Operas Performed, Composer Filters
by bderoes-12985 | created - 24 Jun 2018 | updated - 10 months ago | PublicTo make suggestions for additions/deletions, go to this thread. NB: lots of these titles do not really indicate whether they were concert versions or full performances.
If you make a copy of the contents of this list, give credit to the source by including this line in your list description:
Source list: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls022304025/
To search for titles (by name) that are not on this list, replace "rigoletto" in this URL.
To search for titles (by composer) that are not on this list, add an exclamation point ! before the word "lists" in any of the following URLs.
To select from this list by composer:
Once the list appears, you can modify the URL to search for a particular opera by adding &title= to the end. However, that might miss alternate/foreign spellings.
Adamo | Adams | Ades | Alfano | Argento | Bartok | Beeson | Beethoven | Bellini | Berg | Berlioz | Bernstein | Bizet | Blomdahl | Boesmans | Boito | Bolcom | Borodin | Britten | Bortz | Catalani | Catan | Cavalli | Chapi | Cherubini | Cilea | Corigliano | Cuomo | Debussy | Delibes | Dello Joio | Donizetti | Dun | Dvorak | Eotvos | Franssens | Gershwin | Giannini | Giordano | Glass | Glinka | Gluck | Gounod | Gretry | Handel | Haydn | Heggie | Henze | Heuberger | Hindemith | Humperdinck | Janacek | Joplin | Kastle | Kern | Korngold | Landi | Lehar | Leoncavallo | Lortzing | Lully | Maazel | Majewski | Martinu | Mascagni | Massenet | Menotti | Messiaen | Meyerbeer | Mills | Montemezzi | Monteverdi | Moore | Moreno Torroba | Mozart | Muhly | Mussorgsky | Nyman | Offenbach | Paisiello | Paliashvili | Pasatieri | Penella | Pergolesi | Ponchielli | Portman | Poulenc | Previn | Prokofiev | Puccini | Purcell | Rameau | Ravel | Rimsky-Korsakov | Rossini | Saariaho | Saint-Saens | Salieri | Sallinen | Sasso | Schubert | Schultze | Schonberg | Shostakovich | Skrzek | Smetana | J.Strauss | R.Strauss | Stravinsky | Susa | Tang | Tchaikovsky | Tchaikowsky | Thomas | Tippett | Turnage | Vega | Verdi | Vivaldi | von Weber | Wagner | Waits | Weill | Zandonai | Zimmermann | and the rest (hopefully empty someday when I catch up with the extra composers/operas I've found)
To access the composer's Name page, use this list.
Check for "opera" keyword.
Did you know that you can perform Advanced Title Search for lists NOT your own?
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1.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
La bohème
(1977)
123 min | Musical
Rodolfo and his friends are always broke or in debt, but that doesn't get in the way of fun or romance. When Rodolfo meets Mimi, it's love at first sight - but love is not enough for the penniless and sick.
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Renata Scotto, Maralin Niska, Luciano Pavarotti, Ingvar Wixell
Votes: 38
2.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Rigoletto
(1977)
137 min | Musical
His sarcasm has made many enemies for Rigoletto, court jester for the Duke of Mantua. They conspire to kidnap Rigoletto's mistress for the Duke, unaware that she is really his daughter. Rigoletto's plans for revenge go disastrously wrong.
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: James Levine, Plácido Domingo, James Atherton, Loretta Di Franco
Votes: 43
3.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Don Giovanni
(1978)
Musical
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: James Morris, Joan Sutherland, John Brecknock, Julia Varady
Votes: 19
4.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci
(1978)
Musical
A "Live from the Met" broadcast of the opera, on a double bill with its frequent "partner", Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana".
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Tatiana Troyanos, Plácido Domingo, Isola Jones, Vern Shinall
Votes: 46
5.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Otello
(1978)
210 min | Musical
The Metropolitan Opera's first live telecast of the 1978-79 season, and the first presentation of Verdi's "Otello" ever on the "Live from the Met" PBS TV series.
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Jon Vickers, Renata Scotto, Cornell MacNeil, Jean Kraft
Votes: 18
6.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
The Bartered Bride
(1978)
100 min | Musical
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Teresa Stratas, Nicolai Gedda, Jon Vickers, Martti Talvela
Votes: 12
7.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Tosca
(1978)
150 min | Musical
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Shirley Verrett, Luciano Pavarotti, Cornell MacNeil, Andrea Velis
Votes: 29
8.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Don Pasquale
(1979)
Musical
Disinherited by his uncle Pasquale, Ernesto is unable to marry his sweetheart, Norina. To make it worse, uncle Pasquale needs a new heir now, and decides to marry Norina for himself. What can Dr. Malatesta do to help the two lovers?
