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.
THAÏS:Massenet
Original Air Date: 01/28/1978
Pritchard; Sills, Milnes, Gibbs
SID.19380106
For a long time this was the only Met broadcast of Thais, but with Fleming’s effort in 2008 one can hear a much fresher sound in the title role. I love Massenet, but I often prefer Esclarmonde to Thais (Manon and Werther are better by far). It’s on twice a year, but has seemed more frequent. 7/31/12 Fleming was far preferable. The Sills performance is on MOoD as is the Fleming video. Has been on Sirius a lot. I’m not a big fan of the performance. 3/7/12 This returns after several months layoff. Sills is not an especially good Thais, but why not mark this down for twice a year. 9/20/11 Through no demand from me, here comes the Thais again. I prefer the opera to L’assedio di Corinto, but do not show Sills off in a flattering light. It is also available as often as you want to hear it on Met Player. 5/9/11 Thank goodness this was NOT videoed. Sills did not have enough vocal allure for this role. Fleming’s broadcast and video are available in every format including Met Player, as well as a commercial CD that precedes her Met performances by several years. This Sills Thais is on Met Player and appears disproportionately often in the rotation. Sills clearly brought a number of people to opera but she was one of the first singers I grew weary of because of excessive hype. Her Cleopatra was very fine at NYCO.
THAÏS:Massenet
Original Air Date: 01/28/1978
Pritchard; Sills, Milnes, Gibbs
SID.19380422
For a long time this was the only Met broadcast of Thais, but with Fleming’s effort in 2008 one can hear a much fresher sound in the title role. I love Massenet, but I often prefer Esclarmonde to Thais (Manon and Werther are better by far). It’s on twice a year, but has seemed more frequent. 7/31/12 Fleming was far preferable. The Sills performance is on MOoD as is the Fleming video. Has been on Sirius a lot. I’m not a big fan of the performance. 3/7/12 This returns after several months layoff. Sills is not an especially good Thais, but why not mark this down for twice a year. 9/20/11 Through no demand from me, here comes the Thais again. I prefer the opera to L’assedio di Corinto, but do not show Sills off in a flattering light. It is also available as often as you want to hear it on Met Player. 5/9/11 Thank goodness this was NOT videoed. Sills did not have enough vocal allure for this role. Fleming’s broadcast and video are available in every format including Met Player, as well as a commercial CD that precedes her Met performances by several years. This Sills Thais is on Met Player and appears disproportionately often in the rotation. Sills clearly brought a number of people to opera but she was one of the first singers I grew weary of because of excessive hype. Her Cleopatra was very fine at NYCO.
THAÏS:Massenet
Original Air Date: 01/28/1978
Pritchard; Sills, Milnes, Gibbs
SID.19380530
For a long time this was the only Met broadcast of Thais, but with Fleming’s effort in 2008 one can hear a much fresher sound in the title role. I love Massenet, but I often prefer Esclarmonde to Thais (Manon and Werther are better by far). It’s on twice a year, but has seemed more frequent. 7/31/12 Fleming was far preferable. The Sills performance is on MOoD as is the Fleming video. Has been on Sirius a lot. I’m not a big fan of the performance. 3/7/12 This returns after several months layoff. Sills is not an especially good Thais, but why not mark this down for twice a year. 9/20/11 Through no demand from me, here comes the Thais again. I prefer the opera to L’assedio di Corinto, but do not show Sills off in a flattering light. It is also available as often as you want to hear it on Met Player. 5/9/11 Thank goodness this was NOT videoed. Sills did not have enough vocal allure for this role. Fleming’s broadcast and video are available in every format including Met Player, as well as a commercial CD that precedes her Met performances by several years. This Sills Thais is on Met Player and appears disproportionately often in the rotation. Sills clearly brought a number of people to opera but she was one of the first singers I grew weary of because of excessive hype. Her Cleopatra was very fine at NYCO.
