HD Performance Awards

The following are my awards for the best performances in the 2010-2011 Metropolitan Opera HD series. For the past 5 seasons the Metropolitan Opera has presented operas in movie theaters in order to expand the public and to bring performances all around the world. These transmissions are supposed to show the best the Met has to offer. However not always do these transmissions work and many of the casts disappoint. This year the Met offered the best series of HD transmissions and therefore after seeing all the performances on TV and in Movie theaters it was was a hard decision to choose. The following are the nominees and the winners for my first annual HD Awards at the MET

          Worst HD Performance
              Il Trovatore  
This year the met reunited the original cast from the premiere of David McVicar's production Marcelo Alvarez, Sondra Radvanovsky, Dolora Zajick and Dimtri Hvorostovsky thinking it would be as successful as it was in the premiere. However the cast did not live up to that success and the production did not feel as fresh. All in all it felt like a routine performance and the cast's singing was forced, out of tune and lacked phrasing.

                               
 


   Best Revival Production
          La Fanciulla del West
          Don Pasquale
          Capriccio                
       





                                                                                               
                                                                                               


Best New Production
Le Comte Ory
Boris Godunov
Nixon in China

Best Diva in a Supporting Role
Stephanie Blythe-Die Walkure
Joyce Didonato-Le Comte Ory
Kathleen Kim-Nixon in China
Ekaterina Semenchuck-Boris Godunov
Dolora Zajick-Il Trovatore





                                                                                                    


Best Divo in a Supporting Role
Aleksanders Antonenko-Boris Godunov
Ferruccio Furlanetto-Don Carlo
Jonas Kaufmann-Die Walkure
Mariusz Kwiecien-Don Pasquale
Eric Owens-Das Rhiengold        








Best Conductor
John Adams-Nixon in China
Andrew Davis-Capriccio
Valery Gergiev-Boris Godunov
James Levine-Das Rheingold
James Levine-Die Walkure



                Best Diva in a Leading Role
                 Diana Damrau-Le Comte Ory        
                 Renee Fleming-Capriccio                                                        Susan Graham-Iphigenie en Tauride
                 Anna Nertebko-Don Pasquale
                 Deborah Voigt-Die Walkure

Best Divo in a Leading Role
Joseph Calleja-Lucia di Lammermoor
Placido Domingo-Iphigenie en Tauride
Juan Diego Florez-Le Comte Ory
Rene Pape-Boris Godunov
Bryn Terfel-Die Walkure



Best HD Performance
Boris Godunov
Capriccio
Le Comte Ory
Don Pasquale
Die Walkure







http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hb8VfxsYnM&feature=related

I ultimately picked Die Walkure because it was so perfectly sung and it overpowered the production which as you can see I did not nominate for best new Production because it was absolutely horrible. However the HD performance was able to cover the production all up and instead captured the riveting performances of the ensemle cast

Once again these awards are only based on the HD performances.