Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/17/1993
Levine; Jones, Johns, Salminen, Held, Plette, Troyanos
SID.19350641
This is one of Jones best Met performances, and 15 years after I saw her do it at Bayreuth. She’s in better voice for this than at the Festspielhaus. This is Troyanos’ farewell broadcast and her last run of anything at the Met. Johns is a very decent Siegfried,and Salminen a thrilling Hagen. The Three Norns are Mignon Dunn, Hanna Schwarz, and Susan Neves. That’s a lot of Stimme from all three ladies.
Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/17/1993
Levine; Jones, Johns, Salminen, Held, Plette, Troyanos
SID.19350642
This is one of Jones best Met performances, and 15 years after I saw her do it at Bayreuth. She’s in better voice for this than at the Festspielhaus. This is Troyanos’ farewell broadcast and her last run of anything at the Met. Johns is a very decent Siegfried,and Salminen a thrilling Hagen. The Three Norns are Mignon Dunn, Hanna Schwarz, and Susan Neves. That’s a lot of Stimme from all three ladies.
ERNANI:Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/17/1983
Levine; Pavarotti, Mitchell, Milnes, Raimondi
MOD Audio SID.19350743
This is the audio that goes with the video available on DVD. I love Ernani, and Pavarotti and Mitchell are quite good. Milnes and Raimondi are not my usual choices in this music; I prefer by a lot MacNeil and Siepi. Levine is lively, and a week with Ernani always makes me feel better. I think Pavarotti may only have one other run in this role (Verona?)but unusually Domingo’s Ernani total at the Met is lower — one.
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/17/1962
Santi; Bergonzi, Rysanek, Merrill, Rothenberger, Madeira
SID.19350744
This is the cast that premiered the new production a few weeks earlier, and brought Bergonzi’s matchless Riccardo to Met audiences. He would go on to sing it with the Met 33 times, a house record. Bergonzi has two distinguished studio recordings, and for anyone who saw his performance, it was one of the great assumptions of the postwar Met. He had no better Verdian role, and no other tenor so epitomized the virtues of Verdi’s music. July 13, was Bergonzi’s birthday, and we all truly wish him Cent’anni. Rysanek received good reviews, but the scrutiny of the broadcast microphones show more of a mixed bag. Rysanek does two more Amelias the following season and with a broadcast Don Carlo in 1964, Rysanek is done with Verdi at the Met. She continues at the Met for another 32 years with many distinguished performances, but Italian opera which was her original calling card (as Lady Macbeth) is gone from her repertory. Renato was one of Merrill’s best roles, and recently hearing him in 1963 with Nilsson and Tucker in this Ballo production on Sirius, Merrill makes a strong case for this as the third starring role. He dominated the broadcast airwaves in this role for close to two decades, and especially when he gets to Eri tu and the drawing of the lots, he really leaves competition inside and outside the Met far to the rear (Cappuccilli has a distinguished video from Covent Garden, and his mostly non-Met presence (debut and farewell as Germont on the same night) remains a great loss for the Met. Only Santi and Bergonzi are still with us, and I think Santi is still conducting. This is the cast of the premiere of the new production, and finds Rysanek in uneven form. Bergonzi, Merrill and Rothenberger are just about as good as you can get. Merrill is here in his 3d of 8 broadcasts of Renato from 1955-1975. Milnes breaks the chronology for 1 broadcast in 1973, otherwise if Ballo is on the radio, it’s Bob on board. The conspiracy scene is further strengthened by Giaiotti’s Sam.
SAMSON ET DALILA:Saint-Saëns
Original Air Date: 02/25/2006
Villaume; Forbis, Borodina, Lafont
SID.19350745
This is one of only two Met broadcasts of Samson with Borodina. The earlier one is the opening night of the 1998-1999 season (not a matinee broadcast) with Domingo which was subsequently issued on DVD and is available in MOoD. For my money Borodina is the best Dalila since Gorr, and one is better off with the 1998 performance. Villaume’s conducting of the 2006 performance is not without elan, but Borodina is who you want to hear on both performances, and she’s better in 1998. This is the most recent Samson broadcast, and is certainly worth a listen for Borodina, the most glamorous voice to have ever graced a Samson broadcast. Let me put in a pitch for the 1972 broadcast with Bumbry and McCracken in parts they are not widely heard in and you still have Bacquier setting the standard for High Priest.
