You don't have to go the Met to see a great opera performance. I had a subscription at the Met for a number of years, say eight performances per year. Of the eight, maybe one or two were really good or great; one or two were poor; and the remainder were OK. Plus, I seemed to have the subscription that included a performance of La Boheme every year. I like Boheme, but sheesh.Seriously, the two best operas I've ever seen -- as total productions -- were NOT at the Met. One was at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the other at the New York City Opera.
On the other hand, the worst opera moment I ever experienced was at the City Opera. If you know Turandot, the Ice Princess weighed about 350 and had a face like the mother in Throw Momma From the Train. She made Birgit Nilsson look like a sex goddess. Our hero was about 5'2", 130. He made Woody Allen look like Arnold Schwartzenegger. He couldn't get near enough to her to put his arms around her. When it came to the Big Moment -- "Vincero, Vincero, VINCERO" -- on the last "VINCERO" our hero produced . . . a strangled squeak. It was the only time I heard an entire audience audibly gasp in unison.
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