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High-Definition Videos

• Aida (Oct. 24, 2009)

  

  Aida
  (Oct. 24, 2009)

  Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
  Librettist: Antonio Ghislanzoni
  

  Gatti; Urmana, Zajick, Botha, Guelfi, Scandiuzzi
  
  Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chrous and Ballet

  Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 30 min.

  This high-definition broadcast of the Met’s sumptuous Sonja Frisell-Gianni Quaranta production brings Verdi’s beloved opera to breathtaking life. The spectacular sets and costumes, the thrilling triumphal scene, and the newly created choreography by Alexei Ratmansky all frame Verdi’s poignant story of impossible love in an incandescent way. Violeta Urmana is the slave girl of the title who loves the warrior Radamès (Johan Botha). Dolora Zajick sings Amneris, the Pharaoh’s daughter and Aida’s rival for Radamès’s affection. The love triangle ends in treason, imprisonment, and death.

• Anna Bolena (Oct. 15, 2011)

  

  Anna Bolena
  (Oct. 15, 2011)

  Composer: Gaetano Donizetti
  Librettist: Felice Romani
  

  Armiliato; Netrebko, Gubanova, Costello, Abdrazakov
  
  Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus

  Approximate running time: 3 hrs. 10 min.

  David McVicar's atmospheric and brooding production captures the drama of this riveting piece of British history, retold as only Donizetti could. International superstar Anna Netrebko is Queen Anne Boleyn, trapped in an unhappy marriage to King Henry VIII (Ildar Abdrazakov) whose roving eye has settled on another woman—Jane Seymour (Ekaterina Gubanova), Anna's friend, but now her unwitting rival. Add in Anna's early love, Percy (Stephen Costello), just returned to the court from exile, and the result is a haunting, explosive account of Queen Anna's tragic final days, before she goes to her execution in one of the most moving and dazzling final scenes in all of opera.

• Carmen (Jan. 16, 2010)

  

  Carmen
  (Jan. 16, 2010)

  Composer: Georges Bizet
  Librettist: Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
  

  Nézet-Séguin; Frittoli, Garanča, Alagna, Tahu Rhodes
  
  Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet

  Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 46 min.

  Richard Eyre’s stunning new production of Bizet’s opera was the talk of the town when it was unveiled on New Year’s Eve 2009. Elīna Garanča leads the cast as the iconic gypsy of the title—a woman desired by every man but determined to remain true to herself. Roberto Alagna is Don José, the soldier who falls under her spell and sacrifices everything for her love, only to be cast aside when the toreador Escamillo (Teddy Tahu Rhodes) piques Carmen’s interest. With dances created by star choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and conducted by rising maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin, this Carmen brings every aspect of Bizet’s tale to thrilling life, from its lighthearted beginning to its inevitably tragi...

• Madama Butterfl... (Mar. 7, 2009)

  

  Madama Butterfly
  (Mar. 7, 2009)

  Composer: Giacomo Puccini
  Librettist: Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
  

  Summers; Racette, Giordani, Zifchak, Croft
  
  Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet

  Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 26 min.

  Anthony Minghella’s stunning production of Puccini’s opera opened the Met’s 2006–07 season and was seen by thousands of people around the world as part of the company’s Live in HD series. Patricia Racette is Cio-Cio-San, the trusting and innocent young geisha of the title, who disastrously falls in love with American Navy lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton (Marcello Giordani), only to be abandoned by him. Maria Zifchak is her loyal servant Suzuki and Dwayne Croft is Sharpless, the sympathetic American consul who does all he can but is unable to avert tragedy.

Classic Telecast Videos

• Ariadne auf Nax... (Apr. 3, 2003)

  

  Ariadne auf Naxos
  (Apr. 3, 2003)

  Composer: Richard Strauss
  Librettist: Hugo von Hofmannsthal
  

  Levine; Voigt, Dessay, Mentzer, Margison, Gunn
  
  Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

  Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 14 min.

  Elijah Moshinsky’s witty production deftly walks the line between the lighthearted humor and the profound philosophical underpinnings of Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s opera, masterfully conducted here by Met Music Director James Levine. Deborah Voigt stars as Ariadne, the mythical heroine abandoned on the island of Naxos by her lover, and Richard Margison is Bacchus, the young god who eventually takes her away to a new life. The spectacular Natalie Dessay as Zerbinetta leads the troupe of comedians who unsuccessfully try to cheer Ariadne up. Susanne Mentzer is delightful as the young Composer of the opera-within-the-opera, and Wolfgang Brendel sings the Music Master. (Only available for streami...

• Don Giovanni (Oct. 14, 2000)

  

  Don Giovanni
  (Oct. 14, 2000)

  Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  Librettist: Lorenzo da Ponte
  

  Levine; Fleming, Kringelborn, Hong, Groves, Terfel, Furlanetto, Relyea
  
  Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

  Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 59 min.

