Great Performances Episode Rating Graph
Jan 1971 - present
Jan 1971 - present
5.8
Browse episode ratings trends for Great Performances. Simply click on the interactive rating graph to explore the best and worst of Great Performances's 640 episodes.
S49 Ep3
10.0
17th Sep 2021
Experience Hans Christian Andersen’s dark fairytale from acclaimed director-choreographer Matthew Bourne with this Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation starring Ashley Shaw, Adam Cooper, Dominic North and Michaela Meazza.
S49 Ep2
10.0
11th Sep 2021
Honor the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with this special performance hosted by Misty Copeland and led by Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin featuring soloists Ailyn Pérez, Michelle DeYoung, Matthew Polenzani and Eric Owens.
S49 Ep1
10.0
3rd Sep 2021
Experience the music director of the Metropolitan Opera’s meteoric rise to become one of the most acclaimed and sought-after music directors of his generation in this documentary from cinema verité filmmaker Susan Froemke.
S48 Ep26
10.0
9th Jul 2021
Gloria Estefan journeys through three of Brazil’s most influential cities, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Salvador, with Estefan as narrator and host, discussing the history of Samba and its many variations. Featuring regional celebrities like Maria Rita, Carlinhos Brown and Jorge Arãgo, the documentary looks at the African origins of Brazilian music and specific sites that have inspired artists.
S45 Ep21
10.0
29th Jun 2018
THIRTEEN’s Great Performances and Pacific Symphony, led by music director Carl St.Clair, pay tribute to America’s history with a performance of composer Peter Boyer’s “Ellis Island: The Dream of America,” a Grammy-nominated contemporary classical work celebrating the historic American immigrant experience.
S45 Ep20
10.0
15th Jun 2018
Sonya Yoncheva and Vittorio Grigolo sing Tosca and Cavaradossi’s Act I duet in the final dress rehearsal.
S45 Ep16
10.0
20th Apr 2018
International superstar will.i.am performs from London’s historic Royal Albert Hall in a one-night-only concert event. The award-winning artist, writer and producer reunites with members of the Black Eyed Peas plus special guests Pia Mia, Eva Simons and Lydia Lucy. Will.i.am and Friends Featuring the Black Eyed - Landmarks Live in Concert premieres April 20 at 10PM on PBS (check local listings).
S45 Ep15
10.0
25th Mar 2018
Season 12 of Great Performances at the Met continues on PBS on Sunday, March 25, with the American premiere of Thomas Adès’s The Exterminating Angel, a surreal fantasy about a dinner party from which the guests can’t escape. The Exterminating Angel was inspired by the classic Luis Buñuel film of the same name, and stars John Tomlinson and Alice Coote. Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham is the host.
S40 Ep15
10.0
28th Jul 2013
Jonas Kaufmann sings the title role in The Metropolitan Opera's new production of "Parsifal"
S39 Ep20
10.0
10th Aug 2012
The concert features the BSO, Boston Pops Orchestra and Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, under the direction of conductors John Williams, Keith Lockhart and Andris Nelsons. Performances by pianists Emanuel Ax and Peter Serkin, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and vocalist James Taylor.
S19 Ep4
10.0
1st Mar 1990
Life and work of American composer Richard Rodgers, whose work, in collaboration with Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein II, and others, gave the world dozens of the greatest musical theater successes. motion picture soundtracks and songs of the 20th century. Interviews with family and friends, artists who worked with him, home movies. Excerpts from many film and television productions featuring his work, including "Oklahoma!', "South Pacific", "The Sound of Music", "The King and I", "Carousel", "Pal Joey", "Cinderella", "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum", "Love Me Tonight", "I Married an Angel", "Babes in Arms".
S47 Ep22
9.5
15th May 2020
Enjoy Ravinia Festival’s production of Leonard Bernstein’s musical starring Tony Award-winning baritone Paulo Szot and featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra artistic director Marin Alsop conducts.
S49 Ep31
9.0
3rd Jul 2022
Soprano Lise Davidsen brings one of her signature roles to the Met for the first time as the mythological Greek heroine of Strauss’ masterpiece.
S49 Ep30
9.0
17th Jun 2022
Baritone Quinn Kelsey portrays the title role at the Met for the first time, starring alongside soprano Rosa Feola as Gilda and tenor Piotr Beczała as the Duke of Mantua. Maestro Daniele Rustioni leads Verdi’s timeless tragedy reset in 1920s Europe by Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher. Varduhi Abrahamyan plays Maddalena and Andrea Mastroni plays Sparafucile.
