DIE WALKÜRE:Wagner
Mitropoulos; Harshaw, Edelmann, Schech, Vinay, Thebom, Böhme
Original Air Date: 02/02/1957
MOD Audio
SID.20160642
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.
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*.
ADRIANA LECOUVREUR:Cilea
Noseda; Netrebko, Rachvelishvili, Beczala, Bosi, Maestri, Muraro
Original Air Date: 01/12/2019
Live in HDMOD Video
SID.20160647
Based on a play by Eugène Scribe, the story was inspired by the real-life intrigues of famed actress Adrienne Lecouvreur and the legendary soldier—and lover—Maurice of Saxony. Cilea’s operatic retelling quickly became a favorite of charismatic soloists. The title character in particular is a quintessential diva role. Drama Queen (Article by William Berger) “On New Year’s Eve, Francesco Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur returns to the Met with soprano Anna Netrebko in the touchstone title role. She teams up with tenor Piotr Beczała as her lover, Maurizio—a brilliant pairing of stars fresh off a joint triumph in performances of Adriana in Vienna. Mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili rounds out the all-star principal trio, and maestro Gianandrea Noseda is on the podium. Sir David McVicar’s new staging—the Met’s first new production of the work in more than half a century—embraces Cilea’s glamorous 18th-century Parisian setting but also mines for deeper artistic significance in an opera that is often underestimated.” (William Berger) Co-Production of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London; Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona; Wiener Staatsoper; San Francisco Opera; and L’Opéra National de Paris Production a gift of The Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Rudolf, Siepi, Conner, de los Angeles, Guarrera, Miller
Original Air Date: 04/07/1956
MOD Audio
SID.20160751
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.
DER ROSENKAVALIER:Strauss
Weigle; Garanca, Fleming, Groissböck, Morley, Brück, Polenzani
Original Air Date: 05/13/2017
MOD VideoLive in HD
SID.20160755
SALOME:Strauss
Böhm; Nilsson, Liebl, Dalis, Cassel, Shirley
Original Air Date: 03/13/1965
MOD Audio
SID.20160756
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.
ORFEO ED EURIDICE:Gluck
Rudolf; Stevens, Amara, Cundari
Original Air Date: 01/18/1958
MOD Audio
SID.20170101
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.
THE GREAT GATSBY:Harbison
Levine; Hadley, Upshaw, Croft, Graham, Baker, Lieberson
Original Air Date: 01/01/2000
MOD Audio
SID.20170102
Levine is a great promoter of Harbison’s work, but I miss the appeal. First appearance of Hunt Lieberson whose only other role was Didon in the new Troyens production whose broadcast marks Hunt Lieberson’s Met farewell in February 2003 before her untimely death in July 2006.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Davis; Workman, Battle, Blake, Capecchi, Montarsolo
Original Air Date: 03/13/1982
MOD Audio
SID.20170208
The Met Database shows this as previously rebroadcast on Sirius, but not recently. The plus is relatively early Battle performance, but she also has a 1988 telecast reissued on commercial DG DVD (still available per Amazon). The difference between William Workman and Leo Nucci on the DVD is considerable. I was surprised that this telecast is not in MOoD. In fact, the two videos there are the excellent DiDonato, Florez, Mattei performance rom the first season of Met LIve in HD, and the second last season’s Barbiere with Isabel Leonard, Brownlee, and Maltman. Surely this 1988 performance needs to be in MOoD.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20170210
The main attraction here is Pape’s first Gurnemanz. I was not much taken with Gergiev’s work, but the part is a good one for Domingo, and the rest of the cast are top tier. It’s certainly a change from Levine, and one of Domingo’s better German offerings. Because of the contributions of Pape and Gergiev, MOoD should have this performance as well. Pape is represented in the new production on video on MOoD and on DVD. There are a number of Parsifals that have not made it to either Sirius rebroadcast or MOoD. Broadcasts featuring Crespin (under Pretre, 1966) Varnay with Hotter, 1954, Dalis with Siepi and Stewart, 1971 and several interesting casts under Levine including Gwyneth Jones are all unrepresented.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20170211
The main attraction here is Pape’s first Gurnemanz. I was not much taken with Gergiev’s work, but the part is a good one for Domingo, and the rest of the cast are top tier. It’s certainly a change from Levine, and one of Domingo’s better German offerings. Because of the contributions of Pape and Gergiev, MOoD should have this performance as well. Pape is represented in the new production on video on MOoD and on DVD. There are a number of Parsifals that have not made it to either Sirius rebroadcast or MOoD. Broadcasts featuring Crespin (under Pretre, 1966) Varnay with Hotter, 1954, Dalis with Siepi and Stewart, 1971 and several interesting casts under Levine including Gwyneth Jones are all unrepresented.
