December 28, 1996

James Levine 25th Anniversary Gala: HIGHLIGHTS.
DG 449177

This seventy-two-minute single CD hits only some of the high spots from last season's long, unforgettable tribute to Met music director James Levine. While some memorable performances -- by Waltraud Meier, Jane Eaglen, Carlo Bergonzi and Angela Gheorghiu, for instance -- are missing, there are fourteen segments in excellently engineered sound. Among the best are "Au fond du temple saint" from Les Pêcheurs de Perles with Roberto Alagna and Bryn Terfel, a limpid "Depuis le jour" from Renée Fleming, a powerful Faust duet with Samuel Ramey and Plácido Domingo, "Je veux vivre" with the bright coloratura of Ruth Ann Swenson sounding even more fluent on disc than on TV, an amazingly youthful Alfredo Kraus in "Pourquoi me réveiller," Grace Bumbry's still-luxuriant mezzo in "Mon coeur s'ouvre á ta voix," Deborah Voigt, thrilling in "Dich, teure Halle," and Frederica von Stade, free of visual distractions, evergreen in Périchole's "Ah, quel dîner." A highlight of highlights is Birgit Nilsson's spoken tribute to Levine, who with his crack orchestra accomplishes every style on the program with ease. The illustrated booklet has no texts.

- JAMES CAMNER