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.
TOSCA:Puccini
Original Air Date: 03/20/1999
Santi; Vaness, Pavarotti, Morris
MOD Audio SID.19340531
This is Pavarotti’s fifth and final Cavaradossi broadcast. I always find his voice a tad light for the role, but no one exceeds him in his honeyed delivery of the text. Vaness is a low wattage Tosca. Available on MOoD there is a 1995 performance of the Pav with Holleque and Pons. Best of all, at least for him is the 1978 telecast (on MOoD) and DVD with Verrett and MacNeil under Conlon.
MANON LESCAUT:Puccini
Original Air Date: 03/23/1968
Molinari-Pradelli; Tebaldi, Alexander, Guarrera, Michalski
SID.19350104
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).
MANON LESCAUT:Puccini
Original Air Date: 03/23/1968
Molinari-Pradelli; Tebaldi, Alexander, Guarrera, Michalski
SID.19350320
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).
MANON LESCAUT:Puccini
Original Air Date: 03/23/1968
Molinari-Pradelli; Tebaldi, Alexander, Guarrera, Michalski
SID.19350530
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).
LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST:Puccini
Original Air Date: 10/04/2018
Armiliato; Westbroek, Eyvazov, Bosi, Lucic, Simpson, Rose, Gradus
Live in HDMOD Video SID.19359995
Soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek sings Puccini’s gun-slinging heroine in this romantic epic of the Wild West, with the heralded return of tenor Jonas Kaufmann in the role of the outlaw she loves. Tenor Yusif Eyvazov also sings some performances. Baritone Željko Lučić is the vigilante sheriff Jack Rance, and Marco Armiliato conducts.
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).
LA BOHÈME:Puccini
Original Air Date: 01/20/1962
Rich; Amara, Morell, Hurley, Testi, Giaiotti
SID.19360104
Not much in this cast draws me except for Giaiotti’s only broadcast Colline. He was considered by many in the tier behind Siepi, Tozzi, and Hines. He was an anchor of the Met ensemble for almost 3 decades, and frequently encountered as Timur, Raimondo, and Ramfis. There are definitely more interesting Bohemes out there, and they are broadcast more frequently than this. Still not a plus in this week’s listings.
LA BOHÈME:Puccini
Original Air Date: 01/20/1962
Rich; Amara, Morell, Hurley, Testi, Giaiotti
SID.19360320
Not much in this cast draws me except for Giaiotti’s only broadcast Colline. He was considered by many in the tier behind Siepi, Tozzi, and Hines. He was an anchor of the Met ensemble for almost 3 decades, and frequently encountered as Timur, Raimondo, and Ramfis. There are definitely more interesting Bohemes out there, and they are broadcast more frequently than this. Still not a plus in this week’s listings.
LA BOHÈME:Puccini
Original Air Date: 01/20/1962
Rich; Amara, Morell, Hurley, Testi, Giaiotti
SID.19360530
Not much in this cast draws me except for Giaiotti’s only broadcast Colline. He was considered by many in the tier behind Siepi, Tozzi, and Hines. He was an anchor of the Met ensemble for almost 3 decades, and frequently encountered as Timur, Raimondo, and Ramfis. There are definitely more interesting Bohemes out there, and they are broadcast more frequently than this. Still not a plus in this week’s listings.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Original Air Date: 04/03/1976
Woitach; Zylis-Gara, Alexander, Casei, Uppman, Castel
SID.19370106
All three of ZG’s Cio-Cio Sans have been on Sirius 76 and 79 under Woitach, 81 under Fulton, though none have made it to Met Opera on Demand (MOoD). She is very solid, but we really need the Stella/Fernandi and Tucci/Bergonzi. Stella premiered the 1958 production and is probably her best broadcast representation. She deserves to be heard in this role.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Original Air Date: 04/03/1976
Woitach; Zylis-Gara, Alexander, Casei, Uppman, Castel
SID.19370422
All three of ZG’s Cio-Cio Sans have been on Sirius 76 and 79 under Woitach, 81 under Fulton, though none have made it to Met Opera on Demand (MOoD). She is very solid, but we really need the Stella/Fernandi and Tucci/Bergonzi. Stella premiered the 1958 production and is probably her best broadcast representation. She deserves to be heard in this role.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Original Air Date: 04/03/1976
Woitach; Zylis-Gara, Alexander, Casei, Uppman, Castel
SID.19370639
All three of ZG’s Cio-Cio Sans have been on Sirius 76 and 79 under Woitach, 81 under Fulton, though none have made it to Met Opera on Demand (MOoD). She is very solid, but we really need the Stella/Fernandi and Tucci/Bergonzi. Stella premiered the 1958 production and is probably her best broadcast representation. She deserves to be heard in this role.
