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The Best Episodes of Great Performances Season 40

Every episode of Great Performances Season 40 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Great Performances Season 40!

The Best Episodes of Great Performances Season 40

The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical...
  1. Background image for Paul McCartney's Live Kisses
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    #1 - Paul McCartney's Live Kisses

    S40:E1

    Paul McCartney’s Live Kisses captures the magical night of February 9 in the City of Angels when Paul McCartney decided to bring Kisses On The Bottom, his newly released collection of pop standards and two originals, to life.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  2. Background image for Rod Stewart: Merry Christmas, Baby
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    #2 - Rod Stewart: Merry Christmas, Baby

    S40:E2

    Grammy Award®-winning, two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Rod Stewart, hosts his first holiday special featuring Mary J. Blige, Cee-Lo Green, and Chris Botti.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for Magical Mystery Tour Revisited
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    #3 - Magical Mystery Tour Revisited

    S40:E3

    Magical Mystery Tour was chock-full of thinly veiled references to psychedelia, anarchy and fantasy, all in the setting of a traditional British sightseeing bus outing to the seaside. The story behind the Beatles film – Magical Mystery Tour – is revealed on Magical Mystery Tour Revisited.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  4. Background image for From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2013
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    #4 - From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2013

    S40:E4

    We continue the cherished tradition of ringing in the New Year with special host Julie Andrews and the Vienna Philharmonic at the opulent Musikverein, under the baton of guest conductor Franz Welser-Möst and featuring everyone’s favorite Strauss Family waltzes accompanied by the beautiful dancing of the Vienna City Ballet.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  5. Background image for Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy
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    #5 - Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy

    S40:E5

    This film explores the unique role of Jewish composers and lyricists in the creation of the modern American musical. Featuring interviews and conversations with some of the greatest composers and writers of the Broadway stage.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  6. Background image for Paul Simon's Graceland Journey: Under African Skies
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    #6 - Paul Simon's Graceland Journey: Under African Skies

    S40:E6

    An epic journey following Paul Simon back to South Africa, where, decades earlier, he created his seminal album Graceland. The film includes revealing interviews with Simon and such musical legends as Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte, Paul McCartney and David Byrne.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  8. Background image for Great Performances at the Met: L'Elisir d'Amore
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    #7 - Great Performances at the Met: L'Elisir d'Amore

    S40:E7

    Star soprano Anna Netrebko takes center stage as Adina, the irresistible heroine of Gaetano Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore (The Elixir of Love).

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for Great Performances at the Met: The Tempest
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    #8 - Great Performances at the Met: The Tempest

    S40:E8

    The Tempest, Robert Lepage’s Staging of the English-language Opera Based on Shakespeare’s Final Play.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  10. Background image for Great Performances at the Met: La Clemenza di Tito
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    #9 - Great Performances at the Met: La Clemenza di Tito

    S40:E9

    La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart’s final opera seria, with Barbara Frittoli, Elīna Garanča, and Giuseppe Filianoti airs on Great Performances at the Met Sunday, April 14 at 12 noon on PBS.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  11. Background image for Great Performances at the Met: Un Ballo in Maschera
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    #10 - Great Performances at the Met: Un Ballo in Maschera

    S40:E10

    The Met’s new production of Un Ballo in Maschera, Verdi's classic drama of political intrigue and thwarted romance.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for Great Performances at the Met: Rigoletto
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    #11 - Great Performances at the Met: Rigoletto

    S40:E11

    Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) makes his Met debut with a new production of Verdi’s Rigoletto. The new staging moves the opera’s tragic events from a decadent 16th-century Italian court to the glitzy, depraved setting of the Las Vegas strip circa 1960.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  13. Background image for Great Performances at the Met: Aida
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    #12 - Great Performances at the Met: Aida

    S40:E12

    One of the most popular and beloved operas of all time, Aida, in a spectacular staging that captures the grandeur of Ancient Egypt.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  14. Background image for Great Performances at the Met: Les Troyens
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    #13 - Great Performances at the Met: Les Troyens

    S40:E13

    Fabio Luisi conducts the five-act tragedy, which stars Deborah Voigt as Cassandra, Susan Graham as Dido, and Bryan Hymel as Aeneas.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  15. Background image for Dancing at Jacob’s Pillow: Never Stand Still
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    #14 - Dancing at Jacob’s Pillow: Never Stand Still

    S40:E14

    Directed by veteran documentary filmmaker Ron Honsa, "Dancing at Jacob’s Pillow: Never Stand Still" reveals the passion, discipline, and daring of those who choose a life in dance. Performances filmed live at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, interviews with extraordinary artists, rare archival footage, and behind the scenes insights bring dance to life.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  16. Background image for Great Performances at the Met: Parsifal
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    #15 - Great Performances at the Met: Parsifal

    S40:E15

    Jonas Kaufmann sings the title role in The Metropolitan Opera's new production of "Parsifal"

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2013
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    #16 - Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2013

    S40:E16

    The works of Wagner and Verdi are featured in the beloved concert from Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace Gardens.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  18. Background image for Great Performances at the Met: Francesca di Rimini
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    #17 - Great Performances at the Met: Francesca di Rimini

    S40:E17

    Eva-Maria Westbroek and Marcello Giordani star in Zandonai’s masterpiece Francesca da Rimini, the classic tale of doomed love,based on an episode from Dante’s Inferno.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  19. Background image for Great Performances at the Met: Giulio Cesare
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    #18 - Great Performances at the Met: Giulio Cesare

    S40:E18

    David Daniels and Natalie Dessay star in David McVicar‘s innovative production of Handel’s most popular opera.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

Season 40 Ratings Summary

"Paul McCartney's Live Kisses" is the best rated episode of "Great Performances" season 40. It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 9/7/2012. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "Rod Stewart: Merry Christmas, Baby".