2019 Summer HD Festival

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. 

Aug
26
Mon
2019
RODELINDA
Aug 26 @ 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM


RODELINDA:Handel
Original Air Date: 05/06/2006
Summers; Fleming, Scholl, van Rensburg, Blythe, Dumaux, Relyea
MOD Video SID.19350105
This performance in the second season of the production and Scholl’s first appearance at the Met. There was a third broadcast which includes an HD moviecast of Rodelinda with Fleming and Scholl under Bicket (whom I prefer to Summers) but the intervening 4 years do not benefit either Fleming or Scholl. This video is available also in MOoD so you can compare for yourself. I like Scholl much more than David Daniels so this is my preferred Rodelinda.

Aug
28
Wed
2019
RODELINDA
Aug 28 @ 9:00 PM – 11:55 PM


RODELINDA:Handel
Original Air Date: 05/06/2006
Summers; Fleming, Scholl, van Rensburg, Blythe, Dumaux, Relyea
MOD Video SID.19350321
This performance in the second season of the production and Scholl’s first appearance at the Met. There was a third broadcast which includes an HD moviecast of Rodelinda with Fleming and Scholl under Bicket (whom I prefer to Summers) but the intervening 4 years do not benefit either Fleming or Scholl. This video is available also in MOoD so you can compare for yourself. I like Scholl much more than David Daniels so this is my preferred Rodelinda.

Aug
31
Sat
2019
RODELINDA
Aug 31 @ 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM


RODELINDA:Handel
Original Air Date: 05/06/2006
Summers; Fleming, Scholl, van Rensburg, Blythe, Dumaux, Relyea
MOD Video SID.19350638
This performance in the second season of the production and Scholl’s first appearance at the Met. There was a third broadcast which includes an HD moviecast of Rodelinda with Fleming and Scholl under Bicket (whom I prefer to Summers) but the intervening 4 years do not benefit either Fleming or Scholl. This video is available also in MOoD so you can compare for yourself. I like Scholl much more than David Daniels so this is my preferred Rodelinda.

Sep
17
Tue
2019
GIULIO CESARE
Sep 17 @ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM


GIULIO CESARE:Handel
Original Air Date: 04/17/1999
Nelson; Larmore, McNair, Daniels, Blythe, Asawa
MOD Audio SID.19380213
This is the first Met broadcast of Cesare as the 1988 production with Troyanos and Battle was not broadcast (a special shame because of Troyanos’ way with Handel) This was an early success for both Blythe and Daniels, but this is still not my work — too many countertenors and too few ensembles. Brian Asawa recently passed away, and was one of the major groundbreaking countertenors.

Sep
20
Fri
2019
GIULIO CESARE
Sep 20 @ 12:00 AM – 3:00 AM


GIULIO CESARE:Handel
Original Air Date: 04/17/1999
Nelson; Larmore, McNair, Daniels, Blythe, Asawa
MOD Audio SID.19380529
This is the first Met broadcast of Cesare as the 1988 production with Troyanos and Battle was not broadcast (a special shame because of Troyanos’ way with Handel) This was an early success for both Blythe and Daniels, but this is still not my work — too many countertenors and too few ensembles. Brian Asawa recently passed away, and was one of the major groundbreaking countertenors.

Sep
22
Sun
2019
GIULIO CESARE
Sep 22 @ 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM


GIULIO CESARE:Handel
Original Air Date: 04/17/1999
Nelson; Larmore, McNair, Daniels, Blythe, Asawa
MOD Audio SID.19380743
This is the first Met broadcast of Cesare as the 1988 production with Troyanos and Battle was not broadcast (a special shame because of Troyanos’ way with Handel) This was an early success for both Blythe and Daniels, but this is still not my work — too many countertenors and too few ensembles. Brian Asawa recently passed away, and was one of the major groundbreaking countertenors.

