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.
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Original Air Date: 02/15/2003
Cambreling; Mattei, Radvanovsky, Furlanetto, Diener, Trost, Netrebko
MOD Audio SID.19350102
This Don Giovanni is a solid performance especially in key roles, and proof that not all fine performances are pre-1980. Radvanovsky and Netrebko have gone on to extraordinary careers, but Mattei and Furlanetto make for a fresh and effective pairing as the Don and Leporello (Mattei will reprise his DON later in the 2014-2015 season, but I don’t think Furlanetto does Leporello so much these days. I’ve listened to this performance thanks to previous Sirius appearances. Recommended. This performance is on Met Player, it’s a splendid afternoon. I saw an earlier performance with Mattei and found him one of the very best of recent Giovannis. I’m not forgetting Siepi, but Mattei managed to be both dark of drama and sunny of voice. The women are among the very best of recent trios, with Radvanovsky just starting to take off, Diener very solid, and Netrebko one of the lushest Zerlinas ever. Furlanetto is not chopped liver as Leporello, and Trost is OK. Not all fine performances took place 40 years ago.
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Original Air Date: 02/15/2003
Cambreling; Mattei, Radvanovsky, Furlanetto, Diener, Trost, Netrebko
MOD Audio SID.19350318
This Don Giovanni is a solid performance especially in key roles, and proof that not all fine performances are pre-1980. Radvanovsky and Netrebko have gone on to extraordinary careers, but Mattei and Furlanetto make for a fresh and effective pairing as the Don and Leporello (Mattei will reprise his DON later in the 2014-2015 season, but I don’t think Furlanetto does Leporello so much these days. I’ve listened to this performance thanks to previous Sirius appearances. Recommended. This performance is on Met Player, it’s a splendid afternoon. I saw an earlier performance with Mattei and found him one of the very best of recent Giovannis. I’m not forgetting Siepi, but Mattei managed to be both dark of drama and sunny of voice. The women are among the very best of recent trios, with Radvanovsky just starting to take off, Diener very solid, and Netrebko one of the lushest Zerlinas ever. Furlanetto is not chopped liver as Leporello, and Trost is OK. Not all fine performances took place 40 years ago.
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Original Air Date: 02/15/2003
Cambreling; Mattei, Radvanovsky, Furlanetto, Diener, Trost, Netrebko
MOD Audio SID.19350636
This Don Giovanni is a solid performance especially in key roles, and proof that not all fine performances are pre-1980. Radvanovsky and Netrebko have gone on to extraordinary careers, but Mattei and Furlanetto make for a fresh and effective pairing as the Don and Leporello (Mattei will reprise his DON later in the 2014-2015 season, but I don’t think Furlanetto does Leporello so much these days. I’ve listened to this performance thanks to previous Sirius appearances. Recommended. This performance is on Met Player, it’s a splendid afternoon. I saw an earlier performance with Mattei and found him one of the very best of recent Giovannis. I’m not forgetting Siepi, but Mattei managed to be both dark of drama and sunny of voice. The women are among the very best of recent trios, with Radvanovsky just starting to take off, Diener very solid, and Netrebko one of the lushest Zerlinas ever. Furlanetto is not chopped liver as Leporello, and Trost is OK. Not all fine performances took place 40 years ago.
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Original Air Date: 02/15/2003
Cambreling; Mattei, Radvanovsky, Furlanetto, Diener, Trost, Netrebko
MOD Audio SID.19350748
This Don Giovanni is a solid performance especially in key roles, and proof that not all fine performances are pre-1980. Radvanovsky and Netrebko have gone on to extraordinary careers, but Mattei and Furlanetto make for a fresh and effective pairing as the Don and Leporello (Mattei will reprise his DON later in the 2014-2015 season, but I don’t think Furlanetto does Leporello so much these days. I’ve listened to this performance thanks to previous Sirius appearances. Recommended. This performance is on Met Player, it’s a splendid afternoon. I saw an earlier performance with Mattei and found him one of the very best of recent Giovannis. I’m not forgetting Siepi, but Mattei managed to be both dark of drama and sunny of voice. The women are among the very best of recent trios, with Radvanovsky just starting to take off, Diener very solid, and Netrebko one of the lushest Zerlinas ever. Furlanetto is not chopped liver as Leporello, and Trost is OK. Not all fine performances took place 40 years ago.
JENUFA:Janácek
Original Air Date: 01/25/2003
Jurowski; Mattila, Polaski, Begley, Ventris, Nadler
SID.19360316
Jenufa is among the most accessible of Janacek, but this new production for Mattila is a bit unlovable. Polaski did not equal Silja or Rysanek. Jurowski’s conducting is very good, but in the end Jenufa should have more warmth, and it’s not there in the singing. Mattila is in decent form, Polaski is an unpersuasive Kostelnicka, Mattila and Polaski (encouraged by the director) can be cold with little of the warmth that one should finally feel at the opera’s resolution.