TOSCA:Puccini
Original Air Date: 04/17/1965
Cleva; Crespin, Kónya, Merrill
SID.19380211
Crespin the first singer to repeat Tosca in more than a decade before the Met broadcast microphones. if you savor the Gallic tang with a dollop of Roman pepper, she is a fine Tosca. This performance has been on before, but they don’t overuse it. She was the first Tosca to repeat her Floria on the airwaves. Bing had 9 different Toscas from 1952 until 1968 when Crespin repeated with a slightly better cast. Both have been on Sirius. This broadcast finds her in marginally better voice, and is Merrill’s only Scarpia broadcast (he only has 12) and while no match dramatically for Warren or early MacNeil (Gobbi never broadcast the role from the Met), Merrill certainly has some vocal artillery to display. Arguably the most beautiful baritone voice and right up there at the very top in any vocal category.
TOSCA:Puccini
Original Air Date: 04/17/1965
Cleva; Crespin, Kónya, Merrill
SID.19380427
Crespin the first singer to repeat Tosca in more than a decade before the Met broadcast microphones. if you savor the Gallic tang with a dollop of Roman pepper, she is a fine Tosca. This performance has been on before, but they don’t overuse it. She was the first Tosca to repeat her Floria on the airwaves. Bing had 9 different Toscas from 1952 until 1968 when Crespin repeated with a slightly better cast. Both have been on Sirius. This broadcast finds her in marginally better voice, and is Merrill’s only Scarpia broadcast (he only has 12) and while no match dramatically for Warren or early MacNeil (Gobbi never broadcast the role from the Met), Merrill certainly has some vocal artillery to display. Arguably the most beautiful baritone voice and right up there at the very top in any vocal category.
TOSCA:Puccini
Original Air Date: 04/17/1965
Cleva; Crespin, Kónya, Merrill
SID.19380636
Crespin the first singer to repeat Tosca in more than a decade before the Met broadcast microphones. if you savor the Gallic tang with a dollop of Roman pepper, she is a fine Tosca. This performance has been on before, but they don’t overuse it. She was the first Tosca to repeat her Floria on the airwaves. Bing had 9 different Toscas from 1952 until 1968 when Crespin repeated with a slightly better cast. Both have been on Sirius. This broadcast finds her in marginally better voice, and is Merrill’s only Scarpia broadcast (he only has 12) and while no match dramatically for Warren or early MacNeil (Gobbi never broadcast the role from the Met), Merrill certainly has some vocal artillery to display. Arguably the most beautiful baritone voice and right up there at the very top in any vocal category.
LA BOHÈME:Puccini
Original Air Date: 01/25/1969
Adler; Tucci, Labò, Fenn, Walker, Díaz
SID.19390213
Not a gala Boheme, but it’s nice to have two Italians in the leads. Tucci was a first rate lyric soprano, and Labo sounds very major compared to some of the second tier guys who have been doing Puccini leads. February 1 is Labo’s birthday which he shares with a far more famous Mimi, Renata Tebaldi.
LA BOHÈME:Puccini
Original Air Date: 01/25/1969
Adler; Tucci, Labò, Fenn, Walker, Díaz
SID.19390425
Not a gala Boheme, but it’s nice to have two Italians in the leads. Tucci was a first rate lyric soprano, and Labo sounds very major compared to some of the second tier guys who have been doing Puccini leads. February 1 is Labo’s birthday which he shares with a far more famous Mimi, Renata Tebaldi.
LA BOHÈME:Puccini
Adler; Tucci, Labò, Fenn, Walker, Díaz
Original Air Date: 01/25/1969
SID.19390636
Not a gala Boheme, but it’s nice to have two Italians in the leads. Tucci was a first rate lyric soprano, and Labo sounds very major compared to some of the second tier guys who have been doing Puccini leads. February 1 is Labo’s birthday which he shares with a far more famous Mimi, Renata Tebaldi.
MANON LESCAUT:Puccini
Levine; Scotto, Domingo, Elvira, Capecchi
Original Air Date: 03/29/1980
SID.19400102
This performance is also available on video in MOoD. As an audio only performance, it ranks behind the two Bjorling broadcasts (1949 with Kirsten and 1956 with Albanese– the latter one of the great Met broadcasts thanks to the additional force of Mitropoulos in the pit). Though Tebaldi and Tucker were both great exponents of these roles, their 1959 broadcast together still seems to elude the Sirius programmers. Great shame, especially for her, as it’s one of her great afternoons. This 1980 broadcast is well worth listening to, but recent reactions to Scotto’s 1967 Butterfly and her 1982 Lady Macbeth found her tone even harder than remembered. Her style is impeccable, but her 45 year old Manon is pretty hard-edged.
