Puccini’s heartbreaking story of young love in the garrets of Belle Epoque Paris has attracted many famous singers through the years. But with James Levine at the helm and the starry duo of Luciano Pavarotti and Renata Scotto as Rodolfo and Mimi, every bit of emotion in the score pours across the footlights and seduces the audience. In this case, the audience was in the millions since this was the very first in the “Live from the Met” series of telecasts. The evocative production is by Fabrizio Melano, designed by Pier Luigi Pizzi. Performance date: March 15, 1977.
John Dexter’s riveting production, designed by Tanya Moiseiwitsch, captures the dark passions of Verdi’s ever popular opera. Cornell MacNeil, in the role of his sensational Met debut, is the tortured hunchback jester, desperate to protect his daughter, Gilda, from the lascivious Duke of Mantua. Ileana Cotrubas is at her most affecting as the innocent girl who sacrifices herself for love. Plácido Domingo’s golden voice and suave appeal are perfect for the charming but faithless Duke. James Levine conducts. Performance date: December 15, 1981.
On March 15, 1977, the Met presented the inaugural performance of its Live from the Met series of opera telecasts—a Peabody Award–winning program that would run on public television for more than 25 years. One of the early performances included in the series was this 1978 performance of Mozart’s classic black comedy Don Giovanni, starring celebrated bass-baritone James Morris as the title seducer—a role that he would go on to sing 42 times with the company. On the podium, Richard Bonynge leads a buoyant performance of Herbert Graf’s classic production. Alongside Morris, the exceptional cast features soprano Joan Sutherland as Donna Anna, baritone Gabriel Bacquier as Leporello, and bass John Macurdy as the Commendatore. Performance date: March 16, 1978.
Jon Vickers was one of the most magnetic singing actors of the 20th century and Otello one of his greatest roles. He understood how to combine Shakespeare’s rich characterization and Verdi’s dramatic music to create an overwhelming figure, one whose death left audiences deeply shaken. Vickers is perfectly partnered by James Levine’s conducting and the Met’s sensational orchestra and chorus. Renata Scotto is an appealing Desdemona, Cornell MacNeil is a menacing Iago, and Franco Zeffirelli’s production is deservedly legendary. Performance date: September 25, 1978.
Every bit of the spontaneous charm that infuses Smetana’s colorful opera is conveyed in this English-language performance by a spectacular cast. Teresa Stratas as Mařenka is determined to marry her lover Jenik (Nicolai Gedda), but her father in under obligation to Micha and wants her to marry Micha’s son—the stuttering, rather foolish Vašek (Jon Vickers in a tour-de-force comic performance). Fortunately Jeník has a secret of his own and it all ends well. James Levine and the Met orchestra bring out the Bohemian color and rhythm of this enchanting score, and Pavel Smok’s choreography adds a delightful flair. Performance date: November 21, 1978.
A stellar cast brings Puccini’s spellbinding opera to life, seizing every opportunity to thrill the audience. Luciano Pavarotti is Cavaradossi, the painter and political revolutionary in love with the beautiful and famous singer Tosca (the riveting Shirley Verrett). Rome’s diabolical chief of police, Baron Scarpia (Cornell MacNeil), wants Tosca for himself—but he underestimates the fury of a woman in love. With torture, murder, and a suicide in its final moments, Tosca packs more dramatic punches than most other operas—and this classic telecast captures them all. James Conlon conducts in a production by the incomparable Tito Gobbi, one of the great Scarpias of the 20th century. Performance date: December 19, 1978.
Renata Scotto is the innocent Luisa, very much in love with Rodolfo (Plácido Domingo in one of his best roles). But he turns out to be the son of the Count Walter (Bonaldo Giaiotti), who has other plans for his aristocratic boy. Enter the evil Wurm (James Morris) whose blackmail eventually backfires, destroying the young lovers despite everything Luisa's father (Sherrill Milnes in a superb performance) does to protect her. James Levine's affectionate conducting and director Nathaniel Merrill's production help make this a performance to treasure. Performance date: January 20, 1979.
In an Opening Night performance for the history books, the great Plácido Domingo sings the title role of Verdi’s Otello for the first time at the Met. This supremely demanding part was to become his signature role, an accomplishment against which other interpreters are still measured to this day. Domingo stars opposite Sherrill Milnes’s conniving Iago and Gilda Cruz-Romo’s touching Desdemona, all brilliantly conducted by Music Director James Levine. Performance date: September 24, 1979.
John Dexter’s brilliant production, James Levine’s masterful conducting of the eclectic score, and a sensational cast come together to make this Kurt Weill–Bertolt Brecht masterpiece a riveting evening of music theater. At the center of the action is Jimmy Mahoney (Richard Cassilly), a logger who stumbles onto the city of Mahagonny, where (almost) anything is allowed. Teresa Stratas gives a mesmerizing performance as Jenny, the prostitute who takes up with Jimmy, until he is executed for the greatest of all crimes in Mahagonny—to not have any money. The legendary Astrid Varnay, in her final Met appearances, is Leocadia Begbick, and Cornell MacNeil sings Trinity Moses. Performance date: November 27, 1979.
Director Elijah Moshinsky’s production sets Verdi’s poignant opera in colonial Boston, where Riccardo (Luciano Pavarotti) is the British governor, in love with his best friend’s wife. “Perhaps the most complete role for a tenor…a severe test, both vocally and dramatically,” is how Pavarotti described his role. Of course, he’s brilliant—with his distinctive plangent and ringing voice going straight to the heart of the role and to the hearts of the audience. A gorgeous Katia Ricciarelli is the woman he loves and Louis Quilico is her unforgiving husband. Performance date: February 16, 1980.
James Levine leads an all-star ensemble in this memorable telecast of Verdi’s most ambitious opera, seen in John Dexter’s classic production. Renata Scotto is Elizabeth of Valois, the French princess who becomes the wife of Philip II, King of Spain (Paul Plishka)—although she loves his son, Don Carlo (Vasile Moldoveanu). Sherill Milnes sings Posa, Carlo’s friend and the king’s advisor who is secretly aiding a rebellion, and Tatiana Troyanos is Princess Eboli, the King’s scheming mistress who nevertheless wants Don Carlo for herself. Jerome Hines rounds out the cast in the small but crucial role of the sinister Grand Inquisitor. Performance date: February 21, 1980.
This John Dexter production, designed by Desmond Heeley, was a parting gift to the great American soprano Beverly Sills, who bid farewell to the Met as Norina, the smart young widow at the center of Donizetti’s comedy. The sensational Alfredo Kraus sings her beloved Ernesto. Håkan Hagegård, in his Met debut role and season, is Dr. Malatesta, the man who helps the young couple trick the crusty old bachelor of the title (Gabriel Bacquier at his comical best) into a fake marriage. This being a Donizetti comedy, it all turns out perfectly well at the end—and getting there is pure operatic fun. Performance date: January 11, 1979.
