Unsigned Opera Programs & Posters

Inaugural program for the new opera house for the Met Opera in New York, Sept 16th, 1966, and world premiere of Samuel Barber's "Antony and Cleopatra", considered a big setback in Barber's career, as the opera was widely criticized. Full program, with all 144 pages and covers, many interesting articles about the new opera house, and also photos. Size is 8 x 11 inches, in excellent condition. See also the SILK program.

Silk program for the world premiere of Samuel Barber's opera "Antony and Cleopatra" on September 16, 1966, starring American soprano Leontyne Price and Puertorican baritone Justino Diaz, on the occasion of the inauguration night of the new Metropolitan Opera House. Size is 10.75 x 20.25 inches, pinholes over the top, overall light rust tone, otherwise in excellent condition. Designed by Julian Tomchin, and made in Japan with pure silk bridal satin backed with cotton, these silk programs were mailed to each ticket holder in advance of the famous performance for the opening of the new Metropolitan Opera in 1966.  

Group of original playbills (announcements of upcoming performances, playbills are distributed for free and they are a piece of advertisement) from the Metropolitan Opera, New York, period 1961-63. All playbills are in the "snake" style, printed in a very long but narrow piece of paper.  A total of 9 playbills with many famous singers, various lengths but approx. 24 inches long by 5 inches wide, some have storage holes, all in very good condition.

Group of original playbills (announcements of upcoming performances, playbills are distributed for free and they are a piece of advertisement) from the Metropolitan Opera, New York, period 1971-74. All playbills are in the "snake" style, printed in a very long but narrow piece of paper.  A total of 16 playbills with many famous singers, various lengths but approx. 24 inches long by 5 inches wide, some have storage holes, all in very good condition.

Original ticket for a performance at The Metropolitan Opera House, New York, on February 16, 1894.  Size is 4.7 x 2.1 inches, in excellent condition.

Metropolitan Opera House paper-made pass-out check for the season 1899-1900 framed with metal. Size is 3 x 2 inches, mounting traces on verso, in very good condition.

Program for the gala performance at The Metropolitan Opera to honor the visit of the Prince Henry of Prussia in 1902.  Size is 6.75 x 9.9 inches, 27 pages, full program with all pages and covers, some damage on the spine, in perfect condition on the inside. ALSO INCLUDE is an original souvenir ticket for this performance. Size is 8.5 x 5.5 inches, rust tone at the bottom, in excellent condition.

Luxury program/book with many photographs detailing the Met history, star singers and their 17-day tour in Japan, 1975. Mostly in Japanese language, front cover with part of the famous "Triumph of Music" mural by Marc Chagall, 132 pages plus a number of advertisement pages at the end. Size is 8.25 x 10.5 inches, in very good condition.

Program for opera performances of the Metropolitan Opera Company while on tour in San Francisco, April 1905, under Heinrich Conried, featuring Lillian Nordica, Marcella Sembrich, Enrico Caruso, Andreas Dippel, Louise Homer, Anton van Rooy, and others. Size is 6.9 x 10.1 inches, full program with all pages and covers, minor stains on the cover, full of ads and photographs.

Program for the Second Opera Ball at The Metropolitan Opera House, New York, on April 27, 1934. Size is 7.25 x 10.2 inches, full program with all pages and covers, minor stains, rust stains, in very good condition.

Set of 4 clips from original programs for opera performances during the 2nd season ever of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, which run from fall 1884 through spring 1885. Performances of Lohengrin with Schott, Staudigl, Kraus, under the baton of Leopold Damrosh, Dec 27th, 1884, La Juive with Materna, and also Damrosch as conductor, Jan 26th, 1885, Der Freischutz with Kraus, Schott and Damrosch, Nov 24th, 1884, and Tannhauser with Kraus, Schott, no conductor listed, Nov 26th, 1884. Various sizes, from 4 x 6 to 4.1 to 10.9 inches, all in very good condition. Sold as a set of 4 only, not sold separately.