Dec
4
Wed
2019
RODELINDA
Dec 4 @ 9:00 PM – 11:55 PM


RODELINDA:Handel
Bicket; Fleming, Daniels, van Rensburg, Blythe, Mehta, Relyea
Original Air Date: 01/01/2005
MOD Audio
SID.19490321
Fleming is the star in all three seasons of Rodelinda at the Met, and the first two broadcasts from 2005 (this one) and 2006 have a major shift with Bicket handing over to Patrick Summers, and the lead countertenor role from David Daniels to Andreas Scholl. The telecast/moviecast is on Decca DVD and in MOoD comes five years later in 2011 and returns Bicket to the podium, but for my money finds Scholl in considerably diminished form compared to his excellent effort in 2006. I’m not a big fan of Handel, and while several of the individual arias are notable, the absence of ensembles (except for the glorious duet for Blythe with the lead countertenor) and the ABA aria style make for a long afternoon or evening of listening or watching. The comings and goings of Rodelinda at the Met are well documented in MOoD, and this first broadcast is a good place to start.

Dec
6
Fri
2019
RODELINDA
Dec 6 @ 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM


RODELINDA:Handel
Bicket; Fleming, Daniels, van Rensburg, Blythe, Mehta, Relyea
Original Air Date: 01/01/2005
MOD Audio
SID.19490532
Fleming is the star in all three seasons of Rodelinda at the Met, and the first two broadcasts from 2005 (this one) and 2006 have a major shift with Bicket handing over to Patrick Summers, and the lead countertenor role from David Daniels to Andreas Scholl. The telecast/moviecast is on Decca DVD and in MOoD comes five years later in 2011 and returns Bicket to the podium, but for my money finds Scholl in considerably diminished form compared to his excellent effort in 2006. I’m not a big fan of Handel, and while several of the individual arias are notable, the absence of ensembles (except for the glorious duet for Blythe with the lead countertenor) and the ABA aria style make for a long afternoon or evening of listening or watching. The comings and goings of Rodelinda at the Met are well documented in MOoD, and this first broadcast is a good place to start.

Dec
8
Sun
2019
RODELINDA
Dec 8 @ 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM


RODELINDA:Handel
Bicket; Fleming, Daniels, van Rensburg, Blythe, Mehta, Relyea
Original Air Date: 01/01/2005
MOD Audio
SID.19490744
Fleming is the star in all three seasons of Rodelinda at the Met, and the first two broadcasts from 2005 (this one) and 2006 have a major shift with Bicket handing over to Patrick Summers, and the lead countertenor role from David Daniels to Andreas Scholl. The telecast/moviecast is on Decca DVD and in MOoD comes five years later in 2011 and returns Bicket to the podium, but for my money finds Scholl in considerably diminished form compared to his excellent effort in 2006. I’m not a big fan of Handel, and while several of the individual arias are notable, the absence of ensembles (except for the glorious duet for Blythe with the lead countertenor) and the ABA aria style make for a long afternoon or evening of listening or watching. The comings and goings of Rodelinda at the Met are well documented in MOoD, and this first broadcast is a good place to start.

Jan
13
Mon
2020
GIULIO CESARE
Jan 13 @ 9:00 PM – 11:55 PM


GIULIO CESARE:Handel
Bicket; Daniels, Swenson, Coote, Bardon, Zazzo
Original Air Date: 04/21/2007
MOD Audio
SID.20030107
Bicket knows this turf well, but a countertenor Caesar doesn’t work for me, but the whole of the work is tough going for me. I leave it for others to comment. I’m not good with Caesar in the hands of a countertenor. The cast is solid, but I’m not a Handelian so caveat auditor. Handel is not my specialty, but Bicket gets consistently good notices for his handling of Baroque operas. Cesare is notable for a number of lovely arias for Cleopatra (and one of Sills’ calling card roles.)

