TV • 1977

Great Performances at the Met

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Live from the Metropolitan Opera is an American television program that presented performances of complete operas from the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, on the Public Broadcasting Service television network. The program began in 1977, and was telecast live for its first few seasons. The first telecast, La Bohème, featured Luciano Pavarotti as Rodolfo and Renata Scotto as Mimi, with James Levine conducting; all three were interviewed during the intermission. In 1988, the program title was changed to The Metropolitan Opera Presents, to reflect the fact that the performances were now taped prior to broadcast. Live from the Met functioned as a supplement to the regular Saturday Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. During its first fifteen years, the program was frequently simulcast, enabling some audiences to hear the opera in stereo via radio as well.