Thursday, December 30, 2010

Sony Classics Releases Live MET Operas

The Metropolitan Opera has inked a deal with Sony Classics to release several historical recordings from the archives of past performances. The first sets will appear on January 17 (International) and January 25 (USA). Titles include Roméo et Juliette (Björling/Sayão), Tosca (Price/Corelli), La Bohème (Albanese/Bergonzi) and Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Pons/Di Stefano). 

The packaging does not identify the fact that these are "live," nor does it indicate a date of the performance. They are about $16 for a 2-CD set, which seems pretty reasonable. But I'm guessing that at this price point there will be a synopsis, but no libretto.