COSÌ FAN TUTTE:Mozart
Bicket; Car, Malfi, Stober, Bliss, Pisaroni, Finley
Original Air Date: 03/07/2020
SID.20100600
Coney Island once again comes to the stage of the Met with the first revival of Phelim McDermott’s popular staging inspired by the side shows of the boardwalk. The pairs of young lovers are a casting dream: soprano Nicole Car, mezzo-soprano Serena Malfi, tenor Ben Bliss, and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni, with the glorious bass-baritone Gerald Finley as the cynical Don Alfonso and the charming soprano Heidi Stober as the mischievous maid Despina. Harry Bicket conducts. Co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera In collaboration with Improbable
FIDELIO:Beethoven
Schneider; Meier, Botha, Fink, Salminen, Hong, Clarke
Original Air Date: 12/07/2002
MOD Audio
SID.20110102
Botha sings well enough, as does Fink with Meier and Schneider. Salminen does not appear often outside the Wagner repertory at the Met and this is a particularly congenial role for him. Schneider is not famous as an inspiring conductor. It’s not a weak cast. Available in MOoD
A Love Supreme: Ruth Bader Ginsburg:Anon
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Original Air Date: 03/09/2020
SID.20110103
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently sat down with SiriusXM to discuss one of her loves — classical opera. Fans can hear Ginsburg’s special, A Love Supreme: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Opera, on SiriusXM’s Met Opera Radio (Ch. 75). Recorded at the U.S. Supreme Court, Ginsburg hand-picked more than a dozen classics and commented on many of her favourites in conversation with Met Opera Radio Program Director Julie James. But this special goes beyond simple symphony commentary — Ginsburg also recalled the freeing act of experiencing a performance (which is likely no small feat in her seemingly tireless line of work) and dove into some of her earliest memories of opera. My passion for opera began in 1944, Ginsburg said. I was 11 years old and my aunt — who taught English in a middle school in Brooklyn, New York — took me to a high school where there was an abbreviated performance of La Gioconda. I was just blown away by it. I’d never heard such glorious music.
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Levine; Van Dam, Battle, Söderström, Hynninen, von Stade
Original Air Date: 02/07/1987
SID.20110104
This is the second year of the Ponnelle production, and plenty of interesting casting with Battle and von Stade the only holdovers. This is Montarsolo’s farewell, the real star is Levine welding the whole ensemble together.
DEATH IN VENICE:Britten
Bedford; Pears, Shirley Quirk, Velis
Original Air Date: 12/14/1974
MOD Audio
SID.20110105
The Met saw the USA premiere of Britten’s Death in Venice and for the Met debut of Peter Pears. His only other role at the Met was Captain Vere in Billy Budd four years later; fortunately both of Pears’ roles are on MOoD. Death in Venice can be a hard sit despite all the talent involved.
RIGOLETTO:Verdi
Stivender; MacNeil, Blegen, Alexander, Hines, Jones
Original Air Date: 03/03/1979
SID.20110106
This is MacNeil’s final Met broadcast of the title role– he has the house record at 102 (5 broadcasts); Sirius should roll out MacNeil’s first Rigoletto broadcast from 1960, when he is really in super-baritone form or even 1964 with Bergonzi’s first Duke broadcast. Blegen is tied for fourth after Peters (88!!!!!! one for every piano key), Pons, and Swenson who are tied for second. Blegen’s earlier broadcast is on Met Opera on Demand (MOoD) and she is one of my favorite Gildas. Alexander is a dependable Duke, but he has some stiff competition . He was a fine musician, marvelous colleague, and sustained among the most-wide ranging Met repertoire (and without need of transpositions). A very favored colleague of Sutherland, Caballe, Sills, and Levine.