All the throbbing eroticism—and ultimate heartbreak—of Puccini’s youthful score is unleashed by James Levine and his top-flight cast. Plácido Domingo is Des Grieux, the handsome, headstrong young aristocrat who falls head over heels for the enticing, impetuous Manon Lescaut (Renata Scotto). Manon returns his love, but her obsession with luxury ruins them both. Gian Carlo Menotti’s opulent production, with sets and costumes by Desmond Heeley, superbly captures the colorful world of 18th century France. Performance date: March 29, 1980.
Alban Berg's Lulu has finally made it to the Metropolitan Opera! This Lulu is an experience that all adventurous music lovers will want to sample. Met Music Director James Levine, long a champion of this groundbreaking work, was the driving artistic force behind Lulu's highly anticipated Met premiere. The riveting singing actress Julia Migenes stars in the title role in a production by the great John Dexter that the Times called "the year's major operatic event". Composer: Alban Berg Conductor: James Levine Artists: Julia Migenes Evelyn Lear Kenneth Riegel Frank Little Franz Mazura. Performance date: December 20, 1980.
The characters of Greek mythology remain as moving to us today as they were to the first audiences who heard them thousands of years ago. In one sweeping act, composer Richard Strauss has brilliantly transformed the story of the violent revenge of Elektra, mourning the murder of her father by his wife and her lover, into a vivid and emotionally compelling score. This Metropolitan Opera production makes available one of the rare performances of Brigit Nilsson in one of her signature roles. Performance date: February 16, 1980.
The incomparable Luciano Pavarotti at his most eloquent brings Donizetti’s Nemorino to live as only he can, combining vocal fireworks, personal charisma, and charm. The enchanting production by Nathaniel Merrill, with designs by Robert O’Hearn, is the perfect setting for Nemorino’s quest to win the heart of beautiful Adina, sung by the sparkling Judith Blegen. Brent Ellis as Belcore and Sesto Bruscantini as Dr. Dulcamara round out the all-star cast. Nicola Rescigno conducts. Performance date: March 2, 1981.
James Levine leads a remarkable cast in one of Verdi’s most enduringly popular operas and brings fresh insights to this beloved score. Ileana Cotrubas is poignant and touching as Violetta, the consumptive courtesan who finds true love with Alfredo, sung with style and passion by the great Plácido Domingo. Cornell MacNeil is Germont, Alfredo’s father, who forces the two apart, setting in motion events that lead to a shattering and tragic conclusion. Colin Graham’s production features design by Tanya Moiseiwitsch and choreography by Zachary Solov. Performance date: March 28, 1981.
Luciano Pavarotti is the elegant, reckless Duke of Mantua whose betrayal of the innocent Gilda (Christiane Eda-Pierre) leads to a tragic ending. Louis Quilico plays Rigoletto, the court jester and Gilda’s father, who has dedicated his life to keeping his daughter away from the Duke—only to have her sacrifice her own life for the villainous nobleman. James Levine’s conducting brings out the scorching drama in Verdi’s unforgettable score. Performance date: December 15, 1981.
Franco Zeffirelli’s sensational production of Puccini’s haunting opera of young love is one of the great classics in the history of the Met. Many great singers have appeared in it over the years, but there is something especially endearing about this magical first cast: the touching and fragile Teresa Stratas as the dying Mimi, and young, handsome Jose Carreras as her passionate lover, Rodolfo. A flamboyant Renata Scotto is the irrepressible Musetta. James Levine conducts with his special combination of sensitivity and verve. Performance date: January 16, 1982.
A trio of operas in three short stories - the first a gruesome murder melodrama, the second is a passionate tearjerker, and the third is a dark comedy of death and an inheritance. Each story is strikingly different from the preceding one.
In this stunning performance from 1982, Strauss’s enchanting fairy tale for adults is blessed with a cast, conductor, and production that have made it legendary—complete with superstar Luciano Pavarotti in the cameo role of the Italian Singer. Gorgeous Kiri Te Kanawa is the Marschallin, the gracious noblewoman who understands that her affair with a younger man cannot last. Tatiana Troyanos is every bit the passionate seventeen year old Octavian who swears he will never love another woman—until he meets the bewitching Sophie (Judith Blegen) when he presents her with a silver rose on behalf of the loutish Baron Ochs (Kurt Moll). James Levine’s inspired leading of the Met orchestra and the enthralling production by Nathaniel Merrill and Robert O’Hearn combine to bring Old Vienna, with its timeless elegance, to life once again. Performance date: October 7, 1982.
Director Nathaniel Merrill and designer Robert O’Hearn work operatic magic in this brilliant production of Humperdinck’s cherished favorite. What Christmas is complete without this sumptuous musical retelling of the classic fairy tale, replete with guardian angels, a sandman, dew fairy, and, of course, a witch and her enticing gingerbread house. This performance, sung in English, features Frederica von Stade as the loveable but mischievous Hansel and Judith Blegen as his charming sister Gretel. Rosalind Elias is the evil Witch. Performance date: December 25, 1982.
Mozart’s once-rare opera has become a favorite at the Met, thanks to James Levine’s loving conducting of the score and this stunning production by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. In fact, this telecast follows the Met’s premiere of the opera by only a few weeks, fully capturing the excitement of the audience as it discovered not only a masterpiece, but also a thrilling evening in the theater. Luciano Pavarotti is in resplendent form in the title role of the King of Crete, with Frederica von Stade as a memorable Idamante, his son, who is in love with Ilia, a touching Ileana Cotrubas. Hildegard Behrens’s Elettra is a tour de force. Performance date: November 6, 1982.
When this gorgeous production opened audiences gasped, then heartily applauded. Otto Schenk and Günther Schneider-Siemssen magnificently invoked the world of Wagner’s opera, from Venus’s erotic lair to the world of medieval pageantry. Within this stunning setting the cast of great singing actors are truly at home. Richard Cassilly is the tortured Tannhäuser, torn between the sensual delights of Tatiana Troyanos’s enticing Venus and the pure love of Eva Marton’s radiant Elisabeth. Bernd Weikl is a truly noble Wolfram. James Levine and the superb Met orchestra, chorus, and ballet bring Wagner’s colorful score to life. Performance date: December 20, 1982.
These highlights from three now-legendary concerts feature an impressive lineup of Met stars in selections from Handel to Puccini: Tatiana Troyanos and Plácido Domingo; Leontyne Price and Marilyn Horne; and Plácido Domingo and Sherrill Milnes. The program includes repertoire they never sang at the Met as well as excerpts from roles that helped define their careers. Accompanied by the great James Levine and the Met Orchestra, these five artists, all at the top of their form, give ample evidence of why they defined an era at the Met and are among the truly great singers in the history of the company. Performance date: February 28, 1982.
