“IL TROVATORE : Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/17/1973
Cast: Cillario; Domingo, Caballé, Cossotto, Merrill, Vinco
Media: MOD Audio SID.18090424 Tags: Archive; 2018, Domingo, Verdi
Caballe only has one broadcast among her 8 Leonoras, but she’s not the only one bidding farewell to Trovatore on the airwaves with this run-Domingo and Merrill were also concluding. The most successful performer for the afternoon is Cossotto in her first Azucena broadcast. She has two more concluding with her 16 years later effort with Millo, Pavarotti and Milnes (available on MOoD). It’s one of her best parts and she was one of the pre-eminent interpreters worldwide for 3 decades.”
“EUGENE ONEGIN : Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 02/24/2007
Cast: Gergiev; Hvorostovsky, Fleming, Vargas, Zaremba, Aleksashkin
Media: Live in HDMOD AudioMOD Video SID.18090426 Tags: Archive; 2018
This performance is on DVD, Met Player, and certainly the combination of Gergiev, Hvorostovsky and Fleming is all to the good. A performers giving A performances. I would like a better Gremin.”
“DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE : Mozart
Original Air Date: 03/04/1967
Cast: Krips; Raskin, Shirley, Uppman, Peters, Macurdy
Media: MOD Audio SID.18090529 Tags: Archive; 2018, Mozart
First year in the new house, the Chagall production premiered with the Europeans (Lorengar, Popp, Gedda, Prey) plus Hines, but the Americans in the cast above got the broadcast. I liked Krips conducting very much. Popp did broadcast her Queen 3 years later, but this performance has not been on Sirius.
Skrowacewski is the conductor, Zylis-Gara is the Pamina, but Popp, Gedda, Prey are all picked up from the premiere cast, and it’s the only German broadcasts of their roles. Sirius should definitely fill in this gap. In 1967 Macurdy was actually fresher of voice than Hines, but mostly this cast was definitely second class.
***First year in the new house, the Chagall production premiered with the Europeans (Lorengar, Popp, Gedda, Prey) plus Hines, but the Americans in the cast above got the broadcast. I liked Krips conducting very much. Popp did broadcast her Queen 3 years later, but this performance has not been on Sirius. Skrowacewski is the conductor, Zylis-Gara is the Pamina, but Popp, Gedda, Prey are all picked up from the premiere cast, and it’s the only German broadcasts of their roles. Sirius should definitely fill in this gap. In 1967 Macurdy was actually fresher of voice than Hines, but mostly this cast was definitely second class.”
“AIDA : Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/25/1967
Cast: Schippers; Price, Bergonzi, Bumbry, Merrill, Hines
Media: SID.18090534 Tags: Archive; 2018, Verdi
On paper this performance looks like the dream cast. It is not. Price who sang possibly her very best performance ever in the opening night Antony and Cleopatra six months earlier, sings much too much on
principal with a particularly vulgar opening of Ritorna vincitor. What is most sad is that her first two Aida broadcasts, the first with Gorr, Bergonzi, Sereni, Siepi, and Macurdy under Solti from 1963, the second from 1965 with Dalis, Tucker, Merrill, Ghiuselev, Michalski under Mehta have not been on Sirius. The first I remember vividly , and has been on private European pressings; it is one of the very best Met Aidas. Bergonzi is substantially stronger in 1963; The 1965 performance simply has Mehta as a better Aida conductor than Schippers.
Richard Tucker, whose career is not overlooked by the Sirius folk, has not managed to have his Radames on Sirius despite having broadcast the role with Nilsson, Price, and Arroyo. Bumbry is here in the first of her 3 broadcast Amnerises, and she is better with Arroyo which has been on Sirius.
Merrill is in remarkable voice 21 years after his debut (a few too many woofs, but still the most mellifluous Amonasro ever (though plenty of testosterone if not real anger). So here are 4 relatively recent Aidas (post 1960) which somehow can’t get to the airwaves. This 1967 is on Met Opera on Demand (MOoD) and also appears in the 2013 Verdi at the
Met bicentennial box, but it still does not rank as one of Price’s
best efforts, or one of the best modern Met Aidas.
***
Available in MOoD. This is also in the new Verdi box , but the missing
AIda should be the 1963 with Solti conducting Price, Gorr, Bergonzi, Siepi,
Macurdy. Bergonzi cracks in the Celeste AIda and neither Price nor Bumbry are at their best.
