?1435764702
SIMON BOCCANEGRA:Verdi
Stiedry; Warren, Varnay, Tucker, Székely, Valdengo
Original Air Date: 01/28/1950
MOD Audio
SID.20140641
Reissued on Sony Classical in the Met’s Verdi box for his bicentennial. This is Warren’s only broadcast of the title role. He had done Paolo (the Valdengo role) a decade earlier shortly after winning the Met Auditions of the Air. His Simon was Lawrence Tibbett. This is Tucker’s first venture into the more dramatic tenor roles, and he sang it outstandingly for the next quarter century until his final Gabriel on the 1974 Met broadcast with plenty of gas still in the tank. This 1974 performance with Wixell and Maliponte is long overdue for a Sirius rebroadcast.
LES TROYENS:Berlioz
Levine; Norman, Sooter, Monk, Taillon, Plishka, Ahlstedt
Original Air Date: 02/18/1984
MOD Audio
SID.20140645
Norman repeated Verrett’s double assumption on this broadcast (Verrett’s was for the opening of the production in 1973 when Ludwig was indisposed–I was there, quite an evening). I rather prefer Norman’s Didon to her Cassandre, but this broadcast now takes its place in MOoD. Enee is close to an impossible part, but Sooter is no worse than Ronald Dowd was in Boston for Caldwell.
LES TROYENS:Berlioz
Levine; Norman, Sooter, Monk, Taillon, Plishka, Ahlstedt
Original Air Date: 02/18/1984
MOD Audio
SID.20140647
Norman repeated Verrett’s double assumption on this broadcast (Verrett’s was for the opening of the production in 1973 when Ludwig was indisposed–I was there, quite an evening). I rather prefer Norman’s Didon to her Cassandre, but this broadcast now takes its place in MOoD. Enee is close to an impossible part, but Sooter is no worse than Ronald Dowd was in Boston for Caldwell.
L’ELISIR D’AMORE:Donizetti
Schippers; Bergonzi, Peters, Corena, Guarrera
Original Air Date: 03/05/1966
MOD Audio
SID.20140749
This performance has been issued in Sony’s Historic Met CD series. Also on MOoD is Bergonzi and Corena partnered by Scotto and Sereni who I think are better matches in this opera.One cannot lose with Bergonzi and Corena.
SAMSON ET DALILA:Saint-Saëns
Fournet; Vickers, Horne, Quilico
Original Air Date: 04/18/1987
MOD Audio
SID.20140750
This is Vickers’ farewell to the Met (not announced in advance). For many of us, he is a legendary singer who spans the beginning of our operatic journey, and 26 years later still shines very brightly indeed. In almost every assumption he not only gave his individual commitment (he was Giasone to Callas in my first opera in 1958 in Dallas) but simply encompassed roles as few ever do and was always in the top rank and usually best ever seen in the roles. Samson is certainly one of those roles, and if the opera has been a bit overdone on Sirius, I am never finished with my enjoyment of Vickers. Horne is a singer I admire on many fronts– her support of young artists, the advocacy for vocal recitals, and certainly outstanding Rossinian efforts. But I’m not much of Rossini guy, and I find many of her ventures beyond not to my taste, Verdi (even as Quickly) really doesn’t work and Dalila doesn’t compare with my first (Rita Gorr in the premiere of the O’Hearn Merrill production in 1964) or some of my best more recent ones– Borodina’s voice was made for those languorous lines. This is Vickers’ only broadcast of Samson et Dalila, and sometime min the last 3 years has been added to MOoD as a testament to his work and whom we lost July 13, 2015 after a long illness.
THE QUEEN OF SPADES:Tchaikovsky
Gergiev; Domingo, Gorchakova, Söderström, Hvorostovsky, Borodina, Putilin
Original Air Date: 04/10/1999
MOD AudioMOD Video
SID.20140751
This performance is too late for Soderstrom, too late for Domingo, and too late for Gorchakova. You can see the video of from five days later on MOoD as well. Better to hear the first season of the production with Gregorian who succeeded Heppner, Guleghina who succeeded Mattila with Rysanek. That has been on Sirius, but is not on MOoD. If Sirius had been at work when the production premiered we would have a broadcast of Heppner and Mattila at their very best. MOD is from 4-15-99 performance.
HAMLET:Thomas
Langrée; Keenlyside, Petersen, Larmore, Morris, Spence
Original Air Date: 03/27/2010
MOD Video
SID.20140752
This is the only Met broadcast of the Thomas work. Keenlyside has a commercial DVD in the same production with Dessay from Barcelona 2004. Petersen was a late substitute for Dessay for the whole run. Larmoreis especially vivid as Gertrude, part of her movement into dramatic mezzo/soprano parts.