This telecast offers a rare opportunity to see the legendary Joan Sutherland in the role that first catapulted her to international stardom. She drove audiences wild by the way her opulent voice caressed the music’s long phrases and sprinted effortlessly through the fiendish runs, trills, embellishments and stratospheric high notes. One of the glories of the operatic world, her portrayal of Donizetti’s hapless heroine is a multifaceted and moving characterization. The incomparable tenor Alfredo Kraus is Edgardo, the man Lucia loves but cannot have. Performance date: November 13, 1982.
Metropolitan Opera Gala offers the Met tribute to James Levine commemorating his 25th anniversary with the company, recorded April 27, 1996. Most major operatic stars participated and it, indeed, was a very special occasion. But it is far from complete. We have 294 minutes out of the eight hour program. Omissions include performances by Vladimir Chernov, Richard Leech, Roberto Alagna, Alfredo Kraus, and the last performances at the Met by Carlo Bergonzi and Grace Bumbry. Highlights are Renée Fleming's radiant Depuis le jour, an excerpt from Tristan sung by Waldtraud Meier and, in particular, comments by Birgit Nilsson, who had retired from the Met in 1984 and was now 78, ending her tribute to Levine with a remarkable Brünnhilde Battle Cry. Performance date: October 22, 1983.
Pier Luigi Samaritani’s romantic production beautifully captures the sweep and passion of Verdi’s music. With James Levine’s marvelous conducting, this cast makes a spectacular case for Verdi’s opera. The great Luciano Pavarotti is at his stunning best in the title role as the wronged nobleman turned bandit. A beautiful and heartbreaking Leona Mitchell is Elvira, the woman he loves. But she is also pursued by two other men: King Don Carlo (Sherrill Milnes in one of his greatest roles) and her aged guardian, Don Ruy Gomez de Silva (a superb Ruggero Raimondi). Performance date: December 17, 1983.
Berlioz’s colossal masterpiece requires stupendous forces—dozens of soloists, enormous chorus, orchestra and ballet, a superb conductor who understands the uniqueness of the score—plus a production that does visual justice to the work. “A stupendous achievement” was one critic’s assessment of Peter Wexler’s inventive production. And with James Levine’s wizardry galvanizing the marvelous all-star cast, this is truly a gem. Plácido Domingo is the legendary hero Aeneas, Jessye Norman the obsessed prophetess Cassandra, and Tatiana Troyanos is Queen Dido, who commits suicide when Aeneas leaves her. Performance date: October 8, 1983.
Verdi painted an immense canvas with this dark but tuneful opera, vividly brought to life in John Dexter’s production, with sets by the great Eugene Berman. The legendary Leontyne Price is seen in one of her greatest roles, Leonora. Price’s soaring voice encompasses every nuance of Leonora’s emotion as she moves from joy through resignation to ultimate heartbreak. James Levine’s brilliant leading of the Met orchestra and chorus is a lesson in Verdi style. Giuseppe Giacomini is Alvaro, the man Leonora loves, and Leo Nucci is Don Carlo, the dark instrument of their Fate. Performance date: March 24, 1984.
This was one of the most emotional evenings in Met history—the night Leontyne Price bid farewell to opera. Aida is the role that inspired audiences around the world to acclaim her as the greatest Verdi soprano of her time. And this telecast shows why: the famous soaring phrases that seemed to never end, the shimmering top to her lustrous voice, undimmed by the years. But most of all, there is the ennobling heart and soul Price lavished on every performance—captured here forever. With James Levine conducting the Met orchestra, chorus, and ballet. Performance date: January 3, 1985.
This sumptuous production by Piero Faggioni (sets by Ezio Frigerio and costumes by Franca Squarciapino) seduced Met audiences into the enchanting world of Zandonai’s rarely heard opera. His retelling of Dante’s story of the immortal passion of Paolo and Francesca in 13th century Italy is as musically elegant and beautiful as the details of the production on stage. James Levine’s fervent conducting galvanizes the fabulous cast: Renata Scotto and Plácido Domingo as the lovers with Cornell MacNeil as an appropriately brutal Giovanni. Performance date: April 7, 1984.
Franco Zeffirelli’s productions are legendary—and for good reason. This new production of Puccini’s intensely dramatic opera had opened only two weeks before this performance and the excitement is palpable. Zeffirelli captures the overwhelming grandeur of Rome, as well as the dark undercurrent of decadence and corruption in the drama. Under his direction, the cast of great singing actors crackles with intensity. Hildegard Behrens as Tosca, the passionate singer in love with Cavaradossi (Plácido Domingo), who agrees to a night with Scarpia, the evil chief of police (Cornell MacNeil), in exchange for Cavaradossi’s freedom. Giuseppe Sinopoli conducts. Performance date: March 27, 1985.
Sherrill Milnes brought vivid theatrical force to his portrait of Simon Boccanegra, the 14th century Doge of Genoa who battles private demons and political enemies. Only the greatest Verdi baritones manage to put their individual stamp on this monumental role, and Milnes succeeds brilliantly, mixing poetry and power to reveal Boccanegra’s heart to the audience. Anna Tomowa-Sintow is the long-lost daughter he finds, but, he discovers, she loves Gabriele Adorno (Vasile Moldoveanu), a man determined to destroy him. James Levine’s superb conducting and Tito Capobianco’s dramatic production add to the gripping performance. Performance date: December 29, 1984.
The great Marilyn Horne stars in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s charming production of Rossini’s opera. Isabella (Horne) has been shipwrecked while trying to find her lost lover, Lindoro (Douglas Ahlstedt) who, it turns out, has been captured by Mustafà, the Bey of Algiers (Paolo Montarsolo). Isabella has conveniently been cast ashore near the palace of Mustafà, who in turn is immediately smitten with her, and comedy ensues. Met Music Director James Levine conducts. Performance date: January 11, 1986.
Wagner’s Romantic opera demands singing actors who can truly inhabit their parts, and that’s just what we have here. Is it possible for a Knight of the Holy Grail to look more enticing than Peter Hofmann? No wonder Elsa (Eva Marton) falls in love at first sight. Marton’s heroine is innocent, but she is also a passionate, real-life young woman—which is good, because Leonie Rysanek is positively demented as Ortrud, the sorceress who accuses Elsa and Lohengrin of using magic. With James Levine’s superb conducting, the orchestra and chorus are similarly magical. Performance date: January 10, 1986.