EUGENE ONEGIN:Tchaikovsky
Ozawa; Leiferkus, Freni, Hadley, Svendén, Ghiaurov
Original Air Date: 12/19/1992
MOD Audio
SID.20170213
This is Freni’s second Met broadcast of Tatiana. In 1989 with Levine conducting, Hadley repeats with Hynninen in the title role, and Robert Lloyd as Gremin. The 1989 performance is available in MOoD. This is one of Ozawa’s two matinee broadcasts, the second one 16 years later in Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades. Ozawa is ok, but there’s plenty of fine Onegin conducting at the Met.
VANESSA:Barber
Mitropoulos; Steber, Gedda, Elias, Resnik, Tozzi
Original Air Date: 02/01/1958
MOD Audio
SID.20170214
Vanessa received its world premiere with this cast two weeks before this broadcast. Though Steber was not the first choice for the title role, she does some of her best broadcast singing on this. The Skating aria (later removed by Barber from the published score) has as many technical hurdles as any of Steber’s Mozart heroines, and she is up to them. The libretto gets its deserved criticisms, but Barber’s music has allowed the work to continue performances if none yet in the Met’s Lincoln Center theatre.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Davis; Workman, Battle, Blake, Capecchi, Montarsolo
Original Air Date: 03/13/1982
MOD Audio
SID.20170319
The Met Database shows this as previously rebroadcast on Sirius, but not recently. The plus is relatively early Battle performance, but she also has a 1988 telecast reissued on commercial DG DVD (still available per Amazon). The difference between William Workman and Leo Nucci on the DVD is considerable. I was surprised that this telecast is not in MOoD. In fact, the two videos there are the excellent DiDonato, Florez, Mattei performance rom the first season of Met LIve in HD, and the second last season’s Barbiere with Isabel Leonard, Brownlee, and Maltman. Surely this 1988 performance needs to be in MOoD.
THE GREAT GATSBY:Harbison
Levine; Hadley, Upshaw, Croft, Graham, Baker, Lieberson
Original Air Date: 01/01/2000
MOD Audio
SID.20170320
Levine is a great promoter of Harbison’s work, but I miss the appeal. First appearance of Hunt Lieberson whose only other role was Didon in the new Troyens production whose broadcast marks Hunt Lieberson’s Met farewell in February 2003 before her untimely death in July 2006.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20170428
The main attraction here is Pape’s first Gurnemanz. I was not much taken with Gergiev’s work, but the part is a good one for Domingo, and the rest of the cast are top tier. It’s certainly a change from Levine, and one of Domingo’s better German offerings. Because of the contributions of Pape and Gergiev, MOoD should have this performance as well. Pape is represented in the new production on video on MOoD and on DVD. There are a number of Parsifals that have not made it to either Sirius rebroadcast or MOoD. Broadcasts featuring Crespin (under Pretre, 1966) Varnay with Hotter, 1954, Dalis with Siepi and Stewart, 1971 and several interesting casts under Levine including Gwyneth Jones are all unrepresented.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20170429
The main attraction here is Pape’s first Gurnemanz. I was not much taken with Gergiev’s work, but the part is a good one for Domingo, and the rest of the cast are top tier. It’s certainly a change from Levine, and one of Domingo’s better German offerings. Because of the contributions of Pape and Gergiev, MOoD should have this performance as well. Pape is represented in the new production on video on MOoD and on DVD. There are a number of Parsifals that have not made it to either Sirius rebroadcast or MOoD. Broadcasts featuring Crespin (under Pretre, 1966) Varnay with Hotter, 1954, Dalis with Siepi and Stewart, 1971 and several interesting casts under Levine including Gwyneth Jones are all unrepresented.
EUGENE ONEGIN:Tchaikovsky
Ozawa; Leiferkus, Freni, Hadley, Svendén, Ghiaurov
Original Air Date: 12/19/1992
MOD Audio
SID.20170432
This is Freni’s second Met broadcast of Tatiana. In 1989 with Levine conducting, Hadley repeats with Hynninen in the title role, and Robert Lloyd as Gremin. The 1989 performance is available in MOoD. This is one of Ozawa’s two matinee broadcasts, the second one 16 years later in Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades. Ozawa is ok, but there’s plenty of fine Onegin conducting at the Met.