JENUFA:Janácek
Original Air Date: 01/25/2003
Jurowski; Mattila, Polaski, Begley, Ventris, Nadler
SID.19360532
Jenufa is among the most accessible of Janacek, but this new production for Mattila is a bit unlovable. Polaski did not equal Silja or Rysanek. Jurowski’s conducting is very good, but in the end Jenufa should have more warmth, and it’s not there in the singing. Mattila is in decent form, Polaski is an unpersuasive Kostelnicka, Mattila and Polaski (encouraged by the director) can be cold with little of the warmth that one should finally feel at the opera’s resolution.
JENUFA:Janácek
Original Air Date: 01/25/2003
Jurowski; Mattila, Polaski, Begley, Ventris, Nadler
SID.19370101
Jenufa is among the most accessible of Janacek, but this new production for Mattila is a bit unlovable. Polaski did not equal Silja or Rysanek. Jurowski’s conducting is very good, but in the end Jenufa should have more warmth, and it’s not there in the singing. Mattila is in decent form, Polaski is an unpersuasive Kostelnicka, Mattila and Polaski (encouraged by the director) can be cold with little of the warmth that one should finally feel at the opera’s resolution.
Stravinsky
Levine; Upshaw, Blythe, Groves, Ramey
Original Air Date: 04/19/2003
MOD Audio
SID.19480316
Rake’s Progress had its American premiere under Fritz Reiner on a Met broadcast. I saw this Jonathan Miller production when it was new in 1998 with the same cast as above except Jerry Hadley was the Tom Rakewell. I find the work cold, and though very well prepared, the Miller production did not make it one whit more interesting.
Stravinsky
Levine; Upshaw, Blythe, Groves, Ramey
Original Air Date: 04/19/2003
MOD Audio
SID.19480636
Rake’s Progress had its American premiere under Fritz Reiner on a Met broadcast. I saw this Jonathan Miller production when it was new in 1998 with the same cast as above except Jerry Hadley was the Tom Rakewell. I find the work cold, and though very well prepared, the Miller production did not make it one whit more interesting.
Stravinsky
Levine; Upshaw, Blythe, Groves, Ramey
Original Air Date: 04/19/2003
MOD Audio
SID.19480638
Rake’s Progress had its American premiere under Fritz Reiner on a Met broadcast. I saw this Jonathan Miller production when it was new in 1998 with the same cast as above except Jerry Hadley was the Tom Rakewell. I find the work cold, and though very well prepared, the Miller production did not make it one whit more interesting.
ELEKTRA:Strauss
Levine; Schnaut, Voigt, Schwarz, Pape, Jerusalem
Original Air Date: 12/21/2002
SID.19510106
The same 3 ladies also have a 1999 broadcast with Levine which is regularly alternated on Sirius. For my taste, this is far too much Schnaut. Schwarz whom I remember fondly for her work on the Chereau Ring at Bayreuth (an outstanding Fricka) makes her last Met appearance with this broadcast, but though gone 12 years, the database does not yet mark it as a final Met appearance [still true in 2015]. I prefer Varnay, Borkh, and Nilsson. Eva Marton did not do her Elektra at the Met, a great loss, and Gwyneth Jones did not broadcast any of her 4 Met Elektras– one of her best roles. Marton does have a fantastic Chrysothemis with Mastilovic under Leinsdorf which has been on Sirius and well worth a listen.
ELEKTRA:Strauss
Levine; Schnaut, Voigt, Schwarz, Pape, Jerusalem
Original Air Date: 12/21/2002
SID.19510317
The same 3 ladies also have a 1999 broadcast with Levine which is regularly alternated on Sirius. For my taste, this is far too much Schnaut. Schwarz whom I remember fondly for her work on the Chereau Ring at Bayreuth (an outstanding Fricka) makes her last Met appearance with this broadcast, but though gone 12 years, the database does not yet mark it as a final Met appearance [still true in 2015]. I prefer Varnay, Borkh, and Nilsson. Eva Marton did not do her Elektra at the Met, a great loss, and Gwyneth Jones did not broadcast any of her 4 Met Elektras– one of her best roles. Marton does have a fantastic Chrysothemis with Mastilovic under Leinsdorf which has been on Sirius and well worth a listen.
ELEKTRA:Strauss
Levine; Schnaut, Voigt, Schwarz, Pape, Jerusalem
Original Air Date: 12/21/2002
SID.19510533
The same 3 ladies also have a 1999 broadcast with Levine which is regularly alternated on Sirius. For my taste, this is far too much Schnaut. Schwarz whom I remember fondly for her work on the Chereau Ring at Bayreuth (an outstanding Fricka) makes her last Met appearance with this broadcast, but though gone 12 years, the database does not yet mark it as a final Met appearance [still true in 2015]. I prefer Varnay, Borkh, and Nilsson. Eva Marton did not do her Elektra at the Met, a great loss, and Gwyneth Jones did not broadcast any of her 4 Met Elektras– one of her best roles. Marton does have a fantastic Chrysothemis with Mastilovic under Leinsdorf which has been on Sirius and well worth a listen.
