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. 

Sep
10
Tue
2019
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Sep 10 @ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Original Air Date: 03/05/1977
Bedford; Morris, Blegen, Harper, Carlson, Ewing
SID.19370213
Morris was quite a decent Figaro, and Blegen and Ewing were solid Susanna and Cherubino. Harper is odd casting for a house accustomed to Steber, De Los Angeles, Della Casa, Lorengar Te Kanawa, and Fleming.

Sep
13
Fri
2019
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Sep 13 @ 12:00 AM – 3:00 AM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Original Air Date: 03/05/1977
Bedford; Morris, Blegen, Harper, Carlson, Ewing
SID.19370529
Morris was quite a decent Figaro, and Blegen and Ewing were solid Susanna and Cherubino. Harper is odd casting for a house accustomed to Steber, De Los Angeles, Della Casa, Lorengar Te Kanawa, and Fleming.

Oct
7
Mon
2019
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Oct 7 @ 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Leinsdorf; Siepi, Peters, Amara, Borg, Miller
Original Air Date: 01/28/1961

SID.19410104
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.

Oct
10
Thu
2019
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Oct 10 @ 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Leinsdorf; Siepi, Peters, Amara, Borg, Miller
Original Air Date: 01/28/1961

SID.19410319
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.

Oct
12
Sat
2019
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Oct 12 @ 9:00 PM – 11:55 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Leinsdorf; Siepi, Peters, Amara, Borg, Miller
Original Air Date: 01/28/1961

SID.19410637
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.

Nov
4
Mon
2019
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Nov 4 @ 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Rudel; Morris, McLaughlin, Fleming, Croft, Bunnell
Original Air Date: 02/12/1994
MOD Audio
SID.19450103
This is is Fleming’s first featured broadcast and it’s one of her best roles. The previous broadcast appearance was in the small role of Rosina (Countess) in Ghosts of Versailles. Fleming’s Countess is rarer than you might think. She only has nine performances since her Met debut (in this role) in 1991. This broadcast is only her third. She premieres the new production with Terfel and Bartoli, but only does the telecast (MOD). Rudel is a fine Mozartean with plenty of fine Figaros over at NYCO before moving over to the Met. He is too often underestimated, but he presided over many a fine Figaro at the NYCO before taking up residence at the Met. Morris and McLaughlin are an interesting servant pair and any performance with Senechal is guaranteed some attention. As for missing historic broadcasts, the original Texaco broadcast with Albanese and Pinza from 1940 should certainly be rebroadcast, and the Countesses of Eleanor Steber (five from 1943-50) and Victoria de los Angeles (1952) with the superb Count of Giuseppe Valdengo. Jarmila Novotna is a superb Cherubino on many of those Steber Countesses.

Nov
7
Thu
2019
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Nov 7 @ 12:00 AM – 3:00 AM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Rudel; Morris, McLaughlin, Fleming, Croft, Bunnell
Original Air Date: 02/12/1994
MOD Audio
SID.19450422
This is is Fleming’s first featured broadcast and it’s one of her best roles. The previous broadcast appearance was in the small role of Rosina (Countess) in Ghosts of Versailles. Fleming’s Countess is rarer than you might think. She only has nine performances since her Met debut (in this role) in 1991. This broadcast is only her third. She premieres the new production with Terfel and Bartoli, but only does the telecast (MOD). Rudel is a fine Mozartean with plenty of fine Figaros over at NYCO before moving over to the Met. He is too often underestimated, but he presided over many a fine Figaro at the NYCO before taking up residence at the Met. Morris and McLaughlin are an interesting servant pair and any performance with Senechal is guaranteed some attention. As for missing historic broadcasts, the original Texaco broadcast with Albanese and Pinza from 1940 should certainly be rebroadcast, and the Countesses of Eleanor Steber (five from 1943-50) and Victoria de los Angeles (1952) with the superb Count of Giuseppe Valdengo. Jarmila Novotna is a superb Cherubino on many of those Steber Countesses.

Nov
9
Sat
2019
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Nov 9 @ 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Rudel; Morris, McLaughlin, Fleming, Croft, Bunnell
Original Air Date: 02/12/1994
MOD Audio
SID.19450639
This is is Fleming’s first featured broadcast and it’s one of her best roles. The previous broadcast appearance was in the small role of Rosina (Countess) in Ghosts of Versailles. Fleming’s Countess is rarer than you might think. She only has nine performances since her Met debut (in this role) in 1991. This broadcast is only her third. She premieres the new production with Terfel and Bartoli, but only does the telecast (MOD). Rudel is a fine Mozartean with plenty of fine Figaros over at NYCO before moving over to the Met. He is too often underestimated, but he presided over many a fine Figaro at the NYCO before taking up residence at the Met. Morris and McLaughlin are an interesting servant pair and any performance with Senechal is guaranteed some attention. As for missing historic broadcasts, the original Texaco broadcast with Albanese and Pinza from 1940 should certainly be rebroadcast, and the Countesses of Eleanor Steber (five from 1943-50) and Victoria de los Angeles (1952) with the superb Count of Giuseppe Valdengo. Jarmila Novotna is a superb Cherubino on many of those Steber Countesses.