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Gabriel Bacquier, Beverly Sills, Alfredo Kraus, Håkan Hagegård
Votes: 11
9.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Luisa Miller
(1979)
147 min | Musical
A wealthy youth, betrothed to a duchess, falls in love with a country girl - Luisa Miller. To remain incognito he disguises himself. The girl betrays her lover, so he tricks her and they drink poison, and then die together.
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Renata Scotto, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Bonaldo Giaiotti
Votes: 15
10.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Otello
(1979)
210 min | Musical
Placido Domingo's first performance of the role on US live TV.
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Plácido Domingo, Gilda Cruz-Romo, Sherrill Milnes, Giuliano Ciannella
Votes: 18
11.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
(1979)
Musical
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Teresa Stratas, Richard Cassilly, Astrid Varnay, Cornell MacNeil
Votes: 12
12.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Elektra
(1980)
110 min | Musical
Electra, like her brother Orestes and younger sister Chrysothemis, is a child of the Mycenaean king Agamemnon, who went off to the Trojan war for ten years. His queen Clytemnestra took a ... See full summary »
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Birgit Nilsson, Leonie Rysanek, Mignon Dunn, Donald McIntyre
Votes: 31
13.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Un ballo in maschera
(1980)
149 min | Musical
Riccardo, governor of Boston at the end of the 17th century, falls in love with Amelia, wife of Renato, his secretary and intimate friend. Amelia returns Riccardo's love, but is discovered ... See full summary »
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Katia Ricciarelli, William Wildermann, Judith Blegen, Julien Robbins
Votes: 31
14.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Manon Lescaut
(1980)
133 min | Musical
The Chevalier des Grieux meets and seduces the young Manon when she is being escorted by her brother to a convent. Manon lives with des Grieux in Paris, but leaves him for a rich admirer. ... See full summary »
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Renata Scotto, Plácido Domingo, Pablo Elvira, Renato Capecchi
Votes: 41
15.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Lulu
(1980)
178 min | Musical
Former society matron Lulu has fallen on hard times, and gradually is forced to work her way down the social ladder. At first she's a dancer, then a kept woman, and finally a prostitute. One of her first clients is Jack the Ripper.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Julia Migenes, Evelyn Lear, Kenneth Riegel, Frank Little
Votes: 9
16.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
L'elisir d'amore
(1981)
132 min | Musical
Country bumpkin Nemorino is in love with Adina. She seems interested, but a poor farmer is beneath her station. She flirts with handsome Sgt Belcore, but when Nemorino joins his army to earn money to marry Adina, she sheds a secret tear.
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Judith Blegen, Luciano Pavarotti, Brent Ellis, Sesto Bruscantini
Votes: 22
17.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
La Traviata
(1981)
122 min | Musical
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Ileana Cotrubas, Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil, Ariel Bybee
Votes: 17
18.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Il trittico
(1981)
Musical
A trio of operas in three short stories - the first a gruesome murder melodrama, the second is a passionate tearjerker, and the third is a dark comedy of death and an inheritance. Each story is strikingly different from the preceding one.
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Renata Scotto, Vasile Moldoveanu, Cornell MacNeil, Bianca Berini
Votes: 10
19.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Rigoletto
(1981)
150 min | Musical
Rigoletto, jester to the Duke, has made enemies of everyone at court. The men kidnap his mistress, unaware she is Rigoletto's daughter. When Rigoletto finds the Duke has used his daughter, he plans his own revenge, but it backfires.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Louis Quilico, Christiane Eda-Pierre, Luciano Pavarotti, Isola Jones
Votes: 25
20.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
La Bohème
(1982)
123 min | Musical
Starving artist and consumptive seamstress fall in love, have trouble maintaining the relationship. His painter friend also has romantic troubles with his ambitious grisette.
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Richard Stilwell, José Carreras, James Morris, Allan Monk
Votes: 72
21.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Der Rosenkavalier
(1982)
Musical
The Marschallin has been carrying on an affair with Count Octavian. When she sends him on an errand on behalf of Baron Ochs, he meets Sophie; it's love at first sight for the youngsters. The Marschallin realizes she must end the affair.