L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI:Rossini
Levine; Horne, Ahlstedt, Montarsolo, Monk
Original Air Date: 01/04/1986
MOD Video
SID.20110107
This performance precedes the telecast by one week and that telecast is available in MOoD. For me, the distinction of the performance is mostly Montarsolo. Isabella is Horne’s second most performed role at 37 (Carmen unsurprisingly is first at 49) Her 3d is Adalgisa in Norma (all with Sutherland). MOD is 1/11/86 performance with same cast.
LA TRAVIATA:Verdi
Armiliato; Gheorghiu, Kaufmann, Michaels-Moore
Original Air Date: 02/11/2006
MOD Audio
SID.20110208
This is Kaufmann’s debut year, and Michaels-Moore is below the standard of Gheorghiu. Kaufmann is still a bit green at this point interesting to compare vocally to his current very high performance standard. AG was still the star; it’s one of her best roles.
DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG:Wagner
Ehrling; Stewart, Saunders, Cox, Leib, Macurdy, Riegel
Original Air Date: 04/17/1976
SID.20110209
Jackson in his execrably edited third volume of Met broadcast history makes Ehrling into a Swiss conductor, when of course he was a native Swede through and through. Stewart has a notable recording of Sachs for Bavarian Radio under Kubelik with Janowitz and Konya that can still be located on specialty labels (Fischer-Dieskau’s effort with Jochum on DG effectively blocked this from what would normally have been the logical label. Jean Cox recently passed on, and was the infamous Siegfried at my 1978 Chereau performance at Bayreuth– Kollo mimed and Cox sang from offstage as he did not know the complex staging. Arlene Saunders long a NYCO favorite finally gets to the Met towards the end of her career, but per Jackson is still quite a successful Eva. So lots of curiosity for this performance.
BILLY BUDD:Britten
Leppard; Stilwell, Pears, Morris, Glossop, Ward
Original Air Date: 03/31/1979
MOD Audio
SID.20110211
Pears created the role of Captain Vere three decades earlier, and James Morris’ Claggart is one of the great post-war assumptions. Luckily the Met has recently added the video of the 1997 telecast with the late Phillip Langridge as Vere, Dwayne Croft, and Morris once again being the evil anchor as Claggart. This 1979 performance is the first broadcast of the Met’s Budd production, and is Pears’ final Met appearance Much of this attention is surely coming because of the Britten centenary. One of the Met’s most distinguished productions.
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / PAGLIACCI:Mascagni / Leoncavallo
Cleva; Milanov, Tucker, Valentino / Amara, Baum, Merrill
Original Air Date: 04/13/1957
SID.20110212
The main feature here is Merrill’s Tonio which he only broadcast twice in his long Met career, this performance and in 1960 with a weaker Cavalleria cast. The Pagliacci is the same cast on both broadcasts. Warren really dominated Tonio during his lifetime, and MacNeil and Milnes in the latter part of Merrill’s career. Merrill is the voice for the prologue, and he also has an excellent commercial with Lorengar and McCracken.
ARABELLA:Strauss
Leinsdorf; Te Kanawa, Weikl, Battle, Rendall, Dunn, Gramm
Original Air Date: 03/05/1983
MOD Audio
SID.20110214
This new production was the first time in German at the Met. Te Kanawa sings beautifully but for anyone who has heard the prior broadcasts from Steber and Della Casa, it’s just not in the same league. Battle and Weikl are strong vocal support.
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA:Verdi
Levine; Pavarotti, Voigt, Pons, Shin, Dever
Original Air Date: 02/15/1997
SID.20110321
Except for Pavarotti, there is nothing of special distinction. Both of Pavarotti’s Met videos (1980 and 1991) of Ballo have more interest and they are both on MOoD. Levine only has three matinee broadcasts, 1991 (with Millo and Pavarotti), this broadcast, and a 2015 with Radvanovsky, Tamura (replacing Beczala) and Hvorostovsky. Better to add that one to the rotation.