S49 Ep4
9.0
1st Oct 2021
From the historic Stadthalle in Wuppertal, Germany, recorded in January, this world-famous soprano-tenor pair perform arias and duets from some of their many performances at the Met including Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier,” Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino,” “Luisa Miller” and Dvořák’s “Rusalka," accompanied by Vincenzo Scalera on piano.
S48 Ep13
9.0
19th Mar 2021
Experience the beloved American soprano perform arias by Puccini and Massenet to selections by Handel and Korngold from the intimate music salon of Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.
S48 Ep12
9.0
22nd Jan 2021
Experience legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz’s 1986 Russian homecoming for a sold-out concert of personal favorites, featuring commentary from former manager Peter Gelb and virtuoso pianists Martha Argerich and Daniil Trifonov.
S47 Ep26
9.0
5th Jul 2020
Experience Wagner’s eerie early masterpiece telling the tale of the sea captain cursed to sail for eternity. François Girard’s new production stars Evgeny Nikitin in the title role opposite Anja Kampe in her Met debut. Valery Gergiev conducts.
S47 Ep25
9.0
26th Jun 2020
Experience playwright Emily Mann’s unique interpretation of feminist icon Gloria Steinem’s life, performed by an all-female cast starring Emmy Award winner Christine Lahti and directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus.
S47 Ep17
9.0
20th Mar 2020
In an ancient mythical China, three riddles dictate who wins Turandot's heart and who loses their lives. Calàf is one of many to take on the challenge.
S47 Ep12
9.0
30th Nov 2019
Enjoy a star-studded concert with celebrated 16-time GRAMMY Award winner David Foster as he explores the music of his career with guest artists Loren Allred, Pia Toscano, Fernando Varela, Sheléa, Katharine McPhee and more.
S47 Ep9
9.0
22nd Nov 2019
For the first time in over four decades, Great Performances presents a Public Theater production recorded live at Free Shakespeare in the Park. After a highly successful, critically acclaimed run at the outdoor Delacorte Theater in New York City’s Central Park, "Much Ado About Nothing" is a bold interpretation of Shakespeare’s comedic masterpiece featuring Danielle Brooks as Beatrice.
S47 Ep8
9.0
15th Nov 2019
Under the watchful gaze of his young assistant—and the growing competitive presence of a new generation of artists—Rothko takes on his greatest career challenge yet: to create a definitive series of paintings for the Philip Johnson-designed Four Seasons restaurant in architect Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Seagram Building.
S47 Ep3
9.0
4th Oct 2019
Join Scott Yoo in Spain and Morocco to discover the greatest composer you’ve never heard of: Domenico Scarlatti. He was the finest keyboard player in Europe, hired by the Queen of Spain as her personal instructor. Into Vivaldi’s melodies and Bach’s fugues, Scarlatti incorporated the sounds of Spain – Moorish, Jewish, Gypsy, folk, dance and guitar – to create a new musical language.
S46 Ep7
9.0
24th Nov 2018
Experience superstar singer Michael Bublé’s visually thrilling and musically triumphant ‘To Be Loved Tour’ featuring performances of his biggest hits including “Home” and “Haven’t Met You Yet” along with exclusive footage of Team Bublé travels.
S46 Ep4
9.0
16th Nov 2018
Go behind-the-scenes of John Leguizamo’s Tony-nominated one-man show, Latin History for Morons, a comic but pointed look at how Hispanic culture has been portrayed and repressed throughout American history.
S46 Ep3
9.0
9th Nov 2018
Beloved by generations of audiences worldwide, “The Sound of Music” tells the inspiring true story of the von Trapp Family Singers and their escape from Austria during the rise of Nazism. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1959 hit stage musical garnered five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and the blockbuster 1965 movie adaptation won five Oscars, including Best Picture. Great Performances presents the 2015 live U.K. broadcast version starring Kara Tointon as Maria, Julian Ovenden as Captain von Trapp, Katherine Kelley as Baroness Schraeder, Alexander Armstrong as Max, and Maria Friedman as the Mother Abbess. Cinematically photographed on adjoining sound stages, the production offers a more naturalistic interpretation of this great classic of the American musical theater. Among the many classic songs featured in the score are “The Sound of Music,” “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Climb Every Mountain,” “Edelweiss” and more.
S46 Ep2
9.0
2nd Nov 2018
Experience one of the most famous musicals of all time with a celebrated new adaptation featuring the original Tony Award-nominated stars Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope. The acclaimed production was directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon.
S45 Ep11
9.0
1st Jan 2018
Great Performances continues the cherished tradition of ringing in the new year with the Vienna Philharmonic with Chicago Symphony Orchestra Music Director Riccardo Muti. This year’s program welcomes new host Hugh Bonneville, best known as Robert, Earl of Grantham, in Downton Abbey. From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2018 premieres Monday, January 1, 2018 at 2:30PM EST(check local listings).
