Live from the Met

"Live from the Met" was an American television program that presented performances of complete operas from the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television network. The program began in 1977, and was telecast live for its first few seasons. The first telecast, "La bohème", featured Luciano Pavarotti as Rudolfo and Renata Scotto as Mimi, with James Levine conducting. All three performers were interviewed during the intermission. Some of the celebrated opera singers featured on "Live from the Met" have included Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Beverly Sills, Samuel Ramey, Renée Fleming, Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, Renata Scotto, Leontyne Price, and Sherrill Milnes. During its live broadcasts, the program featured lengthy interviews and features on opera topics during the intermissions. These segments were often up to a half-hour in length themselves.

In the 1980s, the program title was changed to "The Metropolitan Opera Presents", to accommodate the fact that the performances were now taped prior to broadcast. [cite news | author=John J. O'Connor | title=TV Review; The Met Opera's "Tales of Hoffmann" | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE7DB1F3FF931A35750C0A96E948260&scp=66&sq=%22 | work=The New York Times | date=2 March 1988 | accessdate=2008-02-16] "Live from the Met" functioned as a supplement to the Metropolitan Opera's regular Saturday matinée radio broadcasts. [cite news | author=John Rockwell | title=The Met on Radio And Its Impact On American Taste | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEED61730F935A15752C1A96F948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all | work=The New York Times | date=26 November 1989 | accessdate=2008-02-16] During its first fifteen years, the program was frequently simulcast, enabling some audiences to hear the opera in stereo via radio as well. The program was replaced on PBS in 2007 by a new series, "Great Performances@The Met".

Hosts of the program included Tony Randall, Beverly Sills, Alexander Scourby, [cite news | author=Wolfgang Saxon | title=Alexander Scourby, 71, Dies; Actor Famous for His Voice | url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20B1FF7395D0C778EDDAB0894DD484D81&scp=50&sq=%22 | work=The New York Times | date=24 February 1985 | accessdate=2008-02-16] and Garrick Utley. The announcer was Peter Allen.

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