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.
FIDELIO:Beethoven
Böhm; Nilsson, King, Evans, Edelmann, Pracht, Anthony
Original Air Date: 01/22/1966
MOD Audio
SID.19420208
Even though the classic 1960 broadcast is Bohm, Nilsson, and Vickers; Nilsson and King are fine, but Geraint Evans is not meant for this kind of role vocally. Uhde has his deficiencies but is much more appropriate. It’s a bit too late for Edelmann, but there “never was” for Czerwenka in the 1960. The 1960 performance also appears on a Sony Historical CD. What has not appeared in the Sirius run is the Beethoven 1971 bicentenary broadcast of the new production with Rysanek, Vickers with an excellent effort by Berry and Tozzi also under Bohm. Serious omission!
FIDELIO:Beethoven
Böhm; Nilsson, King, Evans, Edelmann, Pracht, Anthony
Original Air Date: 01/22/1966
MOD Audio
SID.19420427
Even though the classic 1960 broadcast is Bohm, Nilsson, and Vickers; Nilsson and King are fine, but Geraint Evans is not meant for this kind of role vocally. Uhde has his deficiencies but is much more appropriate. It’s a bit too late for Edelmann, but there “never was” for Czerwenka in the 1960. The 1960 performance also appears on a Sony Historical CD. What has not appeared in the Sirius run is the Beethoven 1971 bicentenary broadcast of the new production with Rysanek, Vickers with an excellent effort by Berry and Tozzi also under Bohm. Serious omission!
FIDELIO:Beethoven
Böhm; Nilsson, King, Evans, Edelmann, Pracht, Anthony
Original Air Date: 01/22/1966
MOD Audio
SID.19420638
Even though the classic 1960 broadcast is Bohm, Nilsson, and Vickers; Nilsson and King are fine, but Geraint Evans is not meant for this kind of role vocally. Uhde has his deficiencies but is much more appropriate. It’s a bit too late for Edelmann, but there “never was” for Czerwenka in the 1960. The 1960 performance also appears on a Sony Historical CD. What has not appeared in the Sirius run is the Beethoven 1971 bicentenary broadcast of the new production with Rysanek, Vickers with an excellent effort by Berry and Tozzi also under Bohm. Serious omission!
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA:Verdi
Molinari, Pradelli, Bergonzi, Price, Merrill, Peters, Dunn
Original Air Date: 02/26/1966
SID.20030316
This is the first of Corelli’s four Don Carlo broadcasts and the 1964 performance which was issued in 2011 on Sony only retains Dalis and Uhde in their roles. Since Curtis-Verna is generally underrepresented, I am happy to have this on, but the missing broadcast which is earnestly called for is Bing’s final broadcast as general manager from 1972 with Siepi and Amara returning in their roles from Bing’s inaugural broadcast 22 years earlier. Curtis-Verna only has one other broadcast, that of Aida in 1957 replacing Tebaldi who had withdrawn the day before due to her mother’s death. Curtis-Verna has a very respectable 97 performances over 9 seasons all in leads, but does not make it past 1966 into the new House. She was interviewed in Opera News before her death in 2009 and finished off her career with a distinguished tenure at University of Washington for more than 3 decades in their voice department.
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA:Verdi
Molinari, Pradelli, Bergonzi, Price, Merrill, Peters, Dunn
Original Air Date: 02/26/1966
SID.20030636
This is the first of Corelli’s four Don Carlo broadcasts and the 1964 performance which was issued in 2011 on Sony only retains Dalis and Uhde in their roles. Since Curtis-Verna is generally underrepresented, I am happy to have this on, but the missing broadcast which is earnestly called for is Bing’s final broadcast as general manager from 1972 with Siepi and Amara returning in their roles from Bing’s inaugural broadcast 22 years earlier. Curtis-Verna only has one other broadcast, that of Aida in 1957 replacing Tebaldi who had withdrawn the day before due to her mother’s death. Curtis-Verna has a very respectable 97 performances over 9 seasons all in leads, but does not make it past 1966 into the new House. She was interviewed in Opera News before her death in 2009 and finished off her career with a distinguished tenure at University of Washington for more than 3 decades in their voice department.