LA TRAVIATA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 01/24/1959
Adler; Albanese, Valletti, Sereni
SID.19350746
This Is Albanese’s final Violetta broadcast her 10th. She is also the Met champion Violetta at 87 (Moffo has 80, then the ranks start to disperse rapidly. This is not my first choice Violetta (I never saw her in the part) but she is part of a Violetta tradition that has vanished. Happy that Sirius is broadcasting it. A few further Albanese Traviata notes– although she is the Violetta for Robert Merrill’s debut in 1945 (with Tucker but never with a broadcast microphone. Tucker, whose Alfredos go from 1945-1972 does not appear on the broadcast microphones for it after 1954 when the trio is Albanese, Tucker, Warren. Albanese also has a broadcast VIoletta with Bastianini and Prandelli in 1955. Sadly for the #1 Violetta in performances is not represented in MOoD. This 1959 is ok, but I would love to hear either the 1954 or 1955 on Sirius first.
LOHENGRIN:Wagner
Original Air Date: 02/01/1964
Rosenstock; Kónya, Crespin, Rankin, Cassel, Wiemann
SID.19350747
Bing generally avoided broadcasts as the first performance in a run, and this one could certainly have done with a few performances for the ensemble to gel. More cuts than we are used to, and Rosenstock is not the most inspiring leader. Konya is in excellent voice, and stands up to the best of the Lohengrins ever. Crespin is one of my favorites, and already by 1964 she could be uneven. Still I like an Elsa with metal for the second act confrontation with Ortrud and also the full throated singing she and Konya bring to the Bridal Chamber. Rankin and Cassel are up to the vocal demands if not always the distinction one would like, and Wiemann was an excellent house bass ready for all the Wagner roles. His phrasing is often a good deal more pleasing than Hines who had more significant vocal equipment. *** Bing generally avoided first performances of repertory as broadcasts, and sometimes things go rather bumpily (most infamously the Schwarzkopf Don Giovanni and the Moffo Lucia). This one does not find Crespin (a huge personal favorite) at her most settled, but she has her moments. Konya really is a fine Lohengrin and for a solid decade #1. The performance has some cuts as well, but by the middle of the second act, things are starting to fall into place.
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Original Air Date: 02/15/2003
Cambreling; Mattei, Radvanovsky, Furlanetto, Diener, Trost, Netrebko
MOD Audio SID.19350748
This Don Giovanni is a solid performance especially in key roles, and proof that not all fine performances are pre-1980. Radvanovsky and Netrebko have gone on to extraordinary careers, but Mattei and Furlanetto make for a fresh and effective pairing as the Don and Leporello (Mattei will reprise his DON later in the 2014-2015 season, but I don’t think Furlanetto does Leporello so much these days. I’ve listened to this performance thanks to previous Sirius appearances. Recommended. This performance is on Met Player, it’s a splendid afternoon. I saw an earlier performance with Mattei and found him one of the very best of recent Giovannis. I’m not forgetting Siepi, but Mattei managed to be both dark of drama and sunny of voice. The women are among the very best of recent trios, with Radvanovsky just starting to take off, Diener very solid, and Netrebko one of the lushest Zerlinas ever. Furlanetto is not chopped liver as Leporello, and Trost is OK. Not all fine performances took place 40 years ago.
MANON LESCAUT:Puccini
Original Air Date: 03/23/1968
Molinari-Pradelli; Tebaldi, Alexander, Guarrera, Michalski
SID.19350749
I am always happy to hear Manon Lescaut, and Alexander is an under-appreciated singer so happy to have him here, BUT Tebaldi’s greatness in the role is in the 1959 broadcast with Tucker (not yet broadcast on Sirius). Also on Met Player . Although this performance is available on Met Player, for some reason the Met keeps avoiding the 1959 performance with Tucker– he is represented with Kabaiwanska in a very decent performance from 1966. Once again I would call on the Met to restore to broadcast availability one of the remarkable unions of two Met legends of Tebaldi and Tucker. This 1968 performance captures Tebaldi after two long runs in Gioconda, and the voice was simply not the same. I yield to no one in my admiration of John Alexander, but it is still inexplicable to me that the 1959 broadcast with Tebaldi and Tucker remains un-rebroadcast, and this performance is in MOoD and regularly on Sirius. For Tebaldi, the 9 year span makes a huge difference. By the time of this broadcast she is well on her way through her Gioconda marathon after a vocal crisis in the early 60s. She has many wonderful moments, but surely Met listeners deserve to hear the Tucker/Tebaldi/Puccini combination one more time (I’ve written on the 1956 Tosca many times).