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Tatiana Troyanos, Kiri Te Kanawa, Kurt Moll, Judith Blegen
Votes: 16
22.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Idomeneo
(1982)
183 min | Musical
Returning home from the Trojan Wars during a storm, Idomeneo, the king of Crete, vows to sacrifice to Neptune (the Greek god Poseidon) the first living creature he meets ashore in return ... See full summary »
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Ileana Cotrubas, Frederica von Stade, Loretta Di Franco, Batyah Godfrey Ben-David
Votes: 38
23.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Tannhäuser
(1982)
190 min | Musical
Tannhauser longs for earthly life, rejects Venus, returns to mortal Elisabeth. He's condemned by the Landgrave for his carnality, and sent to Rome. The Pope predicts forgiveness is as likely as his walking stick is of sprouting new shoots.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Richard Cassilly, Éva Marton, Tatiana Troyanos, Bernd Weikl
Votes: 33
24.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Hansel and Gretel
(1982)
104 min | Musical
A live Metropolitan Opera Christmas Day broadcast of Humperdinck's opera.
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Frederica von Stade, Judith Blegen, Jean Kraft, Michael Devlin
Votes: 29
25.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Don Carlo
(1983)
Musical
Don Carlo, crown prince of Spain, falls in love with Elisabeth of Valois, originally promised to him but later married to his father King Philip, as part of the terms of a peace treaty ... See full summary »
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Peter Sliker, Betsy Norden, Mirella Freni, Plácido Domingo
Votes: 34
26.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Les Troyens
(1983)
250 min | Musical
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Tatiana Troyanos, Jessye Norman, Plácido Domingo, Allan Monk
Votes: 32
27.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Ernani
(1983)
142 min | Musical
Former nobleman Ernani leads a group of bandits who also help to fight tyranny in France. Alliances shift, and Ernani makes a fatal promise.
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Luciano Pavarotti, Leona Mitchell, Ruggero Raimondi, Sherrill Milnes
Votes: 36
28.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
La forza del destino
(1984)
180 min | Musical
Leonora plans to elope with Don Alvaro, but he accidentally shoots and kills her father, who curses them as he dies. The lovers go on the run, but get separated. Bent on revenge, Leonora's brother Don Carlo, hunts them down.
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Richard Vernon, Leontyne Price, Giuseppe Giacomini, Leo Nucci
Votes: 39
29.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Francesca da Rimini
(1984)
148 min | Musical
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Renata Scotto, Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil, Richard Fredricks
Votes: 26
30.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Simon Boccanegra
(1984)
150 min | Musical
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Sherrill Milnes, Paul Plishka, Vasile Moldoveanu, Anna Tomowa-Sintow
Votes: 16
31.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Aida
(1985)
Musical
Egypt is at war with Ethiopia. Aida, captive Ethiopian slave, is in love Radames, captain of the Egyptian army. Amneris, Pharoah's daughter, is also in love with Radames. Aida is forced to choose either loyalty to Ethiopia or Radames.
Stars: Fiorenza Cossotto, Simon Estes, James McCracken, Leontyne Price
Votes: 26
32.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Tosca
(1985)
127 min | Musical
An opera in three acts about an escaped political prisoner, a prima donna, and the brutal chief of the secret police.
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Hildegard Behrens, Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil, James Courtney
Votes: 88
33.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Le nozze di Figaro
(1985)
Musical
Count Almaviva has been making advances toward his wife's maid, Susanna, and everyone knows it. Susanna is supposed to marry Figaro now; the Count wants to delay it. His wife, Susanna and Figaro come up with a scheme to expose the Count.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Ruggero Raimondi, Kathleen Battle, Thomas Allen, Carol Vaness
Votes: 17
34.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
L'italiana in Algeri
(1986)
Not Rated | 157 min | Musical
A typical rescue opera involves a kidnapped young woman who faces torture or death - until her heroic lover shows up. But in this one, the roles are reversed: it's a man in desperate trouble, and his clever girlfriend gets him out of it.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Marilyn Horne, Douglas Ahlstedt, Allan Monk, Paolo Montarsolo
Votes: 15
35.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Die Fledermaus
(1986)
Musical
Gabriel Eisenstein was sentenced to a week in jail, but first he plans to attend one last blow-out party before starting jail time. Tipped off to his plans, his wife goes to the party in disguise. How far can he go before he's found out?
