In this 11th year, over ten nights performances from the Met’s Live in HD series will be shown starting with a screening of FUNNY FACE in a special co-presentation with Film at Lincoln Center. Screenings run from August 23 through September 2. There will be 3000 seats in the Plaza in front of the Opera House with an additional standing room area. Cancellations due to thunder/lighting or high wind will not be rescheduled.
FALSTAFF:Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/03/1996
Levine; Plishka, Daniels, Quilico, Horne, Bonney, Groves
MOD Audio SID.19340532
Levine, Plishka, Bonney, and Horne are all in the 1992 revival which is on MOoD, but with Freni for Daniels, and Bruno Pola for Quilico. My experience with almost all of the Falstaff casting in the Levine era is OK, but not really an ensemble. We still keep having the Bernstein performance overlooked (LB’s only other Met broadcast beside Cavalleria) from 1964. The bad luck continues with Rosenstock’s conducting from 1965 and Amaducci’s conducting fom 1967. The Dohnanyi performance from 1972 features Gobbi in one of HIS two Met broadcasts (the other is Otello, no Scarpia on the Met airwaves alas) with Tebaldi, Resnik, Paskalis in sterling support. This should be in MOoD.
LULU:Berg
Original Air Date: 04/13/1985
Levine; Migenes, Mazura, Lear, Lewis, Foldi
SID.19340640
This performance was also issued in Sony’s Historical series on CD, but strikingly not in the Met Opera on Demand (MOoD) which features a performance from the season before with the same conductor, Figaro, Count, and Cherubino. Della Casa is swapped with Amara and Soderstrom (as Susanna) is swapped with Peters. Siepi is the chief attraction here. His Figaro is represented by 3 other Nozze performances, but strangely his Mephisto only has one streaming representation, but neither Bjorling (1950, 1959) nor a strong cast for his last turn at the microhones in 1969.
Original Air Date: 03/09/1974
Levine; Caballé, Gedda, Milnes, Díaz
MOD Audio SID.19340642
This is a performance where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If Caballe does not have every note in place, she is still very near the top of her considerable form, and the ensemble reflects the new production intensity and first appearance of a major Verdi opera in the Met repertory. Gedda has the most performances of Arrigo, the challenging tenor role. Tucker was scheduled for a run (including broadcast) the year he died, but none of the hearty tenors of the past had the right timing– no Corelli, Bergonzi, and only five for Domingo, and he was gone. This performance is available in Met Opera on Demand (MOoD) and is a strong performance.
FALSTAFF:Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/03/1996
Levine; Plishka, Daniels, Quilico, Horne, Bonney, Groves
MOD Audio SID.19350101
Levine, Plishka, Bonney, and Horne are all in the 1992 revival which is on MOoD, but with Freni for Daniels, and Bruno Pola for Quilico. My experience with almost all of the Falstaff casting in the Levine era is OK, but not really an ensemble. We still keep having the Bernstein performance overlooked (LB’s only other Met broadcast beside Cavalleria) from 1964. The bad luck continues with Rosenstock’s conducting from 1965 and Amaducci’s conducting fom 1967. The Dohnanyi performance from 1972 features Gobbi in one of HIS two Met broadcasts (the other is Otello, no Scarpia on the Met airwaves alas) with Tebaldi, Resnik, Paskalis in sterling support. This should be in MOoD.
ERNANI:Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/17/1983
Levine; Pavarotti, Mitchell, Milnes, Raimondi
MOD Audio SID.19350103
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.
DAS RHEINGOLD:Wagner
Original Air Date: 10/09/2010
Levine; Terfel, Croft, Owens, Blythe
Live in HD SID.19359991
RWW Review: My qualifications on Monday’s performance centered on the Giants, the Alberich, Wotan and the Loge, all OK, but not stellar. I thought all were much better this afternoon. I can’t explain the booing of Croft, but maybe he understood broadcast mics were there and was intent on best possible tone. His performance was one of the best vocal Loges I’ve ever heard today. Eric Owens’ voice sounded better and the Giants MUCH better. As for Terfel, I though his miking was a little muffled (only one of the singers) at times, but clearly this is was in the best voice of the performances I’ve heard (Opening Night-Sirius only for me), Monday, and today. Adam Diegel (Froh) and Dwayne Croft (Donner) even better today, and the split second hammerblow that was just a half second off on Monday was perfect today. There were lots of close-ups today, but also lots of framed scenes of two or more characters interacting.