AIDA:Verdi
Luisotti; Netrebko, Rachvelishvili, Antonenko, Kelsey, Belosselskiy, Speedo Green
Original Air Date: 10/06/2018
Live in HDMOD Video
SID.20150107
In what should be a highlight of the new season, soprano Anna Netrebko sings her first Met Aida, going toe-to-toe with mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili as Amneris. Later in the season, a second star-studded cast takes over, with Sondra Radvanovsky and Dolora Zajick as the leading ladies.Tenors Aleksandrs Antonenko and Yonghoon Lee alternate as Radamès, and Nicola Luisotti and Plácido Domingo take the podium for the Met’s monumental production. Production a gift of Mrs. Donald D. Harrington Revival a gift of Viking Cruises
SUSANNAH:Floyd
Conlon; Fleming, Hadley, Ramey
Original Air Date: 04/03/1999
MOD Audio
SID.20150210
This is the Met’s only broadcast of Susannah, and finds all three principals on especially fine form. Even without the visual appeal, the opera makes an impact from the music alone. This was a highly successful Met repertory debut for the Carlisle Floyd opera and both Fleming and Ramey are extremely well cast. Conlon is very committed to the work, and it is a contemporary work that works almost as well in audio only as in the theatre with its sure-fire theatrics. One of the best efforts of the Met for both American and contemporary opera. This is one of Fleming’s very best outings, and Ramey and Hadley are well cast as well. One of the better 20th century American operas.
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I PURITANI:Bellini
Bonynge; Gruberova, Merritt, Gavanelli, Plishka
Original Air Date: 03/30/1991
MOD Audio
SID.20150212
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)
ELEKTRA:Strauss
Böhm; Nilsson, Rysanek, Madeira, Stewart, Nagy
Original Air Date: 02/27/1971
MOD Audio
SID.20150213
This performance marks Madeira’s Met farewell, and reveals some of the vocal weakness that is surely partly resultant from her illness and death a little more than a year later. The rest of the cast, and especially Bohm are white hot. For Madeira at her best, go to the Bohm studio with Inge Borkh as Elektra. A very satisfying recording on all counts.
RIGOLETTO:Verdi
Cleva; Merrill, Peters, Tucker, Giaiotti, Dunn
Original Air Date: 02/22/1964
MOD Audio
SID.20150214
Amazingly Merrill (debut 1946) and Tucker (debut 1945) are also around eight years later in 1972 for them sharing their final Rigoletto broadcast. Peters who sang Gilda at the Met as late as 1985 did not broadcast it after 1967. Dunn,Giaiotti, and Macurdy are outstandingly strong support. 1/16/12 – This has recently been released in the Sony Historic Broadcasts. All of the singers are fine, and the technical command of these full voiced singers could teach some more lyric singers the art of bel canto. Giaiotti was a stalwart of the Met bass contingent in the 60s, 70s, 80s. Giaiotti also has one broadcast Monterone which also includes Dunn, and MacNeil in his first Rigoletto broadcast. This has not been on Sirius and I would love to hear it. The performance is also on MetPlayer.
SUSANNAH:Floyd
Conlon; Fleming, Hadley, Ramey
Original Air Date: 04/03/1999
MOD Audio
SID.20150428
This is the Met’s only broadcast of Susannah, and finds all three principals on especially fine form. Even without the visual appeal, the opera makes an impact from the music alone. This was a highly successful Met repertory debut for the Carlisle Floyd opera and both Fleming and Ramey are extremely well cast. Conlon is very committed to the work, and it is a contemporary work that works almost as well in audio only as in the theatre with its sure-fire theatrics. One of the best efforts of the Met for both American and contemporary opera. This is one of Fleming’s very best outings, and Ramey and Hadley are well cast as well. One of the better 20th century American operas.
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I PURITANI:Bellini
Bonynge; Gruberova, Merritt, Gavanelli, Plishka
Original Air Date: 03/30/1991
MOD Audio
SID.20150430
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)
ELEKTRA:Strauss
Böhm; Nilsson, Rysanek, Madeira, Stewart, Nagy
Original Air Date: 02/27/1971
MOD Audio
SID.20150432
This performance marks Madeira’s Met farewell, and reveals some of the vocal weakness that is surely partly resultant from her illness and death a little more than a year later. The rest of the cast, and especially Bohm are white hot. For Madeira at her best, go to the Bohm studio with Inge Borkh as Elektra. A very satisfying recording on all counts.
