John Gilmore

Live performance at the Metropolitan Opera, 1984. James Levine conducting Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Stage direction by Piero Faggioni.

Ghiaurov, Freni, and Bumbry were great voices in their time, and they are still effective here -- good enough musicians to put over the quite heavy vocal and expressive demands of their roles. Louis Quilico was never quite in that league, and he sounds a bit spread and woofy in places here, but he works hard and effectively to bring Rodrigo to life. Placido Domingo recorded his first Don Carlo, for EMI with Giulini, about 15 years before this production, but he looks and sounds fine here -- in the early 1980's he was doing very good Otellos and Lohengrins too, and Furlanetto, still in his 30's, brings a rich, young voice to an old part and succeeds in making the Grand Inquisitor vocally as well as expressively formidable. Levine brings both weight and energy to the score, and that reading fits well with the overall "traditional" design and production -- the Met's wardrobe budget must have been severely taxed, but everybody looks splendid.

This telecast offers a rare opportunity to see the legendary Joan Sutherland in the role that first catapulted her to international stardom. She drove audiences wild by the way her opulent voice caressed the music’s long phrases and sprinted effortlessly through the fiendish runs, trills, embellishments and stratospheric high notes. One of the glories of the operatic world, her portrayal of Donizetti’s hapless heroine is a multifaceted and moving characterization. The incomparable tenor Alfredo Kraus is Edgardo, the man Lucia loves but cannot have. (Performance taped November 13, 1982. Broadcasted September 28, 1983.)

L’opéra romantique de Wagner exige des acteurs chanteurs capables de véritablement occuper leur rôle, et c’est exactement ce que nous avons ici. Est-il possible pour un chevalier du Saint Graal d'avoir l'air plus séduisant que Peter Hofmann ? Pas étonnant qu'Elsa (Eva Marton) tombe amoureuse au premier regard. L’héroïne de Marton est innocente, mais c’est aussi une jeune femme passionnée et réelle – ce qui est une bonne chose, car Leonie Rysanek est positivement démente dans le rôle d’Ortrud, la sorcière qui accuse Elsa et Lohengrin d’utiliser la magie. Sous la superbe direction de James Levine, l’orchestre et le chœur sont tout aussi magiques.