***
On paper this looks like dream casting, but starting with Sgarro (one really wants a major voice in the King, Sgarro is not) Price is not in the outstanding form she showed six months earlier in the Antony and Cleopatra world premiere. Bergonzi (despite a crazk in his Celeste Aida dimuendo), Bumbry and Merrill (esp. ) are in very fine form. Schippers is not my favorite Aida conductor, and he doesn’t get much of a tone out of the Met orchestra, though the chorus is on good form. This is on Met Player (along with the video of her farewell in 1985 and an audio with HOrne and McCracken. What is not on MetPlayer and has not been on either Sirius is Solti’s Met farewell staged opera (he also has a Verdi Requiem which has not been on Sirius) with Price, Gorr, Bergonzi, Sereni, Siepi. That is the performance that should be available.”
“LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT : Donizetti
Original Air Date: 01/06/1973
Cast: Bonynge; Sutherland, Pavarotti, Resnik, Corena
Media: MOD Audio SID.18090535 Tags: Archive; 2018, Pavarotti
Pavarotti may be a bit tight on the high Cs, but his voice is still remarkable, and this is the only broadcast with the Met premiere roster. Resnik and Corena are preferable to their competition. Sutherland is particularly treasurable. This performance is also available
on MOoD
***
From 1954 until 1976 Fernando Corena was the only Dr. Bartolo to appear on the Met airwaves. Of all Corena’s distinctive characterizations, none rank higher than Bartolo. It would be worthwhile for the Met to unearth its experimental taping (with NHK of Japan)from November 1968 so people could get a taste of his visuals as well. The byplay of Corena with Horne, as well as familiar bass clef tandem, Tozzi are a special delight. Cesare Siepi made his only Met appearances with Levine the following week ending his Met career succeeding Tozzi.
***
Pavarotti appears in a broadcast after his initial success with Sutherland. The Cs are already a bit chancy, but this is still a lot of thoroughbreds having a great time. It is also available in MOoD.
***
The Met got a little late to Pavarotti (several years after Covent Garden) in Fille and the C’s are more than a little nervous. Still, this is a fun outing if not as well turned out as the studio recording.
***
This is from the second season of FIlle, and Pavarotti’s only broadcast of Tonio. Lots of high spirits.”
“DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE : Mozart
Original Air Date: 03/04/1967
Cast: Krips; Raskin, Shirley, Uppman, Peters, Macurdy
Media: MOD Audio SID.18090638 Tags: Archive; 2018, Mozart
First year in the new house, the Chagall production premiered with the Europeans (Lorengar, Popp, Gedda, Prey) plus Hines, but the Americans in the cast above got the broadcast. I liked Krips conducting very much. Popp did broadcast her Queen 3 years later, but this performance has not been on Sirius.
Skrowacewski is the conductor, Zylis-Gara is the Pamina, but Popp, Gedda, Prey are all picked up from the premiere cast, and it’s the only German broadcasts of their roles. Sirius should definitely fill in this gap. In 1967 Macurdy was actually fresher of voice than Hines, but mostly this cast was definitely second class.
***First year in the new house, the Chagall production premiered with the Europeans (Lorengar, Popp, Gedda, Prey) plus Hines, but the Americans in the cast above got the broadcast. I liked Krips conducting very much. Popp did broadcast her Queen 3 years later, but this performance has not been on Sirius. Skrowacewski is the conductor, Zylis-Gara is the Pamina, but Popp, Gedda, Prey are all picked up from the premiere cast, and it’s the only German broadcasts of their roles. Sirius should definitely fill in this gap. In 1967 Macurdy was actually fresher of voice than Hines, but mostly this cast was definitely second class.”
“MADAMA BUTTERFLY : Puccini
Original Air Date: 03/03/2018
Cast: Armiliato; Jaho, Aronica, Zifchak, Frontali, Stevenson
Media: Live Broadcast SID.18090640 Tags: LIVE; 2018, Puccini
Anthony Minghella’s stunning production of Puccini’s heartbreaking opera, an instant Met classic since its 2006 premiere, returns with Hui He and Ermonela Jaho in the tragic title role of the trusting geisha. Roberto Aronica and Luis Chapa alternate as her callous American lover, Pinkerton, and Jader Bignamini and Marco Armiliato conduct. (metopera.org)
See the Program for the Program Notes by Albert Innaurato.”