LA FAVORITA:Donizetti
López-Cobos; Verrett, Pavarotti, Milnes, Giaiotti
Original Air Date: 03/11/1978
SID.19470208
This is a very fully sung performance. I remember better Leonora de Guzmans from Verrett (Dallas about 1971 and a sizzling concert performance at Carnegie with Kraus some years earlier), but this cast gives all they have. Still, this is a zingy performance and one will not be bored. It’s on Met On Demand as well. This remains the only broadcast of Favorita, and it is a shame that it has now been out of the Met repertory for more than three decades. Zajick for one made a great success with the part in Spain. The opera is more easily cast than Puritani. Milnes is far from my favorite baritone, but this performance has all singers well up to the mark with plenty of energy from all.
LA FAVORITA:Donizetti
López-Cobos; Verrett, Pavarotti, Milnes, Giaiotti
Original Air Date: 03/11/1978
SID.19470425
This is a very fully sung performance. I remember better Leonora de Guzmans from Verrett (Dallas about 1971 and a sizzling concert performance at Carnegie with Kraus some years earlier), but this cast gives all they have. Still, this is a zingy performance and one will not be bored. It’s on Met On Demand as well. This remains the only broadcast of Favorita, and it is a shame that it has now been out of the Met repertory for more than three decades. Zajick for one made a great success with the part in Spain. The opera is more easily cast than Puritani. Milnes is far from my favorite baritone, but this performance has all singers well up to the mark with plenty of energy from all.
LA FAVORITA:Donizetti
López-Cobos; Verrett, Pavarotti, Milnes, Giaiotti
Original Air Date: 03/11/1978
SID.19470637
This is a very fully sung performance. I remember better Leonora de Guzmans from Verrett (Dallas about 1971 and a sizzling concert performance at Carnegie with Kraus some years earlier), but this cast gives all they have. Still, this is a zingy performance and one will not be bored. It’s on Met On Demand as well. This remains the only broadcast of Favorita, and it is a shame that it has now been out of the Met repertory for more than three decades. Zajick for one made a great success with the part in Spain. The opera is more easily cast than Puritani. Milnes is far from my favorite baritone, but this performance has all singers well up to the mark with plenty of energy from all.
TANNHÄUSER:Wagner
Levine; McCracken, Kubiak, Bumbry, Weikl, Macurdy
Original Air Date: 01/21/1978
SID.19510107
This is McCracken’s only broadcast outing as Tannhauser, and he is really very fine. Weikl and Bumbry are tops in these roles and Kubiak is a very decent Elisabeth. Levine is at his very best. What is inexplicable to me is why this performance has not made its way to MOoD. McCracken has 597 Met appearances, more than 300 of them after his return as Otello in March 1963. Bumbry, to my mind is the most important American mezzo of the 20th century. Venus was a breakthrough role for her in 1960 at the Bayreuth Festival. This is her only broadcast from the Met of Venus. This performance does great honor to all of the cast and I am grateful that it has been regularly on Sirius, but the better sound afforded in MOoD would definitely benefit Tannhauser.
TANNHÄUSER:Wagner
Levine; McCracken, Kubiak, Bumbry, Weikl, Macurdy
Original Air Date: 01/21/1978
SID.19510316
This is McCracken’s only broadcast outing as Tannhauser, and he is really very fine. Weikl and Bumbry are tops in these roles and Kubiak is a very decent Elisabeth. Levine is at his very best. What is inexplicable to me is why this performance has not made its way to MOoD. McCracken has 597 Met appearances, more than 300 of them after his return as Otello in March 1963. Bumbry, to my mind is the most important American mezzo of the 20th century. Venus was a breakthrough role for her in 1960 at the Bayreuth Festival. This is her only broadcast from the Met of Venus. This performance does great honor to all of the cast and I am grateful that it has been regularly on Sirius, but the better sound afforded in MOoD would definitely benefit Tannhauser.
