The Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991 was a four-hour concert staged by the Metropolitan Opera on 23 September 1991 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its opening night in its second home at Lincoln Center. It was televised by Cablevision, and issued by Deutsche Grammophon on Laserdisc and VHS videocassette in 1992 and on DVD in 2010.
Background Originally based in a theatre on the junction of Broadway and 39th Street in New York City, the Metropolitan Opera began performing in its second home at Lincoln Center in 1966, starting the second phase of its life with the première of an opera commissioned for the occasion, Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra. The Met celebrated the silver anniversary of that event with a gala that lasted for some four hours.
The event began with Luciano Pavarotti, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Leo Nucci, Cheryl Studer and Birgitta Svendén in the last act of Otto Schenk's production of Rigoletto, a staging in which Pavarotti had appeared at its first outing two years earlier. Plácido Domingo, Charles Anthony, Dwayne Croft, Justino Díaz, Mirella Freni and Paul Plishka followed in the third act of Franco Zeffirelli's production of Otello. Hermann Prey, Croft, Barbara Daniels, Andrij Dobriansky and Anne Sofie von Otter concluded the gala in a performance of an abridged version of the second act of Schenk's production of Die Fledermaus, deploying the theatre's revolving stage and incorporating eleven items sung by guests at Prince Orlofsky's party.
The original stage productions were supported by the Gramma Fisher Foundation of Marshalltown, Iowa, with supplementary help from Mr and Mrs Paul M. Montrone for Rigoletto, from Mrs John D. Rockefeller for Otello and from Mrs Donald D. Harrington for Die Fledermaus. The revival of Rigoletto was supported by the Edith C. Blum Foundation. The television broadcast of the gala was supported by the Texaco Philanthropic Foundation, Inc., the National Endowment For the Arts and the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation. The gala was jointly produced by the Metropolitan Opera, Cablevision, NBC, PolyGram and MAX Japan.The Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991, conducted by James Levine, Deutsche Grammophon DVD, 00440-073-4582, 2010
DVD chapter listing DVD 1 1 (3:06) Before the performance: a glimpse behind the scenes 2 (1:24) The National Anthem Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Rigoletto (Venice, 1851), with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave (1810-1876), after Le roi s'amuse ("The king amuses himself", Paris, 1832) by Victor Hugo (1802–1885).
Presented in a stage production by Otto Schenk (b. 1930), with set and costume design by Zack Brown, lighting design by Gil Wechsler and stage direction by Sharon Thomas. Featuring Luciano Pavarotti as the Duke of Mantua, Cheryl Studer as Gilda, the Duke's daughter, Leo Nucci as Rigoletto, the Duke's court jester, Nicolai Ghiaurov as Sparafucile, a brigand, and Birgitta Svendén as Maddalena, Sparafucile's daughter.
Act Three 3 (2:43) "E l'ami?" - "Sempre" (Rigoletto, Gilda, Duke, Sparafucile) 4 (3:06) "La donna è mobile" (Duke, Sparafucile, Rigoletto) 5 (1:33) "Un dì, se ben rammentomi" (Duke, Gilda, Maddalena, Rigoletto) 6 (4:27) "Bella figlia dell'amore" (Duke, Maddalena, Gilda, Rigoletto) 7 (4:08) "M'odi! Ritorna a casa" (Rigoletto, Gilda, Sparafucile, Duke, Maddalena) 8 (5:58) "È amabile invero tal giovinotto" (Maddalena, Sparafucile, Gilda) 9 (4:33) "Della vendetta alfin giunge l'istante!" (Rigoletto, Sparafucile, Duke) 10 (1:42) "Chi è mai, chi è qui in sua vece?" (Rigoletto, Gilda) 11 (7:42) "V'ho ingannato... Colpevole fui" (Gilda, Rigoletto) Giuseppe Verdi
Otello (Milan, 1887), with a libretto by Arrigo Boito (1842-1918), after The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (?1603) by William Shakespeare (1564-1616).
Presented in a stage production and set designed by Franco Zeffirelli (1923-2019), with costume design by Peter J. Hall (1926-2010), lighting design by Gil Wechsler and stage direction by Fabrizio Melano. Featuring Plácido Domingo as Otello, a Moor, commander-in-chief of the Venetian fleet, Mirella Freni as Desedemona, Otello's wife, Justino Díaz as Iago, an ensign, Sondra Kelly as Emilia, Iago's wife, Uwe Heilmann as Cassio, a platoon leader, Paul Plishka as Lodovico, ambassador of the Venetian republic, Charles Anthony as Roderigo, a Venetian gentleman, and Dwayne Croft as a herald.
