Start-Up at the New Met: The Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts 1966-1976

This long-awaited volume is, apparently (and unhappily), the last in Paul Jackson's survey of the Metropolitan Opera broadcast series. It seems he doesn't intend to carry on the narrative past the end of the 1975-76 season, breaking off at the point when James Levine is named the Met's Music Director. As someone who didn't begin listening to the Met broadcasts in earnest until the '72-'73 season, I would love to read Jackson's reactions to some of the performances from the late 1970s and beyond. But, we'll have to take what he gives us. And once again, what he gives us here is a pithy, marvelously descriptive appreciation of numerous Met broadcasts, starting with the new Met's opening night (Barber's "Antony and Cleopatra") in 1966 and ending (chronologically, anyway) with the "Meistersinger" of April 17, 1976, though the last broadcast actually discussed in the text is the "Aida" of March 6 '76. I have noticed evidence of less-than-scrupulous editing, with a few more typos than in Jackson's first two books. Some examples: the photo of baritone Donald McIntyre on p.381 is mis-identified as "JOHN" McIntyre; the "Ballo in Maschera" performance of Jan.30, 1971 on p.145 notes in the text that Molinari-Pradelli was replaced by Cleva as conductor, but the cast list in the margin lists Molinari-Pradelli. But these are minor blemishes at best. The one thing that disappoints me is that the Index seems markedly less useful this time around. Some things are unaccountably left out altogether: looking for performances of Strauss's "Der Rosenkavalier?" You won't even FIND this work listed in the index! (If you're curious, Jackson discusses the 1973 broadcast starting on p.350; 1974 on p.354; and 1976 on page 517). However, as someone on the Opera-L discussion list pointed out, there actually IS a "page reference to broadcast performances of operas critiqued in the text," complete with dates... it just isn't in the Index! It starts FOLLOWING the index on page 630. Still making my way through this large volume... but given Jackson's evocative writing style (think J.B. Steane with even more discussion of vocal technique), browsing is part of the fun.

To me, the astounding part of Mr. Jackson's writing is how much more he sees in every performance than I do. He seems to understand every nuance of every singer to see the very subtle differences between two great performers. Not only that, but he is able to put words together that explain these differences that even I can understand. Unlike many other writers, it is very rare that I get the feeling that somehow we didn't go see the same show. In this book he covers ten years of performances of the New Met at Lincoln Center. That's a lot of performances, and his descriptions seem always to be right on the mark without being repetitive. I'm afraid that I would absolutely run out of things to say --I guess that's why he is the master and I the student. For the publication he has also selected a lot of photographs photographs. Most of these come from the archives of the met and serve to illustrate the points he is making. This book is a splendid tribute to the performances.

"Start-Up at the New Met," Vol. III is apparently the final installment in Paul Jackson's epic traversal of the history of the Met broadcasts. The book is fully worthy of the first two volumes. I have heard many of the broadcasts Jackson covers - indeed, I remember hearing many of them when they happened - and for the most part I find his assessments astute and on point, even when our opinions diverge. Unlike most critics, Jackson has the luxury of writing as much, and in as much detail, about a singer's performance as he wants to. As a result, as in the previous volumes, we often get a blow-by-blow account of a singer's entire performance, both the big numbers and the smaller felicities along the way. I wonder how many people realize what an achievement is Jackson's to write page after page about singers, operas and voices - often the same singers, operas and voices many times - and yet manage (for the most part) to avoid monotony or a sense of repetitiveness or redundancy. Mr. Jackson has a rare imagination and command of vocabulary, and his writing is one of the treats of this series. I also appreciate Jackson's lack of meanness and cattiness in reviewing these performances, even when dealing with singers that he obviously does not care for. His judgments are balanced and manage to be objective without concealing the obvious passions that motivate the author. One never has the feeling of an old geezer sitting on the porch wishing for Ze Oldt Days and bewailing the decline of vocal standards. Rather, Jackson obviously appreciates great singing wherever and whenever it happens, and while knowledge of the past informs his judgments, it does not cramp them. One gets the impression that he looks for as much to enjoy in a performance or a singer as he can. After the mean, shallow bitchiness that so often afflicts operatic discourse, particularly on-line, Jackson is like a breath of fresh air. Another plus of Jackson's books is that they always give one a sense of the historical context of a performance. His chapter on the first season at Lincoln Center, and the travails of the new house, make for fascinating reading. It helps that Jackson apparently has had free access to the Met archives. Photos are numerous and gorgeous. I haven't done a direct comparison, but it seems to me that there are more photos per page than in past books, and this is all to the good, for my taste. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. With this and the previous two volumes, Jackson has written one of the most monumental studies ever of singing and operatic performance. His books belong in any opera lover's collection. In my library, I regard them as indispensable and they have been, and will continue to be, a source of hours of pleasure and education. Thank you, Mr. Jackson.

"Star-Up" At The New Met: The Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts, 1966-1976" compiled and organized with commentary by Paul Jackson (Dean Emeritus of the College of Fine Arts, and Professor Emeritus of Music, Drake University) is the definitive, 656-page history of the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts in what was their new home at the Lincoln Center in New York City. Illustrated throughout with some one hundred black/white photographs, "Star-Up At The New Met" covers all 140 performances that took place from the debut performance of Samuel Barber's 'Antony and Cleopatra' on September 16, 1966, through the final season of 1976. The personalities and performances are superbly presented, accompanied by knowledgeable commentary offering an informed and informative insight into the performers and their productions. "Star-Up At The New Met" is a seminal work of accomplished scholarship and an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library 20th Century American Music and/or American Popular Culture reference collections.

This book was so well written that I could not put it down! The author was wonderful in writing in a style that put you in the seat at the Met. Starting in 1950, this book looks at the broadcasts that made the Met what we know today.