ANDREA CHÉNIER:Giordano
Original Air Date: 12/28/1957
Cleva; Tucker, Milanov, Warren, Elias, Lipton, Amparan
MOD Audio SID.19360102
Better is Corelli to Tucker, Tebaldi to Milanov, and Bastianini to Warren in these Chenier roles, but the last four decades have rarely brought one let alone three singers for these roles. So enjoy this 1957 cast with 1966 (which Sirius still hasn’t rebroadcast) with Tebaldi, Corelli, and Colzani probably the last one with such authentic style.
BENVENUTO CELLINI:Berlioz
Original Air Date: 12/27/2003
Levine; Giordani, Bayrakdarian, Del Carlo, Jepson, Lloyd
MOD Audio SID.19360103
This is the opera’s only broadcast from its only season. There is much lovely music along the way, but it does not have cumulative impact for me. Giordani copes not always pleasantly with an extremely challenging role. Twice a year for Cellini is just about the maximum desired cycling. Once a year would be enough especially since it’s in MOoD.
CARMEN:Bizet
Original Air Date: 01/09/1937
Papi; Ponselle, Rayner, Bodanya, Huehn
MOD Audio SID.19360105
This is the third oldest Met broadcast in the Sirius rebroadcast series (Gotterdammerung and Samson are older). The calling card is Ponselle whose Carmen was controversial even when she did it. A memento of her in live performance is also available on MOoD. This is one of the oldest broadcasts to appear on Sirius, and there isn’t much Ponselle around.
LA CLEMENZA DI TITO:Mozart
Original Air Date: 05/07/2005
Levine; Lopardo, von Otter, Diener, Connolly, Grant Murphy
MOD Audio SID.19360106
Levine’s conducting in Mozart is among his very great achievements, and this is one of von Otter’s best Met efforts. The Met’s first Clemenza 20 years earlier with two very fine singers no longer with us– Tatiana Troyanos and Elizabeth Connell, Levine again at the podium. This 2005 performance is Levine’s last Met broadcast of the work.
DIE WALKÜRE:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/23/1961
Leinsdorf; Nilsson, Edelmann, Kuchta, Vickers, Dalis, Wiemann
MOD Audio SID.19360209
The two real vocal standouts are Nilsson and Vickers, who would put down in London a few months later a marvelous studio version with George London, Rita Gorr, and Gre Brouwenstijn under Leinsdorf; the Valkyries are a particularly strong group, among the best ever. A positive word on Ernst Wiemann, a German Giaiotti : a strong voice with a solid technique and well schooled in the German repertoire. Dalis is an incisive Fricka.
DIE WALKÜRE:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/23/1961
Leinsdorf; Nilsson, Edelmann, Kuchta, Vickers, Dalis, Wiemann
MOD Audio SID.19360210
The two real vocal standouts are Nilsson and Vickers, who would put down in London a few months later a marvelous studio version with George London, Rita Gorr, and Gre Brouwenstijn under Leinsdorf; the Valkyries are a particularly strong group, among the best ever. A positive word on Ernst Wiemann, a German Giaiotti : a strong voice with a solid technique and well schooled in the German repertoire. Dalis is an incisive Fricka.
FAUST:Gounod
Original Air Date: 01/04/1958
Morel; Gedda, Güden, Hines, Merrill, Roggero
MOD Audio SID.19360211
Gedda (in his first season and his first broadcast) is extremely fine. This performance is also available on MOoD. The other bulwark is Robert Merrill’s Valentin. Guden and Hines are OK, but certainly not the first interpreter you would want to hear. Gedda and Merrill are top drawer, better stlll are several Marguerites to Guden, and Hines while earnest is far from Siepi’s league. Siepi has not one but TWO broadcast Fausts from the Met with Bjorling– 1950 and 1959 and these are long overdue for retransmission and listing in MOoD. Siepi has six broadcast Mephistopheles, only two of which have been on Sirius, the 1955 with Peerce and De Los Angeles and Merrill (also on MOoD) and 1964 with Morell and Moffo. This has been on before and Gedda and Merrill certainly are very fine in their parts, but the continue avoidance of the TWO Bjoerling (1950 and 1959 my preference is for 1959) broadcasts is a big gap in the Met broadcast legacy on Sirius. Where is the 1949 with Kirsten and DiStefano. The Morel is also on Met Player.
