is leagues ahead of Poggi).
FIDELIO:Beethoven
Perick; Connell, Lakes, Welker, Moll, Donath, Kaasch
Original Air Date: 02/16/1991
SID.20020210
This revival comes in for some harsh words from Tim Page, and this broadcast marks the late Elizabeth Connell’s farewell to the Met. She has a more considerable overall career than her appearances at the Met show, but this Fidelio does not help much. Moll and Donath are the two members of the A team, but Rocco and Marzelline are not the essential casting for Fidelio, though I certainly appreciate good singers in the canon quartet.
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / PAGLIACCI:Mascagni / Leoncavallo
Erede; Milanov, Tucker, Harvuot / Rigal, Baum, Warren
Original Air Date: 03/03/1951
MOD Audio
SID.20020211
The Cavalleria is strongly cast, and Warren was the major Tonio of the 1950s in Pagliacci. The two highlight vocal performances are Tucker in the Cavalleria and Warren in the Pagliacci. Milanov has a later broadcast on MetPlayer with Baum as Turiddu and Del Monaco as Canio. Representative Met performance, especially in Cavalleria, but Warren’s Prologue is something to hear as well.
DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL:Mozart
Janowski; Donat, Winbergh, Salminen, Mills, Zednik
Original Air Date: 12/12/1987
SID.20020212
The main news here is Winbergh who had too few Met appearances and Salminen who is a solid Osmin, if not as good as Moll. My memory of Donat (the Polish coloratura, not Helen Donath) is limited and certainly in this performance. Janowski only has three broadcast appearances at the Met (Arabella, and Salome with Marton are the other two). He’s a major conductor, and if Salminen lacks some of the smoothness of Moll, to me he is much preferable to Talvela in this role. Winbergh left us much too soon, and Mills and Zednik are lively performers. Donat is too low profile for Konstanze (and this is her final Met performance), but the men are very good, and Janowski is a conductor we saw too little of. Salminen reappears four years later in a broadcast that is in MOoD with Devia and Olsen as support under Levine in one of his best efforts. Winbergh only has three other Met broadcasts, two Ottavios in Don Giovanni and his final Met appearance as Jose in Carmen. Since that is where his career was going — Parsifal and Tristan were on his calendar in final year, it would be nice to hear his Jose, and Uria-Monzon would be a break from the typical Carmen–she’s native French speaker.
SIMON BOCCANEGRA:Verdi
Levine; Agache, Mattila, Sylvester, Scandiuzzi, Fu
Original Air Date: 02/06/1999
SID.20020213
This performance is very close to the same cast as the Covent Garden performance under Solti with te Kanawa for Mattila. Scandiuzzi did not turn out to be the successor to the lion Siepi. Sylvester is better with Solti ; his only remaining Met performances are a Radames the Fall of 1999, and 2 Calafs in the Fall of 2000. To me the best recent performance was from 2010 with Hvorostovsky, Frittoli, Vargas, and Furlanetto with Levine in particularly inspired form.This performance is very close to the same cast as the Covent Garden performance under Solti with te Kanawa for Mattila. Scandiuzzi did not turn out to be the successor to the lion Siepi. Sylvester is better with Solti ; his only remaining Met performances are a Radames the Fall of 1999, and 2 Calafs in the Fall of 2000. To me the best recent performance was from 2010 with Hvorostovsky, Frittoli, Vargas, and Furlanetto with Levine in particularly inspired form.
THAÏS:Massenet
López-Cobos; Fleming, Hampson, Schade
Original Air Date: 12/20/2008
Live in HDMOD Video
SID.20020214
Although the video has been available almost continuously on MOoD, I find this performance preferable to the Sills Milnes, which was massively overplayed in the first years of Sirius Radio. I rather like Thais as a break from other titles in the repertory.Although the video has been available almost continuously on MOoD, I find this performance preferable to the Sills Milnes, which was massively overplayed in the first years of Sirius Radio. I rather like Thais as a break from other titles in the repertory.
WOZZECK:Berg
Yannick Nézet-Séguin: Peter Mattei, Elza van den Heever, Gerhard Siegel, Christian Van Horn
Original Air Date: 01/11/2020
Live in HD
SID.20020640
After wowing audiences with his astounding production of Lulu in 2015, South African artist William Kentridge now focuses his extraordinary visual imagination on Berg’s other operatic masterpiece, set in an apocalyptic pre–World War I environment. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin is on the podium for this important event, with baritone Peter Mattei making his highly anticipated role debut as the title character. Soprano Elza van den Heever is Wozzeck’s unfaithful mate, and the commanding cast also includes tenor Christopher Ventris as the Drum-Major, bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as the Doctor, and tenor Gerhard Siegel as the Captain.