MANON LESCAUT:Puccini
Levine; Scotto, Domingo, Elvira, Capecchi
Original Air Date: 03/29/1980
SID.19400423
This performance is also available on video in MOoD. As an audio only performance, it ranks behind the two Bjorling broadcasts (1949 with Kirsten and 1956 with Albanese– the latter one of the great Met broadcasts thanks to the additional force of Mitropoulos in the pit). Though Tebaldi and Tucker were both great exponents of these roles, their 1959 broadcast together still seems to elude the Sirius programmers. Great shame, especially for her, as it’s one of her great afternoons. This 1980 broadcast is well worth listening to, but recent reactions to Scotto’s 1967 Butterfly and her 1982 Lady Macbeth found her tone even harder than remembered. Her style is impeccable, but her 45 year old Manon is pretty hard-edged.
TURANDOT:Puccini
Nézet-Séguin; Goerke, Buratto, Aronica, Morris
Original Air Date: 10/03/2019
SID.19400426
Two of opera’s most thrilling dramatic sopranos, Christine Goerke and Nina Stemme, reprise their fierce portrayals of the title princess. Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium to conduct Franco Zeffirelli’s dazzling production of Puccini’s final masterpiece, which also features tenors Yusif Eyvazov and Riccardo Massi as Calàf, sopranos Eleonora Buratto and Hibla Gerzmava as Liù, and bass-baritone James Morris as Timur.
MANON LESCAUT:Puccini
Levine; Scotto, Domingo, Elvira, Capecchi
Original Air Date: 03/29/1980
SID.19400746
This performance is also available on video in MOoD. As an audio only performance, it ranks behind the two Bjorling broadcasts (1949 with Kirsten and 1956 with Albanese– the latter one of the great Met broadcasts thanks to the additional force of Mitropoulos in the pit). Though Tebaldi and Tucker were both great exponents of these roles, their 1959 broadcast together still seems to elude the Sirius programmers. Great shame, especially for her, as it’s one of her great afternoons. This 1980 broadcast is well worth listening to, but recent reactions to Scotto’s 1967 Butterfly and her 1982 Lady Macbeth found her tone even harder than remembered. Her style is impeccable, but her 45 year old Manon is pretty hard-edged.
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TURANDOT:Puccini
Nézet-Séguin; Goerke, Buratto, Aronica, Morris
Original Air Date: 10/09/2019
SID.19410317
NYTIMES (Tommasini): Mr. Nézet-Séguin led an exciting and insightful account of Puccini’s “Turandot,” a revival of Franco Zeffirelli’s glittering, over-the-top and popular 1987 production. The strong cast was headed by the blazing soprano Christine Goerke as Puccini’s icy Princess Turandot, the ardent tenor Yusif Eyvazov as Calaf, and the plush-voiced soprano Eleonora Buratto as Liù. The chorus, during the crowd scenes, sounded superb. What stood out, though, was the textured, tart and lushly beautiful playing Mr. Nézet-Séguin drew from the orchestra. He seemed intent on making a case for Puccini’s final opera, first performed in 1926, nearly two years after the composer’s death, as a musically daring score — as contemporary, in its way, as any other opera of the 1920s.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Morandi; He, DeShong, Pretti, Szot
Original Air Date: 10/11/2019
SID.19410530
TURANDOT:Puccini
Original Air Date: 10/12/2019
Yannick Nézet-Séguin: Christine Goerke, Roberto Aronica, Eleonora Buratto, James Morris
Live in HD SID.19410000
TOSCA:Puccini
Molinari-Pradelli; Ross, Bergonzi, Colzani
Original Air Date: 12/12/1970
SID.19420214
Bergonzi has a memorable Cavaradossi in 1959 with Steber and London which is also available on Met Player. I remember hearing parts of this 1970, and Bergonzi is in better form for the earlier broadcast but still a master stylist. He actually does a third Cavaradossi on the airwaves in 1975 with Zylis-Gara and Bacquier under Erede (Met debut 1951! and long absent– now THAT performance interests me. My #1 Sirius omission remains the Stella Tosca of 1958 under MItropoulos. There are some uninspiring Tosca casts in the last 25 years, not as bad as Trovatore, but nothing that I panting for. This is a break from some of the more common Toscas on Sirius. Ross had a powerful voice and I saw her several times in Philadelphia (often partnered with Tucker in Turandot, Aida, and Gioconda). This is late in her career (not early for Bergonzi or Colzani) I’ll probably tune in to this to hear to see how late Ross sounds compared to some of today’s Toscas. It’s the Puccini work most in need of a rest, at least for me. Bergonzi broadcasts Cavaradossi three times, first in 1959 with Eleanor Steber and George London, and in 1975 with Teresa Zylis-Gara and Gabriel Bacquier under Alberto Erede. HIs last Met performance is Edgardo in 1988 with Lucia Aliberti and then eight years later appears in the James Levine 25th anniversary gala. The Steber performance is the best of the three performances, but Ross is worth checking out.
