Metropolitan Opera Offers Historic Performances in Streaming Audio on Rhapsody
By Matthew Westphal
20 Nov 2007
"Opera lovers never have enough opera," says Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb. So he and his company — who have excited opera fans on four continents with such new media ventures as the high-definition broadcasts in movie theaters and the Metropolitan Opera channel on Sirius Satellite Radio — have announced another electronic endeavor to satisfy our hunger for great opera.
Through "Met on Rhapsody," a new venture between the Met and the Rhapsody® digital music service, the company is making broadcast recordings from its treasure-filled archives available in streaming audio on demand. The new service launches today with 100 operas — ranging all the way from a 1937 Carmen starring Rosa Ponselle to a 2006 Don Pasquale starring Juan Diego Flórez and Anna Netrebko.
"Met on Rhapsody" also features an extensive gallery of production and artist photos and a pre-programmed web radio channel taken from Met broadcasts.
A list of the initial 100 operas available via "Met on Rhapsody" is below; the service expects to add more operas each month. To try out the service, visit www.rhapsody.com/metropolitanopera. More information is available at www.metopera.org.
Met on Rhapsody: The first 100 titles (in chronological order by date)
1/9/1937 - Bizet: Carmen
Papi; Ponselle, Rayner, Bodanya, Huehn
12/2/1944 - Wagner: Die Walküre
Szell; Traubel, Melchior, Bampton, Janssen, Thorborg
1/27/1945 - Thomas: Mignon
Pelletier; Stevens, Melton, Benzell, Pinza
12/10/1949 - Puccini: Manon Lescaut
Antonicelli; Kirsten, Björling, Valdengo
2/16/1952 - Bizet: Carmen
Reiner; Stevens, Tucker, Conner, Silveri
11/29/1952 - Verdi: La forza del destino
Stiedry; Milanov, Tucker, Warren, Hines, Miller
4/4/1953 - Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana / Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
Erede; Milanov, Baum / Del Monaco, Rigal, Silveri
12/3/1955 - Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann
Monteux; Tucker, Peters, Stevens, Amara, Singher
12/10/1955 - Verdi: Un ballo in maschera
Mitropoulos; Milanov, Peerce, Merrill, Anderson, Peters
1/7/1956 - Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor
Cleva; Callas, Campora, Sordello, Moscona
4/6/1957 - Verdi: La traviata
Cleva; Tebaldi, Campora, Warren
2/15/1958 - Puccini: La Bohème
Schippers; Albanese, Bergonzi, Hurley, Sereni, Scott
3/8/1958 - Verdi: Otello
Cleva; Del Monaco, de los Angeles, Warren
4/12/1958 - Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila
Cleva; Del Monaco, Stevens, Singher
2/14/1959 - Mozart: Don Giovanni
Böhm; London, Steber, Valletti, Della Casa, Hurley, Flagello
2/21/1959 - Verdi: Macbeth
Leinsdorf; Warren, Rysanek, Hines, Bergonzi
4/16/1960 - Puccini: Madama Butterfly
Mitropoulos; Kirsten, Fernandi, Roggero, Sereni
12/17/1960 - Wagner: Tannhäuser
Solti; Hopf, Rysanek, Prey, Dalis, Hines
2/4/1961 - Verdi: Il trovatore
Cleva; Corelli, Price, Sereni, Dalis, Wilderman
3/3/1962 - Verdi: Aida
Schick; Tucci, Corelli, Dalis, MacNeil, Tozzi
4/7/1962 - Puccini: Tosca
Adler; Price, Corelli, MacNeil
3/30/1963 - Bellini: La sonnambula
Varviso; Sutherland, Gedda, Flagello, Scovotti
3/7/1964 - Verdi: Don Carlo