With James Levine’s masterful conducting, Mozart’s sublime score works its colorful magic in this upstairs/downstairs drama. Ruggero Raimondi (Figaro) and Kathleen Battle (Susannah) are the servants, caught up in the ongoing domestic drama of the Count and Countess (Thomas Allen and Carol Vaness). Only all is not what it seems, and the battle lines keep shifting in the most unexpected ways. Frederica von Stade is Cherubino, the young page body who’s in love with love and who keeps complicating everyone’s best laid plans at exactly the wrong times. Performance date: December 14, 1985.
Eugene Ormandy conducts a distinguished cast in this English-language version of Johann Strauss’s effervescent operetta. Risë Stevens is sensational as the extravagant Prince Orlofsky, whose costume ball is at the center of the action. Richard Tucker sings Alfred, the luckless opera singer who is wooing his old flame Rosalinde (Marguerite Piazza) and is mistakenly hauled off to prison in place of her husband, Eisenstein (Charles Kullman). Patrice Munsel is Rosalinde’s maid, Adele, John Brownlee sings Dr. Falke, and Jack Gilford gives a hilarious performance as the jailer Frosch. Performance date: December 31, 1986.
This all-star cast is framed by Peter Hall’s gritty, realistic production and conducted by James Levine, who brings out all the surging emotion and gripping drama in Bizet’s score. At the center of the story is Agnes Baltsa, whose smoky mezzo is tailor-made for the gypsy Carmen, an independent woman who glories in obeying only her own rules, but who is haunted by fate. Superstar tenor José Carreras is Don José, the solider from a small town who catches Carmen’s eye and is destroyed by his growing obsession with her. Samuel Ramey is the charismatic matador Escamillo, who lures Carmen away from Don José with tragic result. Leona Mitchell is Micaëla, the simple girl from Don José’s hometown who cannot save him. Performance date: February 28, 1987.
For the Metropolitan Opera gala of 1988, two of the greatest opera stars of the time, and long-term singing partners, Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland, united to perform four famous scenes from Acts I and III of Lucia di Lammermoor, Act III of La Traviata and Act III of Rigoletto. Richard Bonynge conducts. Performance date: January 11, 1987.
In this legendary production, director John Dexter and designer David Reppa brilliantly captured the stark drama of Poulenc’s only full-length opera, which tells the story of a group of nuns caught in the maelstrom of the French Revolution. Maria Ewing is Blanche de la Force, an aristocratic novice who flees her convent when it is desecrated, only to return and join her fellow nuns as they are led to their execution. The legendary Régine Crespin, in her final Met appearance, is Madame de Croissy, the prioress whose agonizing death haunts Blanche. Jessye Norman sings Mother Lidoine, the new prioress, and Florence Quivar is the comforting Mother Marie. French maestro Manuel Rosenthal conducts. Performance date: April 4, 1987.
Franco Zeffirelli’s sumptuous production of Puccini’s final opera has been a Met favorite ever since its 1987 premiere run, captured in this telecast. James Levine brings out all the color and drama of the composer’s most ambitious score, leading a stellar cast: Plácido Domingo is Calàf, the unknown prince, Eva Marton sings the title role of the icy princess, Leona Mitchell is Liù, the innocent slave girl, and Paul Plishka plays Timur, Calàf’s father. Veteran tenor Hugues Cuénod, at 85, sings the ancient Emperor Altoum, in his Met debut. Performance date: April 4, 1987.
Otto Schenk’s brilliant production captures both the dark romanticism of the story as well as its fairy-tale magic. It is a superb setting for Neil Shicoff’s vivid portrayal of the tortured poet Hoffmann, as he recounts the loves of his life and the way he has been foiled by his nemesis—a marvelous James Morris in a tour-de-force performance of the opera’s four villains. Gwendolyn Bradley is the doll Olympia, Tatiana Troyanos sings the courtesan Giulietta, and Roberta Alexander portrays the innocent Antonia. Performance date: January 8, 1988.
Jessye Norman is a regal Ariadne, the mythological Greek heroine in this opera-within-an-opera, opposite the passionate Bacchus of the great James King. Kathleen Battle delivers the coloratura fireworks of Zerbinetta, the leader of a commedia dell’arte troupe that finds itself stranded on Ariadne’s island. Tatiana Troyanos and Franz Ferdinand Nentwig star as the young Composer and the Music Master in the opera’s prologue. James Levine brings out all the color and charm of Strauss’s brilliant chamber-sized score with its equal amounts of pathos and humor. Bodo Igesz’s production features sets by esteemed designer Oliver Messel. Performance date: March 12, 1988.
With his recital on the Met stage as part of Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series in 1978, Luciano Pavarotti became the first singer in history to give a solo performance at the Met’s Lincoln Center home. Ten years later, the beloved tenor returned for another recital, this time accompanied by then–Artistic Director James Levine at the piano. From his opening number—a selection from Mozart’s Così fan tutte—to the performance’s rousing finale—an encore of the aria “Nessun dorma”—Pavarotti’s bright, inviting timbre and effortless high notes were on full display. The program included not only some of opera’s greatest hits, such as Tosca’s “Recondita armonia” and “Pourquoi me reveiller” from Werther, but also a number of classic Italian art songs and serenades. Originally seen as part of the Live from the Metropolitan Opera television program, this broadcast stands as a testament to Pavarotti’s incomparable talent and enduring legacy. Performance date: September 18, 1988.
With its hilarious hijinks and vocal virtuosity, Rossini’s madcap comedy always proves a delightful treat. For this 1988 telecast, the Met assembled a cast capable of tackling both the musical and physical challenges of this bel canto farce, seen here in a whimsical production by John Cox. From the moment he takes the stage with Figaro’s iconic aria “Largo al factotum,” Leo Nucci combines winning charm with a robust baritone. Soprano Kathleen Battle tosses off one glittering vocal display after another as the feisty Rosina, while tenor Rowell Blake makes for an ardent Count Almaviva. Ralf Weikert conducts the lively performance, which also includes the comic duo of Enzo Dara as Dr. Bartolo and Ferruccio Furlanetto as Don Basilio. Performance date: December 3, 1988.
In "Bluebeard's Castle," Samuel Ramey portrays the enigmatic Bluebeard and Jessye Norman is his new wife, Judith. "Erwartung" had its broadcast premiere with Norman as the terrified woman who searches desperately in the darkened woods for her lover only to find him brutally murdered. Both "Bluebeard's Castle" and "Erwartung" stem from the same period, composed respectively in 1911 and 1909 and show the era's preoccupation with psychological inwardness and symbolism. The conductor for both operas was James Levine, and the announcer for the broadcast was Peter Allen. During the single intermission, pianist Garrick Ohlsson discussed the art of the piano encore. Performance date: January 28, 1989.
