The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala was a televised concert, lasting more than eight hours, that New York City's Metropolitan Opera staged on 22 October 1983 to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of its first performance. A 230-minute selection of excerpts from the concert was released on home media.
Background The Metropolitan Opera's first performance was given on 22 October 1883 at its former home on the junction of Broadway and 39th Street in New York City: a staging of Charles Gounod's Faust starring Italo Campanini in the title role and Christine Nilsson as Marguerite. With the one hundredth anniversary of that occasion chancing to fall on a Saturday, the Met chose to commemorate its centenary with a two-part gala comprising a matinée at 2 p.m. and an evening session at 8 p.m.
More than seventy singers were invited to participate, chosen either for their eminence or their long association with the house. Performing on a series of sets created by the most distinguished designers in the Met's history, they sang arias, duets and ensembles from an eclectic range of operas as well as a few items drawn from other genres. There were also contributions from the Met's chorus and resident ballet company as well as some purely orchestral selections.
The entire event was broadcast live on both radio and television in the United States and in some other countries. The US television broadcast was supported by a grant from the Texaco Philanthropic Foundation, Inc., with supplementary help from the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation, Inc., and the National Endowment For the Arts. The production of Deutsche Grammophon's DVD of the gala was supported by the Charles A. Dana Foundation.
Deutsche Grammophon DVD chapter listing Disc 1: matinée session 1 (0:44) Opening credits Set design for Les Mamelles de Tirésias by David Hockney (b. 1937)
Bedřich Smetana
Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride, Prague, 1866), with a libretto by Karel Sabina 2 (7:21) Overture, conducted by James Levine Giacomo Puccini, posthumously completed by Franco Alfano
Turandot (Milan, 1926), with a libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni after Turandot (1762) by Carlo Gozzi 3 (6:57) "In questa reggia", with Éva Marton (Turandot), conducted by James Levine Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Le nozze di Figaro ("The marriage of Figaro", K. 492, Vienna, 1786), with a libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte after La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro ("The mad day, or the marriage of Figaro", 1784) by Pierre Beaumarchais 4 (7:24) "E Susanna non vien! ... Dove sono i bei momenti", with Kiri Te Kanawa (La Contessa Almaviva), conducted by James Levine Giuseppe Verdi
Otello (Milan, 1887), with a libretto by Arrigo Boito after The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (?1603) by William Shakespeare 5 (5:04) "Dio! Mi potevi scagliar", with James McCracken (Otello), conducted by James Levine Gioachino Rossini
Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ("The barber of Seville, or The useless precaution", Rome, 1816), with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini after Le barbier de Séville (1775) by Pierre Beaumarchais 6 (5:13) "La calunnia è un venticello", with Ruggero Raimondi (Basilio), conducted by Richard Bonynge Gaetano Donizetti
Lucia di Lammermoor (Naples, 1835), with a libretto by Salvadore Cammarano after The Bride of Lammermoor (1819) by Sir Walter Scott) 7 (5:13) "Chi mi frena in tal momento?", with Dano Raffanti (Edgardo), Brian Schexnayder (Enrico), Roberta Peters (Lucia), Julien Robbins (Raimondo), Loretta Di Franco (Alisa) and Robert Nagy (Arturo), conducted by Richard Bonynge Gioachino Rossini
Semiramide (Venice, 1823), with a libretto by Gaetano Rossi after Sémiramis by Voltaire, a play based on the legend of Semiramis of Assyria 8 (8:27) "Bel raggio lusinghier", with Joan Sutherland (Semiramide), conducted by Richard Bonynge Set design for act 2 of Arabella by Günther Schneider-Siemssen