Director: Kirk Browning | Stars: Kiri Te Kanawa, Håkan Hagegård, Judith Blegen, David Rendall
Votes: 7
36.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Dialogues des Carmélites
(1987)
Musical
Blanche joined a convent to escape the Reign of Terror. Convent life challenges her.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Maria Ewing, Régine Crespin, Jessye Norman, Florence Quivar
Votes: 7
37.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Les contes d'Hoffmann
(1988)
Musical
Hoffmann, the eternally romantic poet, looks for love in all the wrong places. His first love is a mechanical doll, his second love is a sickly singer, and his third love is a prostitute. The devil seems to thwart him every time.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Neil Shicoff, Gwendolyn Bradley, Tatiana Troyanos, Roberta Alexander
38.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Ariadne auf Naxos
(1988)
146 min | Musical
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Jessye Norman, Kathleen Battle, Tatiana Troyanos, James King
Votes: 34
39.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Il trovatore
(1988)
132 min | Musical
Troubadour Manrico, kidnapped and raised by gypsy Azucena, courts Leonora and she loves him. Count di Luna wants Leonora, vows to destroy Manrico, not knowing they are actually brothers.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: James Levine, Éva Marton, Dolora Zajick, Luciano Pavarotti
Votes: 86
40.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Il barbiere di Siviglia
(1988)
160 min | Musical
Barber facilitates Count's courtship of Doctor's ward, while Doctor wants to marry her himself.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Leo Nucci, Kathleen Battle, Rockwell Blake, Enzo Dara
Votes: 22
41.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Aida
(1989)
158 min | Musical
Pharaoh's daughter Amneris loves general Radames, but he loves slave Aida. Aida's father leads the Ethiopian army to invade Egypt. When he's captured, he wants Aida to gain military secrets from Radames.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Aprile Millo, Dolora Zajick, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes
Votes: 100
42.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Don Giovanni
(1990)
Musical
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Samuel Ramey, Carol Vaness, Jerry Hadley, Karita Mattila
Votes: 42
43.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Semiramide
(1990)
219 min | Musical
Director: Brian Large | Stars: June Anderson, Marilyn Horne, Stanford Olsen, Samuel Ramey
Votes: 26
44.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
La fanciulla del West
(1992)
140 min | Musical
Minnie, barkeeper to a camp of gold miners, has fallen for a mysterious visitor from Sacramento. Meanwhile, a notorious bandit is on the loose, and Sheriff Rance and a lynch mob is hot on his trail. Minnie comes to the rescue.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Leonard Slatkin, Barbara Daniels, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes
Votes: 36
45.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Falstaff
(1992)
127 min | Musical
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Paul Plishka, Bruno Pola, Frank Lopardo, Piero De Palma
Votes: 27
46.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Stiffelio
(1993)
116 min | Musical
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Plácido Domingo, Sharon Sweet, Vladimir Chernov, Paul Plishka
Votes: 28
47.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Il Tabarro/Pagliacci
(1994)
141 min | Musical
A jealous husband and his wife in a theatrical company.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Juan Pons
Votes: 36
48.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Arabella
(1994)
166 min | Musical
It all comes down to a glass of water.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Kiri Te Kanawa, Wolfgang Brendel, Marie McLaughlin, David Kuebler
Votes: 37
49.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Simon Boccanegra
(1995)
141 min | Musical
Unknown identities and secrets hamper the leaders of Genoa: The Doge and the former Doge do not realize Amelia is their kin, and revealing that calms some strife in the city-state - too late for some.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: James Levine, Bruno Pola, Hao Jiang Tian, Vladimir Chernov
Votes: 43
50.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Otello
(1996)
142 min | Musical
The Moorish general Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his lieutenant Michael Cassio when in reality it is all part of the scheme of a bitter ensign named Iago.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, James Morris, Jane Bunnell
Votes: 38
51.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Così fan tutte
(1996)
180 min | Musical
Two friends are goaded into a wager by Don Alfonso, who says he can prove their girlfriends are not as faithful as they claim. The two men both attempt to seduce the other's girl, helped by Don Alfonso and the girls' servant, Despina.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Carol Vaness, Jerry Hadley, Susanne Mentzer, Dwayne Croft
Votes: 11
52.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Carmen
(1997)
Musical
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Christopher Schaldenbrand, Angela Gheorghiu, Plácido Domingo, Jeffrey Wells
Votes: 33
53.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
La Cenerentola
(1997)
Musical
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Cecilia Bartoli, Ramón Vargas, Alessandro Corbelli, Simone Alaimo
Votes: 9
54.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Le nozze di Figaro
(1998)
Musical
It's wedding day for Figaro and Susanna, servants in the Almaviva household. Obvious to all on the estate, Count Almaviva has been making advances toward Susanna. The Count's wife, with ... See full summary »
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Bryn Terfel, Cecilia Bartoli, Dwayne Croft, Renée Fleming
Votes: 25
55.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
Wozzeck
(2001)
Musical
German soldier Wozzeck takes part in medical experiments to supplement his meager income. As time goes on, he becomes unhinged, suspecting his girlfriend Marie of carrying on an affair. It only gets worse from there.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Falk Struckmann, Katarina Dalayman, Graham Clark, Wolfgang Neumann
Votes: 7
56.