VANESSA:Barber
Mitropoulos; Steber, Gedda, Elias, Resnik, Tozzi
Original Air Date: 02/01/1958
MOD Audio
SID.20170533
Vanessa received its world premiere with this cast two weeks before this broadcast. Though Steber was not the first choice for the title role, she does some of her best broadcast singing on this. The Skating aria (later removed by Barber from the published score) has as many technical hurdles as any of Steber’s Mozart heroines, and she is up to them. The libretto gets its deserved criticisms, but Barber’s music has allowed the work to continue performances if none yet in the Met’s Lincoln Center theatre.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Davis; Workman, Battle, Blake, Capecchi, Montarsolo
Original Air Date: 03/13/1982
MOD Audio
SID.20170537
The Met Database shows this as previously rebroadcast on Sirius, but not recently. The plus is relatively early Battle performance, but she also has a 1988 telecast reissued on commercial DG DVD (still available per Amazon). The difference between William Workman and Leo Nucci on the DVD is considerable. I was surprised that this telecast is not in MOoD. In fact, the two videos there are the excellent DiDonato, Florez, Mattei performance rom the first season of Met LIve in HD, and the second last season’s Barbiere with Isabel Leonard, Brownlee, and Maltman. Surely this 1988 performance needs to be in MOoD.
THE GREAT GATSBY:Harbison
Levine; Hadley, Upshaw, Croft, Graham, Baker, Lieberson
Original Air Date: 01/01/2000
MOD Audio
SID.20170641
Levine is a great promoter of Harbison’s work, but I miss the appeal. First appearance of Hunt Lieberson whose only other role was Didon in the new Troyens production whose broadcast marks Hunt Lieberson’s Met farewell in February 2003 before her untimely death in July 2006.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20170647
The main attraction here is Pape’s first Gurnemanz. I was not much taken with Gergiev’s work, but the part is a good one for Domingo, and the rest of the cast are top tier. It’s certainly a change from Levine, and one of Domingo’s better German offerings. Because of the contributions of Pape and Gergiev, MOoD should have this performance as well. Pape is represented in the new production on video on MOoD and on DVD. There are a number of Parsifals that have not made it to either Sirius rebroadcast or MOoD. Broadcasts featuring Crespin (under Pretre, 1966) Varnay with Hotter, 1954, Dalis with Siepi and Stewart, 1971 and several interesting casts under Levine including Gwyneth Jones are all unrepresented.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20170648
The main attraction here is Pape’s first Gurnemanz. I was not much taken with Gergiev’s work, but the part is a good one for Domingo, and the rest of the cast are top tier. It’s certainly a change from Levine, and one of Domingo’s better German offerings. Because of the contributions of Pape and Gergiev, MOoD should have this performance as well. Pape is represented in the new production on video on MOoD and on DVD. There are a number of Parsifals that have not made it to either Sirius rebroadcast or MOoD. Broadcasts featuring Crespin (under Pretre, 1966) Varnay with Hotter, 1954, Dalis with Siepi and Stewart, 1971 and several interesting casts under Levine including Gwyneth Jones are all unrepresented.
EUGENE ONEGIN:Tchaikovsky
Ozawa; Leiferkus, Freni, Hadley, Svendén, Ghiaurov
Original Air Date: 12/19/1992
MOD Audio
SID.20170750
This is Freni’s second Met broadcast of Tatiana. In 1989 with Levine conducting, Hadley repeats with Hynninen in the title role, and Robert Lloyd as Gremin. The 1989 performance is available in MOoD. This is one of Ozawa’s two matinee broadcasts, the second one 16 years later in Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades. Ozawa is ok, but there’s plenty of fine Onegin conducting at the Met.
VANESSA:Barber
Mitropoulos; Steber, Gedda, Elias, Resnik, Tozzi
Original Air Date: 02/01/1958
MOD Audio
SID.20170751
Vanessa received its world premiere with this cast two weeks before this broadcast. Though Steber was not the first choice for the title role, she does some of her best broadcast singing on this. The Skating aria (later removed by Barber from the published score) has as many technical hurdles as any of Steber’s Mozart heroines, and she is up to them. The libretto gets its deserved criticisms, but Barber’s music has allowed the work to continue performances if none yet in the Met’s Lincoln Center theatre.