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The Best Episodes of Great Performances at the Met

Every episode of Great Performances at the Met ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Great Performances at the Met!

The Best Episodes of Great Performances at the Met

The Metropolitan Opera's series of live performance transmissions to movie theaters around the world.
  1. Background image for Thaïs
    9.0/10(36 votes)

    #1 - Thaïs

    S3:E5

    Soprano Renée Fleming stars in the title role of Jules Massenet's "Thaïs," about an Egyptian courtesan who causes the fall from grace of a monk (Thomas Hampson). Nicias: Michael Schade. Palémon: Alain Vernhes. La Charmeuse: Leah Partridge.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  2. Background image for Episode 9
    8.9/10(25 votes)

    #2 - Episode 9

    S13:E9

    No description available

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for Lucia di Lammermoor
    8.8/10(36 votes)

    #3 - Lucia di Lammermoor

    S3:E6

    A production of Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor," a tragic opera about a young woman (Anna Netrebko) whose brother (Mariusz Kwiecien) pressures her to marry a nobleman despite her love for another (Piotr Beczala).

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  4. Background image for Il Trovatore
    8.8/10(42 votes)

    #4 - Il Trovatore

    S10:E1

    Soprano Anna Netrebko appears in her Met role debut as Leonora, the tortured heroine who sacrifices her own life for the love of the Gypsy troubadour. Dmitri Hvorostovsky sings Count di Luna, Yonghoon Lee is Manrico in his Met role debut as the title character, Dolora Zajick sings her signature role of the gypsy Azucena, and Štefan Kocán is Ferrando. Marco Armiliato conducts Sir David McVicar’s Goya-inspired production.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  5. Background image for Jonas Kaufmann in Concert
    8.8/10(20 votes)

    #5 - Jonas Kaufmann in Concert

    S15:E2

    No description available

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  6. Background image for Der Rosenkavalier
    8.7/10(87 votes)

    #6 - Der Rosenkavalier

    S4:E6

    Renée Fleming and Susan Graham star in Richard Strauss' comic "Der Rosenkavalier" as the middle-aged Marschallin and her young lover, Octavian, who falls for a woman (Miah Persson) closer to his age, but who's engaged to Marschallin's cousin (Kristinn Sigmundsson).

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Great Performances at the Met

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  8. Background image for Carmen
    8.7/10(35 votes)

    #7 - Carmen

    S13:E6

    No description available

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for Sonya Yoncheva in Concert
    8.7/10(13 votes)

    #8 - Sonya Yoncheva in Concert

    S15:E8

    No description available

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  10. Background image for Roberto Devereux
    8.6/10(26 votes)

    #9 - Roberto Devereux

    S10:E9

    The last opera in Donizetti’s Tudor trilogy, directed by Sir David McVicar, stars Sondra Radvanovsky as Elizabeth I and features Matthew Polenzani, Elina Garanca and Mariusz Kwiecien. Maurizio Benini conducts.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  11. Background image for Eugene Onegin
    8.6/10(19 votes)

    #10 - Eugene Onegin

    S11:E8

    Anna Netrebko stars as Tatiana, the naïve heroine of Tchaikovsky’s opera, with Peter Mattei as the title character who rejects her. Alexey Dolgov is Onegin’s friend-turned-rival, Lenski, with Elena Maximova as Tatiana’s sister, Olga, and Štefan Kocán as Prince Gremin. Robin Ticciati conducts.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for Madama Butterfly
    8.5/10(34 votes)

    #11 - Madama Butterfly

    S3:E9

    Puccini's classic "Madama Butterfly," about a Japanese geisha (Patricia Racette) who marries an American naval officer (Marcello Giordani).

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  13. Background image for Turandot
    8.5/10(23 votes)

    #12 - Turandot

    S4:E4

    The Puccini opera "Turandot," about a ruthless Chinese princess (Maria Guleghina) who falls for an unknown prince (Marcello Giordani).