Adler; Corelli, Rysanek, Herlea, Dalis, Tozzi
12/5/1964 - Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor
Varviso; Sutherland, Kónya, Herlea, Giaiotti
1/9/1965 - Donizetti: Don Pasquale
Varviso; Corena, Peters, Alva, Guarrera
1/22/1966 - Beethoven: Fidelio
Böhm; Nilsson, King, Evans, Edelmann
2/25/1967 - Verdi: Aida
Schippers; Price, Bergonzi, Bumbry, Merrill, Hines
3/18/1967 - Puccini: Madama Butterfly
Molinari-Pradelli; Scotto, Shirley, Casei, Bottcher
12/16/1967 - Verdi: Falstaff
Amaducci; Flagello, Curtin, Guarrera, Barbieri, Raskin
2/24/1968 - Wagner: Die Walküre
Klobucar; Nilsson, Vickers, Rysanek, Stewart, Ludwig
3/2/1968 - Ponchielli: La Gioconda
Cleva; Tebaldi, Bergonzi, Cossotto, MacNeil, Giaiotti
3/16/1968 - Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore
Cleva; Peters, Kraus, Sereni, Corena
4/13/1968 - Gounod: Roméo et Juliette
Molinari-Pradelli; Gedda, Freni, Macurdy, Baldwin
4/4/1970 - Bellini: Norma
Bonynge; Sutherland, Bergonzi, Horne, Siepi
2/26/1972 - Gounod: Faust
Rich; Domingo, Zylis-Gara, Tozzi, Sereni
4/15/1972 - Weber: Der Freischütz
Ludwig; Kónya, Lorengar, Feldhoff, Mathis
1/6/1973 - Donizetti: La Fille du régiment
Bonynge; Sutherland, Pavarotti, Resnik, Corena
2/10/1973 - Verdi: Rigoletto
Levine; Wixell, Grist, Pavarotti, Grillo, Macurdy
2/17/1973 - Bellini: Norma
Cillario; Caballé, Cossotto, Cossutta, Tozzi
4/7/1973 - Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia
Levine; Prey, Horne, Di Giuseppe, Corena, Tozzi
2/9/1974 - Verdi: Otello
Levine; Vickers, Te Kanawa, Stewart
4/13/1974 - Mozart: Don Giovanni
Levine; Milnes, Price, Burrows, Zylis-Gara, Stratas, Berry
4/19/1975 - Rossini: L'assedio di Corinto
Schippers; Sills, Verrett, Díaz, Theyard
3/6/1976 - Verdi: Aida
Levine; Price, Domingo, Horne, MacNeil, Giaiotti
3/13/1976 - Bellini: I Puritani
Bonynge; Sutherland, Pavarotti, Milnes, Morris
12/11/1976 - Massenet: Esclarmonde
Bonynge; Sutherland, Aragall, Tourangeau, Grant
1/29/1977 - Meyerbeer: Le Prophète
Lewis; McCracken, Scotto, Horne, Hines
3/12/1977 - Verdi: La forza del destino
Levine; Price, Domingo, MacNeil, Talvela, Elias
1/27/1979 - Verdi: Luisa Miller
Levine; Scotto, Domingo, Milnes, Giaiotti, Morris
2/3/1979 - Massenet: Werther
Bonynge; Kraus, Crespin, Carlson, Battle
3/29/1980 - Puccini: Manon Lescaut
Levine; Scotto, Domingo, Elvira
3/28/1981 - Verdi: La traviata
Levine; Cotrubas, Domingo, MacNeil
1/16/1982 - Puccini: La Bohème
Levine; Stratas, Carreras, Scotto, Stilwell, Morris
1/23/1982 - Verdi: Luisa Miller
Santi; Ricciarelli, Pavarotti, Nucci, Plishka, Cheek
12/18/1982 - Verdi: Macbeth
Levine; Milnes, Scotto, Plishka, Jenkins
12/17/1983 - Verdi: Ernani
Levine; Pavarotti, Mitchell, Milnes, Raimondi
4/7/1984 - Zandonai: Francesca da Rimini
Levine; Scotto, Domingo, MacNeil
12/29/1984 - Verdi: Simon Boccanegra
Levine; Milnes, Tomowa-Sintow, Moldoveanu, Plishka
12/7/1985 - Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana / Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
Navarre; Behrens, Moldoveanu / Vickers, Pilou, Milnes
3/21/1987 - Bizet: Carmen
Levine; Baltsa, Carreras, Cotrubas, Ramey
4/9/1988 - Mozart: Così fan tutte
Epstein; Te Kanawa, Rendall, Montague, Hagegård, Hong, Cheek
1/21/1989 - Verdi: Il trovatore
Levine; Pavarotti, Millo, Milnes, Cossotto, Plishka