THE GHOSTS OF VERSAILLES:Corigliano
Levine; Stratas, Hagegård, Quilico, Horne, Clark, Fleming
Original Air Date: 01/04/1992
MOD Video
SID.20110535
This was a basically successful Met commission and beautifully cast and prepared. Best experienced with the video from a telecast the next week), which is available from Levine’s 40th anniversary DVD package and in MOoD. The video really helps the work along. . Commissioned by the Met and with a libretto by William M. Hoffman, the work imagines an opera put on by the ghost of Beaumarchais for the ghost of Marie Antoinette and the other spectral residents of Versailles. The sold-out, seven-performance premiere run featured an all-star cast that included Teresa Stratas, Håkan Hagegård, Renée Fleming, Graham Clark, Gino Quilico, and Marilyn Horne.
DER FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER:Wagner
Valery Gergiev: Evgeny Nikitin, Anja Kampe, Sergey Skorokhodov, Franz-Josef Selig
Broadcast of performance from 03/10/2020
SID.20110640
The March 14 live performance and the LIVE IN HD Transmission have been canceled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and the recommendations of city, state and federal elected officials.
The broadcast will be of the Tuesday 3-10 performance taped as preparation for the Saturday Live in HD transmission.
François Girard, whose revelatory 2013 take on Parsifal set the recent Met standard for Wagner stagings, unveils a spellbinding new vision of the composer’s tale of a cursed sea captain doomed to sail the open ocean for eternity. With sweeping sets by John Macfarlane, Girard’s new production turns the Met stage into a rich, layered tableau reminiscent of a vast oil painting. Valery Gergiev conducts a brilliant cast led by bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin as the Dutchman, with German soprano Anja Kampe making her anticipated Met debut as the devoted Senta, whose selfless love is what the Dutchman seeks. Bass Franz-Josef Selig is her father, Daland, and tenor Sergey Skorokhodov is her deserted former lover, Erik. A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; Dutch National Opera, Amsterdam; The Abu Dhabi Festival; and Opéra de Québec
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RUSALKA:Dvorak
Nézet-Séguin; Fleming, Beczala, Magee, Zajick, Relyea
Original Air Date: 02/08/2014
Live in HD
SID.20120102
Read RWW’s Review of the Live in HD broadcast of this cast.
AIDA:Verdi
Schippers; Price, Bergonzi, Bumbry, Merrill, Hines
Original Air Date: 02/25/1967
MOD Audio
SID.20120103
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.
DIE WALKÜRE:Wagner
Szell; Traubel, Janssen, Bampton, Melchior, Thorborg, Kipnis
Original Air Date: 12/02/1944
MOD Audio
SID.20120104
Who cares about 1944 sound? Janssen is a bit lightweight as Wotan, but then there is Szell, Traubel, Melchior, Kipnis and Thorborg. Szell does not linger and the Met is not a great Wagner orchestra at this point. Traubel’s Todesverkundigung is nobility itself, but the cuts are wearying.
ANDREA CHÉNIER:Giordano
Rudel; Martinucci, Millo, Milnes, Kesling, Castle, Johnson
Original Air Date: 12/22/1990
MOD Audio
SID.20120105
This performance marks the 25th anniversary of Milnes’ Met debut, and he goes on to 1997. Millo and Martinucci are authentic Italianate performances with voices well suited to the roles, This is actually some of the best casting of the last 25 years for this opera.
DER ROSENKAVALIER:Strauss
Böhm; Fassbaender, Lear, Jungwirth, Mathis, Dooley
Original Air Date: 02/23/1974
SID.20120106
Evelyn Lear is a solid Marschallin, even if she is somewhat eclipsed by Fassbaender and Mathis, among the two best performers to ever do these roles. Bohm is in the pit, and Jungwirth is an excellent Ochs (as he is on the Solti Crespin commercial.)