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  14. Background image for Elektra
    8.5/10(26 votes)

    #13 - Elektra

    S10:E10

    Elektra, Richard Strauss’s blazing tragedy about an ancient Greek princess hell-bent on revenge, is the final opera production by the legendary director Patrice Chéreau who died in 2013. Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts an extraordinary cast headed by Nina Stemme as the obsessed and bloodthirsty title character.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  15. Background image for Doctor Atomic
    8.4/10(10 votes)

    #14 - Doctor Atomic

    S3:E1

    The Season 3 premiere features a production of the John Adams opera "Doctor Atomic," about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Gerald Finley) and the testing of the first atomic bomb in 1945 New Mexico. Kitty Oppenheimer: Sasha Cooke. Edward Teller: Richard Paul Fink. Gen. Leslie Groves: Eric Owens.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  16. Background image for La Sonnambula
    8.4/10(26 votes)

    #15 - La Sonnambula

    S3:E10

    A reimagining of the Bellini opera "La Sonnambula," about a young woman (Natalie Dessay) whose sleepwalking compromises her virtue and causes her beloved (Juan Diego Flórez) to cancel their wedding, adds a play-within-a-play format.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
    8.4/10(21 votes)

    #16 - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

    S9:E5

    Met Music Director James Levine leads Wagner’s grand comedy Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Master-Singer of Nuremberg). German baritone Michael Volle stars as cobbler-poet Hans Sachs, with South African tenor Johan Botha as Walther, German soprano Annette Dasch as Eva, German baritone Johannes Martin Kränzle in his Met debut as Beckmesser, German bass Hans-Peter König as Pogner, American tenor Paul Appleby as David, and Scottish mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill as Magdalene. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  18. Background image for The Exterminating Angel
    8.4/10(17 votes)

    #17 - The Exterminating Angel

    S12:E2

    No description available

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  19. Background image for La Bohème
    8.4/10(40 votes)

    #18 - La Bohème

    S12:E4

    No description available

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  20. Background image for Episode 10
    8.4/10(26 votes)

    #19 - Episode 10

    S13:E10

    No description available

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  21. Background image for The Metropolitan Opera Opening Night Gala Starring Renée Fleming
    8.3/10(25 votes)

    #20 - The Metropolitan Opera Opening Night Gala Starring Renée Fleming

    S3:E4

    The Met's 125th opening-night gala features soprano Renée Fleming in excerpts from three of her favorite operas, Verdi's "La Traviata," Massenet's "Manon" and Strauss' "Capriccio." Joining her are tenor Ramon Vargas, baritones Thomas Hampson and Dwayne Croft, and bass Robert Lloyd; and she wears costumes designed by John Galliano, Christian Lacroix and Karl Lagerfeld.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  22. Background image for Le Nozze di Figaro
    8.3/10(38 votes)

    #21 - Le Nozze di Figaro

    S9:E1

    The season nine premiere of Great Performances at the Met is Mozart’s elegant masterpiece of marital discord, Le Nozze di Figaro, conducted by Met Music Director James Levine and staged by Richard Eyre. Ildar Abdrazakov sings the title role, Marlis Petersen plays Figaro’s quick-witted bride-to-be, Susanna, and Peter Mattei is Count Almaviva.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  23. Background image for Macbeth
    8.3/10(33 votes)

    #22 - Macbeth

    S9:E2

    The starry cast includes Serbian baritone Željko Lučić in the title role; Russian star soprano Anna Netrebko in her North American debut as the fatally ambitious Lady Macbeth; German bass René Pape as Banquo, one of the victims of Macbeth’s bloody rise to the throne; and Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja as Macbeth’s heroic rival Macduff. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  24. Background image for Iolanta and Bluebeard’s Castle
    8.3/10(24 votes)

    #23 - Iolanta and Bluebeard’s Castle

    S9:E8

    Valery Gergiev conducts the double bill, which is a co-production with Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera. Anna Netrebko stars as the title character in Iolanta, with Piotr Beczala and Aleksei Markov as Vaudémont and Robert, two rivals for her love. Nadja Michael sings the central role of Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle, with Mikhail Petrenko as her mysterious and menacing new husband.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  25. Background image for Semiramide
    8.3/10(26 votes)

    #24 - Semiramide

    S12:E6

    No description available

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  26. Background image for Diana Damrau & Joseph Calleja in Concert
    8.3/10(11 votes)

    #25 - Diana Damrau & Joseph Calleja in Concert

    S15:E7

    No description available

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

Best Episodes Summary

"Thaïs" is the best rated episode of "Great Performances at the Met". It scored 9/10 based on 36 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 12/20/2008. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Episode 9".