Verdi’s beloved opera overflows with marvelous arias, ensembles, and choruses—all superbly sung by this all-star cast, under the direction of James Levine. Aprile Millo (Leonore) is in love with the mysterious troubadour Manrico (Luciano Pavarotti) but the nefarious Count Di Luna (Sherrill Milnes) wants her for himself. Add to the roiling drama the mysterious old gypsy Azucena (the intense Fiorenza Cossotto in her final Met performance), and it’s a situation that is disastrous for the characters—though it inspired some of the best-known music in all of Italian opera. Performance date: January 21, 1989.
A golden-voiced Plácido Domingo is Radamès, victorious leader of the triumphant Egyptian army in this memorable broadcast. He can have anything in the world he wants—except the woman he loves, the slave Aida (Aprile Millo). The King bestows his own daughter, Amneris (Stefania Toczyska), on Radamès—which is fine with her, until she discovers he would rather die with Aida than rule Egypt with her. Sherrill Milnes is Amonasro, Aida’s father, who forces her to use Radamès’s love to betray his country. James Levine conducts. Performance date: January 7, 1989.
Part one of the Der Ring des Nibelungen. From the gorgeous scene deep in the river Rhine that opens the opera, up to the magic Rainbow Bridge that appears at the end, leading to a glistening Valhalla, Otto Schenk’s production captures the scenic world of Wagner’s Ring as brilliantly as James Levine and the Met orchestra capture the musical world. The cast is incomporable: an astounding James Morris as the young god Wotan, the great Christa Ludwig as his wife Fricka, incandescent Siegfried Jerusalem as Loge, the wily god of fire, and Ekkehard Wlaschiha as a complex Alberich. Performance date: April 23, 1990.
Part two of the Der Ring des Nibelungen. The gorgeous and evocative Otto Schenk/Günther Schneider-Siemssen production continues with this second opera in Wagner’s Ring cycle. Hildegard Behrens brings deep empathy to Brünnhilde, the favorite daughter of the god Wotan (James Morris) who nevertheless defies him. Morris’s portrayal of Wotan is deservedly legendary, as is Christa Ludwig, as Fricka. Jessye Norman and Gary Lakes are Sieglinde and Siegmund, and Kurt Moll is the threatening Hunding. James Levine and the Met orchestra provide astonishing color and drama. Performance date: April 8, 1989.
Part three of the Der Ring des Nibelungen. Siegfried’s magical world is brilliantly evoked in this Otto Schenk/Günther Schneider-Siemssen production. Our storybook hero (Siegfried Jerusalem) forges his sword, uses it to kill the dragon (marvelous Matti Salminen as Fafner), discovers treasure, and awakens the sleeping Brünnhilde (a powerful Hildegard Behrens), oblivious to the ring of fire that has been protecting her. James Morris, in sumptuous voice, is deeply moving as the Wanderer, the god who cannot stop Siegfried’s destiny.This is James Levine and the Met orchestra at their very best. Performance date: April 26, 1990.
Part four of the Der Ring des Nibelungen. The stupendous climax to Wagner’s four-part Ring cycle is brilliantly realized by the Otto Schenk/Günther Schneider-Siemssen production and byJames Levine’s monumental conducting. The Met orchestra, chorus, and an all-star cast make this Götterdämmerung one that truly rises to the occasion. Hildegard Behrens’s Brünnhilde must be experienced to be believed, as does Matti Salminen’s richly sung, domineering Hagen. At the center of the drama is Siegfried Jerusalem as Siegfried, who does not realize he has been drawn into a plot of betrayal until it is too late. Christa Ludwig is magnetic as Waltraute and Ekkehard Wlaschiha is a compelling Alberich. Performance date: May 5, 1990.
Every woman wants him, every man wants to be him: Mozart’s version of the irresistible rogue who brings excitement with him and leaves destruction in his wake has always attracted top singing actors, as in this performance brilliantly led by James Levine. Samuel Ramey is Don Giovanni, pursued by the incandescent Karita Mattila (Donna Elvira) in her Met debut season and role, and by the white-hot avenging fury of Carol Vaness (Donna Anna.) Ferruccio Furlanetto delivers a masterful comic turn as the Don’s servant, Leporello. Performance date: April 5, 1990.
Mozart’s allegorical fairy tale has charmed audiences and inspired artists, for more than 200 years. A few weeks before this telecast, the Met unveiled a new production of the opera featuring the colorful designs of acclaimed artist David Hockney. His bold colors and vivid images enchanted audiences and seemed to inspire the striking cast, led by James Levine’s affectionate conducting. Francisco Araiza is the young prince Tamino, who finds himself in a strange land, forced to undergo mysterious tests so he can rescue, then marry, the woman he loves, Pamina, played by Kathleen Battle. Kurt Moll is the compassionate Sarastro and Luciana Serra is the Queen of the Night. Performance date: February 9, 1991.
An operatic depiction of ancient Babylon and the mythic Queen Semiramis, the story includes many of the hallmarks of a legendary epic—valiant warriors, political intrigue, royal splendor, and the otherworldly presence of gods and spirits. Rossini’s stunning music matches the grandeur of the subject matter, presenting ample opportunities for dazzling vocal displays. In the title role, American soprano June Anderson sings with both lustrous coloratura and affecting pathos as the conflicted monarch. Marilyn Horne, the leading Rossini mezzo-soprano of her generation, lends her rich, agile voice to another show stopping portrayal, as Arsace. Samuel Ramey is the menacing Assur, commanding the stage with his booming bass-baritone, while tenor Stanford Olsen, as the prince Idreno, stuns in his two ravishing arias. Maestro James Conlon leads the Met Orchestra and Chorus in a score that combines virtuosic singing with grand spectacle. Performance date: December 22, 1980.
We have two acts from two different Verdi operas, presented in their entirety on the Met’s then current sets, and then an abbreviated second act from Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, the act where a party scene often turns into a sort of gala. And so it does here, at much extended length. At least all the guests are on stage, and the Prince Orlofsky, Anne Sofie Von Otter, introduces each one in character (which brings its own tedium before long, unfortunately). Performance date: October 24, 1991.
What happened to Figaro and his friends after the events told in Rossini’s and Mozart’s operas? One possible sequel is told in John Corigliano’s “grand opera buffa” The Ghosts of Versailles—an uproariously funny and deeply moving work inspired by Beaumarchais’s third Figaro play, La Mère Coupable, and commissioned by the Met to celebrate its 100th anniversary. This telecast captures its world premiere run, conducted by James Levine. Håkan Hagegård is Beaumarchais, Figaro’s creator, who is deeply in love with Empress Marie Antoinette (Teresa Stratas in a heart-searing performance) and determined to rewrite history and save her from the guillotine. A young Renée Fleming, at the beginning of her international career, sings the unfaithful Rosina. Gino Quilico is the wily Figaro who tries to take matters in his own hands and Marilyn Horne stops the show as the exotic entertainer Samira. Performance date: January 10, 1992.