TANNHÄUSER:Wagner
Levine; McCracken, Kubiak, Bumbry, Weikl, Macurdy
Original Air Date: 01/21/1978
SID.19510747
This is McCracken’s only broadcast outing as Tannhauser, and he is really very fine. Weikl and Bumbry are tops in these roles and Kubiak is a very decent Elisabeth. Levine is at his very best. What is inexplicable to me is why this performance has not made its way to MOoD. McCracken has 597 Met appearances, more than 300 of them after his return as Otello in March 1963. Bumbry, to my mind is the most important American mezzo of the 20th century. Venus was a breakthrough role for her in 1960 at the Bayreuth Festival. This is her only broadcast from the Met of Venus. This performance does great honor to all of the cast and I am grateful that it has been regularly on Sirius, but the better sound afforded in MOoD would definitely benefit Tannhauser.
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Bonynge; Morris, Sutherland, Bacquier, Varady, Brecknock, Tourangeau
Original Air Date: 03/25/1978
MOD Audio
SID.20020208
This is Julia Varady’s only season and broadcast from the Met, and earns a well-deserved place in MOoD. The missing piece is that 9 days earlier the Met telecast this, and it operatic stage. Traubel has never appeared in any form. There is so little Sutherland video from the Met. Of particular interest is Bacquier in his only season as Leporello and Morris makes a youthful but powerful Don. It also captures the last of the Berman production. The video please! Also Sutherland’s only other Donna Anna from the Met is from opening season of the new house at Lincoln Center under Karl Bohm with Siepi, Flagello, and Giaiotti with Lorengar as the Elvira. This has not been recently discussed on SIrius in 5 years and should be in MOoD.
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Bonynge; Morris, Sutherland, Bacquier, Varady, Brecknock, Tourangeau
Original Air Date: 03/25/1978
MOD Audio
SID.20020424
This is Julia Varady’s only season and broadcast from the Met, and earns a well-deserved place in MOoD. The missing piece is that 9 days earlier the Met telecast this, and it operatic stage. Traubel has never appeared in any form. There is so little Sutherland video from the Met. Of particular interest is Bacquier in his only season as Leporello and Morris makes a youthful but powerful Don. It also captures the last of the Berman production. The video please! Also Sutherland’s only other Donna Anna from the Met is from opening season of the new house at Lincoln Center under Karl Bohm with Siepi, Flagello, and Giaiotti with Lorengar as the Elvira. This has not been recently discussed on SIrius in 5 years and should be in MOoD.
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Bonynge; Morris, Sutherland, Bacquier, Varady, Brecknock, Tourangeau
Original Air Date: 03/25/1978
MOD Audio
SID.20020641
This is Julia Varady’s only season and broadcast from the Met, and earns a well-deserved place in MOoD. The missing piece is that 9 days earlier the Met telecast this, and it operatic stage. Traubel has never appeared in any form. There is so little Sutherland video from the Met. Of particular interest is Bacquier in his only season as Leporello and Morris makes a youthful but powerful Don. It also captures the last of the Berman production. The video please! Also Sutherland’s only other Donna Anna from the Met is from opening season of the new house at Lincoln Center under Karl Bohm with Siepi, Flagello, and Giaiotti with Lorengar as the Elvira. This has not been recently discussed on SIrius in 5 years and should be in MOoD.
OTELLO:Verdi
Levine; Vickers, Ricciarelli, MacNeil, Little
Original Air Date: 02/04/1978
SID.20070210
This is the third of Vickers’ 4 Otello Met broadcasts. Ricciarelli is a semi-rare commodity, but she does not have enough profile to efface memories of Steber, Tebaldi, DeLosAngeles, Tucci (the Solti 1963 broadcast should be on Sirius ), Te Kanawa, Scotto, Millo, or Fleming. Missing from the Sirius and MOoD ranks are the Steber and Tebaldi performances of 1955 and 1958 in addition to the Tucci/Solti. Steber finally made it to the Sirius airwaves in June 2014, but Tucci, Steber, and Tebaldi all deserve to have their Desdemonas in MOoD.