S45 Ep5
9.0
10th Nov 2017
In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams chronicles the personal stories of composer/lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of In the Heights in the months leading up to its 2008 opening night.
S47 Ep23
5.0
7th Jun 2020
Experience Handel’s black comedy of intrigue and impropriety in this production from David McVicar set in the present. Joyce DiDonato stars as the cunning title character with Harry Bicket at the baton.
S47 Ep27
5.0
17th Jul 2020
Enjoy this classic American folk opera that brings 1920s Charleston to life with a beloved score from George Gershwin in a new production directed by James Robinson. Eric Owens and Angel Blue star in the title roles and David Robertson conducts.
S46 Ep1
5.5
5th Oct 2018
Enjoy an all-star concert honoring Neil Diamond, Tina Turner, Queen, film composer John Williams, New Orleans funk band The Meters and other recipients of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement, Trustee and Music Educator awards.
S49 Ep5
5.5
8th Oct 2021
Three-time GRAMMY winner Isabel Leonard joins Nadine Sierra and Ailyn Pérez to perform timeless selections by Mozart, Offenbach and Bizet including “Voi che sapete” and “Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour” along with beloved songs like “Bésame Mucho” and “Cielito Lindo.” The concert was recorded in May at the Royal Opera of Versailles in France and Met Opera soprano Christine Goerke hosts.
S49 Ep15
6.0
1st Jan 2022
Ring in the new year in Austria at the Musikverein with the Vienna Philharmonic and host Hugh Bonneville in this annual concert of waltzes by Strauss and more under the baton of guest conductor Daniel Barenboim.
S49 Ep8
6.7
12th Nov 2021
Experience a concert of works by legendary composer John Williams from Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home at Tanglewood including Williams’ new violin concerto performed by virtuoso Anne-Sophie Mutter and other works conducted by Andris Nelsons.
S39 Ep17
7.0
18th May 2012
The Enchanted Island is a world premiere work that combines Baroque music with a new, English-language libretto featuring characters from Shakespeare, and a starry cast including Danielle de Niese, Joyce DiDonato, David Daniels, Plácido Domingo, and Luca Pisaroni.
S41 Ep3
7.0
4th Oct 2013
Jeremy Irons and Tom Hiddleston star in Shakespeare's history play.
S45 Ep10
7.0
25th Nov 2017
David Foster has generated some of the biggest hits in popular music, and collaborated with a veritable “Who’s Who” of superstars in a career spanning more than three decades. In this special encore presentation, Foster’s achievements, including 14 Grammy Awards, are celebrated in an all-star concert.
S45 Ep22
7.0
8th Jul 2018
Experience Rossini’s masterpiece starring Angela Meade as Queen Semiramide and Elizabeth DeShong as Arsace, the Queen’s fiancé and her own son. Javier Camarena, Ildar Abdrazakov and Ryan Speedo Green complete the cast. Maurizio Benini conducts.
S46 Ep15
7.0
1st Feb 2019
Watch composer Nico Muhly’s reimagining of Winston Graham’s novel about a beautiful, mysterious woman who assumes multiple identities. Starring Isabel Leonard in the title role alongside Christopher Maltman as Mark Rutland. Robert Spano conducts.
S46 Ep16
7.0
15th Feb 2019
The AARP Movies for Grownups multimedia franchise was established in 2002 to celebrate and encourage filmmaking with unique appeal to movie lovers with a grownup state of mind—and recognize the inspiring artists who make them.
S48 Ep7
7.0
13th Nov 2020
Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles is the first in-depth documentary that chronicles the story of the international Broadway blockbuster "Fiddler on the Roof" – exploring the unexpected richness of its themes as well as its vast reach across time and cultures.
S48 Ep22
7.0
5th Jun 2021
Enjoy the songs of the internationally beloved tenor’s 2020 album recorded on location in Malta. Selections performed include “Gratia Plena,” a duet with Cecilia Bartoli, and new interpretations of “Ave Maria” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
S49 Ep12
7.0
27th Nov 2021
Enjoy this special encore of Natalie Cole’s Emmy-winning concert of her GRAMMY-winning album in Great Performances: Unforgettable With Love - Natalie Cole. Featuring classics such as “Mona Lisa,” “The Very Thought of You” and “For Sentimental Reasons,” the concert also features a special performance of Nat King Cole’s signature song “Unforgettable” sung as a duet by Natalie Cole and her father.