Silk Program for a Gala performance in honor of HRH Prince Henry of Prussia on February 25th, 1902 at the Metropolitan Opera House.  The program features performances of complete acts of five different operas plus arias with many famous artists on stage including Calvé, Gadsky, Schumann-Heink, Homer, Eames, Scotti, Sembrich, Dippel, Breval, and others.  Size is 11 x 14.5 inches, evident overall rust stains, and in overall very good condition. ALSO INCLUDED is a handwritten letter in English by an anonymous woman who attended this performance telling a friend about the concert -interesting content from a first-hand witness of this event (sold with transcription).

Lot of 17 full programs, with all pages and covers, for Metropolitan Opera Sunday Concerts, from between 1910 and 1915. Many important artists! Each one is complete, 6.75 x 9.25 inches. In various conditions, most in very good condition, some have minor cracks and water stains. See scans. Sold as a lot - not sold individually

A luxurious booklet with 104 pages, full of photographs and articles about famous past productions of Wagner's Ring, a real treat for Wagner opera fans and Metropolitan Opera regulars!. Book is unsigned - Size is 8.1 x 10.75 inches, soft covers, in excellent condition.

Full program with all pages and covers for the gala performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, on October 22nd, 1983, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the company. Some interesting articles and photos, a nice piece of memorabilia from this historical event, 9 x 11.2 inches, in very good condition.

Silk Program for a Gala performance in honor of HRH Prince Henry of Prussia on February 25th, 1902 at the Metropolitan Opera House.  The program features performances of complete acts of five different operas plus arias with many famous artists on stage including Calvé, Gadsky, Schumann-Heink, Homer, Eames, Scotti, Sembrich, Dippel, Breval, and others.  Size is 11 x 14.5 inches mounted on cardboard that can be removed, in very good condition.

Exceedingly rare clip from an original program for the 1st, inaugural night of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the famous October 22nd, 1883 performance of Faust with Christine Nilsson as Marguerite and Italo Campanini in the title role. These are all originals, not copies. Also included is a clip from the same program, announcing the performance on the 2nd night ever, with Lucia di Lammermoor starring Marcella Sembrich in the title role, 2 days later, on October 24th, 1883, plus an original clip from that program. A total of 3 original clips, 2 from the first night ever, and 1 from the 2nd night. Inaugural clip is 4.2 x 9.2 inches, 2nd night announcement clip is 4.1 x 7.5 inches, and 2nd night program clip is 4.1 x 8.2 inches, all in excellent condition. Also included are: - An extremely rare prospectus, 14 pages plus soft covers, explaining about the 1st Met season and the opening night with Faust followed by the second with Lucia. This prospectus was probably given to attendees on the first night. Each page is 6 x 9.25 inches, repaired binding and some cracks, but complete and in overall very good condition. This is a booklet we have never seen before, see scan of the front cover. - A 4-page program for a performance at the end of season one (April 21st, 1884), the farewell of the Met Manager Henry E. Abbey. The Met Opera company had a financially disastrous first season, and Abbey was asked to resign. Each page is 6 x 7.9 inches, in very good condition. See scans of cover and inside (pages 2 and 3). - An article from Harper´s Monthly Magazine, 1883, about the newly founded Metropolitan Opera company and the new building, 13 pages, 6.6 x 9.6 inches, in excellent condition. This is the first time we see clips from the inaugural night at the Met Opera in the market, outside the archives at the Lincoln Center.

Set of 6 programs, for performances in Chicago by the Metropolitan Opera Company on tour, from between 1894 and 1905. Each program is complete, has only 4 pages, and is 5.1 x 7.4 inches. All in excellent condition, see scans of 1 front page and all 4 inside pages with cast. Sold together only - not sold separately.  

Mignon by Ambroise Thomas at the Royal Court Opera of Stuttgart, 3 February 1901. Conductor: Hugo Reichenberger. 8.75 x 13 inches, 1 page, fair condition 

Program for a concert of the American soprano with the pianist Isaac van Grove at Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1941.  Size is 6.25 x 9.1 inches, full program with all pages and covers, in excellent condition.

Program for a performance of Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" on the occasion of the Mozart Centenary concert in Salzburg, 1891, at the Royal Theater. Size is 8.5 x 13.4 inches, some cracks, folds, in overall good condition.