Donizetti’s Nemorino was among Luciano Pavarotti’s greatest roles—his natural charm and mellifluous voice perfectly suited one of opera’s most loveable characters. Kathleen Battle is Adina, the object of his affections, who flirts with the dashing Sergeant Belcore but eventually realizes whom she truly loves. Paul Plishka as the quack Dulcamara provides the elixir of the title that miraculously helps Nemorino win the hand of his beloved. Performance date: January 25, 1992.
James Levine’s conducting of Wagner’s last opera was once described as “a model of concentrated rapture.” The Met’s orchestra and chorus—to say nothing of the all-star cast—are certainly spellbinding in this performance, in Otto Schenk’s atmospheric production (with sets by Günther Schneider-Siemssen). Siegfried Jerusalem is Parsifal, the wise fool who recaptures the Holy Spear and restores the land of the Holy Grail. The bewitching, Waltraud Meier is Kundry, his biggest temptation. Kurt Moll’s Gurnemanz is both compassionate and wise. Performance date: March 28, 1992.
All the humor of Boito’s libretto (taken from Shakespeare) is superbly brought to life by a cast of great singing actors in Franco Zeffirelli's classic production. Paul Plishka is the lecherous, aging, fat knight Falstaff. Marilyn Horne’s delicious Dame Quickly gets the best of him, with some help from Mirella Freni (Alice Ford) and Susan Graham (Meg Page)—both at the top of their game. An adorable Barbara Bonney and ardent Frank Lopardo are the young lovers. James Levine’s deft conducting brings out all the nuance of the quicksilver score. Performance date: October 10, 1992.
James Levine conducts a brilliant cast in this sweeping performance of Verdi’s rarely heard opera, led by Plácido Domingo in the title role of a Protestant minister. Sharon Sweet is his wife, Lina, who has been lured into adultery, leaving Stiffelio caught between his desire for revenge and his religion’s admonition to forgive. This Giancarlo Del Monaco production also stars Vladimir Chernov as Stankar, Lina’s father, Peter Riberi as her lover, Raffaele, and Paul Plishka as Jorg. Performance date: November 13, 1993.
ames Levine’s love for this seldom-heard score infuses every measure of Verdi’s music. Superstar Luciano Pavarotti heads the cast as the Muslim warrior prince Oronte who converts to Christianity out of love for the Italian Giselda (Lauren Flanigan)—before dying of the wounds he received in battling the Crusaders. Samuel Ramey is the Crusader-turned-hermit Pagano. Mark Lamos’s striking production has sets by John Conklin and costumes by Dunya Ramicova. Performance date: December 21, 1993.
Met Music Director James Levine brings aching lyricism and dramatic intensity to one of opera’s most gripping scores. The great Hildegard Behrens takes on the towering title role of a murdered king’s daughter obsessed with avenging her father’s death. Brigitte Fassbaender is magnetic as Klytämnestra, Elektra’s mother, and Deborah Voigt delivers a moving portrayal of Chrysothemis. Donald McIntyre as Orest and James King as Aegisth complete the all-star cast. This performance is taken from the DVD box set celebrating 40 Years of James Levine at the Met. Performance date: January 22, 1994.
This remarkable video features two of opera’s greatest tenors—Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti—and the legendary singing actress Teresa Stratas, all conducted by the incomparable James Levine in a production by Franco Zeffirelli. Domingo stars as Luigi, the doomed lover of Giorgetta (Stratas), in Il Tabarro, Puccini’s dark tale of revenge. Juan Pons is Michele, Giorgetta’s husband, whose discovery of his wife’s affair leads to murder. Pavarotti sings the iconic clown Canio in Pagliacci, Leoncavallo’s blazing drama in which theater and real life collide violently. Stratas is Canio’s freedom-loving wife Nedda, who plans to run away with her lover Silvio (Dwayne Croft), only to be betrayed by her jealous admirer Tonio (Juan Pons)—again, with murderous consequences. Performance date: September 26, 1994.
This evocative production by Giancarlo Del Monaco sumptuously captures the look and feel of 14th century Genoa and is a perfect compliment to Verdi’s setting of this story of searing conflict between public duty and private grief. Plácido Domingo is Gabriele Adorno, sworn enemy of the doge of Genoa, Simon Boccanegra (Vladimir Chernov). Gabriele is in love with the beautiful Amelia (Kiri Te Kanawa at her most affecting) who turns out to be none other than the long-lost daughter the doge. James Levine’s authoritative conducting of the Met orchestra and chorus reveals the dark power of Verdi’s score. Performance date: January 26, 1995.
Otto Schenk’s opulent production, conducted masterfully by Christian Thielemann, provides a perfect setting for Strauss’s bittersweet comedy of true love and mistaken identity. The great Kiri Te Kanawa is radiant as Arabella, the daughter of an impoverished aristocrat who must marry a wealthy man to save her family. Wolfgang Brendel sings Mandryka, the landowner from the provinces who wins her over with his honesty and genuine charm in the midst of Viennese society. Marie McLaughlin is Zdenka, Arabella’s younger sister, whose well-meaning actions cause all kinds of misunderstandings, and David Kuebler sings Matteo, Arabella’s suitor, who realizes he is really in love with Zdenka. Helga Dernesch and Donald McIntyre are Arabella’s parents, the Count and Countess Waldner, and Natalie Dessay, in her Met debut role, sings the Fiakermilli. Performance date: November 3, 1994.
With Cio-Cio-San, the young Japanese geisha at the heart of his Madama Butterfly, Giacomo Puccini created one of the most commanding soprano roles in the operatic repertoire. In this telecast from the Live from Met series, acclaimed American soprano Catherine Malfitano rises to the challenges, traversing a wide emotional range and delivering a vocal performance that is as dramatic as it is beautiful. Tenor Richard Leech is Lt. Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton, the callous American sailor who takes advantage of Cio-Cio-San’s trusting naiveté, with baritone Dwayne Croft as the stern yet compassionate U.S. consul Sharpless. Daniele Gatti takes the podium to conduct Giancarlo Del Monaco’s production, with its picturesque depiction of turn-of-the-century Japan. Performance date: December 21, 1994.
Verdi’s monumental score is fully the equal of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy—and both demand great actors. This is one performance where both playwright and composer are well served. Plácido Domingo’s Otello is one of the glories of the operatic world, beautifully sung and so commandingly acted that audiences are devastated by the end. Renée Fleming’s ravishingly beautiful Desdemona is deeply moving, and as Iago, James Morris is as beguiling as he is menacing. Under James Levine’s conducting the Met orchestra and chorus are vital characters in the drama. Performance date: October 13, 1995.