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L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI:Rossini
Original Air Date: 02/21/1981
Rescigno; Horne, Blake, Berberian, Bruscantini
MOD Audio SID.19360214
This is the third of Horne’s four Met Isabellas. She is a noted Rossinian, a great advocate for young singers. She totally dominates the Isabella roster at the Met, also see Borodina with Furlanetto in the 21st century. Baltsa who has a very limited Met career did bring her Rossini heroines to Chicago but her recordings are more interesting, and Berganza even more so. WIsh the 2004 Italiana with Borodina, Florez, and Furlanetto would be rebroadcast. The men especially are extremely fine.
AIDA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/11/1950
Cooper; Welitsch, Vinay, Harshaw, Merrill, Hines
MOD Audio SID.19360315
Welitsch has some powerful moments, and a pleasure to hear early Merrill in this role. He is the Met champion Amonasro with 72 (MacNeil is 71, and Amato 70)
ANDREA CHÉNIER:Giordano
Original Air Date: 12/28/1957
Cleva; Tucker, Milanov, Warren, Elias, Lipton, Amparan
MOD Audio SID.19360318
Better is Corelli to Tucker, Tebaldi to Milanov, and Bastianini to Warren in these Chenier roles, but the last four decades have rarely brought one let alone three singers for these roles. So enjoy this 1957 cast with 1966 (which Sirius still hasn’t rebroadcast) with Tebaldi, Corelli, and Colzani probably the last one with such authentic style.
BENVENUTO CELLINI:Berlioz
Original Air Date: 12/27/2003
Levine; Giordani, Bayrakdarian, Del Carlo, Jepson, Lloyd
MOD Audio SID.19360103
This is the opera’s only broadcast from its only season. There is much lovely music along the way, but it does not have cumulative impact for me. Giordani copes not always pleasantly with an extremely challenging role. Twice a year for Cellini is just about the maximum desired cycling. Once a year would be enough especially since it’s in MOoD.
CARMEN:Bizet
Original Air Date: 01/09/1937
Papi; Ponselle, Rayner, Bodanya, Huehn
MOD Audio SID.19360321
This is the third oldest Met broadcast in the Sirius rebroadcast series (Gotterdammerung and Samson are older). The calling card is Ponselle whose Carmen was controversial even when she did it. A memento of her in live performance is also available on MOoD. This is one of the oldest broadcasts to appear on Sirius, and there isn’t much Ponselle around.
LA CLEMENZA DI TITO:Mozart
Original Air Date: 05/07/2005
Levine; Lopardo, von Otter, Diener, Connolly, Grant Murphy
MOD Audio SID.19360422
Levine’s conducting in Mozart is among his very great achievements, and this is one of von Otter’s best Met efforts. The Met’s first Clemenza 20 years earlier with two very fine singers no longer with us– Tatiana Troyanos and Elizabeth Connell, Levine again at the podium. This 2005 performance is Levine’s last Met broadcast of the work.
?pubId=76009399001&videoId=5860078056001
L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI:Rossini
Original Air Date: 02/21/1981
Rescigno; Horne, Blake, Berberian, Bruscantini
MOD Audio SID.19360423
This is the third of Horne’s four Met Isabellas. She is a noted Rossinian, a great advocate for young singers. She totally dominates the Isabella roster at the Met, also see Borodina with Furlanetto in the 21st century. Baltsa who has a very limited Met career did bring her Rossini heroines to Chicago but her recordings are more interesting, and Berganza even more so. WIsh the 2004 Italiana with Borodina, Florez, and Furlanetto would be rebroadcast. The men especially are extremely fine.
DIE WALKÜRE:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/23/1961
Leinsdorf; Nilsson, Edelmann, Kuchta, Vickers, Dalis, Wiemann
MOD Audio SID.19360425
The two real vocal standouts are Nilsson and Vickers, who would put down in London a few months later a marvelous studio version with George London, Rita Gorr, and Gre Brouwenstijn under Leinsdorf; the Valkyries are a particularly strong group, among the best ever. A positive word on Ernst Wiemann, a German Giaiotti : a strong voice with a solid technique and well schooled in the German repertoire. Dalis is an incisive Fricka.