“IL TROVATORE : Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/17/1973
Cast: Cillario; Domingo, Caballé, Cossotto, Merrill, Vinco
Media: MOD Audio SID.18090641 Tags: Archive; 2018, Domingo, Verdi
Caballe only has one broadcast among her 8 Leonoras, but she’s not the only one bidding farewell to Trovatore on the airwaves with this run-Domingo and Merrill were also concluding. The most successful performer for the afternoon is Cossotto in her first Azucena broadcast. She has two more concluding with her 16 years later effort with Millo, Pavarotti and Milnes (available on MOoD). It’s one of her best parts and she was one of the pre-eminent interpreters worldwide for 3 decades.”
“EUGENE ONEGIN : Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 02/24/2007
Cast: Gergiev; Hvorostovsky, Fleming, Vargas, Zaremba, Aleksashkin
Media: Live in HDMOD AudioMOD Video SID.18090743 Tags: Archive; 2018
This performance is on DVD, Met Player, and certainly the combination of Gergiev, Hvorostovsky and Fleming is all to the good. A performers giving A performances. I would like a better Gremin.”
“LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT : Donizetti
Original Air Date: 01/06/1973
Cast: Bonynge; Sutherland, Pavarotti, Resnik, Corena
Media: MOD Audio SID.18090745 Tags: Archive; 2018, Pavarotti
Pavarotti may be a bit tight on the high Cs, but his voice is still remarkable, and this is the only broadcast with the Met premiere roster. Resnik and Corena are preferable to their competition. Sutherland is particularly treasurable. This performance is also available
on MOoD
***
From 1954 until 1976 Fernando Corena was the only Dr. Bartolo to appear on the Met airwaves. Of all Corena’s distinctive characterizations, none rank higher than Bartolo. It would be worthwhile for the Met to unearth its experimental taping (with NHK of Japan)from November 1968 so people could get a taste of his visuals as well. The byplay of Corena with Horne, as well as familiar bass clef tandem, Tozzi are a special delight. Cesare Siepi made his only Met appearances with Levine the following week ending his Met career succeeding Tozzi.
***
Pavarotti appears in a broadcast after his initial success with Sutherland. The Cs are already a bit chancy, but this is still a lot of thoroughbreds having a great time. It is also available in MOoD.
***
The Met got a little late to Pavarotti (several years after Covent Garden) in Fille and the C’s are more than a little nervous. Still, this is a fun outing if not as well turned out as the studio recording.
***
This is from the second season of FIlle, and Pavarotti’s only broadcast of Tonio. Lots of high spirits.”
“DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER : Wagner
Original Air Date: 01/18/1992
Cast: Conlon; Morris, Behrens, Lakes, Salminen
Media: MOD Audio SID.18100104 Tags: Archive; 2018, Wagner
Salminen is the main interest of this performance. It comes relatively late in Behrens’ Met career”
“THE QUEEN OF SPADES : Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 04/10/1999
Cast: Gergiev; Domingo, Gorchakova, Söderström, Hvorostovsky, Borodina, Putilin
Media: MOD AudioMOD Video SID.18100208 Tags: Archive; 2018, Domingo
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.”
“PARSIFAL : Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/07/2001
Cast: Levine; Domingo, Urmana, Ketelsen, Tomlinson, Wlaschiha
Media: SID.18100209 Tags: Archive; 2018, Levine, Domingo
Domingo and Urmana are both impressive and appear also on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine.
***
This performance is also available in MOoD, possibly because of the
Domingo Levine linkage (Domingo and Urmana also are on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine.
***
This is also on Met Player and is from Urmana’s debut season (when she was still regularly singing mezzo) I am not a big fan of the Tomlinson tone, and Parsifal is a LONG opera.Domingo and Urmana are both impressive and appear also on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine. “
“PARSIFAL : Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/07/2001
Cast: Levine; Domingo, Urmana, Ketelsen, Tomlinson, Wlaschiha
Media: SID.18100210 Tags: Archive; 2018, Levine, Domingo
Domingo and Urmana are both impressive and appear also on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine.
***
This performance is also available in MOoD, possibly because of the
Domingo Levine linkage (Domingo and Urmana also are on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine.