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1977– )
Episode:
R. Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos
(2003)
134 min | Musical
Director: Brian Large | Stars: James Levine, Wolfgang Brendel, Waldemar Kmentt, James Courtney
Votes: 11
57.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Mozart's The Magic Flute
(2006)
Not Rated | 115 min | Musical
Prince Tamino and Papageno are sent by the Queen of Night to save her daughter Pamina from the clutches of the evil lord Sarastro.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: James Levine, Katie Couric, Matthew Polenzani, Wendy Bryn Harmer
Votes: 68
58.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Bellini's I Puritani
(2007)
Not Rated | Musical
England, 1640s. Civil war and politics interfere with Elvira's plans to marry Arturo, because he is helping Queen Elizabeth escape from the rebels. Elvira doesn't understand any of this, so... See full summary »
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Patrick Summers, Beverly Sills, Renée Fleming, Margaret Juntwait
Votes: 50
59.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
The First Emperor
(2007)
Not Rated | 205 min | Musical
To unite the lands he has conquered, the First Emperor of China, believes that a national anthem is needed. He hires a childhood friend to compose it for him, not realizing that his friend does not share the Emperor's aspirations.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Dun Tan, Ziyi Zhang, Beverly Sills, Hsing-Kuo Wu
Votes: 32
60.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin
(2007)
Not Rated | 193 min | Musical
Onegin is young, handsome, rich. And bored. After spurning the naive Tatyana's romantic advances, he publicly flirts with his best friend's fiancée merely to amuse himself, but the prank ends in a duel. Some people just don't get it.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Valery Gergiev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Beverly Sills, Renée Fleming
Votes: 87
61.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia
(2007)
Not Rated | Musical
Rossini's sparkling comedy is given a new shine here under the direction of Broadway director Bartlett Sher. Count Almaviva is smitten by the feisty Rosina, but she is kept under lock and key by Dr. Bartolo. Send for Figaro to help.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Maurizio Benini, Kristin Chenoweth, Deborah Voigt, Mary Jo Heath
Votes: 72
62.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Puccini's Il trittico
(2007)
Not Rated | Musical
In the early 1900s, two operas by Richard Strauss (Salome and Elektra) were taking Europe by storm. The Italian composer Puccini is said to have looked at the scores and observed, "There is... See full summary »
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Anne-Carolyn Bird, Jennifer Black, Stephanie Blythe, David Cangelosi
Votes: 20
63.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Gounod: Roméo et Juliette
(2007)
Not Rated | 192 min | Musical
Gounod follows Shakespeare's story closely, with minor alterations to satisfy the needs of opera. The stage and scenery are filled with astronomical symbols to depict the tragedy of "star-crossed lovers" from two warring houses in Verona.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Marc Heller, Louis Otey
Votes: 26
64.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel
(2008)
Not Rated | 112 min | Musical
Set in the industrialized 1950s, Hansel and Gretel are latch-key kids to a depressed mother and overworked father. The witch runs a stainless-steel kitchen with modern gadgets and a glass-door oven. One hopes it's the self-cleaning kind.
Director: Barbara Willis Sweete | Stars: Vladimir Jurowski, Renée Fleming, Mary Jo Heath, Christine Schäfer
Votes: 22
65.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Verdi: Macbeth
(2008)
Not Rated | Musical
The witches tell fortunes: Macbeth will be King, Banquo will beget Kings. Macbeth helps the agenda by murdering King Duncan; and, what the heck, Banquo, too. Macbeth takes the crown, Lady Macbeth hosts a dinner; Banquo crashes the event.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: James Levine, Mary Jo Heath, Zeljko Lucic, John Relyea
Votes: 15
66.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Puccini: Manon Lescaut
(2008)
Not Rated | Musical
A life of love or a life of luxury? In a moment of crisis, Manon can't decide; so she tries to have both, and ends up with neither. This is co-dependency set to music, and it was Puccini's first big hit.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: James Levine, Renée Fleming, Sean Panikkar, Marcello Giordani
Votes: 20
67.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Britten: Peter Grimes
(2008)
Not Rated | 174 min | Musical
Peter Grimes, an unmarried, eccentric fisherman, can't keep an apprentice: they disappear mysteriously every time. In the absence of OSHA laws or child-protective services, the townspeople gather to conduct an inquest into the matter.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Donald Runnicles, Natalie Dessay, Dean Peterson, John Del Carlo
Votes: 24
68.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
(2008)
Not Rated | 249 min | Musical
Wagner's supporters say that he took music to new heights of expression here; his detractors say it's the death-knell for melody and structure. It's four hours of aching yearning that does not rest until the last few minutes of the opera.