LA CLEMENZA DI TITO:Mozart
Levine; Rolfe Johnson, von Otter, Vaness, Kirchschlager, Grant Murphy
Original Air Date: 12/06/1997
SID.20120107
Vaness and von Otter team up with Levine for Idomeneo also. Clemenza has some glorious moments, but I like Idomeneo better. One of Carol Vaness’s best efforts at the Met.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Varviso; Herlea, Grist, Shirley, Corena, Siepi
Original Air Date: 03/19/1966
MOD Audio
SID.20120208
This is Reri Grist’s debut year, and the broadcast comes three weeks later. Herlea had some success debuting in Don Carlo two years earlier. One does not get better than Corena and Siepi in these roles. As Barbieres go, this one is not bad. Corena and Siepi are absolute masters in these roles, and the rest of the cast is good to very good– Grist has made her debut a few weeks before this broadcast. Varviso has an excellent studio Barbiere with Berganza, but this is a fine cast, which in the case of Corena and Siepi is not surpassed. Herlea is not as impressive here as in his Rodrigo (Don Carlo) but still a decent Figaro. I prefer a mezzo Rosina, but Grist is a fine singer and under-represented.
GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG:Wagner
Levine; Eaglen, West, Salminen, Held, Wray, Naef
Original Air Date: 04/24/2004
SID.20120209
This is Eaglen’s final Met appearance, although not so marked yet in the database. Her 2000 broadcast is on MOoD with Stig Anderson and Eric Halvarson and Felicity Palmer’s Met debut as Waltraute. West was always a solid singer for me and I will take a listen to see how sounds vis a vis current competition, and Salminen is the standard for Hagen. But don’t expect too much from Eaglen. The tone had become significantly compromised by the final round of her Met performances.
GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG:Wagner
Levine; Eaglen, West, Salminen, Held, Wray, Naef
Original Air Date: 04/24/2004
SID.20120210
This is Eaglen’s final Met appearance, although not so marked yet in the database. Her 2000 broadcast is on MOoD with Stig Anderson and Eric Halvarson and Felicity Palmer’s Met debut as Waltraute. West was always a solid singer for me and I will take a listen to see how sounds vis a vis current competition, and Salminen is the standard for Hagen. But don’t expect too much from Eaglen. The tone had become significantly compromised by the final round of her Met performances.
I LOMBARDI:Verdi
Levine; Flanigan, Pavarotti, Beccaria, Plishka
Original Air Date: 01/15/1994
MOD Audio
SID.20120211
This is the Met’s only broadcast of Lombardi. Pavarotti is in both the December telecast and January broadcast and Ramey was in the premiere and telecast, Plishka in the audio broadcast. Neither Flanigan nor Beccaria are really up to this major assignment. Flanigan except for two Musettas the following fall, disappears from the Met roster. Her contributions to contemporary opera are significant, and she has some excellent work at NYCO, including a fine Lady Macbeth. Both this broadcast and the telecast a month earlier in December are on Met Opera on Demand (MOoD). The telecast was originally to have been Millo, but she left the production shortly after opening night. Ramey did the Met premiere (and telecast), but Plishka is on this broadcast. This broadcast is Beccaria’s Met farewell. Levine, the chorus, Pavarotti, and the bass deliver rather well some of Verdi’s lustiest music, but it’s far from the level of Ernani in terms of finish. In a week’s rotation, Lombardi is an interesting diversion. I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata to use its full name only got to the Met stage with this series of performances. Millo who originated the production was mostly replaced by Flanigan after 2 performances. Beccaria in a major part really is lacking in the face you want. Pavarotti of course gets La mia letizia, one of the great Verdian tenor arias; there is also the unforgettable trio (with violin obbligato) which Levine did for Gniewek as much as for himself. It’s not as good as either Ernani or Macbeth in my view, but several of the choruses are stirring, and with the newly energized Palumbo leadership, the Met could well revive this. The distinctive Pavarotti aside, the soprano and tenor parts could be very reasonably cast today. This performance at hand is also on MetPlayer.
