Turandot

Still new to the Met when she first tackled the challenging title role of Puccini’s Turandot, Swedish soprano Birgit Nilsson brought not only the fierce power and glory that distinguished her singing of Wagner and Strauss’s great heroines, but also her love and affinity for the Italian repertoire. She had the perfect consort in Franco Corelli as Calàf—tall and handsome, with a viscerally exciting tenor voice to match, Corelli’s singing seemed to blaze its way heroically through the music, finishing with thrilling high notes. In this December 3, 1966, performance conducted by Zubin Mehta, the first Saturday afternoon radio broadcast from the new Met, recent debutante Mirella Freni ravishes as Liù.