Program (unsigned) for a performance of Cornelius' opera "Der Barbier von Bagdad" at the Lessing Theater (Berlin) on June 18, 1871, conducted by the celebrated German conductor. Size is 10.1 x 13.7 inches, some folds and cracks, in overall good condition.

Program for the opera and ballet gala performances celebrating the 1972 Olympiads in Munich.  Size is 9.25 x 8.6 inches, in German, 190 pages, soft covers, minor stains of covers, inside in excellent condition.

Program for a performance of Verdi's Aida at the Munich State Theater by the Teatro La Scala on tour, on June 17th, 1937, starring Beniamino Gigli, Gina Cigna, and Ebe Stignani.  Size is 6.1 x 8.9 inches, full program with all pages and covers, in overall very good condition, some newspaper clips included.

Program for a performance of Gounod's opera "Faust" at the Theatre National de l'Opera on October 26, 1908, Paris, featuring Lucien Muratore, Vanni Marcoux, Maria Kuznetsova, and others. Size is 5.6 x 9.25 inches, full program with all pages and covers, in very good condition.

Libretto-program for the world premiere of this opera by Mascagni, La Scala, 1935, with the cast on page 5, including Aureliano Pertile in the title role, Luisa Bruna Rasa, Margherita Carosio, Apollo Granforte and others, with the composer Pietro Mascagni conducting the orchestra. Full program with all 76 pages and covers, some damage on binding and rust on covers, otherwise in very good condition. 

Program for a recital at The Music Hall, New Haven, USA, on December 4, 1873, featuring the star Swedish soprano Christine Nilsson, and other artists such as Victor Capoul and Giuseppe Del Puente. Size is 6 x 9.3 inches, 4 pages, in very good condition.

Large size (10 x 29 inches!) double playbill for theater and opera performances. Playbill announces Norma performance with famous british soprano Adelaide Kemble (1815-1879) and others. This item has 2 playbill joined together into one. Excellent condition!

Playbill announcing the performance of the opera "Artaxerxes" by Thomas Arne and "Der Freischutz" by Carl Maria von Weber (featuring artist Lucia Vestris), and other minor stage plays and the engagement for his last season of the famous English Shakespearean actor Edmund Kean. Size is 8.4 x 13.25 inches, minor stains, slight paper loss, and in overall very good condition.

Large playbill announcing performances of the opera "Artaxerxes" by Thomas Arne, featuring the English singer and actress Lucia Vestris, and plays "School for Scandals" and "Ringdoves" at Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, on October 17, 1839. Size is 9.9 x 15 inches, in excellent condition.

Playbill announcing the performance of various operas including Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" and Bellini's "Norma" starring Adelaide Kemble, and the stage plays "Bubbles of the Day" and "Comus" at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, London, 1842. Size is 9.7 x 19.6 inches, folds, some cracks, in overall very good condition.

Fine scrapbook with more than 80 unsigned clips and programs from opera performances, concerts, and theater from different theaters and auditoriums in the New York area such as Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Opera, and others, between 1882 and 1910, featuring very important performers. Size is 11 x 13.5 inches, in very good condition.

Program for a series of opera performances by The Metropolitan Opera on tour in Boston, 1899, including Faust, Ero and Leandro, Les Huguenots, Don Giovanni, and Romeo et Juliette, starring Jean De Reszke, Emma Eames, Pol Plancon, Lillian Nordica, Marcella Sembrich, and Lilli Lehmann. Size is 5.4 x 7.75 inches, full program with all pages and covers, in excellent condition. 

Nice collection of 15 unsigned programs for recitals by famous opera singers including Emmy Destinn, Louise Homer, Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Clara Butt, Geraldine Farrar, and David Bispham, plus a 4-page program for a performance of Tänhausser in 1895 featuring Johanna Gadski as Elisabeth. Sizes are 9.2 x 12.25 inches on average, all in very good condition or better, most of them held in New York, and in some cases more than one program by a single singer. SOD ONLY AS A LOT, NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

Lot of 37 playbills announcing concerts by famous opera singers including Pavarotti, Verrett, Valletti, Tagliavini, Peerce, Caballé, Siepi, Tebaldi, Corelli, Vickers, Milnes, Di Stefano, Gedda, Sutherland, De los Angeles, Leontyne Price, Scotto, Sills, Schwarzkopf, Nilsson, London, Talvela and others  All playbills are one sheet printed on both sides, various sizes ranging from 5.5 x 8.25 to 7 x 10.5 inches, all in excellent condition.