Pietro Mascagni
Iris (Rome, 1898), with a libretto by Luigi Illica 9 (10:40) Prelude: "Son io! Son io la vita", with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, conducted by David Stivender Richard Strauss
Der Rosenkavalier ("The knight of the rose", Op. 59, Dresden, 1911), with a libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal after Les amours du chevalier de Faubles by Jean-Baptiste Louvet de Couvrai and Monsieur de Pourceaugnac (1669) by Molière 10 (7:56) "Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren", with Frederica von Stade (Octavian) and Judith Blegen (Sophie), conducted by Jeffrey Tate Charles Gounod
Roméo et Juliette (Paris, 1867), with a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré after Romeo and Juliet (circa 1593) by William Shakespeare 11 (13:18) "Va! Je t'ai pardonné... Nuit d'hyménée", with Catherine Malfitano (Juliette) and Alfredo Kraus (Roméo), conducted by Jeffrey Tate Gaetano Donizetti
L'elisir d'amore ("The elixir of love", Milan, 1832), with a libretto by Felice Romani after that written by Eugène Scribe for Le philtre (1831) by Daniel Auber 12 (5:49) "Una furtiva lagrima", with Nicolai Gedda (Nemorino), conducted by James Levine Giuseppe Verdi
Ernani (Venice, 1844), with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave after Hernani (1830) by Victor Hugo 13 (7:54) "Surta è la note... Ernani! Ernani, involami", with Anna Tomowa-Sintow (Elvira), conducted by James Levine Richard Strauss
Der Rosenkavalier 14 (6:17) "Hab mir's gelobt", with Elisabeth Söderström (Marschallin), Kathleen Battle (Sophie) and Frederica von Stade (Octavian), conducted by James Levine Giuseppe Verdi
Otello 15 (13:30) "Già nella notte densa", with Plácido Domingo (Otello) and Mirella Freni (Desdemona), conducted by James LevineThe Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala, Deutsche Grammophon DVD, 00440-073-4548, 2009
Disc 2: evening session 1 (0:25) Opening Set design for act 2 of La bohème by Franco Zeffirelli
Ludwig van Beethoven
Fidelio (Op. 72, Vienna, 1805), with a libretto by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly 2 (15:59) Overture: "Leonore III", conducted by Leonard Bernstein Umberto Giordano
Andrea Chénier (Milan, 1896), with a libretto by Luigi Illica based on the life of the poet André Chénier 3 (10:09) "Vicino a te s'acqueta l'irrequieta anima", with José Carreras (Andrea Chénier) and Montserrat Caballé (Maddalena), conducted by James Levine Claude Debussy
L'enfant prodigue ("The prodigal son", Paris, 1884), with a text by Édouard Guinand 4 (6:34) "L'année en vain chasse l'année", with Ileana Cotrubas (Lia), conducted by John Pritchard Set design by Robert O'Hearn
Camille Saint-Saëns
Samson et Dalila (Op. 47, Weimar, 1877), with a libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire after the story of Samson and Delilah in Chapter 16 of the Book of Judges in the Old Testament 5 (8:23) Bacchanale, with Linda Gelinas (dancer), Ricardo Costa (dancer) and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, conducted by James Levine Giuseppe Verdi
Nabucco (Milan, 1842), with a libretto by Temistocle Solera after Antonio Cortese's 1836 ballet version of a play by Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois and Francis Cornu that was in turn based on the Book of Jeremiah and the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament
6 (13:37) "Donna, chi sei?", with Renato Bruson (Nabucco) and Grace Bumbry (Abigaille), conducted by Thomas Fulton Set design for Die Zauberflöte by Marc Chagall
Charles Gounod
Faust (Paris, 1859), with a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, after Faust: Eine Tragödie ("Faust, a tragedy", 1808) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 7 (4:00) "Alerte! Ou vous êtes perdus!", with Nicolai Ghiaurov (Méphistophélès), Katia Ricciarelli (Marguerite) and William Lewis (Faust), conducted by James Levine Giacomo Puccini
