2019 Summer HD Festival

Donizetti
Original Air Date: 12/04/1982
Bonynge; Sutherland, Kraus, Elvira, Morris
MOD Video SID.19350211
Most people are very familiar with the telecast from November 13, 1982 which is on MOoD. The telecast which is also available on DVD features Plishka instead of Morris, and while Sutherland (age 56) and Kraus (55) are certainly veterans they have a lot to offer. MOD is video from 11-13-82 performance with Plishka for Morris

Donizetti
Original Air Date: 12/04/1982
Bonynge; Sutherland, Kraus, Elvira, Morris
MOD Video SID.19350427
Most people are very familiar with the telecast from November 13, 1982 which is on MOoD. The telecast which is also available on DVD features Plishka instead of Morris, and while Sutherland (age 56) and Kraus (55) are certainly veterans they have a lot to offer. MOD is video from 11-13-82 performance with Plishka for Morris

Donizetti
Original Air Date: 12/04/1982
Bonynge; Sutherland, Kraus, Elvira, Morris
MOD Video SID.19350637
Most people are very familiar with the telecast from November 13, 1982 which is on MOoD. The telecast which is also available on DVD features Plishka instead of Morris, and while Sutherland (age 56) and Kraus (55) are certainly veterans they have a lot to offer. MOD is video from 11-13-82 performance with Plishka for Morris

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 12/11/1999
Müller; Swenson, Vargas, Nucci, Pertusi
SID.19390103
Vargas did some very nice early Edgardos at the Met (I remember one with Futral) and Nucci should also be a strong Enrico. This is the second season for Swenson in a Nicholas Joel production she premiered which replaced the disastrous Zambello production. Solid support from the male contingent for her. If they’re going to put Anderson in MOoD (with Leech and Fu), Swenson should be as well, and this is a stronger male cast.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 12/11/1999
Müller; Swenson, Vargas, Nucci, Pertusi
SID.19390424
Vargas did some very nice early Edgardos at the Met (I remember one with Futral) and Nucci should also be a strong Enrico. This is the second season for Swenson in a Nicholas Joel production she premiered which replaced the disastrous Zambello production. Solid support from the male contingent for her. If they’re going to put Anderson in MOoD (with Leech and Fu), Swenson should be as well, and this is a stronger male cast.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Müller; Swenson, Vargas, Nucci, Pertusi
Original Air Date: 12/11/1999

SID.19390640
Vargas did some very nice early Edgardos at the Met (I remember one with Futral) and Nucci should also be a strong Enrico. This is the second season for Swenson in a Nicholas Joel production she premiered which replaced the disastrous Zambello production. Solid support from the male contingent for her. If they’re going to put Anderson in MOoD (with Leech and Fu), Swenson should be as well, and this is a stronger male cast.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Molinari-Pradelli; Scotto, Alexander, Sereni, Plishka
Original Air Date: 04/21/1973

SID.19430315
This is Scotto’s only Met broadcast of Lucia, even though she has two 39th street (old house) performances. Alexander is well suited to Edgardo and his Lucias include Sutherland, Moffo, Sills, Robinson, and Negri (his last in a Bronx Parks assignment). Sereni was a regular Enrico and Molinari-Pradelli is a solid maestro. Scotto the previous performance she cancelled after Act 1, and this broadcast is her final New York Lucia. She does do five tour Lucias after this broadcast. The male contingent is fairly standard B+ casting from the Met, not more, not less. This is the first Met broadcast of Lucia since the Moffo, Gedda performance (debut of Franci and Bruson) of 2/1/69 which is a performance not yet on Sirius, but Jackson spends some time on it (and I remember it like yesterday). This was a bad period at the Met for the Bride of Lammermoor.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Molinari-Pradelli; Scotto, Alexander, Sereni, Plishka
Original Air Date: 04/21/1973

SID.19430320
This is Scotto’s only Met broadcast of Lucia, even though she has two 39th street (old house) performances. Alexander is well suited to Edgardo and his Lucias include Sutherland, Moffo, Sills, Robinson, and Negri (his last in a Bronx Parks assignment). Sereni was a regular Enrico and Molinari-Pradelli is a solid maestro. Scotto the previous performance she cancelled after Act 1, and this broadcast is her final New York Lucia. She does do five tour Lucias after this broadcast. The male contingent is fairly standard B+ casting from the Met, not more, not less. This is the first Met broadcast of Lucia since the Moffo, Gedda performance (debut of Franci and Bruson) of 2/1/69 which is a performance not yet on Sirius, but Jackson spends some time on it (and I remember it like yesterday). This was a bad period at the Met for the Bride of Lammermoor.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Molinari-Pradelli; Scotto, Alexander, Sereni, Plishka
Original Air Date: 04/21/1973