Director: Barbara Willis Sweete | Stars: James Levine, Eike Wilm Schulte, Matti Salminen, Michelle DeYoung
Votes: 16
69.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Puccini: La Bohème
(2008)
Not Rated | 150 min | Musical
Imagine a world where taste and sensitivity have been overrun by gaudy excess and marketing hyperbole, where Puccini's quiet, intimate love-story can at last be told with A Cast of Thousands and a Real, Live Military Marching Band.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Nicola Luisotti, Renée Fleming, Ludovic Tézier, Ramón Vargas
Votes: 45
70.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Donizetti: La Fille du Régiment
(2008)
Not Rated | 170 min | Musical
Marie, lost as a baby, was found and raised by the local regiment. Tonio loves her, she loves him, but when her aunt recognizes her, it seems they will never be allowed to be together.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Marco Armiliato, Renée Fleming, Donald Maxwell, Felicity Palmer
Votes: 44
71.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Richard Strauss: Salome
(2008)
Not Rated | 113 min | Musical
Oscar Wilde's scandalous play set to equally outrageous music by Richard Strauss. It caused riots when it opened but has become one of the most-often performed operas around the world.
Director: Barbara Willis Sweete | Stars: Patrick Summers, Deborah Voigt, Joseph Kaiser, Lucy Schaufer
Votes: 26
72.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Doctor Atomic
(2008)
Not Rated | 184 min | Musical
Composer John Adams re-creates the tension at Los Alamos, 1945, the night before the first atom bomb is tested. Gerald Finley portrays Dr. Oppenheimer; the first act ends with a ... See full summary »
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Gerald Finley, Sasha Cooke, Eric Owens, Richard Paul Fink
Votes: 30
73.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Berlioz: La damnation de Faust
(2008)
Not Rated | Musical
French composer Hector Berlioz puts a unique spin on the familiar tale of Faust, the scholar/scientist who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for love and knowledge. The story is told in 8 episodic scenes, in Cirque Du Soleil style.
Director: Barbara Willis Sweete | Stars: James Levine, Susan Graham, Thomas Hampson, Marcello Giordani
Votes: 25
74.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Massenet: Thaïs
(2008)
Not Rated | 138 min | Musical
Missionary Athaniel converts the prostitute Thais to Christianity; he even leads her to enter a nunnery. The convent door slams shut: No Men Allowed. Oh no, cries Athaniel, I've fallen in love with her. Too bad, so sad. Meditate on that.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Jesús López Cobos, Plácido Domingo, Mary Jo Heath, Daniel Clark Smith
Votes: 36
75.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Puccini: La rondine
(2009)
Not Rated | Musical
Magda, mistress to wealthy Rambaldo, wants romance with a younger man. She moves in with Ruggero until his cash runs out.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Marco Armiliato, Renée Fleming, Monica Yunus, Alyson Cambridge
Votes: 37
76.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice
(2009)
Not Rated | Musical
Gluck's first "reform" opera, meaning the music of the baroque era with its embellishments and improvisations is replaced with a simpler and more direct vocal style. This production is ... See full summary »
Director: Barbara Willis Sweete | Stars: James Levine, Joyce DiDonato, Stephanie Blythe, Heidi Grant Murphy
Votes: 26
77.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor
(2009)
Not Rated | Musical
Lucia's nerves are already rattled, she's seeing ghosts and all. When her brother forces her to marry and her real boyfriend shows up at the wedding, that does it - she goes right over the edge. Sorry Arturo, she's just not that into you.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Marco Armiliato, Natalie Dessay, Michael Myers, Mariusz Kwiecien
Votes: 52
78.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Puccini: Madama Butterfly
(2009)
Not Rated | 173 min | Musical
On shore leave in Japan, Lt. Pinkerton is ready for action and finds it in a wedding broker. Cio-Cio-San naively believes the marriage is real. Wait until the real Mrs. Pinkerton hears about this: there's sure to be a Little Trouble ahead.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Patrick Summers, Renée Fleming, Marcello Giordani, Greg Fedderly
Votes: 35
79.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Bellini: La sonnambula
(2009)
Not Rated | 148 min | Musical
Amina sleep-walks her way into the bedroom of a nobleman who is staying at the village inn. Enraged and humiliated, her fiancé breaks the engagement. The nobleman attests to her innocence, and Amina offers a demonstration of sleep-walking.
