Kiri Te Kanawa

Lore & Background

At the Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala on 22 October 1983, Kiri Te Kanawa performed in the matinée session. She sang the aria "E Susanna non vien! ... Dove sono i bei momenti" from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, taking the role of La Contessa Almaviva. The performance was conducted by James Levine. The gala was a two-part event comprising a matinée at 2 p.m. and an evening session at 8 p.m., broadcast live on both radio and television in the United States and in some other countries. More than seventy singers were invited to participate, chosen either for their eminence or their long association with the house.

Reader's Guide

Kiri Te Kanawa's contribution to the Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala was a single aria from Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, a work central to her international career. The aria, "E Susanna non vien! ... Dove sono i bei momenti," is a signature piece for the role of the Countess, a part she had performed since her international debut. The gala itself was a marathon event, with the matinée session featuring a series of sets created by the most distinguished designers in the Met's history. Te Kanawa's performance was part of a program that included works by Smetana, Puccini, Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti, Mascagni, Strauss, Gounod, and others, showcasing the breadth of the Met's repertoire.

Did You Know?

• Kiri Te Kanawa performed at the Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala on 22 October 1983, singing an aria from Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro.
• The gala lasted more than eight hours and was broadcast live on both radio and television in the United States and other countries.
• Te Kanawa's aria was "E Susanna non vien! ... Dove sono i bei momenti," conducted by James Levine.
• The gala featured more than seventy singers, chosen for their eminence or long association with the Metropolitan Opera.
• The matinée session, in which Te Kanawa performed, began at 2 p.m. on 22 October 1983.