Jan
15
Wed
2020
GIULIO CESARE
Jan 15 @ 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM


GIULIO CESARE:Handel
Bicket; Daniels, Swenson, Coote, Bardon, Zazzo
Original Air Date: 04/21/2007
MOD Audio
SID.20030319
Bicket knows this turf well, but a countertenor Caesar doesn’t work for me, but the whole of the work is tough going for me. I leave it for others to comment. I’m not good with Caesar in the hands of a countertenor. The cast is solid, but I’m not a Handelian so caveat auditor. Handel is not my specialty, but Bicket gets consistently good notices for his handling of Baroque operas. Cesare is notable for a number of lovely arias for Cleopatra (and one of Sills’ calling card roles.)

Jan
18
Sat
2020
GIULIO CESARE
Jan 18 @ 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM


GIULIO CESARE:Handel
Bicket; Daniels, Swenson, Coote, Bardon, Zazzo
Original Air Date: 04/21/2007
MOD Audio
SID.20030638
Bicket knows this turf well, but a countertenor Caesar doesn’t work for me, but the whole of the work is tough going for me. I leave it for others to comment. I’m not good with Caesar in the hands of a countertenor. The cast is solid, but I’m not a Handelian so caveat auditor. Handel is not my specialty, but Bicket gets consistently good notices for his handling of Baroque operas. Cesare is notable for a number of lovely arias for Cleopatra (and one of Sills’ calling card roles.)

Jan
22
Wed
2020
SAMSON
Jan 22 @ 12:00 AM – 3:00 AM


SAMSON:Handel
Rudel; Vickers, Mitchell, Te Kanawa
Original Air Date: 03/01/1986

SID.20040315
The Met did a “big house” Handel for Vickers, no HIP around here; it’s a particular treat to have Te Kanawa as the Israelite Woman. Vickers’ final two Met broadcasts are this Samson and the Saint-Saens Samson et Dalila with Horne. Neither are represented on MOoD and he never broadcast his Don Jose (one was scheduled in 1971 replaced by Domingo) Major lacunae for one of the all time Met legends.

Jan
23
Thu
2020
SAMSON
Jan 23 @ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM


SAMSON:Handel
Rudel; Vickers, Mitchell, Te Kanawa
Original Air Date: 03/01/1986

SID.20040427
The Met did a “big house” Handel for Vickers, no HIP around here; it’s a particular treat to have Te Kanawa as the Israelite Woman. Vickers’ final two Met broadcasts are this Samson and the Saint-Saens Samson et Dalila with Horne. Neither are represented on MOoD and he never broadcast his Don Jose (one was scheduled in 1971 replaced by Domingo) Major lacunae for one of the all time Met legends.

Jan
26
Sun
2020
SAMSON
Jan 26 @ 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM


SAMSON:Handel
Rudel; Vickers, Mitchell, Te Kanawa
Original Air Date: 03/01/1986

SID.20040746
The Met did a “big house” Handel for Vickers, no HIP around here; it’s a particular treat to have Te Kanawa as the Israelite Woman. Vickers’ final two Met broadcasts are this Samson and the Saint-Saens Samson et Dalila with Horne. Neither are represented on MOoD and he never broadcast his Don Jose (one was scheduled in 1971 replaced by Domingo) Major lacunae for one of the all time Met legends.

Feb
6
Thu
2020
AGRIPPINA
Feb 6 @ 7:30 PM – 11:45 PM


AGRIPPINA:Handel
Bicket; Rae, DiDonato, Lindsey, Davies, Rock, Rose
Original Air Date: 02/06/2020

SID.20060000
Handel’s tale of intrigue and impropriety in ancient Rome receives its first Met performances, with star mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as the controlling, power-hungry Agrippina and Harry Bicket conducting. Sir David McVicar’s production ingeniously reframes the action of this black comedy about the abuse of power to “the present,” where it should loudly resonate. The all-star cast features mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey as Agrippina’s son and future emperor Nerone, soprano Brenda Rae as the seductive Poppea, countertenor Iestyn Davies as the ambitious officer Ottone, and bass Matthew Rose as the weary emperor Claudius. This production was originally created by the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie / De Munt Brussels and adapted by the Metropolitan Opera