***
This is also on Met Player and is from Urmana’s debut season (when she was still regularly singing mezzo) I am not a big fan of the Tomlinson tone, and Parsifal is a LONG opera.Domingo and Urmana are both impressive and appear also on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine. “
“DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER : Wagner
Original Air Date: 01/18/1992
Cast: Conlon; Morris, Behrens, Lakes, Salminen
Media: MOD Audio SID.18100320 Tags: Archive; 2018, Wagner
Salminen is the main interest of this performance. It comes relatively late in Behrens’ Met career”
“THE QUEEN OF SPADES : Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 04/10/1999
Cast: Gergiev; Domingo, Gorchakova, Söderström, Hvorostovsky, Borodina, Putilin
Media: MOD AudioMOD Video SID.18100424 Tags: Archive; 2018, Domingo
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.”
“PARSIFAL : Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/07/2001
Cast: Levine; Domingo, Urmana, Ketelsen, Tomlinson, Wlaschiha
Media: SID.18100425 Tags: Archive; 2018, Levine, Domingo
Domingo and Urmana are both impressive and appear also on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine.
***
This performance is also available in MOoD, possibly because of the
Domingo Levine linkage (Domingo and Urmana also are on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine.
***
This is also on Met Player and is from Urmana’s debut season (when she was still regularly singing mezzo) I am not a big fan of the Tomlinson tone, and Parsifal is a LONG opera.Domingo and Urmana are both impressive and appear also on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine. “
“PARSIFAL : Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/07/2001
Cast: Levine; Domingo, Urmana, Ketelsen, Tomlinson, Wlaschiha
Media: SID.18100426 Tags: Archive; 2018, Levine, Domingo
Domingo and Urmana are both impressive and appear also on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine.
***
This performance is also available in MOoD, possibly because of the
Domingo Levine linkage (Domingo and Urmana also are on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine.
***
This is also on Met Player and is from Urmana’s debut season (when she was still regularly singing mezzo) I am not a big fan of the Tomlinson tone, and Parsifal is a LONG opera.Domingo and Urmana are both impressive and appear also on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine. “
“DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER : Wagner
Original Air Date: 01/18/1992
Cast: Conlon; Morris, Behrens, Lakes, Salminen
Media: MOD Audio SID.18100636 Tags: Archive; 2018, Wagner
Salminen is the main interest of this performance. It comes relatively late in Behrens’ Met career”
“SEMIRAMIDE : Rossini
Original Air Date: 03/10/2018
Cast: Benini; Meade, DeShong, Abdrazakov, Camarena
Media: Live Broadcast SID.18100640 Tags: LIVE; 2018
This masterpiece of dazzling vocal fireworks makes a rare Met appearance—its first in nearly 25 years—with Maurizio Benini on the podium. The all-star bel canto cast features Angela Meade in the title role of the murderous Queen of Babylon, who squares off in breathtaking duets with Arsace, a trouser role sung by Elizabeth DeShong. Javier Camarena, Ildar Abdrazakov, and Ryan Speedo Green complete the stellar cast.
Production a gift of the Lila Acheson and DeWitt Wallace Fund for Lincoln Center, established by the founders of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
Revival a gift of Ekkehart Hassels-Weiler”
“THE QUEEN OF SPADES : Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 04/10/1999
Cast: Gergiev; Domingo, Gorchakova, Söderström, Hvorostovsky, Borodina, Putilin
Media: MOD AudioMOD Video SID.18100641 Tags: Archive; 2018, Domingo
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.”
“PARSIFAL : Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/07/2001
Cast: Levine; Domingo, Urmana, Ketelsen, Tomlinson, Wlaschiha
Media: SID.18100642 Tags: Archive; 2018, Levine, Domingo
Domingo and Urmana are both impressive and appear also on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine.
***
This performance is also available in MOoD, possibly because of the
Domingo Levine linkage (Domingo and Urmana also are on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine.
***
This is also on Met Player and is from Urmana’s debut season (when she was still regularly singing mezzo) I am not a big fan of the Tomlinson tone, and Parsifal is a LONG opera.Domingo and Urmana are both impressive and appear also on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine. “
“PARSIFAL : Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/07/2001
Cast: Levine; Domingo, Urmana, Ketelsen, Tomlinson, Wlaschiha
Media: SID.18100743 Tags: Archive; 2018, Levine, Domingo
Domingo and Urmana are both impressive and appear also on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine.