Playbill announcing the performance of the opera "The Slave" and the first act of Weber's "Der Freischutz" featuring Wilhelmine Schroeder-Devrient; the ballet "La Sylphide" starring Paul and Marie Taglioni, and other works at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on May 4, 1832. Size is 8.3 x 16.6 inches, central fold, otherwise in excellent condition.

Group of 15 program-playbills for performances in various theaters in Vienna, between 1916 and 1925 (with 2 exceptions, one 1874 and one 1931 playbill), seven are in 7.75 x 9.75-inch format, the rest in larger size (approx. 8.75 x 11.5 inches), all in very good condition. See scans - not sold individually.

Full program-libretto for performances of this opera by Gluck, at Teatro La Scala, Milan, with cast including Adele Stehle (printed as Sthele), Leopoldo Mugnone conducting.  A total of 32 pages plus soft covers with libretto and singers all in Italian, 5.5 x 8 inches, some binding damage, and overall even age-toning, in very good condition.

Cast page from Orfeo ed Euridice program conducted by Robert Heger with Margarete Klose and Maria Cebotari in the cast during the Festival of the Staatsoper of Berlin in Rome 4-9 March 1941. Only middle pages with cast from program.

Program for the first performance of Verdi's opera Otello in London,  on July 5th, 1889, at The Royal Lyceum Theatre, featuring the role creators of Otello and Iago, Francesco Tamagno (first appearance in England) and Victor Maurel, respectively.  Size is 5.8 x 8 inches, full program with all pages and covers, rust over the binding area, paged pages, rust stains, in very good condition.

Full program for a performance of Otello in London, 1939, with Vittorio Gui conducting, cast includes Lauritz Melchior in the title role, Mario Basiola, Maria Caniglia. Full program, 7.25 x 9.5 inches. Opera director Thomas Beecham is featured on the first page.

Program from Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a performance in 1915 of Pagliacci with Enrico Caruso as Canio and Mario Sammarco as Tonio. Also in that night, Cavalleria Rusticana was performed, with Rosa Raisa as Santuzza. Size is 5.25 x 9.75 inches, complete with all pages and covers, covers are loose, minor binding damage, otherwise excellent.

Full program-libretto for the world premiere of this opera by Gino Marinuzzi, La Scala, Milan, 1932. Cast is on page 3, includes Benvenuto Franci, Galliano Masini, Gilda Dalla Rizza and the composer as conductor.  Full program-libretto with all pages and covers, 5.75 x 7.75 inches, spine with tape, in very good condition.

Italian soprano (1847-1917), premiered the role of Desdemona in Verdi's Otello in 1887, as well as Tigrana in Puccini's Edgar in 1889. Unsigned playbill, announcing an operatic concert at the Teatro Municipale in Modena, Italy including scenes from both Verdi's Il Trovatore and Un Ballo in Maschera (the latter featuring a duet with the tenor Arturo Byron). Size is 6 x 9 inches, small creases at the bottom and very small bullet hole at the top, otherwise in excellent condition. 

Program/libretto for W.V. Wallace's opera "Maritana" edited by Parepa-Rosa Grand English Opera with a drawing of Euphrosyne on the cover. Size is 5.5 x 8.5 inches, cracks on the cover, loose covers, in very good condition.  

Vintage playbill announcing a performance of the star Italian soprano and other shows (including a performance of Auguste Vestris) at the Theatre Royale Covent Garden, London, in 1828. Size is 7.75 x 13.1 inches, in excellent condition.

Full Met Opera program for the performance of Tosca on March 13th, 2004, this was superstar tenor Luciano Pavarotti´s last night at the Met, a much promoted show and sought after ticket. Program is unsigned, complete with all pages and covers, and contains a nice 5-page article about him, with some photos. In excellent condition.