The Met celebrated the silver anniversary of James Levine's arrival with fifty-eight soloists contributing to a gala that lasted from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m. the following morning. They performed on three sets: an Ezio Frigerio design for Act One of Francesca da Rimini, a gift of Mrs Donald D. Harrington; a Günther Schneider-Siemssen design for Act Two of Arabella, a gift in part of Mrs Michael Falk; and a Schneider-Siemssen design for Act Three of Tannhäuser, a gift of the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation and of the Metropolitan Opera Guild. Performance date: April 27, 1996.
With James Levine at the helm, Verdi’s multi-faceted masterpiece is revealed as a drama of almost Shakespearean proportions. Superstar Plácido Domingo takes on he demanding role of Don Alvaro, the outcast whose noble gesture unwittingly sets the wheels of fate in motion and destroys an entire family. Sharon Sweet is Leonora, the woman he loves, and Vladimir Chernov singe her vengeful brother Don Carlo, whose twisted hate is all-consuming. Roberto Scandiuzzi is the benevolent Padre Guardiano. Performance date: March 12, 1996.
Mozart’s sophisticated opera about two men seeing just how faithful their fiancées are has seldom been so marvelously done. Leslie Koenig’s production, designed by Michael Yeargan, is as witty and charming as the music, conducted by James Levine. Carol Vaness and Susanne Mentzer are the two sisters being tested by their fiancées, Jerry Hadley and Dwayne Croft, who supposedly have gone off to war. The cheeky maid Despina is sung by Cecilia Bartoli (who made her Met debut in the role barely two weeks before), who falls right in with the scheming men, led by Thomas Allen. Performance date: February 27, 1996.
Luciano Pavarotti is at his most ardent as the romantic poet Andrea Chenier who is overwhelmed by his impossible love for the beautiful Maddalena (Maria Guleghina). She is a pampered aristocrat and he is but a poor member of the French Revolution. But even though their entire world is being torn apart in by unprecedented violence, their love will not be denied—even if it costs both of them their lives. Juan Pons is Gérard, Maddalena’s former servant who loves her enough to give her up. James Levine leads the impressive forces with impassioned, idiomatic conducting. Performance date: October 15, 1996.
Giordano’s rarely performed opera is brought to life by a superb cast and the idiomatic, passionate conducting of Roberto Abbado. The beloved Mirella Freni is seen in a brilliant star turn as Fedora Romazov, the Russian princess who falls in love with her fiancé’s murderer (Count Loris) only to commit suicide when he denounces her. Sensational Plácido Domingo is a passionate Loris. Together they simply ignite the stage. Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet provides even more glamour by entertaining at the soirée in Act II. The sumptuous production is by Beppe De Tomasi, with sets by Ferruccio Villagrossi, and costumes by Pier Luciano Cavallotti. Performance date: April 26, 1997.
The great singing actress Waltraud Meier stars as Carmen in Franco Zeffirelli’s sumptuous production of Bizet’s colorful opera. A beautiful gypsy driven by passion and love of freedom, she draws the soldier Don José, portrayed by the legendary Plácido Domingo, into a web of love and jealousy that will seal her fate. Angela Gheorghiu is Micaëla, the innocent girl Don José left behind, and Sergei Leiferkus sings the bullfighter Escamillo. James Levine leads the Met orchestra and chorus. Performance date: March 25, 1997.
John Dexter’s brilliant production of Britten’s searing opera stars Dwayne Croft in the title role of the handsome young sailor whose kindness and innocence cause his downfall. The great James Morris is Claggart, master-at-arms on the 18th-century warship Indomitable, who falsely accuses Billy of inciting a mutiny. Philip Langridge sings Captain Vere, the honest commander who knows that Billy is innocent but finds himself unable to save him. Steuart Bedford, Britten’s close collaborator during the last years of the composer’s life, is on the podium. Performance date: March 11, 1997.
Any time Plácido Domingo sings the demanding role of Samson is a gala occasion, but this time was even more special: the performance opened the Met’s 1998-99 season and honored the great tenor on the 30th anniversary of his Met debut. With James Levine bringing out all the color in Saint-Saëns's exotic score, the rest of the cast rose to the occasion. Olga Borodina’s sultry Dalila is matched to Domingo’s searing portrayal of Samson. The cast is rounded out by Sergei Leiferkus, René Pape, and Richard Paul Fink. Performance date: September 28, 1998.
The enchanting Cecilia Bartoli was the first singer to perform Rossini’s comedy at the Met, and people clamored for tickets to the long-sold out performances. This retelling of the classic Cinderella story has some delightful twists—like Dandini (the very funny Alessandro Corbelli), the valet to the prince who’s disguised as the prince and who also falls in love with Cenerentola. But of course, she’s destined for Prince Ramiro (Ramón Vargas). James Levine brings out all the color and humor of Rossini’s marvelous score. Performance date: October 27, 1997.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of his first stage appearance (in La Bohème on 29 April 1961), Pavarotti invited some of the leading operatic stars of our time to the Teatro Valli in Reggio Emilia. Headed by the great tenor himself, the gala concert proved one of the most distinguished and memorable of its kind. Among the guest artists were such illustrious names as June Anderson, Shirley Verrett, Raina Kabaivanska and Pierro Cappuccilli. The repertoire included popular arias, such as Che gelida manina and Recondita armonia, as well as such show-stopping ensembles as the Lucia Sextet and the Brindisi from La Traviata. Performance date: October 13, 1996.
Elijah Moshinsky’s atmospheric production, designed by Mark Thompson, sets the stage for this gripping performance of Tchaikovsky’s passionate setting of Pushkin’s classic novel. Valery Gergiev’s idiomatic and authoritative conducting inspires a superb cast, headed by Plácido Domingo (Ghermann), breathtaking in his portrayal of a man unraveling toward suicide. Galina Gorchakova is Lisa, the woman he loves and destroys, Dmitri Hvorostovsky lends a superb voice and regal bearing to Prince Yeletsky; and Elisabeth Söderström is hair-raising as the old Countess. Olga Borodina is Paulina and Nikolai Putilin is Count Tomsky. Performance date: April 15, 1999.
The Met assembled a vocal dream team for Jonathan Miller’s stylish production of the eternal Mozart masterpiece: Renée Fleming as the Countess, Cecilia Bartoli as Susanna, and Bryn Terfel as Figaro. With James Levine—one of the world’s great conductors of Mozart—in the pit, Bartoli interpolating two rarely heard alternate arias, and Dwayne Croft as the Count and Susanne Mentzer as Cherubino, this is a performance for the record books. Performance date: November 11, 1998.