COSÌ FAN TUTTE:Mozart
Summers; Diener, Groves, Graham, Gilfry, Upshaw, Pertusi
Original Air Date: 02/24/2001
SID.20120212
I only heard portions of this broadcast, where I thought Diener was a better than average Fiordiligi, and very good work from Susan Graham, though she appears four years earlier with Vaness and Isepp conducting a more interesting supporting cast- Marie McLaughlin, Richard Croft, Nathan Gunn, and William Shimell. I do not have strong memories of this performance, though Diener has solid Mozart credentials, and this is definitely prime time for Susan Graham.
LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT:Donizetti
Bonynge; Sutherland, Di Giuseppe, Sinclair, Corena
Original Air Date: 03/25/1972
SID.20120213
This is the first season of the production minus Pavarotti and Resnik. Both appear the following season in Sutherland’s second and final broadcast. Sutherland has a third season in 1983 with Kraus, but there was no matinee broadcast (the Sirius live broadcasts now capture portrayals, that used to just go missing). If Di Giuseppe does not have the star power of Pavarotti, he provides reasonable support for Sutherland, who is a complete charmer in the title role. I was surprised to discover she has twice as many Maries as Lily Pons. 8/23/11 – Di Giuseppe is not Pavarotti, but this is still a delightful broadcast.
DON CARLO:Verdi
Adler; Corelli, Rysanek, Herlea, Dalis, Tozzi, Uhde
Original Air Date: 03/07/1964
MOD Audio
SID.20120214
This performance is in the Sony Historical CD series. Corelli is the centerpiece, but he despite being in thrilling voice, is a bit of a mess. Rysanek has her moments, some very good, some not so good. Herlea is a successful debutant as Rodrigo, and Dalis a distinctive Eboli. The great Met Ebolis are shortly to arrive with Bumbry, Cossotto, Verrett and Zajick. This performance is heavily cut and Tozzi shows signs that his voice is no longer in prime condition, but one of the most beautiful voices ever in that prime.
Fabio Luisi: Joyce DiDonato, Juan Diego Flórez, Luca Pisaroni
Original Air Date 5/10/2014 SID.20120000
The live broadcast of La Cenerentola scheduled for March 21 has been canceled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation
Today’s Broadcast is of the LA CENERENTOLA performance from May 10, 2014
Single Intermission
HD Host Deborah Voigt interviews Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flórez about La Cenerentola
Mary Jo Heath inteviews General Manager Peter Gelb
Angelina…………….Joyce DiDonato
Prince Ramiro………..Juan Diego Flórez
Dandini……………..Pietro Spagnoli
Don Magnifico………..Alessandro Corbelli
Clorinda…………….Rachelle Durkin
Tisbe……………….Patricia Risley
Alidoro……………..Luca Pisaroni
Conductor……………Fabio Luisi
Recitative Accompanist: Dennis Giauque
Production…………..Cesare Lievi
Designer…………….Maurizio Balò
Lighting Designer…….Gigi Saccomandi
Choreographer………..Daniela Schiavone
Stage Director……….Eric Einhorn
TV Director………….Barbara Willis Sweete
Read RWW’s Review of this HD Broadcast
ARIADNE AUF NAXOS:Strauss
Davis; Norman, Cochran, Rolandi, Ewing, Weller, Duesing
Original Air Date: 01/05/1985
SID.20130102
RWW: This is Ms. Norman’s first season at the Met in her most frequent assumption. Cochran makes his Met farewell in his only sizable part–Vogelsang in Meistersinger does not qualify. He had a distinguished career in Frankfurt that did not translate to New York in terms of timing or repertory. I heard him when he was still at Curtis, and while very musical, lacked a star sound. Ewing is not a Composer to my taste (nor is Stratas), but hearing early Norman or the charming Rolandi is not a poor way to pass the time. Ariadne remains my favorite Strauss opera.