A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; Salzburg Festival; the Canadian Opera Company, Toronto; and Opera Australia
Production a gift of Robert L. Turner
DER ROSENKAVALIER:Strauss
Schippers; Della Casa, Schwarzkopf, Edelmann, Raskin, Dönch
Original Air Date: 12/19/1964
MOD Audio
SID.20030102
Della Casa, a famous Marschallin in her own right, does her first Octavian with the Met in this series of performances. It’s not quite an ideal fit even if very starry. Schwarzkopf was certainly the most famous postwar Marschallin and is here in one of her only two Met broadcast appearances– the latter an unintentional Met farewell in a most unsatisfactory Donna Elvira two years later.
Verdi
Levine; Shicoff, Price, Weikl, Troyanos, Raimondi, Rootering
Original Air Date: 02/11/1989
SID.20030103
The Price here is Margaret Price and her only other Met broadcast is Otello with Domingo and Milnes from her debut year in 1985 which has so far eluded the airwaves. Shicoff is also under-represented so this performance is especially welcomed — this is only the third rotation since its first Sirius rebroadcast in 2014. The rest of the male cast are not my favorites in this very favorite opera of mine.
DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE:Mozart
Maag; Moffo, Alva, Gramm, Shane, Hines
Original Air Date: 12/15/1973
SID.20030104
This Zauberflote turns up as among the most commonly broadcast Flutes. I’m not sure why except that it is in generally good sound. Shane and Hines are the only two performers with 29 and 55 performances respectively who are major exponents of their roles. One thing that lowers the availability is that from 1941 until 1967, it was performed exclusively in English, and generally Sirius plays no performances performed in translation.
MANON:Massenet
Luisi; Netrebko, Beczala, Szot
Original Air Date: 04/07/2012
MOD Video
SID.20030105
This audio was the first time the Met has rebroadcast the audio track of a Live in HD. This was a bit of a breakout part for Beczala who had slimmed down and certainly made an effective foil for the Netrebko Manon. I enjoyed her in the theatre even if she were no Patricia Brooks , or Faith Esham (both at City Opera, Wagner broadcast, and for me both better than the very good and much more famous Manon it finds him far from his two decade mastery of Sills.) When I want to listen to Manon, I need go no further than the early 19250s recording on EMI with Victoria de los Angeles and Henri LeGay under Pierre Monteux. Sirius does play the 1954 Met performance with VDLA and Cesare Valletti also under Monteux (and is available on MOoD). Still unbroadcast is the 1959 with VDLA and Gedda under Jean Morel. Wagner.
Verdi
Cleva; Warren, Peters, Fernandi, Wilderman, Roggero
Original Air Date: 03/28/1959
SID.20030106
This is the the last of Warren’s 9 Rigoletto broadcasts. His 1945 broadcast with Sayao and Bjorling is on Met Player and while maybe not quite as deep dramatically has all the vocal goods in order. Fernandi is not what one is usually looking for as Duke beyond his native familiarity The performance is most notable for being Warren’s final Rigoletto broadcast. I never saw him live, but always loved his Rigoletto. Only Warren really impressed me.
GIULIO CESARE:Handel
Bicket; Daniels, Swenson, Coote, Bardon, Zazzo
Original Air Date: 04/21/2007
MOD Audio
SID.20030107
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.)
I VESPRI SICILIANI:Verdi
Levine; Scotto, Ochman, Elvira, Raimondi
Original Air Date: 03/20/1982
MOD Audio
SID.20030208
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.
SAMSON ET DALILA:Saint-Saëns
de Billy; Cura, Graves, Lafont
Original Air Date: 03/05/2005
SID.20030209
This might be OK as a video, but not much aural delight in my view. Contrary to the Met Data base, the Dalis Thomas Bacquier 1964 performance has been on Sirius, but the 1972 with McCracken and Bumbry has not. It is Bumbry’s only Met broadcast of the role, and if Baudo is not as exciting as Pretre in this music (who is?) , it’s one of McCracken’s best parts as well.
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Levine; Raimondi, Battle, Vaness, Allen, von Stade
Original Air Date: 12/14/1985
MOD VideoMOD Audio
SID.20030210
This performance surfaced in its video format both on MOoD, and in the Levine 40th anniversary DVD box. This is a Ponnelle production, and has its usual pluses and minuses. Vaness misses just a bit of superstar quality (her Fiordiligi and Donna Anna are more distinctive). Raimondi is not my favorite singer, but Levine is at his best in Mozart and the ensemble is very strong. I’ve enjoyed re-acquainting myself with this performance over the last year and have played it several times. This is his first season of Figaro at the Met, an opera he would conduct more than 77 times in 3 new productions (Ponnelle, Jonathan Miller, Richard Eyre.). Amazingly 3 of the matinee broadcasts have not been done again. For the record: March 21, 1992 features Upshaw , Schuman, Von Stade, Furlanetto, Hampson, Moll December 5, 1998 features Bonney/Guyer, Lott, Mentzer, Croft, Terfel Feb. 12, 2005 features Rost, Watson, Perez, Relyea, Kwiecien. One run of Nozze with Levine was not broadcast and that featured Dorothea Roschmann and Anja Harteros in their Met debuts. I remember these performances very well, and in the current Gelb/Sirius era, we would have had at least one if not a couple of these on the radio, The 1992 would be especially welcome for the Furlanetto/Hampson combination (which is also on their complete DG recording).
