ABSTRACT
A New York company that gave its first season in 1883-1884, and has achieved universal recognition as one of the world’s superior ensembles. Nearly all the great singers and operatic conductors have appeared on its programs. Saturday afternoon broadcasts began on 7 Dec 1940 and continue today, constituting the longest running radio show in U.S. history. Since 1986, the artistic director of the company has been James Levine. Lionel Mapleson made the first recordings of the Metropolitan Opera on his famous cylinders of 1901-1903. These records were made without commercial intent, and were not marketed. A catalog from Leeds & Catlin, dated 1902, offered 19 recordings made by the “Metropolitan Opera House String Orchestra” directed by Nahan [misspelled Nathan] Franko, one of the conductors for that season. All these records, of instrumental parts from opera and some nonoperatic selections, have been lost. Apparently the earliest commercial record dates from 1906, a Victor issue that for some reason identified the Metropolitan chorus as the “New York Grand Opera Chorus” (Victor #64049; session of 8 June 1906). The number sung was “Scorrendo uniti” from Rigoletto. In other sessions of June 1906 another five chorus numbers were recorded, again with the name New York Grand Opera Chorus. Not until January 1910 was there a recording session with identified soloists: the “Miserere” sung by Frances Alda and Enrico Caruso (Victor #89030; 1910). By the end of 1916, 40 records had been made by Victor, but in the 1917 Victor catalog there is no specific entry in the artist’s section for the company. From 1918 to 1920 Columbia recorded the Metropolitan Orchestra, without vocalists, since most of the singers had Victor contracts. The great period of records was 1927-1930, some 70 sides for Victor. Star performers offered much of the French/Italian repertoire, and in many cases made definitive interpretations (e.g., the “Miserere” by Rosa Ponselle and Giovanni Martinelli (#8097; 1928), the “Vergine degli angeli” duet from Forza del destino, by Ponselle and Ezio Pinza (#8097; 1928), Rigoletto duets by Amelita GalliCurci and Giuseppe De Luca, and the Rigoletto Quartet by Galli-Curci, Louise Homer, Beniamino Gigli, and De Luca. From 1930 to 1938 only 11 recordings were made, but in 1939 there was renewed activity, notably with an Otello set, featuring Martinelli, Lawrence Tibbett, and Helen Jepson. In 1940 there was a set of Tristan discs, with Rose Bampton and Arthur Carron. A Tannhäuser set followed, and then a Lohengrin, with the same lead singers. Victor catalogs had begun listing the chorus and orchestra in the Red Seal artist section. In 1941 the company began to record for Columbia, and made the first complete opera recordings in the U.S., as well as several extended excerpt sets. Among these the Carmen set attracted special attention, featuring the new favorite interpreter of the role, Rise Stevens (Columbia #M-607; 1946). But it was Hänsel und Gretel that marked the beginning of complete recordings, a set made on 24 sides with Rise Stevens and Nadine Conner as the children (Columbia #MOP-26; 1947). La Boheme was next recorded in its entirety, with Richard Tucker, Bidu Sayao, Mimi Benzell, and Francesco Valentino (Columbia #OP-27; 1948). When Madama Butterfly was recorded complete, with Eleanor Steber and Richard Tucker, it was released on LP (Columbia #SL 4; 1949) as well as 78 rpm (Columbia #MOP-30; 1949). Victor resumed recording of the Metropolitan in 1955, making a series of extended excerpts. Commercial recordings of the company ceased after the DG release of a complete Carmen, with Marilyn Horne,
James McCracken, and Tom Krause (DG #2709 043; 1972). A special project of 1940 should be mentioned. More than 80 sides of popular opera numbers were sold through newspapers, with the artists and even the company shrouded in anonymity. Victor did the recording, in an arrangement with the Publishers Service Co., Inc., and the National Music Appreciation Committee. Nineteen recordings were made in 1956-1957 jointly with the Book-of-the-Month Club. These were extended excerpt sets, offered to the public through an organization named the Metropolitan Opera Record Club. The high costs involved in making records of the company were responsible for the suspension of that activity after 1972. A total of 477 commercial recordings issued by that time are listed by Fellers. Then in 1989 Walküre was recorded complete on four CDs, with Hildegard Behrens, Jessye Norman, Christa Ludwig, Gary Lakes, and James Morris, with James Levine conducting (DG #423389-2), winning a Grammy. In 1990, Rheingold was recorded complete on three CDs, with James Morris, Christa Ludwig, and Siegfried Jerusalem (conducted by James Levine); and this recording also won the Grammy award for Best Operatic Recording of the year (DG #427-607-2). Another Grammy came in 1991, with the recording of Götterdämmerung (Behrens, Reiner Goldberg, and Matti Salminen, with Levine conducting) on four CDs (#429-3852). However, after this threeyear run, no further Grammys have been awarded to the company through the early 21st century. [Fellers 1984, a complete discography of the commercial issues; Hamilton 1984 is a useful review of Fellers; Gray 1975 is an account of the 1940 project.]
See also Mapleson Cylinders
One of the 33 companies affiliated with the North American Phonograph Co.; founded in 1888. Charles A. Cheever was president; Felix Gottschalk was secretary. At the 1890 convention of the National Phonograph Association, Cheever stated that Metropolitan had 325 (Edison) phonographs leased in the New York area, and about 50 or 60 graphophones. In fall 1890 the firm merged with the New York Phonograph Co. [Brooks 1979.]
A firm established on 5 Oct 1914 in New York. William S. Finberg was president.