3/25/1989 - Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin
Levine; Hynninen, Freni, Hadley, Walker, Sotin
4/29/1989 - Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore
Panni; Battle, Pavarotti, Quilico, Plishka
3/24/1990 - Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Levine; Devia, Heilmann, Mills, Magnusson, Moll
2/9/1991 - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte
Levine; Battle, Araiza, Serra, Moll, Hemm
1/18/1992 - Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer
Conlon; Morris, Behrens, Lakes, Salminen
1/15/1994 - Verdi: I Lombardi
Levine; Pavarotti, Flanigan, Beccaria, Plishka
1/29/1994 - Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor
Santi; Devia, Hadley, Pons, Plishka
2/12/1994 - Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro
Rudel; Morris, Fleming, McLaughlin, Croft, Bunnell
3/26/1994 - Puccini: La Bohème
Rizzi; Gheorghiu, Leech, Litherland, Robertson, Short
4/1/1995 - Puccini: Tosca
Oren; Holleque, Pavarotti, Pons
2/24/1996 - Mozart: Così fan tutte
Levine; Vaness, Hadley, Mentzer, Croft, Bartoli, Allen
2/15/1997 - Verdi: Un ballo in maschera
Levine; Voigt, Pavarotti, Pons, Dever, Shin
2/7/1998 - Offenbach: Les Contes D'Hoffmann
Young; Leech, Dessay, Larmore, Racette, Morris
2/28/1998 - Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila
Slatkin; Domingo, Graves, Leiferkus
3/21/1998 - Wagner: Lohengrin
Levine; Heppner, Voigt, Polaski, Ketelsen, Halfvarson
3/28/1998 - Gounod: Roméo et Juliette
de Billy; Alagna, Gheorghiu, Lloyd, Jepson
4/10/1999 - Tchaikovsky: The Queen of Spades
Gergiev; Gorchakova, Domingo, Söderström, Hvorostovsky, Putilin
12/18/1999 - Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Levine; Heppner, Eaglen, Ketelsen, Dalayman, Pape
3/25/2000 - Wagner: Das Rheingold
Levine; Morris, Schwarz, Wlaschiha, Langridge
4/1/2000 - Wagner: Die Walküre
Levine; Eaglen, Domingo, Voigt, Morris, Schwarz
4/15/2000 - Wagner: Siegfried
Levine; Andersen, Eaglen, Morris, Svendén
4/22/2000 - Wagner: Götterdämmerung
Levine; Eaglen, Andersen, Held, Radvanovsky, Halfvarson
1/6/2001 - Beethoven: Fidelio
Levine; Mattila, Heppner, Leiferkus, Pape
4/7/2001 - Wagner: Parsifal
Levine; Domingo, Urmana, Ketelsen, Wlaschiha, Tomlinson
12/8/2001 - Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Levine; Morris, Mattila, Heppner, Polenzani, Allen
12/29/2001 - Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel
Mackerras; Larmore, Upshaw, Blythe, Josephson, Forst
4/6/2002 - Verdi: Falstaff
Levine; Terfel, Mescheriakova, Croft, Blythe, Tilling
2/8/2003 - Bellini: Il Pirata
Campanella; Fleming, Giordani, Croft
2/15/2003 - Mozart: Don Giovanni
Cambreling; Mattei, Radvanovsky, Trost, Diener, Netrebko, Furlanetto
12/13/2003 - Halevy: La Juive
Viotti; Isokoski, Shicoff, Futral, Cutler, Furlanetto
3/6/2004 - Verdi: La traviata
Gergiev; Fleming, Vargas, Hvorostovsky
4/30/2005 - Gounod: Faust
Levine; Alagna, Isokoski, Pape, Hvorostovsky
12/17/2005 - Verdi: Rigoletto
Fisch; Guelfi, Netrebko, Villazón, Herrera, Halfvarson
3/4/2006 - Gounod: Roméo et Juliette
de Billy; Vargas, Dessay, Sigmundsson, Goeldner
4/8/2006 - Puccini: Manon
López-Cobos; Fleming, Giordano, Chaignaud
4/15/2006 - Donizetti: Don Pasquale
Benini; Alaimo, Netrebko, Flórez, Kwiecien
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