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA:Verdi
Molinari, Pradelli, Bergonzi, Price, Merrill, Peters, Dunn
Original Air Date: 02/26/1966
SID.20030748
This is the first of Corelli’s four Don Carlo broadcasts and the 1964 performance which was issued in 2011 on Sony only retains Dalis and Uhde in their roles. Since Curtis-Verna is generally underrepresented, I am happy to have this on, but the missing broadcast which is earnestly called for is Bing’s final broadcast as general manager from 1972 with Siepi and Amara returning in their roles from Bing’s inaugural broadcast 22 years earlier. Curtis-Verna only has one other broadcast, that of Aida in 1957 replacing Tebaldi who had withdrawn the day before due to her mother’s death. Curtis-Verna has a very respectable 97 performances over 9 seasons all in leads, but does not make it past 1966 into the new House. She was interviewed in Opera News before her death in 2009 and finished off her career with a distinguished tenure at University of Washington for more than 3 decades in their voice department.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Varviso; Herlea, Grist, Shirley, Corena, Siepi
Original Air Date: 03/19/1966
MOD Audio
SID.20120208
This is Reri Grist’s debut year, and the broadcast comes three weeks later. Herlea had some success debuting in Don Carlo two years earlier. One does not get better than Corena and Siepi in these roles. As Barbieres go, this one is not bad. Corena and Siepi are absolute masters in these roles, and the rest of the cast is good to very good– Grist has made her debut a few weeks before this broadcast. Varviso has an excellent studio Barbiere with Berganza, but this is a fine cast, which in the case of Corena and Siepi is not surpassed. Herlea is not as impressive here as in his Rodrigo (Don Carlo) but still a decent Figaro. I prefer a mezzo Rosina, but Grist is a fine singer and under-represented.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Varviso; Herlea, Grist, Shirley, Corena, Siepi
Original Air Date: 03/19/1966
MOD Audio
SID.20120424
This is Reri Grist’s debut year, and the broadcast comes three weeks later. Herlea had some success debuting in Don Carlo two years earlier. One does not get better than Corena and Siepi in these roles. As Barbieres go, this one is not bad. Corena and Siepi are absolute masters in these roles, and the rest of the cast is good to very good– Grist has made her debut a few weeks before this broadcast. Varviso has an excellent studio Barbiere with Berganza, but this is a fine cast, which in the case of Corena and Siepi is not surpassed. Herlea is not as impressive here as in his Rodrigo (Don Carlo) but still a decent Figaro. I prefer a mezzo Rosina, but Grist is a fine singer and under-represented.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Varviso; Herlea, Grist, Shirley, Corena, Siepi
Original Air Date: 03/19/1966
MOD Audio
SID.20120535
This is Reri Grist’s debut year, and the broadcast comes three weeks later. Herlea had some success debuting in Don Carlo two years earlier. One does not get better than Corena and Siepi in these roles. As Barbieres go, this one is not bad. Corena and Siepi are absolute masters in these roles, and the rest of the cast is good to very good– Grist has made her debut a few weeks before this broadcast. Varviso has an excellent studio Barbiere with Berganza, but this is a fine cast, which in the case of Corena and Siepi is not surpassed. Herlea is not as impressive here as in his Rodrigo (Don Carlo) but still a decent Figaro. I prefer a mezzo Rosina, but Grist is a fine singer and under-represented.
TANNHÄUSER:Wagner
Rosenstock; Nuoti, Nilsson, Stewart, Macurdy
Original Air Date: 03/26/1966
SID.20140102
Originally the title role was to have been taken by Windgassen, but he cancelled his run a week before the performances. Nilsson does both Elisabeth and Venus (scheduled as such) and this 1966 revival is the last time the Dresden version of Tannhauser has been heard at the Met; the Dresden had only come in the 1954 new production under Szell. Another Hungarian, Georg Solti had brought the Paris version back to the Met in the 1960 revival, and when Levine did a new production in 1977, Paris became the house standard for choice of versions. Nuotio was not much more than a placeholder, and I think the Met had better repetiteurs than Rosenstock so overall this run doesn’t have much to recommend itself except Nilsson’s generous voicing of both roles, and Thomas Stewart’s Wolfram in his debut Met season.
L’ELISIR D’AMORE:Donizetti
Schippers; Bergonzi, Peters, Corena, Guarrera
Original Air Date: 03/05/1966
MOD Audio
SID.20140212
This performance has been issued in Sony’s Historic Met CD series. Also on MOoD is Bergonzi and Corena partnered by Scotto and Sereni who I think are better matches in this opera.One cannot lose with Bergonzi and Corena.