SID.19430747
This is Scotto’s only Met broadcast of Lucia, even though she has two 39th street (old house) performances. Alexander is well suited to Edgardo and his Lucias include Sutherland, Moffo, Sills, Robinson, and Negri (his last in a Bronx Parks assignment). Sereni was a regular Enrico and Molinari-Pradelli is a solid maestro. Scotto the previous performance she cancelled after Act 1, and this broadcast is her final New York Lucia. She does do five tour Lucias after this broadcast. The male contingent is fairly standard B+ casting from the Met, not more, not less. This is the first Met broadcast of Lucia since the Moffo, Gedda performance (debut of Franci and Bruson) of 2/1/69 which is a performance not yet on Sirius, but Jackson spends some time on it. This was a bad period at the Met for the Bride of Lammermoor.

Donizetti
Varviso; Sutherland; Kónya, Herlea, Giaiotti
Original Air Date: 12/05/1964
MOD Audio
SID.19480212
This is Sutherland’s second broadcast Lucia, and not often heard. Konya is not my favorite Edgardo, but for those who don’t want to hear Bonynge, they get another figure at the podium.

Donizetti
Varviso; Sutherland; Kónya, Herlea, Giaiotti
Original Air Date: 12/05/1964
MOD Audio
SID.19480428
This is Sutherland’s second broadcast Lucia, and not often heard. Konya is not my favorite Edgardo, but for those who don’t want to hear Bonynge, they get another figure at the podium.

Donizetti
Varviso; Sutherland; Kónya, Herlea, Giaiotti
Original Air Date: 12/05/1964
MOD Audio
SID.19480531
This is Sutherland’s second broadcast Lucia, and not often heard. Konya is not my favorite Edgardo, but for those who don’t want to hear Bonynge, they get another figure at the podium.

Donizetti
Varviso; Sutherland, Tucker, Guarrera, Moscona
Original Air Date: 12/09/1961

SID.19520105
This was played around the time of Sutherland’s death in October 2010, but has not been in the rotation often. Sutherland and Tucker are quite a team in her debut role and season. I saw her in Dallas as Lucia about a month before the first Met appearance ( I think she also did San Francisco and Chicago in a jampacked American fall). The size of her voice in the early years still had the remnants of her dramatic soprano beginnings. Zeffirelli had taught her well in terms of movement, and the coloratura — to steal the Italians’ description for her– stupendous. Don’t miss this. Luckily all four of Sutherland’s broadcast seasons are in MOoD. She has her points in all of them. She has Tucker in two of the broadcasts, and Kraus in the telecast. The quality over a 21 period (1961-1983) from her is really remarkable.

Donizetti
Varviso; Sutherland, Tucker, Guarrera, Moscona
Original Air Date: 12/09/1961

SID.19520315
This was played around the time of Sutherland’s death in October 2010, but has not been in the rotation often. Sutherland and Tucker are quite a team in her debut role and season. I saw her in Dallas as Lucia about a month before the first Met appearance ( I think she also did San Francisco and Chicago in a jampacked American fall). The size of her voice in the early years still had the remnants of her dramatic soprano beginnings. Zeffirelli had taught her well in terms of movement, and the coloratura — to steal the Italians’ description for her– stupendous. Don’t miss this. Luckily all four of Sutherland’s broadcast seasons are in MOoD. She has her points in all of them. She has Tucker in two of the broadcasts, and Kraus in the telecast. The quality over a 21 period (1961-1983) from her is really remarkable.

Donizetti
Varviso; Sutherland, Tucker, Guarrera, Moscona
Original Air Date: 12/09/1961

SID.19520423
This was played around the time of Sutherland’s death in October 2010, but has not been in the rotation often. Sutherland and Tucker are quite a team in her debut role and season. I saw her in Dallas as Lucia about a month before the first Met appearance ( I think she also did San Francisco and Chicago in a jampacked American fall). The size of her voice in the early years still had the remnants of her dramatic soprano beginnings. Zeffirelli had taught her well in terms of movement, and the coloratura — to steal the Italians’ description for her– stupendous. Don’t miss this. Luckily all four of Sutherland’s broadcast seasons are in MOoD. She has her points in all of them. She has Tucker in two of the broadcasts, and Kraus in the telecast. The quality over a 21 period (1961-1983) from her is really remarkable.