Act Three 12 (3:11) "La vedetta del porto ha segnelato" (A herald, Otello, Iago) 13 (4:54) "Dio ti giocondi, o sposo" (Desdemona, Otello) 14 (5:34) "Esterrefatta fisso" (Desdemona, Otello) 15 (4:09) "Dio! Mi potevi scagliar tutti i mali" (Otello, Iago) 16 (5:22) "Vieni, l'aula è deserta" (Iago, Cassio, Otello) 17 (1:47) "Come l'ucciderò?" (Otello, Iago, Chorus) 18 (2:57) "Il doge ed il senato salutano l'eroe" (Lodovico, Otello, Desdemona, Emilia, Iago, Roderigo, Cassio, Chorus) 19 (1:52) "Messeri! Il doge..." (Otello, Roderigo, Iago, Cassio, Lodovico) 20 (6:08) "A terra! Sì, nel livido fango" (Desdemona, Emilia, Cassio, Roderigo, Lodovico, Chorus, Iago) 21 (5:49) "Fuggite! Tutti fuggite Otello!" (Otello, Chorus, Iago)
DVD 2 Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)
Die Fledermaus ("The flittermouse", Vienna, 1874), with a libretto by Karl Haffner (1804-1876) and Richard Genée (1823-1895), after Le réveillon ("The supper party", Paris, 1872) by Henri Meilhac (1830-1897) and Ludovic Halévy (1839-1908), after Das Gefängnis ("The prison", Berlin, 1851) by Julius Roderich Benedix (1811-1873), and with dialogue by Paul Mills adapted from that written by Otto Schenk and translated by Marcel Prawy (1911-2003).
Presented in a stage production by Otto Schenk, with set design by Günther Schneider-Siemssen (1926-2015), costume design by Peter J. Hall, lighting design by Gil Wechsler and stage direction by Paul Mills. Featuring Hermann Prey as Gabriel von Eisenstein, a wealthy gentleman of leisure, Barbara Daniels as Rosalinde, Eisenstein's wife, Barbara Kilduff as Adele, Rosalinde's chambermaid, Grace Millo as Ida, Adele's sister, Anne Sofie von Otter as Prince Orlofsky, a wealthy Russian, Andrij Dobriansky as Ivan, Orlofsky's servant, Dwayne Croft as Dr Falke, a notary, and Gottfried Hornik as Frank, a prison governor.
Act Two 1 (2:39) "Ein Souper heut uns winkt" (Chorus) 2 (2:11) Dialogue 3 (2:53) "Ich lade gern mir Gäste ein" (Orlofsky) 4 (0:39) Dialogue 5 (1:07) "Ach, meine Herr'n und Damen" (Orlofsky, Falke, Adele, Eisenstein, Chorus) 6 (3:40) Adele's Laughing Song: "Mein Herr Marquis" (Adele, ensemble) 7 (3:28) Dialogue 8 (4:36) Watch duet: "Dieser Anstand, so manierlich" (Eisenstein, Rosalinde) 9 (1:06) Dialogue 10 (5:04) Csárdás: "Klänge der Heimat" (Rosalinde) 11 (1:37) Dialogue
Party guests' sequence
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Die Zauberflöte ("The magic flute", K. 620, Vienna, 1791), with a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder (1751-1812) 12 (5:58) Aria (Papageno): "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" (Hermann Prey) Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)
La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein (Paris, 1887), with a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy 13 (4:53) Aria (La Grande-Duchesse): "Ah! Que j'aime les militaires" (Frederica von Stade) Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ("The barber of Seville, or The useless precaution", Rome, 1816), with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini (1784-1831), after Le barbier de Séville (Paris, 1775) by Pierre Beaumarchais (1732-1799) 14 (5:19) Aria (Figaro): "Largo al factotum" (Thomas Hampson) Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896)
Mignon (Paris, 1866), with a libretto by Jules Barbier (1825-1901) and Michel Carré (1821-1872), after Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre ("Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship", 1795-1796) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) 15 (6:52) Aria (Philine): "Je suis Titania" (June Anderson) Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
West Side Story (New York City, 1957), with a book by Arthur Laurents (1917-2011) and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (b. 1930), after Romeo and Juliet (circa 1595-1597) by William Shakespeare 16 (3:28) Song (Tony): "Maria" (Sherrill Milnes) Umberto Giordano (1867-1948)