RIGOLETTO:Verdi
Cleva; Merrill, Peters, Tucker, Giaiotti, Dunn
Original Air Date: 02/22/1964
MOD Audio
SID.20150533
Amazingly Merrill (debut 1946) and Tucker (debut 1945) are also around eight years later in 1972 for them sharing their final Rigoletto broadcast. Peters who sang Gilda at the Met as late as 1985 did not broadcast it after 1967. Dunn,Giaiotti, and Macurdy are outstandingly strong support. 1/16/12 – This has recently been released in the Sony Historic Broadcasts. All of the singers are fine, and the technical command of these full voiced singers could teach some more lyric singers the art of bel canto. Giaiotti was a stalwart of the Met bass contingent in the 60s, 70s, 80s. Giaiotti also has one broadcast Monterone which also includes Dunn, and MacNeil in his first Rigoletto broadcast. This has not been on Sirius and I would love to hear it. The performance is also on MetPlayer.
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I PURITANI:Bellini
Bonynge; Gruberova, Merritt, Gavanelli, Plishka
Original Air Date: 03/30/1991
MOD Audio
SID.20150643
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)
SUSANNAH:Floyd
Conlon; Fleming, Hadley, Ramey
Original Air Date: 04/03/1999
MOD Audio
SID.20150645
This is the Met’s only broadcast of Susannah, and finds all three principals on especially fine form. Even without the visual appeal, the opera makes an impact from the music alone. This was a highly successful Met repertory debut for the Carlisle Floyd opera and both Fleming and Ramey are extremely well cast. Conlon is very committed to the work, and it is a contemporary work that works almost as well in audio only as in the theatre with its sure-fire theatrics. One of the best efforts of the Met for both American and contemporary opera. This is one of Fleming’s very best outings, and Ramey and Hadley are well cast as well. One of the better 20th century American operas.
ELEKTRA:Strauss
Böhm; Nilsson, Rysanek, Madeira, Stewart, Nagy
Original Air Date: 02/27/1971
MOD Audio
SID.20150749
This performance marks Madeira’s Met farewell, and reveals some of the vocal weakness that is surely partly resultant from her illness and death a little more than a year later. The rest of the cast, and especially Bohm are white hot. For Madeira at her best, go to the Bohm studio with Inge Borkh as Elektra. A very satisfying recording on all counts.
RODELINDA:Handel
Summers; Fleming, Scholl, van Rensburg, Blythe, Dumaux, Relyea
Original Air Date: 05/06/2006
MOD Video
SID.20160102
This performance in the second season of the production and Scholl’s first appearance at the Met. There was a third broadcast which includes an HD moviecast of Rodelinda with Fleming and Scholl under Bicket (whom I prefer to Summers) but the intervening 4 years do not benefit either Fleming or Scholl. This video is available also in MOoD so you can compare for yourself. I like Scholl much more than David Daniels so this is my preferred Rodelinda.
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Rudolf, Siepi, Conner, de los Angeles, Guarrera, Miller
Original Air Date: 04/07/1956
MOD Audio
SID.20160106
I don’t remember this performance specifcally, but Siepi and de los Angeles are among my favorite Figaro and Countess. What is so critical in a FIgaro is the conductor and Max Rudolf was starting to fill in some of the assignments Stiedry had regularly commanded. I’ll be checking this performance out to see if it merits the many positive comments from Jackson. I’m not as taken with Conner and Guarrera as Jackson is, but the overall performance is worthwhile.
DIE WALKÜRE:Wagner
Mitropoulos; Harshaw, Edelmann, Schech, Vinay, Thebom, Böhme
Original Air Date: 02/02/1957
MOD Audio
SID.20160212
Mitropoulos is not often heard in Wagner, but he is alert to the drama at all times. Unfortunately, there are a number of cuts even in parts of the Todesverkundigung (about 4.5 minutes there by my check). Still, this is a performance worth hearing. Harshaw is a stalwart Brunnhilde, and Edelmann was not yet in terminal Ochs voice. I also like Vinay very much, but he is not to everyone’s taste. One of MY highlights for the week.
SALOME:Strauss
Böhm; Nilsson, Liebl, Dalis, Cassel, Shirley
Original Air Date: 03/13/1965
MOD Audio
SID.20160214
This is an absolute MUST. Mercifully it’s on Met Player (at least for North America). Bohm and Nilsson are ablaze. I saw two performance this first season of the Rennert/Heinrich production and as much as I loved the Solti recording, and later Nilsson with Solti and CSO at Carnegie Hall, Bohm and Nilsson burned ever so brightly, and the conductor threw in a concert Don Juan before the Salome to warm the orchestra up. I added Ernst Wiemann who as First Nazarene makes his presence known, and he was part of excellent Met singers in secondary parts. The supporting cast is very strongly cast (the five Jews and the Nazarenes Ernst Wiemann and the recently deceased Calvin Marsh are very distinctive. One of the great performances captured, with Nilsson in her only broadcast Met Salome, and it’s a humdinger. Liebl and Dalis both in the new Rennert production and their vivid singing contribute strongly, but in the end it’s a Birgit and Karl show.