Donizetti
Varviso; Sutherland, Tucker, Guarrera, Moscona
Original Air Date: 12/09/1961

SID.19520749
This was played around the time of Sutherland’s death in October 2010, but has not been in the rotation often. Sutherland and Tucker are quite a team in her debut role and season. I saw her in Dallas as Lucia about a month before the first Met appearance ( I think she also did San Francisco and Chicago in a jampacked American fall). The size of her voice in the early years still had the remnants of her dramatic soprano beginnings. Zeffirelli had taught her well in terms of movement, and the coloratura — to steal the Italians’ description for her– stupendous. Don’t miss this. Luckily all four of Sutherland’s broadcast seasons are in MOoD. She has her points in all of them. She has Tucker in two of the broadcasts, and Kraus in the telecast. The quality over a 21 period (1961-1983) from her is really remarkable.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Panni; Anderson, Leech, Fu, Plishka
Original Air Date: 12/12/1992
MOD Audio
SID.20040209
Nothing really saves this afternoon as can be read in the Met database listing for the second performance of this new production by Francesca Zambello which comes in for some pretty harsh treatment from Martin Mayer– far from my favorite critic, but I think he has the right bead on this performance if not the musical excellence of Lucia as a great musical achievement. A Volpe miscue of large proportions (18 performances this season). 9/3/2013 – From my comments then: This is the newly preferred Sirius Lucia which I don’t think is very good. It does feature the conducting of Marcello Panni, who died shortly after his run of La Juive at the Met.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Panni; Anderson, Leech, Fu, Plishka
Original Air Date: 12/12/1992
MOD Audio
SID.20040529
Nothing really saves this afternoon as can be read in the Met database listing for the second performance of this new production by Francesca Zambello which comes in for some pretty harsh treatment from Martin Mayer– far from my favorite critic, but I think he has the right bead on this performance if not the musical excellence of Lucia as a great musical achievement. A Volpe miscue of large proportions (18 performances this season). 9/3/2013 – From my comments then: This is the newly preferred Sirius Lucia which I don’t think is very good. It does feature the conducting of Marcello Panni, who died shortly after his run of La Juive at the Met.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Panni; Anderson, Leech, Fu, Plishka
Original Air Date: 12/12/1992
MOD Audio
SID.20040748
Nothing really saves this afternoon as can be read in the Met database listing for the second performance of this new production by Francesca Zambello which comes in for some pretty harsh treatment from Martin Mayer– far from my favorite critic, but I think he has the right bead on this performance if not the musical excellence of Lucia as a great musical achievement. A Volpe miscue of large proportions (18 performances this season). 9/3/2013 – From my comments then: This is the newly preferred Sirius Lucia which I don’t think is very good. It does feature the conducting of Marcello Panni, who died shortly after his run of La Juive at the Met.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Cleva; Callas, Votipka, McCracken, Sordello, Campora, Franke, Moscona
Original Air Date: 12/08/1956
MOD Audio
SID.20090103
The matinée of Lucia di Lammermoor on December 8, 1956, represents the sole Met broadcast of Maria Callas (1923-77). Callas’s Met career was frustratingly meager: in three seasons, she sang just twenty-one performances. Her company debut, in Norma, on October 29, 1956, was preceded by artistic triumphs in Europe and Chicago and an avalanche of pre-opening publicity; in his memoirs, Met general manager Rudolf Bing called Callas’s debut – undoubtedly the most exciting of all such in my time at the Metropolitan. The soprano’s first two Met seasons were colored by her dissatisfaction with some of the aging stagings in which the company presented her: the Lucia, for example, dated from 1942, although the soprano wore costumes designed by Ebe Colciaghi for a 1954 La Scala production. A disagreement with Bing over proposed repertory for 1958-59 ended with the diva’s well-publicized ‘firing’; Callas did not return to the Met until 1965, when she sang two Toscas, her final opera performances in the U.S. Callas’s Lucia conductor was Fausto Cleva (1902-71), the Trieste-born maestro who led seventeen of her Met appearances. The afternoon’s Edgardo was Italian lyric tenor Giuseppe Campora (1923-2004), who had joined the Met roster in 1955, as Rodolfo. Enzo Sordello (b. 1927), Callas’s Enrico, was the focus of the soprano’s wrath when she claimed that the Italian baritone held the final note of the ‘Se tradirmi’ duet too long; heard today, Sordello’s action seems the result of confusion rather than malice. Nevertheless, in his memoirs, Bing claims that he canceled the balance of the baritone’s contract after the Lucia matinée contretemps. Greek bass Nicola Moscona (1907-75) sang fifty-seven Lucia Raimondos during his twenty-five seasons with the company; the first of his more than 700 Met performances was as Ramfis in 1937. An even more impressive Lucia record-holder was Ohio-born soprano Thelma Votipka (1906-72), whose more than 1,400 Met performances during her twenty-nine seasons with the company included 116 Alisas. Another American, tenor James McCracken (1926-88), shone as the afternoon’s Normanno; then in his fourth season of singing comprimario parts at the Met, McCracken would leave the company to build his resumé in Europe in the late 1950s. McCracken returned to the Met in triumph in 1963 as the Moor in a new production of Otello and remained one of the company’s best-loved stars until his death.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Cleva; Callas, Votipka, McCracken, Sordello, Campora, Franke, Moscona
