saturday at the metropolitan opera broadcast

This was a time when the Wagner operas were performed with unparalleled grandeur, when the Mozart operas were introduced to a nationwide public, and the American singer came to the fore. Paul Jackson, whose own recollections of the broadcasts start in 1940, presents a rich and detailed history of the broadcasts from their inception in 1931, when the imperious Gatti-Casazza ruled, on through the troubled, yet often triumphant, regime of the more affable Edward Johnson.

The broadcasts, whose continuity was ensured when Texaco assumed sponsorship in 1940, have played a significant role in introducing an audience of millions to the splendors of opera. The season concludes on June 5 with a broadcast of Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd.Summary: For over sixty years the weekly broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera in New York has been an important part of American cultural life. Four broadcasts will be featured and conducted by Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin: Faust featuring Jonas Kaufmann and Rene Pape, Rusalka with Renee Fleming and Piotr Beczala, Otello with Sonya Yoncheva and Aleksandrs Antonenko, and Anna Netrebko’s 2019 New Year’s eve Puccini Gala which will make its Saturday matinee debut on May 8. Highlights throughout the season include a rare performance of Philip Glass’ Satyagraha and a 1961 performance of Il Trovatore with Leontyne Price and Franco Corelli in honor of the 60 th anniversary of their Met debuts.

This is followed by a broadcast of Fidelio with Adrianne Pieczonka and Klaus Florian Vogt in celebration of Beethoven’s 250 th anniversary. Starting December 5, 2020, Classical WSMR will begin to air the Met Opera Saturday Matinee Radio broadcast season with an encore of Prokofiev’s War and Peace, featuring the broadcast debut of Anna Netrebko and a stellar cast including Dmitri Hvorostovsky. These encore broadcasts will feature new commentary and intermission content from host Mary Jo Heath and commentator Ira Siff, including new artist interviews, special features and the Opera Quiz.

Saturday at the metropolitan opera broadcast