  Franco Zeffirelli uses his unique theatrical magic on Mozart’s dark opera about the legendary lover, Don Giovanni. The result is a thrilling production that underlines the dramatic flair of Mozart’s passionate score. Under James Levine’s stylish leadership, the cast delivers brilliantly: Bryn Terfel is Don Giovanni, the man who dares to be himself and pays the ultimate price. Renée Fleming, Solveig Kringelborn, and Hei-Kyung Hong are the women he pursues, and Ferruccio Furlanetto is Leporello, the Don’s servant and alter ego.

• In Concert at t... (Mar. 28, 1982)

  

  In Concert at the Met
  (Mar. 28, 1982)

  Composer: Various
  Librettist: Various
  

  Levine; Troyanos, Domingo, Price, Horne, Milnes
  
  Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

  Approximate running time: 3 hrs. 10 min.

  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.

• Rise and Fall o... (Nov. 27, 1979)

  

  Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
  (Nov. 27, 1979)

  Composer: Kurt Weill
  Librettist: Bertolt Brecht
  

  Levine; Stratas, Varnay, Cassilly, MacNeil
  
  Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

  Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 27 min.

  John Dexter’s brilliant production, James Levine’s masterful conducting of the eclectic score, and a sensational cast come together to make this Kurt Weill–Bertolt Brecht masterpiece a riveting evening of music theater. At the center of the action is Jimmy Mahoney (Richard Cassilly), a logger who stumbles onto the city of Mahagonny, where (almost) anything is allowed. Teresa Stratas gives a mesmerizing performance as Jenny, the prostitute who takes up with Jimmy, until he is executed for the greatest of all crimes in Mahagonny—to not have any money. The legendary Astrid Varnay, in her final Met appearances, is Leocadia Begbick, and Cornell MacNeil sings Trinity Moses.

Audio-only Performances

• Elektra (Feb. 27, 1971)

  

  Elektra
  (Feb. 27, 1971)

  Composer: Richard Strauss
  Librettist: Hugo von Hofmannsthal
  

  Böhm; Nilsson, Rysanek, Madeira, Nagy, Stewart
  
  Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

  Approximate running time: 1 hrs. 38 min.

  One of the great broadcasts in Met history, this performance of Strauss’s stunning one-act drama truly deserves the adjective “legendary.” The incomparable Birgit Nilsson delivers a searing portrayal of the title heroine, the Greek princess obsessed with avenging the murder of her father, Agamemnon. A passionate Leonie Rysanek is her sister, Chrysothemis, who longs for a normal life and begs Elektra to give up her fixation. Thomas Stewart sings Orest, their brother, and Jean Madeira, in her final Met appearance, gives a chilling performance as Klytämnestra, Elektra’s mother. Strauss friend and protégé Karl Böhm conducts with unmatched authority and passion. * Only available for streaming in ...

• Faust (Feb. 19, 1955)

  

  Faust
  (Feb. 19, 1955)

  Composer: Charles Gounod
  Librettist: Jules Barbier and Michel Carré
  

  Monteux; de los Angeles, Peerce, Merrill, Siepi
  
  Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

  Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 35 min.

  One of the leading conductors of French repertoire in the 20th century, Pierre Monteux brings out both the dramatic intensity and the elegant sweep of Gounod's opera. Victoria de los Angeles is charm and innocence personified as Marguerite, the young woman who is loved and betrayed by Faust, sung here by beloved American tenor Jan Peerce. The great Cesare Siepi is a truly devilish Méphistophélès, and Robert Merrill sings Valentin, Marguerite's brother. Mildred Miller co-stars as Siébel, the young student who is also in love with Marguerite.

• Götterdämmerung (Jan. 27, 1962)

  

  Götterdämmerung
  (Jan. 27, 1962)

  Composer: Richard Wagner
  Librettist: Richard Wagner
  

  Leinsdorf; Nilsson, Hopf, Mittelmann, Frick
  
  Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

  Approximate running time: 4 hrs. 3 min.

  This performance marked Birgit Nilsson’s first Met broadcast in one of her most celebrated roles, Brünnhilde, in the Ring cycle’s final installment. Hans Hopf sings Siegfried, the man whose heroic deeds eventually bring about the twilight of the gods, and the sensational Gottlob Frick is Hagen. With its story of love, treachery, murder—and, ultimately, redemption—Götterdämmerung brings Wagner’s epic to a monumental conclusion. The great Erich Leinsdorf leads the Met Orchestra and Chorus.

• Werther (Mar. 4, 1972)

  

  Werther
  (Mar. 4, 1972)

  Composer: Jules Massenet
  Librettist: Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann
  

  Behr; Boky, Elias, Corelli, Cossa
  
  Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

  Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 2 min.

  Franco Corelli gives an intense and passionate performance in the title role of Massenet's Goethe adaptation, opposite Rosalind Elias as Charlotte, the young woman Werther falls so overwhelmingly in love with that he cannot conceive of life without her. In one of opera's most heart-rending scenes, Werther shoots himself and dies in Charlotte's arms as children happily celebrate the arrival of Christmas. Dominic Cossa as Albert, Charlotte's fiancé, and Colette Boky as Sophie, her sister, round out the cast.