Original Air Date: 12/08/1956
MOD Audio
SID.20090319
The matinée of Lucia di Lammermoor on December 8, 1956, represents the sole Met broadcast of Maria Callas (1923-77). Callas’s Met career was frustratingly meager: in three seasons, she sang just twenty-one performances. Her company debut, in Norma, on October 29, 1956, was preceded by artistic triumphs in Europe and Chicago and an avalanche of pre-opening publicity; in his memoirs, Met general manager Rudolf Bing called Callas’s debut – undoubtedly the most exciting of all such in my time at the Metropolitan. The soprano’s first two Met seasons were colored by her dissatisfaction with some of the aging stagings in which the company presented her: the Lucia, for example, dated from 1942, although the soprano wore costumes designed by Ebe Colciaghi for a 1954 La Scala production. A disagreement with Bing over proposed repertory for 1958-59 ended with the diva’s well-publicized ‘firing’; Callas did not return to the Met until 1965, when she sang two Toscas, her final opera performances in the U.S. Callas’s Lucia conductor was Fausto Cleva (1902-71), the Trieste-born maestro who led seventeen of her Met appearances. The afternoon’s Edgardo was Italian lyric tenor Giuseppe Campora (1923-2004), who had joined the Met roster in 1955, as Rodolfo. Enzo Sordello (b. 1927), Callas’s Enrico, was the focus of the soprano’s wrath when she claimed that the Italian baritone held the final note of the ‘Se tradirmi’ duet too long; heard today, Sordello’s action seems the result of confusion rather than malice. Nevertheless, in his memoirs, Bing claims that he canceled the balance of the baritone’s contract after the Lucia matinée contretemps. Greek bass Nicola Moscona (1907-75) sang fifty-seven Lucia Raimondos during his twenty-five seasons with the company; the first of his more than 700 Met performances was as Ramfis in 1937. An even more impressive Lucia record-holder was Ohio-born soprano Thelma Votipka (1906-72), whose more than 1,400 Met performances during her twenty-nine seasons with the company included 116 Alisas. Another American, tenor James McCracken (1926-88), shone as the afternoon’s Normanno; then in his fourth season of singing comprimario parts at the Met, McCracken would leave the company to build his resumé in Europe in the late 1950s. McCracken returned to the Met in triumph in 1963 as the Moor in a new production of Otello and remained one of the company’s best-loved stars until his death.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Cleva; Callas, Votipka, McCracken, Sordello, Campora, Franke, Moscona
Original Air Date: 12/08/1956
MOD Audio
SID.20090535
The matinée of Lucia di Lammermoor on December 8, 1956, represents the sole Met broadcast of Maria Callas (1923-77). Callas’s Met career was frustratingly meager: in three seasons, she sang just twenty-one performances. Her company debut, in Norma, on October 29, 1956, was preceded by artistic triumphs in Europe and Chicago and an avalanche of pre-opening publicity; in his memoirs, Met general manager Rudolf Bing called Callas’s debut – undoubtedly the most exciting of all such in my time at the Metropolitan. The soprano’s first two Met seasons were colored by her dissatisfaction with some of the aging stagings in which the company presented her: the Lucia, for example, dated from 1942, although the soprano wore costumes designed by Ebe Colciaghi for a 1954 La Scala production. A disagreement with Bing over proposed repertory for 1958-59 ended with the diva’s well-publicized ‘firing’; Callas did not return to the Met until 1965, when she sang two Toscas, her final opera performances in the U.S. Callas’s Lucia conductor was Fausto Cleva (1902-71), the Trieste-born maestro who led seventeen of her Met appearances. The afternoon’s Edgardo was Italian lyric tenor Giuseppe Campora (1923-2004), who had joined the Met roster in 1955, as Rodolfo. Enzo Sordello (b. 1927), Callas’s Enrico, was the focus of the soprano’s wrath when she claimed that the Italian baritone held the final note of the ‘Se tradirmi’ duet too long; heard today, Sordello’s action seems the result of confusion rather than malice. Nevertheless, in his memoirs, Bing claims that he canceled the balance of the baritone’s contract after the Lucia matinée contretemps. Greek bass Nicola Moscona (1907-75) sang fifty-seven Lucia Raimondos during his twenty-five seasons with the company; the first of his more than 700 Met performances was as Ramfis in 1937. An even more impressive Lucia record-holder was Ohio-born soprano Thelma Votipka (1906-72), whose more than 1,400 Met performances during her twenty-nine seasons with the company included 116 Alisas. Another American, tenor James McCracken (1926-88), shone as the afternoon’s Normanno; then in his fourth season of singing comprimario parts at the Met, McCracken would leave the company to build his resumé in Europe in the late 1950s. McCracken returned to the Met in triumph in 1963 as the Moor in a new production of Otello and remained one of the company’s best-loved stars until his death.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Armiliato; Netrebko, Beczała, Kwiecień
Original Air Date: 02/07/2009
Live in HD  SID.20120699
February 7, 2009 Matinee /HD Transmission/Simulcast