Giordano
Levine; Domingo, Arroyo, MacNeil, Kraft, Love, Chookasian
Original Air Date: 03/26/1977
MOD Audio
SID.20030211
This is an OK performance and Domingo’s only Met broadcast outing despite appearances in 3 seasons. There are at least three major broadcasts not yet on Sirius which should be heard, the 1954 with Del Monaco, Milanov, Warren when the production was premiered, the 1960 broadcast with Tebaldi, Tucker, and Bastianini,the greatest Gerard I’ve heard on broadcast or record, and 1966, Tebaldi, Corelli, Colzani, Corelli being the outstanding Chenier of the postwar period for my money. Now these are Cheniers!
THE BARTERED BRIDE:Smetana
Levine; Stratas, Gedda, Talvela, Vickers
Original Air Date: 12/02/1978
MOD Video
SID.20030212
This same cast telecast the opera 11 days earlier. The video of this performance is available in MOoD. Levine is very devoted to this score and did the joint production with Juilliard and the Met Young Artists in 2010. Vickers is cast very much against type and successful. To me one of the main downers is Talvela. My aural image of this opera is forever colored by the German language studio recording with Lorengar, Wunderlich, and Frick. Though in the “wrong” language, everything works there.
SIEGFRIED:Wagner
Stiedry; Windgassen, Mödl, Edelmann, Madeira, Kelley, Pechner
Original Air Date: 02/16/1957
SID.20030213
This is one of Windgassen’s two Met broadcasts (Gotterdammerung two weeks later is the other). The winter of 1957 is his only time at the Met (scheduled for Tannhauser in 1966 but did not appear) and did 7 Ring appearances over a two month period. He is arguably the best postwar Siegfried after Melchior. This is a brisk performance. Modl does the best she can, but New York wanted Flagstad, Traubel, or Nilsson. I’ve listened to large chunks of this performance several times on Sirius, and I enjoy it. It’s not one for the pantheon. This is on regularly, but not excessively. Edelmann is not ideal as the Wanderer, but this is Modl’s only appearance on the Met airwaves. In addition to the three Brunnhildes, she also did Isolde and Kundry in her three Met seasons. Almost everyone whoever saw her never forgot her. Audio only encounters are sometimes more of a mixed bag.
Bellini
Bonynge; Sutherland, Horne, Tagliavini, Plishka
Original Air Date: 12/19/1970
SID.20030315
This is Sutherland/Horne in their second season of Norma (but same calendar year) with the men instead of Bergonzi and Siepi. I prefer the excitement of the first season, but the ladies remain the gold standard in both.
MAZEPPA:Tchaikovsky
Gergiev; Putilin, Guryakova, Balashov, Burchuladze, Diadkova
Original Air Date: 03/18/2006
SID.20040102
This is the only Met broadcast of Tchaikovsky’s powerful work. This performance is notable for Tchaikovsky’s powerful music, Gergiev’s assured conducting, and Putilin giving his considerable all to the title role. This is offbeat repertory that I’m glad we’ve had. Gergiev and Putilin make a strong case for hearing the work more often. It should really be on MOoD.
Puccini
Mitropoulos; Kirsten, Fernandi, Roggero, Sereni, Kullman
Original Air Date: 04/16/1960
SID.20040103
This performance is notable for a solid cast and the presence of Mitropoulos in the pit. Kirsten lied about her age for years, actually being born in 1910 not 1917. So she is 50 for this performance, and broadcasts Butterfly as late as 1974 and does a replacement Tosca in 1979 when she is just short of her 70th birthday! She was not a terribly adventurous singer, but although nature gifted with a French lyric sound she could surmount the most challenging Puccini (Minnie, but not Turandot) and be none the worse for wear. I prefer a more robust Butterfly tonally, but she has a major career, and this is a good performance to experience her (I like her Manon Lescaut and Faust Marguerite even better). The Butterfly history is dominated by Farrar, its Met creator at 139, then Albanese at 72, and then Kirsten. It then drops to Scotto at 38. As for broadcasts, we are still missing Stella premiering the 1958 production also with Mitropoulos and the 1962 with Tucci and Bergonzi in his only broadcast Pinkerton. We hear a rotation dominated by Zylis-Gara, Scotto, Albanese and Kirsten. There are others waiting to be heard. This Butterfly turns out to be Mitropoulos’ Metropolitan farewell in NYC, with 2 Boccanegras with the Met on tour to Boston and Cleveland at the end of April. DM’s broadcasts to date unheard of in addition to the Stella Butterfly, are a Tosca with Stella, and in later seasons Milanov’s only Tosca broadcast as well as 2 Cav/ Pags from 1959 and 1960, the first being Del Monaco’s final Met performance.
