Marilyn Horne Playlist

A beloved Met artist, Marilyn Horne first graced the Met stage as Adalgisa in Bellini’s Norma on March 3, 1970, alongside her longtime stage partner soprano Joan Sutherland. In celebration of the mezzo-soprano’s 85th birthday and her incomparable career spanning more than 250 performances of 15 roles with the company, the Met has compiled a playlist of some of Horne’s most memorable moments—including a broadcast of Norma from her debut season, a sultry appearance as Bizet’s Carmen, and her hilarious cameo as Samira in John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles. Lauded as a brilliant comedienne—with charming appearances as the heroines of Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia and L’Italiana in Algeri and Mistress Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff—Horne also thrilled audiences in performances of dramatic roles, including Amneris in Verdi’s Aida, Dalila in Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila, and Fidès in Meyerbeer’s lesser-known gem Le Prophète.