Wagner Performance at the Met

Since a production of Lohengrin in Italian in 1883, the Metropolitan Opera has presented more than 3,500 performances (more than Bayreuth) of Wagner’s operas, including the first performance of Parsifal outside of Bayreuth. There is a rich legacy of Wagner at the Met, which many of us have experienced by attending performances in New York and also enjoying various broadcasts. The history of Wagner at the Met is well documented, and as part of this lecture, Dr. Dan Sherman will present a multimedia overview of some great performances at the Met, using recordings along with contemporary reports and reviews to tell the story behind them. Using data from the Met’s  archives,  Dr. Sherman will also present statistics he has calculated on individual performers and how Wagner’s place in the Met’s repertory has changed over time.

Dan Sherman is a long-time fan of Wagner, with a particular interest in historical performances. He has compiled a large collection of recordings, along with books and other sources documenting performance and performer careers, which he will use as part of this lecture. He is Managing Economist at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in Washington, DC.  He has given lectures to Wagner societies in Washington and New York, and has been invited to lecture the London Wagner Society later in April.