Live from the Met

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.