My only real cavil about today was that the lighting for the NIbelheim scene was mostly washed out. In the theatre, it has a coppery ambience; the first and third scenes came off very well in the house. The final scene seemed even better today, and credit to LePage for timing the final moments to keep applause mostly out until the music has done.
I would be remiss if I did not congratulate Levine on a tremendous performance, and Diegel and Blythe helped him on to the stage for bows at the end. I would call this the Legato Rheingold, not a clinker in the cast. The Met Orchestra is one of the elements that distinguishes their live broadcasts so much. LePage honored the text — there’s a RIng, there’s Rhinegold, a serpent (that came off better in the theatre than on the HD transmission), and a toad (even though it looked more like a bullfrog), and a rainbow bridge.
Strauss
Original Air Date: 04/18/1992
Levine; Daner, Voigt, Rysanek, Rootering, King
SID.19350107
This broadcast is best as a document of Rysanek’s only Met broadcast Klytemnestra, and Voigt in young, fresh voice. Daner sang all other performances of this new production, when Behrens cancelled after the premiere. I was at the premiere and kept wondering when the performance would be halted. Daner is a competent replacement, but nothing memorable. An annual cycling seems a bit excessive to me.
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE:Bartók
Original Air Date: 01/28/1989
Levine; Ramey, Norman
SID.19350208
What is defective about this is that in March of 2013 [and March 2015] the rebroadcast included the second work of the afternoon Schoenberg’s Erwartung with Norman. Rebroadcasting half the afternoon? I’ll try to be up and check and see if both works are actually on. Bluebeard with a much weaker cast is scheduled in a new production in 2014-2015 (the starrier fare of this season is Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta with Netrebko and Beczala. I find it a bit tone deaf to be honoring Norman’s 70th birthday with a broadcast that is incomplete and not yet honored in Met Opera on Demand or DVD for both the Bluebeard and the Erwartung. Although the Bartok is done in an English translation it was telecast as well. Norman is at her considerable best, and it would be nice if this performance could be issued somehow. Ramey is a very strong Bluebeard. It’s one of the few post 1977 videos not available in any form, either MOoD or DVD.
Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/17/1993
Levine; Jones, Johns, Salminen, Held, Plette, Troyanos
SID.19350209
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.19350210
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.
THE RAKE’S PROGRESS:Stravinsky
Original Air Date: 01/17/1998
Levine; Hadley, Upshaw, Ramey, Blythe
SID.19350316
This is a solid cast, but I find the Stravinsky work rather cold. We are not finished with the first quarter of 2016 and already we are on our second Rake’s Progress rotation for the year (different cast and performance) Is there a Stravinsky anniversary I’ve missed?
Strauss
Original Air Date: 04/18/1992
Levine; Daner, Voigt, Rysanek, Rootering, King
SID.19350317
This broadcast is best as a document of Rysanek’s only Met broadcast Klytemnestra, and Voigt in young, fresh voice. Daner sang all other performances of this new production, when Behrens cancelled after the premiere. I was at the premiere and kept wondering when the performance would be halted. Daner is a competent replacement, but nothing memorable. An annual cycling seems a bit excessive to me.
ERNANI:Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/17/1983
Levine; Pavarotti, Mitchell, Milnes, Raimondi
MOD Audio SID.19350319
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.