Nov
16
Sat
2019
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Nov 16 @ 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Mozart
Original Air Date: 11/16/2019
Manacorda; Phillips, Sierra, Arquez, Bishop, Plachetka, Pisaroni, Sherratt
SID.19460000
Two outstanding casts—including sopranos Nadine Sierra, Anita Hartig, Susanna Phillips, and Hanna-Elisabeth Müller; mezzo-sopranos Gaëlle Arquez and Marianne Crebassa; baritone Mariusz Kwiecien; and bass-baritones Luca Pisaroni and Adam Plachetka—come together for Mozart’s scintillating class comedy. Antonello Manacorda and Cornelius Meister conduct Sir Richard Eyre’s fast-paced production.

Nov
26
Tue
2019
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Nov 26 @ 7:30 PM – 11:55 PM

Mozart
Original Air Date: 11/26/2019
Manacorda; Phillips, Sierra, Arquez, Bishop, Plachetka, Pisaroni, Sherratt
SID.19480000

Jan
14
Tue
2020
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Jan 14 @ 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Levine; Raimondi, Battle, Vaness, Allen, von Stade
Original Air Date: 12/14/1985
MOD VideoMOD Audio
SID.20030210
This performance surfaced in its video format both on MOoD, and in the Levine 40th anniversary DVD box. This is a Ponnelle production, and has its usual pluses and minuses. Vaness misses just a bit of superstar quality (her Fiordiligi and Donna Anna are more distinctive). Raimondi is not my favorite singer, but Levine is at his best in Mozart and the ensemble is very strong. I’ve enjoyed re-acquainting myself with this performance over the last year and have played it several times. This is his first season of Figaro at the Met, an opera he would conduct more than 77 times in 3 new productions (Ponnelle, Jonathan Miller, Richard Eyre.). Amazingly 3 of the matinee broadcasts have not been done again. For the record: March 21, 1992 features Upshaw , Schuman, Von Stade, Furlanetto, Hampson, Moll December 5, 1998 features Bonney/Guyer, Lott, Mentzer, Croft, Terfel Feb. 12, 2005 features Rost, Watson, Perez, Relyea, Kwiecien. One run of Nozze with Levine was not broadcast and that featured Dorothea Roschmann and Anja Harteros in their Met debuts. I remember these performances very well, and in the current Gelb/Sirius era, we would have had at least one if not a couple of these on the radio, The 1992 would be especially welcome for the Furlanetto/Hampson combination (which is also on their complete DG recording).

Jan
16
Thu
2020
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Jan 16 @ 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Levine; Raimondi, Battle, Vaness, Allen, von Stade
Original Air Date: 12/14/1985
MOD VideoMOD Audio
SID.20030426
This performance surfaced in its video format both on MOoD, and in the Levine 40th anniversary DVD box. This is a Ponnelle production, and has its usual pluses and minuses. Vaness misses just a bit of superstar quality (her Fiordiligi and Donna Anna are more distinctive). Raimondi is not my favorite singer, but Levine is at his best in Mozart and the ensemble is very strong. I’ve enjoyed re-acquainting myself with this performance over the last year and have played it several times. This is his first season of Figaro at the Met, an opera he would conduct more than 77 times in 3 new productions (Ponnelle, Jonathan Miller, Richard Eyre.). Amazingly 3 of the matinee broadcasts have not been done again. For the record: March 21, 1992 features Upshaw , Schuman, Von Stade, Furlanetto, Hampson, Moll December 5, 1998 features Bonney/Guyer, Lott, Mentzer, Croft, Terfel Feb. 12, 2005 features Rost, Watson, Perez, Relyea, Kwiecien. One run of Nozze with Levine was not broadcast and that featured Dorothea Roschmann and Anja Harteros in their Met debuts. I remember these performances very well, and in the current Gelb/Sirius era, we would have had at least one if not a couple of these on the radio, The 1992 would be especially welcome for the Furlanetto/Hampson combination (which is also on their complete DG recording).

Jan
18
Sat
2020
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Jan 18 @ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Levine; Raimondi, Battle, Vaness, Allen, von Stade
Original Air Date: 12/14/1985
MOD VideoMOD Audio
SID.20030640
This performance surfaced in its video format both on MOoD, and in the Levine 40th anniversary DVD box. This is a Ponnelle production, and has its usual pluses and minuses. Vaness misses just a bit of superstar quality (her Fiordiligi and Donna Anna are more distinctive). Raimondi is not my favorite singer, but Levine is at his best in Mozart and the ensemble is very strong. I’ve enjoyed re-acquainting myself with this performance over the last year and have played it several times. This is his first season of Figaro at the Met, an opera he would conduct more than 77 times in 3 new productions (Ponnelle, Jonathan Miller, Richard Eyre.). Amazingly 3 of the matinee broadcasts have not been done again. For the record: March 21, 1992 features Upshaw , Schuman, Von Stade, Furlanetto, Hampson, Moll December 5, 1998 features Bonney/Guyer, Lott, Mentzer, Croft, Terfel Feb. 12, 2005 features Rost, Watson, Perez, Relyea, Kwiecien. One run of Nozze with Levine was not broadcast and that featured Dorothea Roschmann and Anja Harteros in their Met debuts. I remember these performances very well, and in the current Gelb/Sirius era, we would have had at least one if not a couple of these on the radio, The 1992 would be especially welcome for the Furlanetto/Hampson combination (which is also on their complete DG recording).