S49 Ep14
7.0
31st Dec 2021
The Met rings in the new year with a gala performance featuring stars Angel Blue, Pretty Yende, Javier Camarena and Matthew Polenzani. Performing from the Parktheater in Kurhaus Göggingen in Augsburg, Germany, the program features arias, duets and ensembles from Donizetti to Puccini, as well as arrangements of operetta and Neapolitan songs.
S49 Ep25
7.0
29th Apr 2022
Scott Yoo discovers how American composers are inspired by their immigrant roots today through two composers: Brazilian-born Sergio Assad and Indian American Reena Esmail.
S38 Ep8
7.3
2nd Mar 2011
Taped in July of 2010 at New York's Neil Simon Theater, Harry Connick, Jr. in Concert on Broadway features Connick's big band and a 12-piece string section, with the star on both a Steinway grand and upright honky-tonk piano.
S47 Ep21
7.5
8th May 2020
Celebrate the centennial of this landmark orchestra with “La Valse” by Ravel, Stravinsky’s “Firebird” and more led by three renowned LA Phil conductors: Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and current music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel.
S48 Ep3
7.5
25th Sep 2020
Celebrate the work of Franz Schubert with host Scott Yoo as he plays with young musicians establishing themselves in North America's musical capitals by attempting to master the composer’s music.
S48 Ep23
7.8
5th Jun 2021
Experience an all-star concert honoring the early years of Fleetwood Mac and founding member Peter Green at the London Palladium featuring artists including Pete Townshend, Steven Tyler, David Gilmour, Noel Gallagher, Christine McVie and more.
S49 Ep10
7.8
26th Nov 2021
Enjoy this contemporary reboot of the 1870 ballet favorite that blends live-action ballet with CGI and features ballet stars Michaela DePrince and Daniel Camargo.
S41 Ep5
8.0
18th Oct 2013
In celebration of the series’ 40th anniversary on PBS, a stellar roster of diverse alumni gather to share their stories of what the series has meant to them, with reminiscences and performances by Julie Andrews, Audra McDonald, Don Henley, David Hyde Pierce, Josh Groban, Itzhak Perlman, Peter Martins, Patti Austin and Take 6, Elīna Garanča, and Michael Bublé.
S42 Ep5
8.0
9th Jan 2015
World-renowned American opera singer Renée Fleming convenes a festival of special guests to celebrate the diverse range of America’s vocal artistry. Young artists receive mentoring from respected singers including Ben Folds, Dianne Reeves, Sutton Foster, Eric Owens, Kim Burrell and Alison Krauss. Also see performances by Josh Groban, Sara Bareilles and Norm Lewis.
S43 Ep12
8.0
13th Aug 2016
Hear Kristine Opolais and Roberto Alagna as the ill-fated lovers in Puccini’s passionate adaptation of the classic novel about a free-spirited country girl. Sir Richard Eyre’s new production, conducted by Fabio Luisi, is set in the 1940s.
S43 Ep14
8.0
28th Aug 2016
The last opera in Donizetti’s Tudor trilogy, directed by Sir David McVicar, stars Sondra Radvanovsky as Elizabeth I and features Matthew Polenzani, Elina Garanca and Mariusz Kwiecien. Maurizio Benini conducts.
S44 Ep2
8.0
20th Oct 2016
A behind-the-scenes look at Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway musical Hamilton, coming to Great Performances as part of the 2016 PBS Arts Fall Festival.
S44 Ep3
8.0
11th Nov 2016
Jonathan Kent’s award-winning production of the classic musical Gypsy – a record-breaking sellout during its acclaimed London run – comes to THIRTEEN’s Great Performances, Friday, November 11 at 9 p.m. on PBS on the PBS Arts Fall Festival.
S44 Ep10
8.0
20th Jan 2017
The series premieres with a native New Yorker from Hell’s Kitchen, Grammy Award-winning artist, Alicia Keys. Her collaboration with Jay Z, “Empire State of Mind,” instantly became the City’s newest anthem. In this debut Landmarks Live special recorded over a one-year period, Alicia’s love affair with New York continues as she performs in notable locations all around the city.
S44 Ep22
8.0
30th Jun 2017
Andrea Bocelli – Landmarks Live in Concert continues the new Landmarks arts strand. Each Landmarks Live in Concert special features an artist or band performing at a legendary destination of personal significance. The series is hosted by Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, who conducts one-on-one interviews with the artists.
No episode information found for this season.
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The first episode of Great Performances aired on January 28, 1971.
The last episode of Great Performances aired on May 31, 2024.
There are 640 episodes of Great Performances.
There are 49 seasons of Great Performances.
Yes.
Great Performances is set to return for future episodes.