Director: Barbara Willis Sweete | Stars: Evelino Pidò, Deborah Voigt, Jennifer Black, Jeremy Galyon
Votes: 26
80.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Rossini: La Cenerentola
(2009)
Not Rated | Musical
A loose adaptation of the Cinderella tale without the magic.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Rachelle Durkin, Patricia Risley, Elina Garanca, John Relyea
Votes: 29
81.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Puccini: Tosca
(2009)
Not Rated | 188 min | Musical
Lust, political corruption, police brutality, torture, rape, murder, execution, suicide: opera. Tosca's lover Mario is arrested for treason when she spills the beans about the escape of a political prisoner. Evil Baron Scarpia wins again.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Joseph Colaneri, Susan Graham, David Pittsinger, Paul Plishka
Votes: 27
82.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Verdi: Aida
(2009)
Not Rated | Musical
Pharoah's daughter loves Radames, leader of the Egyptian army. So does slave-girl, Aida, who happens to be (unknown to anyone) Princess of Ethiopia. Aida must choose either her country or ... See full summary »
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Daniele Gatti, Renée Fleming, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Johan Botha
Votes: 19
83.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Puccini: Turandot
(2009)
Not Rated | Musical
To win the hand of Princess Turandot, suitors must first answer her three riddles, but an incorrect answer sends the suitor to the executioner. A stranger with no name, who no-one knows, tries. Will he win her hand, or lose his head?
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Andris Nelsons, Patricia Racette, Maria Guleghina, Marina Poplavskaya
Votes: 33
84.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Offenbach: Les contes d'Hoffmann
(2009)
Not Rated | Musical
Three acts, book-ended by a Prologue and Epilogue, tell the poet Hoffman's failed loves. The first was just a doll, the second a dying singer, and the third a lady of the evening. That's Hoffman, looking for love in all the wrong places.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: James Levine, Deborah Voigt, Joseph Calleja, Kate Lindsey
Votes: 23
85.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
R. Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier
(2010)
Not Rated | Musical
The aristocratic Marschallin is increasingly aware of things: middle-age is approaching, her beauty is fading, and her young lover Octavian has fallen in love with someone younger and prettier than she. She knew this would happen one day.
Director: Barbara Willis Sweete | Stars: Edo de Waart, Plácido Domingo, Mary Jo Heath, Susan Graham
Votes: 24
86.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Bizet: Carmen
(2010)
Not Rated | 188 min | Musical
It's a familiar story: Act 1, boy meets girl, goes to jail for her. Act 2, boy is out of jail, girl rewards him with special favors. Act 3, girl is bored already, moving on. Act 4, boy kills girl for ruining his life. We've all been there.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Renée Fleming, Trevor Scheunemann, Barbara Frittoli
Votes: 85
87.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Verdi: Simon Boccanegra
(2010)
Not Rated | Musical
Verdi's opera tells the story of Simon Boccanegra (literally: Simon the Black-Mouth), a reformed pirate who becomes chief magistrate of Genoa. Infants swapped at birth, estranged families, ... See full summary »
Director: Barbara Willis Sweete | Stars: James Levine, Renée Fleming, Stephen Gaertner, Richard Bernstein
Votes: 15
88.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Thomas: Hamlet
(2010)
Not Rated | Musical
French composer Ambroise Thomas sticks close to Shakespeare's basic plot, with an added Mad Scene for Ophelia. Simon Keenlyside is the brooding Prince of Denmark, for whom the play's the thing in which to catch the conscience of the king.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Louis Langrée, Renée Fleming, James Morris, Jennifer Larmore
Votes: 27
89.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Rossini: Armida
(2010)
Not Rated | Musical
Soldiers rally outside Jerusalem, where a beautiful woman claims to be the rightful ruler. She begs the men to help her take the crown from evil uncle, Idraote. Little do they know, however, that this is a plot to destroy them from within.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Riccardo Frizza, Deborah Voigt, John Osborn, Yeghishe Manucharyan
Votes: 22
90.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Wagner: Das Rheingold
(2010)
Not Rated | 183 min | Musical
When Wotan, king of the gods, hired the Giants to build a palace, he didn't have the money to pay them. What to do? Plunder and steal: there is a Ring with limitless power, and that will be his solution. He doesn't know the Ring is cursed.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: James Levine, Deborah Voigt, Lisette Oropesa, Jennifer Johnson
Votes: 73
91.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov
(2010)
Not Rated | Musical
Boris might have been a good Czar except for that thing he did years ago: he murdered the child who was the true heir to Russia's throne. Now nightmares, his conscience, the Council of Ministers and a brewing rebellion threaten his rule.