***
This performance is also available in MOoD, possibly because of the
Domingo Levine linkage (Domingo and Urmana also are on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine.
***
This is also on Met Player and is from Urmana’s debut season (when she was still regularly singing mezzo) I am not a big fan of the Tomlinson tone, and Parsifal is a LONG opera.Domingo and Urmana are both impressive and appear also on Gergiev’s Parsifal with Pape ). Tomlinson is the fly in the ointment for me in an audio only mode. There is no question of his authoritativeness, but the tone is not for me. The orchestral sound on this broadcast is particularly fine. “
“FAUST : Gounod
Original Air Date: 04/05/1997
Cast: Rudel; Leech, Fleming, Ramey, Croft, Bunnell
Media: MOD Audio SID.18110103 Tags: Archive; 2018
This is a fine performance with all performers at full throttle. Rudel has conducted his share of Fausts (many more at the NYCO than the Met), and I reacted most positively to the last time it was on. Fleming is in especially fine form. It’s one of her best roles –her best predecessor as Marguerite was Freni, who only did the part with the Met in the fall of 1966 and thus never broadcast it. Mention should be made of two other fine Marguerites Diania Soviero whose 1991 broacast has been picked up by Sirius and Pilar Lorengar’s 1969 broadcast with Gedda, Siepi, and Merrill under Silvio Varviso which has not been on Sirius and certainly deserves coverage.”
“DER FREISCHÜTZ : Weber
Original Air Date: 04/15/1972
Cast: Ludwig; Kónya, Lorengar, Feldhoff, Mathis
Media: MOD Audio SID.18110107 Tags: Archive; 2018
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.”
“DER ROSENKAVALIER : Strauss
Original Air Date: 01/29/2000
Cast: Levine; Graham, Fleming, Hawlata, Grant Murphy, Ketelsen
Media: MOD Audio SID.18110210 Tags: Archive; 2018, Levine, Strauss
This is Fleming and Graham’s first Met broadcast outing in Rosenkavalier, and both are in excellent voice. 10 years later they did it in HD with Levine replaced by Edo de Waart due to one his earlier illnesses. That video is in MOoD. This 2000 performance is well worth a listen, though I think Fleming and Graham rather defy the years in the HD.This is Cheryl Studer’s penultimate Met performance in her 39 performance Met career. The Met has cast Rosenkavalier more strongly, but Studer still has major Strauss credentials.”
“LUISA MILLER : Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/17/1968
Cast: Schippers; Caballé, Tucker, Milnes, Tozzi, Flagello, Pearl
Media: MOD Audio SID.18110211 Tags: Archive; 2018, Verdi
This production brought Luisa Miller into the mainstream repertory. Caballe is caught at close to her very best, Tucker in tremendous Indian summer form, and Milnes a big breakthrough for him into the core Verdi parts. This is also available on Sony Historical CD as well and its regular appearance is well deserved.”
“DER FREISCHÜTZ : Weber
Original Air Date: 04/15/1972
Cast: Ludwig; Kónya, Lorengar, Feldhoff, Mathis
Media: MOD Audio SID.18110316 Tags: Archive; 2018
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.”
“IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA : Rossini
Original Air Date: 12/16/1950
Cast: Erede; Valdengo, Pons, Di Stefano, Baccaloni, Hines
Media: MOD Audio SID.18110319 Tags: Archive; 2018
This performance is also available on Sony Historic CD. I always enjoy Valdengo, and Di Stefano is interesting, but Pons is almost NEVER to my taste. She has a long Met career and was a big star. It is not a faceless Barber, but I prefer Corena and gang from later years.”
“FAUST : Gounod
Original Air Date: 04/05/1997
Cast: Rudel; Leech, Fleming, Ramey, Croft, Bunnell
Media: MOD Audio SID.18110321 Tags: Archive; 2018
This is a fine performance with all performers at full throttle. Rudel has conducted his share of Fausts (many more at the NYCO than the Met), and I reacted most positively to the last time it was on. Fleming is in especially fine form. It’s one of her best roles –her best predecessor as Marguerite was Freni, who only did the part with the Met in the fall of 1966 and thus never broadcast it. Mention should be made of two other fine Marguerites Diania Soviero whose 1991 broacast has been picked up by Sirius and Pilar Lorengar’s 1969 broadcast with Gedda, Siepi, and Merrill under Silvio Varviso which has not been on Sirius and certainly deserves coverage.”