Live from the Met

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.