Franco Zeffirelli uses his unique theatrical magic on Mozart’s dark opera about the legendary lover, Don Giovanni. The result is a thrilling production that underlines the dramatic flair of Mozart’s passionate score. Under James Levine’s stylish leadership, the cast delivers brilliantly: Bryn Terfel is Don Giovanni, the man who dares to be himself and pays the ultimate price. Renée Fleming, Solveig Kringelborn, and Hei-Kyung Hong are the women he pursues, and Ferruccio Furlanetto is Leporello, the Don’s servant and alter ego. Performance date: October 12, 2000.
The smooth, polished sound of James Levine´s Metropolitan Opera Orchestra makes for meditative listening - at some point even approximating the effect of a sleeping pill. Beautiful, it most certainly is. Engaged and passionate, it most certainly is not. And with this score, it really does make all the difference. Just listen to Daniel Barenboim to appreciate exactly what James Levine lacks here. Or listen to James Levine himself conducting Puccini or Verdi... Katarina Dalayman and René Pape both look entirely out of place in this setting. René Pape had his major international breakthrough in this production with his beautifully sung and convincingly acted King Marke. As Brangäne, Katarina Dalayman is more peripheral to the drama, but nevertheless superb. NOTE: This production sparked a lawsuit against the Met. Performance date: December 11, 1999.
A star-studded clip show celebrates the legacy of Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) with excerpts from nine of his operas, dating back to a 1977 telecast of "Rigoletto" featuring Placido Domingo, Ileana Cotrubas and Cornell MacNeil. Other singers include Renata Scotto and Jon Vickers (a 1978 "Otello"); Scotto and Tatiana Troyanos ("Don Carlo," 1980); Luciano Pavarotti (the "Rigoletto" Act III aria "La donna e mobile," 1981); and Leontyne Price capping her Met career in 1985 ("O patria mia," from Aïda).
"The Met Celebrates Verdi" concludes with excerpts from prior telecasts of eight operas, featuring Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa, Mirella Freni, Sherrill Milnes and Renee Fleming. Conductor James Levine is the host.
Verdi’s thrilling early opera is ideally served by the masterful conducting of Music Director James Levine and Elijah Moshinsky’s powerful production. Juan Pons in the title role of the Babylonian King leads the cast of this biblical drama, opposite Maria Guleghina as the ambitious Abigaille and Samuel Ramey as the noble high priest of Jerusalem, Zaccaria. Gwyn Hughes Jones and Wendy White are the young lovers, Ismaele and Fenena. Performance date: April 6, 2001.
Jürgen Flimm’s haunting production of Beethoven’s only opera brings the work’s desperate plea for freedom and justice into the modern era, reminding us just how powerful and urgent its story is. Under James Levine’s passionate leadership, Beethoven’s score blazes, as does the superb cast. Karita Mattila is Leonore, the faithful wife who disguises herself as a man to search for her husband Florestan (Ben Heppner), unjustly imprisoned by his political enemy, Pizarro (Falk Struckmann). René Pape is Rocco, the jailor caught between conscience and duty. Performance date: October 28, 2000.
This video captures a real rarity: one of the very few times the brilliant Plácido Domingo performed both of the great tenors roles during the same evening at the Met. Domingo singing either Turiddu (in Cavalleria) or Canio (in Pagliacci) would be remarkable, but to get both in the same incandescent performance is to see history. With James Levine’s passionate conducting, Franco Zeffirelli’s iconic production, and the sensational singing actors Tatiana Troyanos (Santuzza), Teresa Stratas (Nedda), and Sherrill Milnes (Tonio), these searing one-act operas blaze. Performance date: April 5, 1978.
This atmospheric production by Piero Faggioni, conducted by James Levine, captures all the brooding power and elegance of Verdi’s drama of love and politics. Luciano Pavarotti stars as Riccardo, the unlucky ruler in love with his best friend’s wife, Amelia (Aprile Millo). Leo Nucci is the husband torn between loyalty and his thirst for revenge, and Florence Quivar sings Ulrica, the fortuneteller who prophesizes the tragic ending. Performance date: January 26, 1991.
Giancarlo Del Monaco’s atmospheric production brings to colorful life a 19th-century mining camp during the California Gold Rush. At the center of the action is the good-hearted bar owner Minnie, sung by Barbara Daniels, who takes a motherly interest in the miners. Plácido Domingo is Dick Johnson, also known as the bandit Ramerrez, who falls in love with Minnie. Sherrill Milnes sings Jack Rance, the sheriff who is not only determined to capture Ramerrez but also wants Minnie for himself. Bloodshed, a crooked poker game, a snowstorm, and a near lynching ensue before Minnie and her bandit-turned-lover can ride off to start a new life. Leonard Slatkin conducts one of Puccini’s most colorful scores. (This was broadcast on Bravo on July 18, 1983; cannot see that it was ever broadcast on PBS.) Performance date: April 8, 1992.
Wagner’s enchanting Nürnberg has perhaps never looked as marvelous as in this production by Otto Schenk, with sets designed by Günther Schneider-Siemssen. James Levine’s conducting is as authoritative as it is affectionate, and the orchestra, the chorus, and the all-star cast which could not be equaled anywhere else in the world—respond with a riveting performance. James Morris is a wise, avuncular Hans Sachs; Ben Heppner’s beautifully sung Walther is a perfect match for Karita Mattila’s radiant Eva; and René Pape and Thomas Allen turn in stellar performances. Performance date: December 8, 2001.
Elijah Moshinsky’s witty production deftly walks the line between the lighthearted humor and the profound philosophical underpinnings of Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s opera, masterfully conducted here by Met Music Director James Levine. Deborah Voigt stars as Ariadne, the mythical heroine abandoned on the island of Naxos by her lover, and Richard Margison is Bacchus, the young god who eventually takes her away to a new life. The spectacular Natalie Dessay as Zerbinetta leads the troupe of comedians who unsuccessfully try to cheer Ariadne up. Susanne Mentzer is delightful as the young Composer of the opera-within-the-opera, and Wolfgang Brendel sings the Music Master. Performance date: April 3, 2003.
The Princess Elisabetta, the daughter of the French King, was betrothed to Don Carlos, the son of the Spanish King, Philip II. Affairs of state make Elisabetta the wife of the Spanish monarch, to the despair of Carlos. James Levine conducts, and the principal singers are Placido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Grace Bumbry and Louis Quilico. The production, in its fifth year, is by John Dexter, and even on the small screen one can sense its dark, massive and ominous character. Telecast from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in a performance taped on March 26, 1983. (This was never televised; it was a radio broadcast.)