ELEKTRA:Strauss
Levine; Schnaut, Voigt, Schwarz, Pape, Jerusalem
Original Air Date: 12/21/2002
SID.19520101
The same 3 ladies also have a 1999 broadcast with Levine which is regularly alternated on Sirius. For my taste, this is far too much Schnaut. Schwarz whom I remember fondly for her work on the Chereau Ring at Bayreuth (an outstanding Fricka) makes her last Met appearance with this broadcast, but though gone 12 years, the database does not yet mark it as a final Met appearance [still true in 2015]. I prefer Varnay, Borkh, and Nilsson. Eva Marton did not do her Elektra at the Met, a great loss, and Gwyneth Jones did not broadcast any of her 4 Met Elektras– one of her best roles. Marton does have a fantastic Chrysothemis with Mastilovic under Leinsdorf which has been on Sirius and well worth a listen.
IL PIRATA:Bellini
Campanella; Fleming, Giordani, Croft
Original Air Date: 02/08/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20020107
This is the Met premiere of Pirata and to date its only broadcast season, but I don’t find either the soprano or tenor quite right for their parts. This was the performance that started me on my Giordani no listen zone . RWW was lucky enough to see Caballe do a stage Pirata (2x) in Philadelphia, and she was almost ideally cast. Fleming is a versatile, highly skilled singer, but this part was not for her.
IL PIRATA:Bellini
Campanella; Fleming, Giordani, Croft
Original Air Date: 02/08/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20020316
This is the Met premiere of Pirata and to date its only broadcast season, but I don’t find either the soprano or tenor quite right for their parts. This was the performance that started me on my Giordani no listen zone . RWW was lucky enough to see Caballe do a stage Pirata (2x) in Philadelphia, and she was almost ideally cast. Fleming is a versatile, highly skilled singer, but this part was not for her.
IL PIRATA:Bellini
Campanella; Fleming, Giordani, Croft
Original Air Date: 02/08/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20020748
This is the Met premiere of Pirata and to date its only broadcast season, but I don’t find either the soprano or tenor quite right for their parts. This was the performance that started me on my Giordani no listen zone . RWW was lucky enough to see Caballe do a stage Pirata (2x) in Philadelphia, and she was almost ideally cast. Fleming is a versatile, highly skilled singer, but this part was not for her.
CARMEN:Bizet
Abel; Dunleavy, Knoop Very, Graves, Perez, Shicoff, Stevenson, Tézier, Josephson, Boutros, Wells
Original Air Date: 01/18/2003
SID.20090104
Shicoff is not a bad Jose, but this is not the most exciting Carmen. In the house, Graves could be quite an attractive Carmen.
CARMEN:Bizet
Abel; Dunleavy, Knoop Very, Graves, Perez, Shicoff, Stevenson, Tézier, Josephson, Boutros, Wells
Original Air Date: 01/18/2003
SID.20090320
Shicoff is not a bad Jose, but this is not the most exciting Carmen. In the house, Graves could be quite an attractive Carmen.
CARMEN:Bizet
Abel; Dunleavy, Knoop Very, Graves, Perez, Shicoff, Stevenson, Tézier, Josephson, Boutros, Wells
Original Air Date: 01/18/2003
SID.20090636
Shicoff is not a bad Jose, but this is not the most exciting Carmen. In the house, Graves could be quite an attractive Carmen.
CARMEN:Bizet
Abel; Dunleavy, Knoop Very, Graves, Perez, Shicoff, Stevenson, Tézier, Josephson, Boutros, Wells
Original Air Date: 01/18/2003
SID.20090745
Shicoff is not a bad Jose, but this is not the most exciting Carmen. In the house, Graves could be quite an attractive Carmen.
