NRR Project: ‘Tristan
und Isolde’
Metropolitan Opera,
New York
Broadcast of March 9,
1935
Featuring Kirsten Flagstad
and Lauritz Melchior
3 hours, 16 min.
The Metropolitan Opera in New York was founded in 1883. It has been broadcasting live over the radio since Christmas Day, 1931.
This kind of advocacy is important. When I was young, I tuned into the Met because it was free; we didn’t have money for cultural pursuits. Gradually, I got turned on to opera, and became a huge fan. I still listen in.
At the time, it was a bold move – “giving away” a performance over the air. However, the Met sought to reverse the downturn in audience attendance caused by the Great Depression, and the promotional value of these broadcasts was immense. Initially, only selected acts were broadcast. Starting March 11, 1933, complete operas were broadcast, and after some more time, the weekly broadcasts during the opera season settled down to Saturday morning on the schedule.
Amazingly, this tradition continues today, nearly a century after its inception. Saturday mornings are still the province of this program, which is now heard on all manner of networks and individual affiliate. For 20 weeks a year, you can experience the best in opera, both the standard repertoire and new works.
Of course, a key part of the appeal of the Met’s Saturday matinee broadcasts is that they are live. There is nothing as exciting as live performances; as a listener there’s the feeling that anything can happen. (I have been listening to them for 40-odd years, and haven’t encountered any disasters or foul-ups yet.) The consistent high quality of the broadcasts, which includes expert commentary, interviews, and special features, means that people across the country and now indeed around the world can enjoy and learn more about this art form.
Opera is often derided for being too elitist, or too difficult. Yet a long-running series like the Met’s is proof that there is an audience for it out there. One hundred and fifty ago, the opera was for the masses – everyone could enjoy it on the level of which they were capable, and did. It’s simply music, drama, dance, and art mixed together into a fanciful and moving multidisplinary experience. When it’s done right, it’s overwhelmingly entertaining.
This broadcast, all three-plus hours of it, is a remarkable listen – even in mono, singers and orchestra come through in a clear and balanced way. Whether you will like this performance depend really on whether you like Wagner, which I don’t. I can still appreciate, however, the glorious singing of soprano Kirsten Flagstad as Isolde and the great heldentenor Lauritz Melchoir as Tristan.
The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Nest time: Gang Busters.
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