Live from the Met

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.