Andrea Chénier (Milan, 1896), with a libretto by Luigi Illica (1857-1919), based on the life of André Chénier (1762-1794) 17 (6:55) Aria (Maddalena): "La mamma morta" (Aprile Millo) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Il dissoluto punito, ossia Il Don Giovanni ("The rake punished, or Don Giovanni", K. 527, Prague, 1787), with a libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte (1749-1838), after El burlador de Seville y convivado de piedra ("The trickster of Seville and the stone guest", ?1616) by Tirso de Molina (1579-1648) 18 (6:10) Catalogue aria (Leporello): "Madamina, il catalogo è questo" (Ferruccio Furlanetto) Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Linda di Chamounix (Vienna, 1842), with a libretto by Gaetano Rossi (1774-1855) 19 (7:31) Aria (Linda): "O luce di quest'anima" (Kathleen Battle) Mitch Leigh (1928-2014)
Man of La Mancha (New York City, 1965), with a book by Dale Wasserman (1914-2008) and lyrics by Joe Darion (1917-2001), after Wasserman's teleplay I, Don Quixote (1959), after El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha ("The ingenious gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha", 1605-1615) by Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) 20 (4:23) Song (Don Quixote): "The impossible dream" (Samuel Ramey) Francesco Cilea (1866-1950)
Adriana Lecouvreur (Milan, 1902), with a libretto by Arturo Colautti (1851-1914), after Adrienne Lecouvreur (1849) by Eugène Scribe (1791-1861) and Ernest Legouvé (1807-1903) 21 (5:25) Aria (Adriana): "Io son l'umile ancella" (Mirella Freni) Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
La Bohème ("The Bohemian", Turin, 1896), with a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa (1847-1906), after Scènes de la vie de bohème ("Scenes of Bohemian life", 1851) by Henri Murger (1822-1861) 22 (6:45) Duet (Marcello and Rodolfo): "In un coupé?... O Mimi, tu più non torni" (Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo) Johann Strauss II
Die Fledermaus (resumed) 23 (4:20) Champagne song: "Champagner hats verschuldet" (All) 24 (0:26) Closing credits
Personnel Artists
June Anderson (b. 1952), soprano Charles Anthony (1929-2012), tenor Kathleen Battle (b. 1948), soprano Dwayne Croft, baritone Barbara Daniels, soprano Justino Díaz (b. 1940), bass-baritone Andrij Dobriansky (1930-2012), bass-baritone Plácido Domingo (b. 1941), tenor Mirella Freni (1935-2020), soprano Ferruccio Furlanetto (b. 1949), bass Nicolai Ghiaurov (1929-2004), bass Thomas Hampson (b. 1955), baritone Uwe Heilmann (b. 1960), tenor Gottfried Hornik (b. 1940), baritone Sondra Kelly, mezzo-soprano Barbara Kilduff, soprano Aprile Millo (b. 1958), soprano Grace Millo, soprano Sherrill Milnes (b. 1935), baritone Leo Nucci (b. 1942), baritone Anne Sofie von Otter (b. 1955), mezzo-soprano Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007), tenor Paul Plishka (b. 1941), bass Hermann Prey (1929-1998), baritone Samuel Ramey (b. 1942), bass Frederica von Stade (b. 1945), mezzo-soprano Cheryl Studer (b. 1955), soprano Birgitta Svendén (b. 1952), mezzo-soprano Metropolitan Opera Ballet Diana Levy, ballet mistress Metropolitan Opera Chorus Raymond Hughes, chorus master Gildo di Nunzio, stage band conductor (Otello) Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Raymond Gniewek (1931-2021), concertmaster James Levine (1943–2021), conductor
Metropolitan Opera personnel
Joan Dornemann, musical preparation Jane Klaviter, musical preparation and prompter David Kneuss, executive stage manager Stephen A. Brown, stage manager Thomas H. Connell III, stage manager Gary Dietrich, stage manager William McCourt, stage manager Raymond Menard, stage manager Scott Moon, stage manager Stephen Diaz, master carpenter Sander Hacker, master electrician Edward McConway, properties master Magda Szayer, wig and hair stylist Victor Callegari, make-up artist Millicent Hacker, wardrobe mistress Richard Wagner, costume shop head
Broadcast personnel
Peter Gelb (b. 1953), executive producer Brian Large (b. 1939), director