BILLY BUDD:Britten
Leppard; Stilwell, Cassilly, Morris, Glossop, Ward
Original Air Date: 04/19/1980
SID.20040104
The Met has broadcast Billy Budd 5 times since its arrival in 1978. This is the second, with Cassilly replacing the Vere creator Peter Pears. The Pears broadcast from the year before has not been on Sirius, and in the case of the most recent Budd broadcast with Dwayne Croft and Phillip Langridge a video was done which has not yet made its way to either Met Player or to a commercial DVD. In memory of Langridge and one of the great Met productions (Dexter at his considerable best), this should move into Met Player, one of the view Met videos left that does not have distribution. The 1980 performance on Sirius next week features Stilwell and Morris repeating their roles from the Met premiere the season before. I find Budd a stronger work overall than Peter Grimes, especially as experienced in the theatre.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Nelson; Stilwell, von Stade, Davies, Corena, Morris, Munzer
Original Air Date: 01/31/1976
SID.20040105
To me the main interest here is Morris in his only season as Basilio (5 performances) and Corena’s last Bartolo broadcast (his 10th!). Corena’s successor in this role has still not appeared in my view, and he’s gone 37 years. He has 2 more years at the Met after this broadcast, and manages to be the Sacristan on the Verrett/Pavarotti/MacNeil Tosca video which is his last run except a farewell Don Pasquale with Sills on New Year’s Eve eve in 1978. This is a good enough cast for the opera, but the opera is overdone in regular Met repertory, and again on Sirius broadcasts. This is Corena’ss 10th and final broadcast of a role he owned. James Morris puts in an appearance as Basilio during his breakout year (he was in the new Puritani production). Barbiere is close to Boheme in number of performances in the most recent 10 years.
Mozart
Levine; Kaasch, Troyanos, Alexander, Bunnell, Hong
Original Air Date: 04/20/1991
SID.20040106
I generally prefer Idomeneo to Clemenza di Tito. Troyanos contribution and this is her last of 3 Sesto broadcasts (her 1985 broadcast is on Met Player) also features Roberta Alexander’s farewell Met performance as Vitelia; together they and Levine’s transparent conducting make the afternoon worthwhile..
MANON LESCAUT:Puccini
Antonicelli; Kirsten, Björling, Valdengo, Baccaloni
Original Air Date: 12/10/1949
MOD Audio
SID.20040107
One of the all-time great Met broadcasts. Sound is not perfect, but it is a thrilling performance. Bjorling is also great in 1956 with Albanese, and luckily both are in MOoD. No better way to pass the time. This is one of the earliest broadcasts regularly in Sirius rotation and also in MOoD. The 1956 (also in MOoD) with Albenese under Mitropoulos is a more dramatic performance, but BJorling is fantastic on both. Valdengo is a fine Lescaut. This would be THE Manon Lescaut if Bjorling’s 1956 Met broadcast with Albanese had not been broadcast. If ever there were a candidate for the Sony reissue list, the 1956 performance is it. Still, Kirsten and Bjorling are plenty fine, and nothing like it to be heard today.
AIDA:Verdi
Levine; Price, Domingo, Horne, MacNeil, Giaiotti
Original Air Date: 03/06/1976
MOD Audio
SID.20040208
Three of Domingo’s 14 Met Radames were over the airwaves, and this is the first. In the Sirius listing, James Morris is left off as King. This is the kind of Aida bass tandem we were used to until the last two decades. Giaiotti is one of the best Ramfis around. I’m not a fan of Horne’s Amneris, and this is her only Met season in the role. She’s a major artist, but not a Verdi mezzo. Price is heard to better advantage in earlier performances, especially 1963 and 1965.
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Panni; Anderson, Leech, Fu, Plishka
Original Air Date: 12/12/1992
MOD Audio
SID.20040209
Nothing really saves this afternoon as can be read in the Met database listing for the second performance of this new production by Francesca Zambello which comes in for some pretty harsh treatment from Martin Mayer– far from my favorite critic, but I think he has the right bead on this performance if not the musical excellence of Lucia as a great musical achievement. A Volpe miscue of large proportions (18 performances this season). 9/3/2013 – From my comments then: This is the newly preferred Sirius Lucia which I don’t think is very good. It does feature the conducting of Marcello Panni, who died shortly after his run of La Juive at the Met.