FIDELIO:Beethoven
Schneider; Meier, Botha, Fink, Salminen, Hong, Clarke
Original Air Date: 12/07/2002
MOD Audio
SID.20110102
Botha sings well enough, as does Fink with Meier and Schneider. Salminen does not appear often outside the Wagner repertory at the Met and this is a particularly congenial role for him. Schneider is not famous as an inspiring conductor. It’s not a weak cast. Available in MOoD
FIDELIO:Beethoven
Schneider; Meier, Botha, Fink, Salminen, Hong, Clarke
Original Air Date: 12/07/2002
MOD Audio
SID.20110318
Botha sings well enough, as does Fink with Meier and Schneider. Salminen does not appear often outside the Wagner repertory at the Met and this is a particularly congenial role for him. Schneider is not famous as an inspiring conductor. It’s not a weak cast. Available in MOoD
FIDELIO:Beethoven
Schneider; Meier, Botha, Fink, Salminen, Hong, Clarke
Original Air Date: 12/07/2002
MOD Audio
SID.20110534
Botha sings well enough, as does Fink with Meier and Schneider. Salminen does not appear often outside the Wagner repertory at the Met and this is a particularly congenial role for him. Schneider is not famous as an inspiring conductor. It’s not a weak cast. Available in MOoD
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20170210
The main attraction here is Pape’s first Gurnemanz. I was not much taken with Gergiev’s work, but the part is a good one for Domingo, and the rest of the cast are top tier. It’s certainly a change from Levine, and one of Domingo’s better German offerings. Because of the contributions of Pape and Gergiev, MOoD should have this performance as well. Pape is represented in the new production on video on MOoD and on DVD. There are a number of Parsifals that have not made it to either Sirius rebroadcast or MOoD. Broadcasts featuring Crespin (under Pretre, 1966) Varnay with Hotter, 1954, Dalis with Siepi and Stewart, 1971 and several interesting casts under Levine including Gwyneth Jones are all unrepresented.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20170211
The main attraction here is Pape’s first Gurnemanz. I was not much taken with Gergiev’s work, but the part is a good one for Domingo, and the rest of the cast are top tier. It’s certainly a change from Levine, and one of Domingo’s better German offerings. Because of the contributions of Pape and Gergiev, MOoD should have this performance as well. Pape is represented in the new production on video on MOoD and on DVD. There are a number of Parsifals that have not made it to either Sirius rebroadcast or MOoD. Broadcasts featuring Crespin (under Pretre, 1966) Varnay with Hotter, 1954, Dalis with Siepi and Stewart, 1971 and several interesting casts under Levine including Gwyneth Jones are all unrepresented.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20170428
The main attraction here is Pape’s first Gurnemanz. I was not much taken with Gergiev’s work, but the part is a good one for Domingo, and the rest of the cast are top tier. It’s certainly a change from Levine, and one of Domingo’s better German offerings. Because of the contributions of Pape and Gergiev, MOoD should have this performance as well. Pape is represented in the new production on video on MOoD and on DVD. There are a number of Parsifals that have not made it to either Sirius rebroadcast or MOoD. Broadcasts featuring Crespin (under Pretre, 1966) Varnay with Hotter, 1954, Dalis with Siepi and Stewart, 1971 and several interesting casts under Levine including Gwyneth Jones are all unrepresented.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20170429
The main attraction here is Pape’s first Gurnemanz. I was not much taken with Gergiev’s work, but the part is a good one for Domingo, and the rest of the cast are top tier. It’s certainly a change from Levine, and one of Domingo’s better German offerings. Because of the contributions of Pape and Gergiev, MOoD should have this performance as well. Pape is represented in the new production on video on MOoD and on DVD. There are a number of Parsifals that have not made it to either Sirius rebroadcast or MOoD. Broadcasts featuring Crespin (under Pretre, 1966) Varnay with Hotter, 1954, Dalis with Siepi and Stewart, 1971 and several interesting casts under Levine including Gwyneth Jones are all unrepresented.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20170647
The main attraction here is Pape’s first Gurnemanz. I was not much taken with Gergiev’s work, but the part is a good one for Domingo, and the rest of the cast are top tier. It’s certainly a change from Levine, and one of Domingo’s better German offerings. Because of the contributions of Pape and Gergiev, MOoD should have this performance as well. Pape is represented in the new production on video on MOoD and on DVD. There are a number of Parsifals that have not made it to either Sirius rebroadcast or MOoD. Broadcasts featuring Crespin (under Pretre, 1966) Varnay with Hotter, 1954, Dalis with Siepi and Stewart, 1971 and several interesting casts under Levine including Gwyneth Jones are all unrepresented.
PARSIFAL:Wagner
Gergiev; Domingo, Urmana, Struckmann, Pape, Putilin
Original Air Date: 04/12/2003
MOD Audio
SID.20170648
The main attraction here is Pape’s first Gurnemanz. I was not much taken with Gergiev’s work, but the part is a good one for Domingo, and the rest of the cast are top tier. It’s certainly a change from Levine, and one of Domingo’s better German offerings. Because of the contributions of Pape and Gergiev, MOoD should have this performance as well. Pape is represented in the new production on video on MOoD and on DVD. There are a number of Parsifals that have not made it to either Sirius rebroadcast or MOoD. Broadcasts featuring Crespin (under Pretre, 1966) Varnay with Hotter, 1954, Dalis with Siepi and Stewart, 1971 and several interesting casts under Levine including Gwyneth Jones are all unrepresented.