Madama Butterfly (Milan, 1904), with a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa after Madame Butterfly (1898) by John Luther Long, in turn based on reminiscences of Long's sister, Jennie Correll, and Madame Chrysanthème (1887) by Pierre Loti 8 (11:54) "Bimba dagli occhi pieni di malia", with Giuliano Ciannella (Pinkerton) and Leona Mitchell (Ciò-Ciò-San), conducted by James Levine Gioachino Rossini
L'italiana in Algeri ("The Italian girl in Algiers", Venice, 1813), with a libretto by Angelo Anelli after his libretto for L'italiana in Algeri (1808) by Luigi Mosca 9 (10:11) "Pria di dividerci de voi, signore", with Edda Moser (Elvira), Diane Kesling (Zulma), David Rendall (Lindoro), Gail Dubinbaum (Isabella), Ara Berberian (Mustafà), John Darrenkamp (Haly), Sesto Bruscantini (Taddeo) and members of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, conducted by James Levine Camille Saint-Saëns
Samson et Dalila 10 (8:50) "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix", with Marilyn Horne (Dalila), conducted by James Levine Richard Wagner
Tristan und Isolde (WWV 90, München, 1865), with a libretto by Wagner after Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg (d. circa 1210) 11 (11:06) "Wie lachend sie mir Lieder singen", with Birgit Nilsson (Isolde), conducted by James Levine Traditional Swedish folk song 12 (3:29) "Fjorton år tror jag visst att jag var" ("When I was seventeen"), with Birgit Nilsson Giuseppe Verdi
Un ballo in maschera ("A masked ball", Rome, 1859), with a libretto by Antonio Somma after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué (1833) 13 (10:37) "Teco io sto" – "Gran dio!", with Luciano Pavarotti (Riccardo) and Leontyne Price (Amelia), conducted by James Levine Patty Hill and Mildred J. Hill (attributed), with a text attributed to Preston Ware Orem and Mrs R. R. Forman 14 (1:28) "Happy birthday to you" (1893), with the Company 15 (1:27) Closing credits
Personnel Artists
Kathleen Battle, soprano Ara Berberian, bass Judith Blegen, soprano Sesto Bruscantini, baritone Renato Bruson, baritone Grace Bumbry, mezzo-soprano Montserrat Caballé, soprano José Carreras, tenor Giuliano Ciannella, tenor Ileana Cotrubas, soprano John Darrenkamp, baritone Plácido Domingo, tenor Gail Dubinbaum, mezzo-soprano Loretta Di Franco, soprano Mirella Freni, soprano Nicolai Gedda, tenor Nicolai Ghiaurov, bass Marilyn Horne, mezzo-soprano Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano Diane Kesling, mezzo-soprano Alfredo Kraus, tenor William Lewis, tenor Catherine Malfitano, soprano Éva Marton, soprano James McCracken, tenor Leona Mitchell, soprano Edda Moser, soprano Robert Nagy, tenor Birgit Nilsson, soprano Luciano Pavarotti, tenor Roberta Peters, soprano Leontyne Price, soprano Dano Raffanti, tenor Ruggero Raimondi, bass-baritone David Rendall, tenor Katia Ricciarelli, soprano Julien Robbins, bass-baritone Brian Schexnayder, baritone Elisabeth Söderström, soprano Frederica von Stade, mezzo-soprano Joan Sutherland, soprano Anna Tomowa-Sintow, soprano Raymond Gniewek, concertmaster The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra The Metropolitan Opera Chorus Roberto Costa, dancer Linda Gelinas, dancer The Metropolitan Opera Ballet Donald Mahler, ballet director Leonard Bernstein, conductor Richard Bonynge, conductor Thomas Fulton, conductor James Levine, conductor John Pritchard, conductor David Stivender, conductor and chorus master Jeffrey Tate, conductor
Metropolitan Opera personnel
Charles Riecker, gala coordinator Phebe Berkowitz, stage director Bruce Donnell, stage director David Kneuss, stage director Leslie Koenig, stage director Pamela McRae, stage director Paul Mills, stage director David Sell, stage director Joan Dornemann, prompter William Vendice, prompter Stephen R. Berman, stage manager Stephen A. Brown, stage manager Tom Connell, stage manager Stanley Levine, stage manager Chris Mahan, stage manager William McCourt, stage manager Gil Wechsler, lighting designer Sander Hacker, master electrician Stephen Diaz, master carpenter Arthur Ashenden, properties master Nina Lawson, wig and hair stylist Victor Callegari, make-up artist Millicent Hacker, wardrobe mistress
Broadcast personnel
Michael Bronson, executive producer Clemente d'Alessio, producer Kirk Browning, director