Feb
11
Tue
2020
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Feb 11 @ 7:30 PM – 11:55 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Meister; Hartig, Müller, Crebassa, McCormick, Kwiecien, Plachetka, Muraro
Original Air Date: 02/11/2020

SID.20070214

Feb
22
Sat
2020
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Feb 22 @ 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Meister; Woodbury, Müller, Crebassa, McCormick, Dupuis, Plachetka, Muraro
Original Air Date: 02/22/2020

SID.20080640
Two outstanding casts—including sopranos Nadine Sierra, Anita Hartig, Susanna Phillips, and Hanna-Elisabeth Müller; mezzo-sopranos Gaëlle Arquez and Marianne Crebassa; baritone Mariusz Kwiecien; and bass-baritones Luca Pisaroni and Adam Plachetka—come together for Mozart’s scintillating class comedy. Antonello Manacorda and Cornelius Meister conduct Sir Richard Eyre’s fast-paced production. Production a gift of Mercedes T. Bass, and Jerry and Jane del Missier Revival a gift of the Metropolitan Opera Club

Intermission
Backstage Pass – Loren Toolajian interviews Amanda Woodbury, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, Etienne Dupuis, Adam Plachetka

Mary Jo Hearth interviews General Manager Peter Gelb about the 2020-2021 Season

Mar
9
Mon
2020
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Mar 9 @ 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Levine; Van Dam, Battle, Söderström, Hynninen, von Stade
Original Air Date: 02/07/1987

SID.20110104
This is the second year of the Ponnelle production, and plenty of interesting casting with Battle and von Stade the only holdovers. This is Montarsolo’s farewell, the real star is Levine welding the whole ensemble together.

Mar
11
Wed
2020
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Mar 11 @ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Levine; Van Dam, Battle, Söderström, Hynninen, von Stade
Original Air Date: 02/07/1987

SID.20110320
This is the second year of the Ponnelle production, and plenty of interesting casting with Battle and von Stade the only holdovers. This is Montarsolo’s farewell, the real star is Levine welding the whole ensemble together.

Mar
13
Fri
2020
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Mar 13 @ 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Levine; Van Dam, Battle, Söderström, Hynninen, von Stade
Original Air Date: 02/07/1987

SID.20110530
This is the second year of the Ponnelle production, and plenty of interesting casting with Battle and von Stade the only holdovers. This is Montarsolo’s farewell, the real star is Levine welding the whole ensemble together.

Apr
13
Mon
2020
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Apr 13 @ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Rudolf, Siepi, Conner, de los Angeles, Guarrera, Miller
Original Air Date: 04/07/1956
MOD Audio
SID.20160106
I don’t remember this performance specifcally, but Siepi and de los Angeles are among my favorite Figaro and Countess. What is so critical in a FIgaro is the conductor and Max Rudolf was starting to fill in some of the assignments Stiedry had regularly commanded. I’ll be checking this performance out to see if it merits the many positive comments from Jackson. I’m not as taken with Conner and Guarrera as Jackson is, but the overall performance is worthwhile.

Apr
17
Fri
2020
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Apr 17 @ 12:00 AM – 3:00 AM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Rudolf, Siepi, Conner, de los Angeles, Guarrera, Miller
Original Air Date: 04/07/1956
MOD Audio
SID.20160533
I don’t remember this performance specifcally, but Siepi and de los Angeles are among my favorite Figaro and Countess. What is so critical in a FIgaro is the conductor and Max Rudolf was starting to fill in some of the assignments Stiedry had regularly commanded. I’ll be checking this performance out to see if it merits the many positive comments from Jackson. I’m not as taken with Conner and Guarrera as Jackson is, but the overall performance is worthwhile.

Apr
19
Sun
2020
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Apr 19 @ 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM


LE NOZZE DI FIGARO:Mozart
Rudolf, Siepi, Conner, de los Angeles, Guarrera, Miller
Original Air Date: 04/07/1956
MOD Audio
SID.20160751
I don’t remember this performance specifcally, but Siepi and de los Angeles are among my favorite Figaro and Countess. What is so critical in a FIgaro is the conductor and Max Rudolf was starting to fill in some of the assignments Stiedry had regularly commanded. I’ll be checking this performance out to see if it merits the many positive comments from Jackson. I’m not as taken with Conner and Guarrera as Jackson is, but the overall performance is worthwhile.