OTELLO:Verdi
Levine; Vickers, Ricciarelli, MacNeil, Little
Original Air Date: 02/04/1978
SID.20070426
This is the third of Vickers’ 4 Otello Met broadcasts. Ricciarelli is a semi-rare commodity, but she does not have enough profile to efface memories of Steber, Tebaldi, DeLosAngeles, Tucci (the Solti 1963 broadcast should be on Sirius ), Te Kanawa, Scotto, Millo, or Fleming. Missing from the Sirius and MOoD ranks are the Steber and Tebaldi performances of 1955 and 1958 in addition to the Tucci/Solti. Steber finally made it to the Sirius airwaves in June 2014, but Tucci, Steber, and Tebaldi all deserve to have their Desdemonas in MOoD.
OTELLO:Verdi
Levine; Vickers, Ricciarelli, MacNeil, Little
Original Air Date: 02/04/1978
SID.20070642
This is the third of Vickers’ 4 Otello Met broadcasts. Ricciarelli is a semi-rare commodity, but she does not have enough profile to efface memories of Steber, Tebaldi, DeLosAngeles, Tucci (the Solti 1963 broadcast should be on Sirius ), Te Kanawa, Scotto, Millo, or Fleming. Missing from the Sirius and MOoD ranks are the Steber and Tebaldi performances of 1955 and 1958 in addition to the Tucci/Solti. Steber finally made it to the Sirius airwaves in June 2014, but Tucci, Steber, and Tebaldi all deserve to have their Desdemonas in MOoD.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Patanè; Scotto, Aragall, Love, Edwards, Atherton
Original Air Date: 12/17/1977
SID.20080106
Aragall only has 38 Met performances in his nine season tenure. His two broadcasts are Esclarmonde with Sutherland and this Butterfly with Scotto in close to her very best voice. Few tenor voices had such unforced beauty. His Met farewell comes in Boheme two days after this broadcast Aragall suffered from severe nervousness which could affect his pitch. Luckily his two Met broadcasts capture mostly just the remarkable voice, one much respected by his peers– Carreras, Domingo, and Pavarotti. Patane lamentably died much too young at 54 while conducting at the Bavarian State Opera, Munich. He was an excellent maestro in the Met’s Italian wing, and is the conductor for Pavarotti and Ricciarelli’s Ballo in Maschera telecast/DVD. He also is number four in Gioconda performances at 25 (Cleva at 65 (Milanov and Tebaldi); Serafin at 55, Toscanini at 29 surpass him).
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Patanè; Scotto, Aragall, Love, Edwards, Atherton
Original Air Date: 12/17/1977
SID.20080530
Aragall only has 38 Met performances in his nine season tenure. His two broadcasts are Esclarmonde with Sutherland and this Butterfly with Scotto in close to her very best voice. Few tenor voices had such unforced beauty. His Met farewell comes in Boheme two days after this broadcast Aragall suffered from severe nervousness which could affect his pitch. Luckily his two Met broadcasts capture mostly just the remarkable voice, one much respected by his peers– Carreras, Domingo, and Pavarotti. Patane lamentably died much too young at 54 while conducting at the Bavarian State Opera, Munich. He was an excellent maestro in the Met’s Italian wing, and is the conductor for Pavarotti and Ricciarelli’s Ballo in Maschera telecast/DVD. He also is number four in Gioconda performances at 25 (Cleva at 65 (Milanov and Tebaldi); Serafin at 55, Toscanini at 29 surpass him).
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Patanè; Scotto, Aragall, Love, Edwards, Atherton
Original Air Date: 12/17/1977
SID.20080747
Aragall only has 38 Met performances in his nine season tenure. His two broadcasts are Esclarmonde with Sutherland and this Butterfly with Scotto in close to her very best voice. Few tenor voices had such unforced beauty. His Met farewell comes in Boheme two days after this broadcast Aragall suffered from severe nervousness which could affect his pitch. Luckily his two Met broadcasts capture mostly just the remarkable voice, one much respected by his peers– Carreras, Domingo, and Pavarotti. Patane lamentably died much too young at 54 while conducting at the Bavarian State Opera, Munich. He was an excellent maestro in the Met’s Italian wing, and is the conductor for Pavarotti and Ricciarelli’s Ballo in Maschera telecast/DVD. He also is number four in Gioconda performances at 25 (Cleva at 65 (Milanov and Tebaldi); Serafin at 55, Toscanini at 29 surpass him).