Live from the Met

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.