Ranking the Simulcasts 2016-17

This is a personal ranking of the Live from the Metropolitan Opera in HD season 2016-2017.  Please remember I missed La Traviata so it is not ranked.  This was truly an excellent season, so things appear toward the bottom of the ranking that were still quite good.

9. I liked least Idomeneo which suffered severely from draggy tempos and a general lack of excitement.  When I saw this in Paris, I don't remember thinking it was so long.  Of Mozart's 2 famous opera seria I generally prefer La Clemenza di Tito.

8. There was nothing exactly wrong with Rusalka, especially since it included the towering performance of Jamie Barton as Jezibaba.  Maybe this opera just isn't my cup of tea.

7. There were here and there some pleasing details in Don Giovanni but nothing fabulous.

6. This was an excellent Nabucco which has the disadvantage of being not the best Verdi.

5. L'Amour de Loin was a welcome modern opera performed well.  I love the music and thought this an excellent production, but the DVD with Dawn Upshaw and Gerald Finley was far better.

4. Roméo et Juliette starred Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo and was very very sexy.

3. Anna Netrebko's performance in Eugene Onegin continues to grow as the years pass.  I was sorry not to see Dmitri but found this version excellent.

2. I was deeply moved by Tristan und Isolde, a first for me.

1. This was the Der Rosenkavalier of a lifetime.  I'm going to need to see this again.  There were some spectacular characterizations in this cast.

Many will want to rearrange these.