TANNHÄUSER:Wagner
Rosenstock; Nuoti, Nilsson, Stewart, Macurdy
Original Air Date: 03/26/1966
SID.20140319
Originally the title role was to have been taken by Windgassen, but he cancelled his run a week before the performances. Nilsson does both Elisabeth and Venus (scheduled as such) and this 1966 revival is the last time the Dresden version of Tannhauser has been heard at the Met; the Dresden had only come in the 1954 new production under Szell. Another Hungarian, Georg Solti had brought the Paris version back to the Met in the 1960 revival, and when Levine did a new production in 1977, Paris became the house standard for choice of versions. Nuotio was not much more than a placeholder, and I think the Met had better repetiteurs than Rosenstock so overall this run doesn’t have much to recommend itself except Nilsson’s generous voicing of both roles, and
Thomas Stewart’s Wolfram in his debut Met season.
L’ELISIR D’AMORE:Donizetti
Schippers; Bergonzi, Peters, Corena, Guarrera
Original Air Date: 03/05/1966
MOD Audio
SID.20140431
This performance has been issued in Sony’s Historic Met CD series. Also on MOoD is Bergonzi and Corena partnered by Scotto and Sereni who I think are better matches in this opera.One cannot lose with Bergonzi and Corena.
TANNHÄUSER:Wagner
Rosenstock; Nuoti, Nilsson, Stewart, Macurdy
Original Air Date: 03/26/1966
SID.20140640
Originally the title role was to have been taken by Windgassen, but he cancelled his run a week before the performances. Nilsson does both Elisabeth and Venus (scheduled as such) and this 1966 revival is the last time the Dresden version of Tannhauser has been heard at the Met; the Dresden had only come in the 1954 new production under Szell. Another Hungarian, Georg Solti had brought the Paris version back to
the Met in the 1960 revival, and when Levine did a new production in 1977, Paris became the house standard for choice of versions. Nuotio was not much more than a placeholder, and I think the Met had better repetiteurs than Rosenstock so overall this run doesn’t have much to recommend itself except Nilsson’s generous voicing of both roles, and Thomas Stewart’s Wolfram in his debut Met season.
L’ELISIR D’AMORE:Donizetti
Schippers; Bergonzi, Peters, Corena, Guarrera
Original Air Date: 03/05/1966
MOD Audio
SID.20140749
This performance has been issued in Sony’s Historic Met CD series. Also on MOoD is Bergonzi and Corena partnered by Scotto and Sereni who I think are better matches in this opera.One cannot lose with Bergonzi and Corena.
TANNHÄUSER:Wagner
Rosenstock; Nuoti, Nilsson, Stewart, Macurdy
Original Air Date: 03/26/1966
SID.20140753
Originally the title role was to have been taken by Windgassen, but he cancelled his run a week before the performances. Nilsson does both Elisabeth and Venus (scheduled as such) and this 1966 revival is the last time the Dresden version of Tannhauser has been heard at the Met; the Dresden had only come in the 1954 new production under Szell. Another Hungarian, Georg Solti had brought the Paris version back to the Met in the 1960 revival, and when Levine did a new production in 1977, Paris became the house standard for choice of versions. Nuotio was not much more than a placeholder, and I think the Met had better repetiteurs than Rosenstock so overall this run doesn’t have much to recommend itself except Nilsson’s generous voicing of both roles, and Thomas Stewart’s Wolfram in his debut Met season.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Schick; Scotto, Alexander, Grillo, Dunlap, Schmorr
Original Air Date: 01/01/1966
MOD Audio
SID.20160428
This is *Scotto*’s first broadcast, after debuting the previous October. This EVENING broadcast had one of the more infamous Singers Roundtables as I remember (Milanov and Gedda come to mind) remember but alas we never get the interrmission features. I don’t much care for *Dunlap* as Sharpless, but *Scotto* is a major *Butterfly*.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Schick; Scotto, Alexander, Grillo, Dunlap, Schmorr
Original Air Date: 01/01/1966
MOD Audio
SID.20160428
This is *Scotto*’s first broadcast, after debuting the previous October. This EVENING broadcast had one of the more infamous Singers Roundtables as I remember (Milanov and Gedda come to mind) remember but alas we never get the interrmission features. I don’t much care for *Dunlap* as Sharpless, but *Scotto* is a major *Butterfly*.