Feb
29
Sat
2020
AGRIPPINA
Feb 29 @ 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM


AGRIPPINA:Handel
Harry Bicket: Joyce DiDonato, Brenda Rae, Kate Lindsey, Iestyn Davies, Matthew Rose
Original Air Date: 02/29/2020
Live in HD
SID.20090640
Handel’s tale of intrigue and impropriety in ancient Rome receives its first Met performances, with star mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as the controlling, power-hungry Agrippina and Harry Bicket conducting. Sir David McVicar’s production ingeniously reframes the action of this black comedy about the abuse of power to “the present,” where it should loudly resonate. The all-star cast features mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey as Agrippina’s son and future emperor Nerone, soprano Brenda Rae as the seductive Poppea, countertenor Iestyn Davies as the ambitious officer Ottone, and bass Matthew Rose as the weary emperor Claudius. This production was originally created by the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie / De Munt Brussels and adapted by the Metropolitan Opera

Intermission
Backstage Pass 1 – HD Host Deborah Voigt interviews Joyce DiDonato
Backstage Pass 2 – HD Host Deborah Voigt interviews Brenda Rae and Iestyn Davies

Mary Jo Hearth interviews Evgeny Nikitin about Der Fliegende Hollände

Backstage Pass 3 – HD Host Deborah Voigt interviews Kate Lindsey and Matthew Rose

Apr
13
Mon
2020
RODELINDA
Apr 13 @ 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM


RODELINDA:Handel
Summers; Fleming, Scholl, van Rensburg, Blythe, Dumaux, Relyea
Original Air Date: 05/06/2006
MOD Video
SID.20160102
This performance in the second season of the production and Scholl’s first appearance at the Met. There was a third broadcast which includes an HD moviecast of Rodelinda with Fleming and Scholl under Bicket (whom I prefer to Summers) but the intervening 4 years do not benefit either Fleming or Scholl. This video is available also in MOoD so you can compare for yourself. I like Scholl much more than David Daniels so this is my preferred Rodelinda.

Apr
15
Wed
2020
RODELINDA
Apr 15 @ 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM


RODELINDA:Handel
Summers; Fleming, Scholl, van Rensburg, Blythe, Dumaux, Relyea
Original Air Date: 05/06/2006
MOD Video
SID.20160320
This performance in the second season of the production and Scholl’s first appearance at the Met. There was a third broadcast which includes an HD moviecast of Rodelinda with Fleming and Scholl under Bicket (whom I prefer to Summers) but the intervening 4 years do not benefit either Fleming or Scholl. This video is available also in MOoD so you can compare for yourself. I like Scholl much more than David Daniels so this is my preferred Rodelinda.

Apr
18
Sat
2020
RODELINDA
Apr 18 @ 12:00 AM – 3:00 AM


RODELINDA:Handel
Summers; Fleming, Scholl, van Rensburg, Blythe, Dumaux, Relyea
Original Air Date: 05/06/2006
MOD Video
SID.20160641
This performance in the second season of the production and Scholl’s first appearance at the Met. There was a third broadcast which includes an HD moviecast of Rodelinda with Fleming and Scholl under Bicket (whom I prefer to Summers) but the intervening 4 years do not benefit either Fleming or Scholl. This video is available also in MOoD so you can compare for yourself. I like Scholl much more than David Daniels so this is my preferred Rodelinda.

Apr
19
Sun
2020
RODELINDA
Apr 19 @ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM


RODELINDA:Handel
Summers; Fleming, Scholl, van Rensburg, Blythe, Dumaux, Relyea
Original Air Date: 05/06/2006
MOD Video
SID.20160754
This performance in the second season of the production and Scholl’s first appearance at the Met. There was a third broadcast which includes an HD moviecast of Rodelinda with Fleming and Scholl under Bicket (whom I prefer to Summers) but the intervening 4 years do not benefit either Fleming or Scholl. This video is available also in MOoD so you can compare for yourself. I like Scholl much more than David Daniels so this is my preferred Rodelinda.