BORIS GODUNOV:Mussorgsky
Gergiev; Semenchuk, Antonenko, Balashov, Nikitin, Pape, Petrenko, Ognovenko
Original Air Date: 10/23/2010
Live in HDMOD Video
SID.20160215
ORFEO ED EURIDICE:Gluck
Rudolf; Stevens, Amara, Cundari
Original Air Date: 01/18/1958
MOD Audio
SID.20160318
The strongest thing about this performance is Rudolf’s conducting. Stevens was definitely a star Orfeo, but she’s never an audio favorite of mine. A very great artist outstanding advocate for American artists , and the role of the arts in general. She had quite a following, but her audios alone do not make a career. She is still with us, and may she have many more years. For me this is much too late for Stevens (She retires in 1960). I did check Paul Jackson’s authoritative volume on Met broadcasts– and he’s at his best in the 40s and 50s, but has nothing to say about this performance. This performance has been on before and is on MOoD.
RODELINDA:Handel
Summers; Fleming, Scholl, van Rensburg, Blythe, Dumaux, Relyea
Original Air Date: 05/06/2006
MOD Video
SID.20160320
This performance in the second season of the production and Scholl’s first appearance at the Met. There was a third broadcast which includes an HD moviecast of Rodelinda with Fleming and Scholl under Bicket (whom I prefer to Summers) but the intervening 4 years do not benefit either Fleming or Scholl. This video is available also in MOoD so you can compare for yourself. I like Scholl much more than David Daniels so this is my preferred Rodelinda.
SALOME:Strauss
Böhm; Nilsson, Liebl, Dalis, Cassel, Shirley
Original Air Date: 03/13/1965
MOD Audio
SID.20160425
This is an absolute MUST. Mercifully it’s on Met Player (at least for North America). Bohm and Nilsson are ablaze. I saw two performance this first season of the Rennert/Heinrich production and as much as I loved the Solti recording, and later Nilsson with Solti and CSO at Carnegie Hall, Bohm and Nilsson burned ever so brightly, and the conductor threw in a concert Don Juan before the Salome to warm the orchestra up. I added Ernst Wiemann who as First Nazarene makes his presence known, and he was part of excellent Met singers in secondary parts. The supporting cast is very strongly cast (the five Jews and the Nazarenes Ernst Wiemann and the recently deceased Calvin Marsh are very distinctive. One of the great performances captured, with Nilsson in her only broadcast Met Salome, and it’s a humdinger. Liebl and Dalis both in the new Rennert production and their vivid singing contribute strongly, but in the end it’s a Birgit and Karl show.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Schick; Scotto, Alexander, Grillo, Dunlap, Schmorr
Original Air Date: 01/01/1966
MOD Audio
SID.20160428
This is *Scotto*’s first broadcast, after debuting the previous October. This EVENING broadcast had one of the more infamous Singers Roundtables as I remember (Milanov and Gedda come to mind) remember but alas we never get the interrmission features. I don’t much care for *Dunlap* as Sharpless, but *Scotto* is a major *Butterfly*.
DIE WALKÜRE:Wagner
Mitropoulos; Harshaw, Edelmann, Schech, Vinay, Thebom, Böhme
Original Air Date: 02/02/1957
MOD Audio
SID.20160430
Mitropoulos is not often heard in Wagner, but he is alert to the drama at all times. Unfortunately, there are a number of cuts even in parts of the Todesverkundigung (about 4.5 minutes there by my check). Still, this is a performance worth hearing. Harshaw is a stalwart Brunnhilde, and Edelmann was not yet in terminal Ochs voice. I also like Vinay very much, but he is not to everyone’s taste. One of MY highlights for the week.
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Rudolf, Siepi, Conner, de los Angeles, Guarrera, Miller
Original Air Date: 04/07/1956
MOD Audio
SID.20160533
I don’t remember this performance specifcally, but Siepi and de los Angeles are among my favorite Figaro and Countess. What is so critical in a FIgaro is the conductor and Max Rudolf was starting to fill in some of the assignments Stiedry had regularly commanded. I’ll be checking this performance out to see if it merits the many positive comments from Jackson. I’m not as taken with Conner and Guarrera as Jackson is, but the overall performance is worthwhile.