Director: Brian Large | Stars: Valery Gergiev, Patricia Racette, Valerian Ruminski, Mikhail Svetlov
Votes: 32
92.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Donizetti: Don Pasquale
(2010)
Not Rated | Musical
After disinheriting his nephew Ernesto, the elderly Pasquale seeks a wife to produce an heir for his estate. Dr. Malatesta sympathizes with Ernesto and devises a plan to help Ernesto regain his inheritance and the widow Norina.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: James Levine, Susan Graham, John Del Carlo, Mariusz Kwiecien
Votes: 45
93.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Verdi: Don Carlo
(2010)
Not Rated | 234 min | Musical
Family jealousy, threat of rebellion, political back-stabbing and the Inquisition weigh heavy on the court of King Phillip II. The tension finally ignites at the King's coronation, where a number of heretics are to be burnt at the stake.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Deborah Voigt, Roberto Alagna, Layla Claire
Votes: 31
94.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Puccini: La Fanciulla del West
(2011)
Not Rated | Musical
Minnie, the titular "Girl of the Golden West" is saloon-keeper, nurse, and Bible school teacher to a camp of miners during the California Gold Rush. When the mysterious Mr. Johnson arrives,... See full summary »
Director: Barbara Willis Sweete | Stars: Deborah Voigt, Marcello Giordani, Lucio Gallo, Michael Forest
Votes: 29
95.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
John Adams: Nixon in China
(2011)
Not Rated | 188 min | Musical
US President Richard Nixon, wife Pat, and Henry Kissinger travel to China to visit Chairman and Madame Mao in 1972, normalizing relations between the countries for the first time in 25 years. Both sides wonder if this for the better.
Director: Peter Sellars | Stars: James Maddalena, Janis Kelly, Robert Brubaker, Kathleen Kim
Votes: 44
96.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Gluck: Iphigénie en Tauride
(2011)
Not Rated | Musical
Iphigenie, banished daughter of Klytemnaestra, is now high priestess to Diana. Two strangers from Greece wash up on shore; when Iphigenie recognizes one as her brother, Orestes, she is ... See full summary »
Director: Barbara Willis Sweete | Stars: Susan Graham, Natalie Dessay, Plácido Domingo, Paul Groves
Votes: 17
97.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor
(2011)
Not Rated | 180 min | Musical
A reprise of 2009's production with cast changes, including Natalie Dessay and Joseph Calleja. The famous Mad Scene is orchestrated with a glass harmonica per Donizetti's original score, and not a flute, which is more commonly used today.
Director: Barbara Willis Sweete | Stars: Patrick Summers, Renée Fleming, Mary Jo Heath, Philip Webb
Votes: 31
98.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Rossini: Le Comte Ory
(2011)
Not Rated | Musical
The young Count Ory takes advantage of the fact that the village men are off fighting, and breaks into the castle to declare his love to Adele. His sidekick Isolier reveals Ory's plans to her, and the two of them hatch a plan to trick Ory.
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Maurizio Benini, Renée Fleming, Stéphane Degout, Monica Yunus
Votes: 38
99.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
R. Strauss: Capriccio
(2011)
Not Rated | 150 min | Musical
Which is greater among the arts, poetry or music? The opera explores that question in an allegorical tale: the Countess (Fleming), is torn between two suitors, the poet Olivier (Russell Braun) and the composer Flamand (Joseph Kaiser).
Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Renée Fleming, Russell Braun, Joseph Kaiser, Peter Rose
Votes: 26
100.
The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Episode:
Verdi: Il Trovatore
(2011)
Not Rated | 143 min | Musical
The gypsy Azucena has harbored a grudge for thirty years, but she is about to have revenge at last. Meanwhile, her son Manrico is in love with Leonora, but so is his arch-enemy, the Count Di Luna. A pot-boiler, where every tune is a hit.
Director: Barbara Willis Sweete | Stars: Marcelo Álvarez, Sondra Radvanovsky, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Dolora Zajick
Votes: 34
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