Great Performances - Season 40

First aired: 9/7/2012 18 episodes

Episodes

1. Paul McCartney's Live Kisses

Aired: 9/7/2012

Paul McCartney’s Live Kisses captures the magical night of February 9 in the City of Angels when Paul McCartney decided to bring Kisses On The Bottom, his newly released collection of pop standards and two originals, to life.

2. Rod Stewart: Merry Christmas, Baby

Aired: 11/26/2012

Grammy Award®-winning, two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Rod Stewart, hosts his first holiday special featuring Mary J. Blige, Cee-Lo Green, and Chris Botti.

3. Magical Mystery Tour Revisited

Aired: 12/14/2012

Magical Mystery Tour was chock-full of thinly veiled references to psychedelia, anarchy and fantasy, all in the setting of a traditional British sightseeing bus outing to the seaside. The story behind the Beatles film – Magical Mystery Tour – is revealed on Magical Mystery Tour Revisited.

4. From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2013

Aired: 1/1/2013

We continue the cherished tradition of ringing in the New Year with special host Julie Andrews and the Vienna Philharmonic at the opulent Musikverein, under the baton of guest conductor Franz Welser-Möst and featuring everyone’s favorite Strauss Family waltzes accompanied by the beautiful dancing of the Vienna City Ballet.

5. Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy

Aired: 1/1/2013

This film explores the unique role of Jewish composers and lyricists in the creation of the modern American musical. Featuring interviews and conversations with some of the greatest composers and writers of the Broadway stage.

6. Paul Simon's Graceland Journey: Under African Skies

Aired: 1/4/2013

An epic journey following Paul Simon back to South Africa, where, decades earlier, he created his seminal album Graceland. The film includes revealing interviews with Simon and such musical legends as Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte, Paul McCartney and David Byrne.

7. Great Performances at the Met: L'Elisir d'Amore

Aired: 1/18/2013

Star soprano Anna Netrebko takes center stage as Adina, the irresistible heroine of Gaetano Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore (The Elixir of Love).

8. Great Performances at the Met: The Tempest

Aired: 3/17/2013

The Tempest, Robert Lepage’s Staging of the English-language Opera Based on Shakespeare’s Final Play.

9. Great Performances at the Met: La Clemenza di Tito

Aired: 4/14/2013

La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart’s final opera seria, with Barbara Frittoli, Elīna Garanča, and Giuseppe Filianoti airs on Great Performances at the Met Sunday, April 14 at 12 noon on PBS.

10. Great Performances at the Met: Un Ballo in Maschera

Aired: 5/5/2013

The Met’s new production of Un Ballo in Maschera, Verdi's classic drama of political intrigue and thwarted romance.

11. Great Performances at the Met: Rigoletto

Aired: 5/17/2013

Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) makes his Met debut with a new production of Verdi’s Rigoletto. The new staging moves the opera’s tragic events from a decadent 16th-century Italian court to the glitzy, depraved setting of the Las Vegas strip circa 1960.

12. Great Performances at the Met: Aida

Aired: 6/9/2013

One of the most popular and beloved operas of all time, Aida, in a spectacular staging that captures the grandeur of Ancient Egypt.

13. Great Performances at the Met: Les Troyens

Aired: 6/30/2013

Fabio Luisi conducts the five-act tragedy, which stars Deborah Voigt as Cassandra, Susan Graham as Dido, and Bryan Hymel as Aeneas.

14. Dancing at Jacob’s Pillow: Never Stand Still

Aired: 7/26/2013

Directed by veteran documentary filmmaker Ron Honsa, "Dancing at Jacob’s Pillow: Never Stand Still" reveals the passion, discipline, and daring of those who choose a life in dance. Performances filmed live at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, interviews with extraordinary artists, rare archival footage, and behind the scenes insights bring dance to life.

15. Great Performances at the Met: Parsifal

Aired: 7/28/2013

Jonas Kaufmann sings the title role in The Metropolitan Opera's new production of "Parsifal"

16. Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2013

Aired: 8/2/2013

The works of Wagner and Verdi are featured in the beloved concert from Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace Gardens.

17. Great Performances at the Met: Francesca di Rimini

Aired: 8/18/2013

Eva-Maria Westbroek and Marcello Giordani star in Zandonai’s masterpiece Francesca da Rimini, the classic tale of doomed love,based on an episode from Dante’s Inferno.

18. Great Performances at the Met: Giulio Cesare

Aired: 9/1/2013

David Daniels and Natalie Dessay star in David McVicar‘s innovative production of Handel’s most popular opera.