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.
find Kasarova’s voice totally wrong for Massenet, and she didn’t make for much electricity with Alagna. Werther is more popular than Manon these days– a good bit shorter, and the Manon leads harder to cast well. In light of the mercurial (and new papa to be) Alagna, it will be interesting to hear this again. Kasarova took multiple attempts before finally showing up at the Met, and I felt her unusual timbre was not a good fit for Charlotte, nor an especially congenial match for Alagna. In many ways I feel as if Alagna sings better today. Let’s see if I feel the same way listening to this broadcast. When I saw this in the house in 2004 with this cast I was pretty disappointed. This was when Alagna’s singing was not really appealing at all. He had the style down, but I wish he would return to Werther with the kind of singing he has been doing the last two seasons. Both of Kraus’ fine performances (one with Crespin, the other with von Stade) are on Met Player.
find Kasarova’s voice totally wrong for Massenet, and she didn’t make for much electricity with Alagna. Werther is more popular than Manon these days– a good bit shorter, and the Manon leads harder to cast well. In light of the mercurial (and new papa to be) Alagna, it will be interesting to hear this again. Kasarova took multiple attempts before finally showing up at the Met, and I felt her unusual timbre was not a good fit for Charlotte, nor an especially congenial match for Alagna. In many ways I feel as if Alagna sings better today. Let’s see if I feel the same way listening to this broadcast. When I saw this in the house in 2004 with this cast I was pretty disappointed. This was when Alagna’s singing was not really appealing at all. He had the style down, but I wish he would return to Werther with the kind of singing he has been doing the last two seasons. Both of Kraus’ fine performances (one with Crespin, the other with von Stade) are on Met Player.
WERTHER:Massenet
Original Air Date: 01/10/2004
Lacombe; Alagna, Kasarova, Petrova, Schaldenbrand
MOD Audio SID.19380641
Alagna has had steady employment at the Met in the last decade and his Werther is a solid accomplishment. Kasarova was not to my taste in the theater and even less so in audio only. Alagna made a hasty exit around the time of 9/11 and with the new Faust production (with Isokowski and Pape under Levine) in 2003. The following year this Werther showed him on good behavior, but I find Kasarova’s voice totally wrong for Massenet, and she didn’t make for much electricity with Alagna. Werther is more popular than Manon these days– a good bit shorter, and the Manon leads harder to cast well. In light of the mercurial (and new papa to be) Alagna, it will be interesting to hear this again. Kasarova took multiple attempts before finally showing up at the Met, and I felt her unusual timbre was not a good fit for Charlotte, nor an especially congenial match for Alagna. In many ways I feel as if Alagna sings better today. Let’s see if I feel the same way listening to this broadcast. When I saw this in the house in 2004 with this cast I was pretty disappointed. This was when Alagna’s singing was not really appealing at all. He had the style down, but I wish he would return to Werther with the kind of singing he has been doing the last two seasons. Both of Kraus’ fine performances (one with Crespin, the other with von Stade) are on Met Player.
WERTHER:Massenet
Bonynge; Kraus, Crespin, Battle, Carlson
Original Air Date: 02/03/1979
MOD Audio
SID.20010316
This performance is one I always enjoy. Kraus and Crespin are solid exponents of the style, and Battle is a delight as Sophie. This is Crespin’s final Charlotte, and finds Kraus on very congenial ground. This is also on Met Player. Nice to have a mini-Crespin festival this week. One of the most enjoyable of Met Werther broadcasts.
WERTHER:Massenet
Bonynge; Kraus, Crespin, Battle, Carlson
Original Air Date: 02/03/1979
MOD Audio
SID.20010529
This performance is one I always enjoy. Kraus and Crespin are solid exponents of the style, and Battle is a delight as Sophie. This is Crespin’s final Charlotte, and finds Kraus on very congenial ground. This is also on Met Player. Nice to have a mini-Crespin festival this week. One of the most enjoyable of Met Werther broadcasts.
WERTHER:Massenet
Bonynge; Kraus, Crespin, Battle, Carlson
Original Air Date: 02/03/1979
MOD Audio
SID.20010638
This performance is one I always enjoy. Kraus and Crespin are solid exponents of the style, and Battle is a delight as Sophie. This is Crespin’s final Charlotte, and finds Kraus on very congenial ground. This is also on Met Player. Nice to have a mini-Crespin festival this week. One of the most enjoyable of Met Werther broadcasts.
WERTHER:Massenet
Runnicles; Hampson, Graham, Evans, Robertson
Original Air Date: 01/23/1999
MOD Audio
SID.20090321
This revival had the title role moving to baritone hands (in Massenet’s own transposition) (still too high for Domingo?), but this broadcast catches Susan Graham in one of her very best afternoons. This is the baritone version Massenet wrote for Battistini. It however catches Susan Graham in particularly splendid voice. This is a novelty for if there were ever a tenor opera it is Werther, but the composer did arrange for baritone for Battistini. Hampson is very earnest.
WERTHER:Massenet
Runnicles; Hampson, Graham, Evans, Robertson
Original Air Date: 01/23/1999
MOD Audio
SID.20090532
This revival had the title role moving to baritone hands (in Massenet’s own transposition) (still too high for Domingo?), but this broadcast catches Susan Graham in one of her very best afternoons. This is the baritone version Massenet wrote for Battistini. It however catches Susan Graham in particularly splendid voice. This is a novelty for if there were ever a tenor opera it is Werther, but the composer did arrange for baritone for Battistini. Hampson is very earnest.
WERTHER:Massenet
Runnicles; Hampson, Graham, Evans, Robertson
Original Air Date: 01/23/1999
MOD Audio
SID.20090744
This revival had the title role moving to baritone hands (in Massenet’s own transposition) (still too high for Domingo?), but this broadcast catches Susan Graham in one of her very best afternoons. This is the baritone version Massenet wrote for Battistini. It however catches Susan Graham in particularly splendid voice. This is a novelty for if there were ever a tenor opera it is Werther, but the composer did arrange for baritone for Battistini. Hampson is very earnest.
Massenet
Original Air Date: 03/16/2020
Nézet-Séguin; Fang, DiDonato, Beczala, Dupuis, Opie
SID.20120000
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Massenet’s tragedy, a perfect vehicle for outstanding tenors, starring Piotr Beczała, who certainly fits the bill. The magnificent mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato is Charlotte, the object of Werther’s misguided affections, alongside sopranos Erin Morley and Ying Fang as Sophie and baritone Etienne Dupuis as Albert, in Sir Richard Eyre’s arresting production.
Massenet
Alain Altinoglu: Jonas Kaufmann, Sophie Koch, Lisette Oropesa
Original Air Date: 3/15/2014 SID.20130000
Broadcast Performance from March 15, 2014
The performances of Werther scheduled for March 16, 20, 23, 28, and 31 have been canceled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and the recommendations of our city, state, and federal elected officials.
READ RWW’s Review of this Live in HD Broadcast.
Production Photos