TOSCA:Puccini
Molinari-Pradelli; Ross, Bergonzi, Colzani
Original Air Date: 12/12/1970
SID.19420425
Bergonzi has a memorable Cavaradossi in 1959 with Steber and London which is also available on Met Player. I remember hearing parts of this 1970, and Bergonzi is in better form for the earlier broadcast but still a master stylist. He actually does a third Cavaradossi on the airwaves in 1975 with Zylis-Gara and Bacquier under Erede (Met debut 1951! and long absent– now THAT performance interests me. My #1 Sirius omission remains the Stella Tosca of 1958 under MItropoulos. There are some uninspiring Tosca casts in the last 25 years, not as bad as Trovatore, but nothing that I panting for. This is a break from some of the more common Toscas on Sirius. Ross had a powerful voice and I saw her several times in Philadelphia (often partnered with Tucker in Turandot, Aida, and Gioconda). This is late in her career (not early for Bergonzi or Colzani) I’ll probably tune in to this to hear to see how late Ross sounds compared to some of today’s Toscas. It’s the Puccini work most in need of a rest, at least for me. Bergonzi broadcasts Cavaradossi three times, first in 1959 with Eleanor Steber and George London, and in 1975 with Teresa Zylis-Gara and Gabriel Bacquier under Alberto Erede. HIs last Met performance is Edgardo in 1988 with Lucia Aliberti and then eight years later appears in the James Levine 25th anniversary gala. The Steber performance is the best of the three performances, but Ross is worth checking out.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Morandi; He, DeShong, Pretti, Szot
Original Air Date: 10/18/2019
SID.19420533
Leading sopranos Hui He and Ana María Martínez share the heartbreaking title role of the doomed geisha, with tenors Piero Pretti and Andrea Carè as the American naval officer who abandons her. Paulo Szot and Markus Brück share the role of Sharpless, and Elizabeth DeShong is Suzuki, alternating with Maria Zifchak. Pier Giorgio Morandi is on the podium for Anthony Minghella’s sweeping production, a perennial audience favorite.
TOSCA:Puccini
Molinari-Pradelli; Elinor Ross, Bergonzi, Anselmo Colzani, Plishka, Franke, Sgarro
Original Air Date: 12/12/1970
SID.19420744
Bergonzi has a memorable Cavaradossi in 1959 with Steber and London which is also available on Met Player. Bergonzi is in better form for the earlier broadcast but still a master stylist. He actually does a third Cavaradossi on the airwaves in 1975 with Zylis-Gara and Bacquier under Erede (Met debut 1951! and long absent– now THAT performance interests me. #1 Sirius omission remains the Stella Tosca of 1958 under MItropoulos. There are some uninspiring Tosca casts in the last 25 years, not as bad as Trovatore. This is a break from some of the more common Toscas on Sirius. Ross had a powerful voice. She appeared several times in Philadelphia (often partnered with Tucker in Turandot, Aida, and Gioconda). This is late in her career (not early for Bergonzi or Colzani) tune in to this to hear how late Ross sounds compared to some of today’s Toscas. It’s the Puccini work most in need of a rest. Bergonzi broadcasts Cavaradossi three times, first in 1959 with Eleanor Steber and George London, and in 1975 with Teresa Zylis-Gara and Gabriel Bacquier under Alberto Erede. HIs last Met performance is Edgardo in 1988 with Lucia Aliberti and then eight years later appears in the James Levine 25th anniversary gala. The Steber performance is the best of the three performances, but Ross is worth checking out.
LA BOHÈME:Puccini
Armiliato; Pérez, Kulchynska, Polenzani, Bizic, Zhilikhovsky, Park, Woodley
Original Air Date: 10/25/2019
SID.19430535
Three casts of captivating artists bring Puccini’s classic tragedy of bohemian friends and lovers to life in Franco Zeffirelli’s immortal staging. Tenors Matthew Polenzani, Roberto Alagna, and Joseph Calleja trade off as the exuberant Rodolfo, alongside sopranos Ailyn Pérez, Hei-Kyung Hong, and Maria Agresta as the fragile Mimì. Marco Armiliato and Emmanuel Villaume share conducting duties.