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE:Bartók
Original Air Date: 01/28/1989
Levine; Ramey, Norman
SID.19350424
What is defective about this is that in March of 2013 [and March 2015] the rebroadcast included the second work of the afternoon Schoenberg’s Erwartung with Norman. Rebroadcasting half the afternoon? I’ll try to be up and check and see if both works are actually on. Bluebeard with a much weaker cast is scheduled in a new production in 2014-2015 (the starrier fare of this season is Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta with Netrebko and Beczala. I find it a bit tone deaf to be honoring Norman’s 70th birthday with a broadcast that is incomplete and not yet honored in Met Opera on Demand or DVD for both the Bluebeard and the Erwartung. Although the Bartok is done in an English translation it was telecast as well. Norman is at her considerable best, and it would be nice if this performance could be issued somehow. Ramey is a very strong Bluebeard. It’s one of the few post 1977 videos not available in any form, either MOoD or DVD.
Wagner
Original Air Date: 04/17/1993
Levine; Jones, Johns, Salminen, Held, Plette, Troyanos
SID.19350425
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.19350426
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.
THE RAKE’S PROGRESS:Stravinsky
Original Air Date: 01/17/1998
Levine; Hadley, Upshaw, Ramey, Blythe
SID.19350532
This is a solid cast, but I find the Stravinsky work rather cold. We are not finished with the first quarter of 2016 and already we are on our second Rake’s Progress rotation for the year (different cast and performance) Is there a Stravinsky anniversary I’ve missed?
Strauss
Original Air Date: 04/18/1992
Levine; Daner, Voigt, Rysanek, Rootering, King
SID.19350533
This broadcast is best as a document of Rysanek’s only Met broadcast Klytemnestra, and Voigt in young, fresh voice. Daner sang all other performances of this new production, when Behrens cancelled after the premiere. I was at the premiere and kept wondering when the performance would be halted. Daner is a competent replacement, but nothing memorable. An annual cycling seems a bit excessive to me.
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE:Bartók
Original Air Date: 01/28/1989
Levine; Ramey, Norman
SID.19350640
What is defective about this is that in March of 2013 [and March 2015] the rebroadcast included the second work of the afternoon Schoenberg’s Erwartung with Norman. Rebroadcasting half the afternoon? I’ll try to be up and check and see if both works are actually on. Bluebeard with a much weaker cast is scheduled in a new production in 2014-2015 (the starrier fare of this season is Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta with Netrebko and Beczala. I find it a bit tone deaf to be honoring Norman’s 70th birthday with a broadcast that is incomplete and not yet honored in Met Opera on Demand or DVD for both the Bluebeard and the Erwartung. Although the Bartok is done in an English translation it was telecast as well. Norman is at her considerable best, and it would be nice if this performance could be issued somehow. Ramey is a very strong Bluebeard. It’s one of the few post 1977 videos not available in any form, either MOoD or DVD.
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.
THE RAKE’S PROGRESS:Stravinsky
Original Air Date: 01/17/1998
Levine; Hadley, Upshaw, Ramey, Blythe
SID.19360101
RP had its American premiere on the Texaco Met broadcasts, and Fritz Reiner led the premiere in 1952-53, but Erede did the two performance revival the following year. It then is out of the Met repertory for 46 seasons until the 1997-1998 season when it came in for nine performances in a new Jonathan Miller production. All the singers in this broadcast were well reviewed, so if RP is your cup of tea… MIller’s production is chillier than anything in the Stravinsky score. A five performance revival in 2003 was its last time out at the Met, with Ramey, Blythe, and Levine repeating. This is a solid cast, but the Stravinsky work can seem rather cold. This is a nice memento of Jerry Hadley in one of his best roles.
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.
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.
THE GHOSTS OF VERSAILLES:Corigliano
Original Air Date: 01/04/1992
Levine; Stratas, Hagegård, Quilico, Horne, Clark, Fleming
MOD Video SID.19360213
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.
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.
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.
THE GHOSTS OF VERSAILLES:Corigliano
Original Air Date: 01/04/1992
Levine; Stratas, Hagegård, Quilico, Horne, Clark, Fleming
MOD Video SID.19360529
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.
LA CLEMENZA DI TITO:Mozart
Original Air Date: 05/07/2005
Levine; Lopardo, von Otter, Diener, Connolly, Grant Murphy
MOD Audio SID.19360639
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.