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR {580} 
Donizetti–Cammarano
Lucia……………….Anna Netrebko
Edgardo……………..Piotr Beczala
Enrico………………Mariusz Kwiecien
Raimondo…………….Ildar Abdrazakov
Normanno…………….Michael Myers
Alisa……………….Michaela Martens
Arturo………………Colin Lee
Flute Solo: Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson
Harp Solo: Mariko Anraku
Armonica Solo: Cecilia Brauer
Conductor……………Marco Armiliato

Production…………..Mary Zimmerman
Set designer…………Daniel Ostling
Costume designer……..Mara Blumenfeld
Lighting designer…….T. J. Gerckens
Choreography…………Daniel Pelzig
TV Director…………Gary Halvorson

READ Robert W White’s Review 

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Papi; Pons, Jagel, Brownlee, Pinza
Original Air Date: 02/27/1937

SID.20130108
RWW: Lily Pons seduced a whole generation of New Yorkers with her glamour, her Gallic presence, and staccati in alt., but I saw her last Lucia in Fort Worth, and never much cared for her recordings. Whatever I think, this is one of the oldest Met broadcasts on Sirius, and Pons’ appeal continues. John Brownlee has a voice that can be passable in Fledermaus, but for me not in Lucia. Ezio Pinza is as good as one gets.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Papi; Pons, Jagel, Brownlee, Pinza
Original Air Date: 02/27/1937

SID.20130319
RWW: Lily Pons seduced a whole generation of New Yorkers with her glamour, her Gallic presence, and staccati in alt., but I saw her last Lucia in Fort Worth, and never much cared for her recordings. Whatever I think, this is one of the oldest Met broadcasts on Sirius, and Pons’ appeal continues. John Brownlee has a voice that can be passable in Fledermaus, but for me not in Lucia. Ezio Pinza is as good as one gets.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Papi; Pons, Jagel, Brownlee, Pinza
Original Air Date: 02/27/1937

SID.20130538
RWW: Lily Pons seduced a whole generation of New Yorkers with her glamour, her Gallic presence, and staccati in alt., but I saw her last Lucia in Fort Worth, and never much cared for her recordings. Whatever I think, this is one of the oldest Met broadcasts on Sirius, and Pons’ appeal continues. John Brownlee has a voice that can be passable in Fledermaus, but for me not in Lucia. Ezio Pinza is as good as one gets.

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Santi; Devia, Hadley, Pons, Plishka
Original Air Date: 01/29/1994

SID.20170216
Devia has not been a frequent Met performer (73 performances over 15 years). This is her final broadcast from the Met (and she has not been at the Met for 18 years w, though still quite active in Europe.) For me she is a much superior Lucia to Dessay, Netrebko, or Swenson, even if she is not in the Sutherland class. Who is? This performance is available on Met Opera on Demand (MOoD).

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Santi; Devia, Hadley, Pons, Plishka
Original Air Date: 01/29/1994

SID.20170426
Devia has not been a frequent Met performer (73 performances over 15 years). This is her final broadcast from the Met (and she has not been at the Met for 18 years w, though still quite active in Europe.) For me she is a much superior Lucia to Dessay, Netrebko, or Swenson, even if she is not in the Sutherland class. Who is? This performance is available on Met Opera on Demand (MOoD).

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Santi; Devia, Hadley, Pons, Plishka
Original Air Date: 01/29/1994

SID.20170752
Devia has not been a frequent Met performer (73 performances over 15 years). This is her final broadcast from the Met (and she has not been at the Met for 18 years w, though still quite active in Europe.) For me she is a much superior Lucia to Dessay, Netrebko, or Swenson, even if she is not in the Sutherland class. Who is? This performance is available on Met Opera on Demand (MOoD).