DIE WALKÜRE:Wagner
Original Air Date: 12/23/1961
Leinsdorf; Nilsson, Edelmann, Kuchta, Vickers, Dalis, Wiemann
MOD Audio SID.19360426
The two real vocal standouts are Nilsson and Vickers, who would put down in London a few months later a marvelous studio version with George London, Rita Gorr, and Gre Brouwenstijn under Leinsdorf; the Valkyries are a particularly strong group, among the best ever. A positive word on Ernst Wiemann, a German Giaiotti : a strong voice with a solid technique and well schooled in the German repertoire. Dalis is an incisive Fricka.
FAUST:Gounod
Original Air Date: 01/04/1958
Morel; Gedda, Güden, Hines, Merrill, Roggero
MOD Audio SID.19360427
Gedda (in his first season and his first broadcast) is extremely fine. This performance is also available on MOoD. The other bulwark is Robert Merrill’s Valentin. Guden and Hines are OK, but certainly not the first interpreter you would want to hear. Gedda and Merrill are top drawer, better stlll are several Marguerites to Guden, and Hines while earnest is far from Siepi’s league. Siepi has not one but TWO broadcast Fausts from the Met with Bjorling– 1950 and 1959 and these are long overdue for retransmission and listing in MOoD. Siepi has six broadcast Mephistopheles, only two of which have been on Sirius, the 1955 with Peerce and De Los Angeles and Merrill (also on MOoD) and 1964 with Morell and Moffo. This has been on before and Gedda and Merrill certainly are very fine in their parts, but the continue avoidance of the TWO Bjoerling (1950 and 1959 my preference is for 1959) broadcasts is a big gap in the Met broadcast legacy on Sirius. Where is the 1949 with Kirsten and DiStefano. The Morel is also on Met Player.
AIDA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/11/1950
Cooper; Welitsch, Vinay, Harshaw, Merrill, Hines
MOD Audio SID.19360531
Welitsch has some powerful moments, and a pleasure to hear early Merrill in this role. He is the Met champion Amonasro with 72 (MacNeil is 71, and Amato 70)
ANDREA CHÉNIER:Giordano
Original Air Date: 12/28/1957
Cleva; Tucker, Milanov, Warren, Elias, Lipton, Amparan
MOD Audio SID.19360636
Better is Corelli to Tucker, Tebaldi to Milanov, and Bastianini to Warren in these Chenier roles, but the last four decades have rarely brought one let alone three singers for these roles. So enjoy this 1957 cast with 1966 (which Sirius still hasn’t rebroadcast) with Tebaldi, Corelli, and Colzani probably the last one with such authentic style.
FAUST:Gounod
Original Air Date: 01/04/1958
Morel; Gedda, Güden, Hines, Merrill, Roggero
MOD Audio SID.19360637
Gedda (in his first season and his first broadcast) is extremely fine. This performance is also available on MOoD. The other bulwark is Robert Merrill’s Valentin. Guden and Hines are OK, but certainly not the first interpreter you would want to hear. Gedda and Merrill are top drawer, better stlll are several Marguerites to Guden, and Hines while earnest is far from Siepi’s league. Siepi has not one but TWO broadcast Fausts from the Met with Bjorling– 1950 and 1959 and these are long overdue for retransmission and listing in MOoD. Siepi has six broadcast Mephistopheles, only two of which have been on Sirius, the 1955 with Peerce and De Los Angeles and Merrill (also on MOoD) and 1964 with Morell and Moffo. This has been on before and Gedda and Merrill certainly are very fine in their parts, but the continue avoidance of the TWO Bjoerling (1950 and 1959 my preference is for 1959) broadcasts is a big gap in the Met broadcast legacy on Sirius. Where is the 1949 with Kirsten and DiStefano. The Morel is also on Met Player.
CARMEN:Bizet
Original Air Date: 01/09/1937
Papi; Ponselle, Rayner, Bodanya, Huehn
MOD Audio SID.19360638
This is the third oldest Met broadcast in the Sirius rebroadcast series (Gotterdammerung and Samson are older). The calling card is Ponselle whose Carmen was controversial even when she did it. A memento of her in live performance is also available on MOoD. This is one of the oldest broadcasts to appear on Sirius, and there isn’t much Ponselle around.