J. Scott Morrison is a retired physician, student of classical music, collector of recordings for fifty years and once a serious pianist. He still gets excited at the prospect of listening to a newly acquired recording. “We’re living in a golden age of classical music recordings, with about 100 years worth of performances to delight us.” Scott is a member of the Opera Company of Middlebury’s Board of Directors. He holds a Top 10 Reviewer designation on Amazon.com
Scott has compiled a list of his favorite recordings for each of this season’s Met Live in HD broadcasts which will be shown at Town Hall Theater. In addition, he has selected some YouTube videos that you might enjoy.
Recordings
Donizetti: Anna Bolena
For an Italian opera of its era, Anna Bolena has a superior libretto to which Donizetti responded with gorgeous music. This was one of the operas that made Beverly Sills a star and her recording is the one I would suggest.
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Cat. Number: 471 217-2
Released: 1972, remastered for CD 2001
Mozart: Don Giovanni
One of the greatest of all operas, this tells the tale of seducer, Don Juan, and after getting his comeuppance at the hands of a very determined young lady, he fittingly is swallowed up in the flames of hell. For me, the most effective recording is led by Carlo Maria Giulini and stars Joan Sutherland, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and with Eberhard Waechter as the Don.
Label: EMI Classics
Cat. Number: 747260-8
Release Date: 1959, remastered for CD 2002
Wagner: Siegfried
The Georg Solti Siegfried with Birgit Nilsson and Wolfgang Windgassen (with Joan Sutherland singing the Forest Bird) was a huge success when it was issued in the 1950s and remains a great favorite, reissued most recently in 1997.
Label: Decca/London
Cat. Number: 455 564-2
Release Date: 1958 (Stereo)
Philip Glass: Satyagraha
This opera, premiered in 1980, is about Gandhi’s twenty years living and pursuing social justice causes in South Africa from 1893 to 1913. Although a modern opera, the music is tuneful, easily understood. The definitive recording is the one made by the New York City Opera Company. I’ve recommended the cheapest available version of this recording which is an import from the UK.
Label: Sony Classical UK
Cat. Number: 88697527232
Release Date: 1985
Handel: Rodelinda
There is a heavily abridged recording starring Joan Sutherland, but more effective is the newer recording with, among others, the superb Canadian mezzo Marie-Nicole Lemieux.
Label: Archiv Produktion
Cat. Number: 002894775391
Release Date: 2005
Gounod: Faust
There are many fine recordings of this popular opera, but my favorite is the mono recording from 1953 with Victoria de los Angeles and Nicolai Gedda. A more modern recording that is excellent is the one with Cheryl Studer, Thomas Hampson and José Van Dam, conducted by Michel Plasson, the father of our new maestro, Emmanuel Plasson. I’ll provide information for both.
Label: Brilliant Classics (but with no libretto)
Cat. Number: CMS5652562
Release Date: 1953 (Mono), remastered for CD 2010
Label: EMI Classics
Cat. Number: CDS 5 56224-2
Release Date: 1991
The Enchanted Island
This new production is a pastiche opera with music by such baroque composers as Vivaldi, Handel, Rameau and others. It features a new libretto by Jeremy Sams and will feature an all-star cast including Joyce DiDonato, David Daniels and Plácido Domingo. There is no recording as yet.
Wagner: Götterdämmerung
This final opera in the Ring Cycle concludes the new production at the Met. My favorite reasonably modern and affordable recording of Götterdämmerung is conducted by Bernard Haitink and features Éva Marton, Thomas Hampson and Theo Adam.
Label: EMI Classics
Cat. Number: CDS 7 54485 2
Release Date: 1992 (Stereo)
Verdi: Ernani
An easy recommendation is the recording with Leontyne Price, Carlo Bergonzi and Ezio Flagello.
Label: RCA
Cat. Number: 6503-2
Release Date: 1967, remastered for CD 1990
Massenet: Manon
My favorite by far is the recording with Beverly Sills as the heroine. The DVD with Natalie Dessay is also recommended. Anna Netrebko will be singing the heroine in the new HD production.
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Cat. Number: 474 950-2
Release Date: 1970, remastered for CD 2004
Verdi: La Traviata
Probably Verdi’s most popular opera, my go-to recording is the 1977 set with Ileana Cotrubas, Plácido Domingo and Sherrill Milnes, conducted by the incomparable Carlos Kleiber, but there are many fine recordings, including the one with Maria Callas from the 1950s.
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Cat. Number: 415132
Release Date: 1977, remastered for CD 1990
Videos
Anna Bolena: Anna Netrebko sings ‘Coppia iniqua’. Netrebko will sing Anna in the HD production.
Don Giovanni: Mariusz Kwiecien and Claudia Mahnke sing ‘Là ci darem la mano’. Mariusz Kwiecien (pronounced Mahr-ee-oosh Kvetchian) will be the Met HD Don Giovanni. You’ll need to boost the volume on this video as the level is rather low.
Siegfried: Siegfried Jerusalem sings ‘Nothung! Nothung!’ (The Sword forging scene).
Satyagraha: Opening Scene from the Stuttgart Opera.
Rodelinda: Renée Fleming and countertenor David Daniels sing ‘Io t’abbraccio’. Miss Fleming stars in the Met HD broadcast.
Faust: René Pape sings Mephistopheles’s ‘Le veau d’or’ (‘The Golden Calf’). He will sing the role in the HD broadcast.
The Enchanted Island: Here is a link to the Met’s trailer about this new opera concocted from music of several baroque composers.
Götterdämmerung: A wonderful B&W clip from the 1950s with Birgit Nilsson singing the ‘Immolation Scene’, with Georg Solti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.
Ernani: The great Leontyne Price sings ‘Ernani involami’ in concert.
Manon: Roberto Alagna sings ‘Ah! fuyez, douce image’.
La Traviata: Dmitri Hvorostovsky sings ‘Di Provenza il mar il suol’. He will be singing the role of Giorgio Germont in the HD production.