Four CD sets and four DVDs of Met productions to be released in February.

In a new partnership, Sony Classical is releasing a series of recordings (audio and video) recorded live at the Met in New York. The four CD sets are drawn from the famous Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts dating from between 1947 and 1962.

“Opera lovers should be very pleased to have these historic gems available, as well as some of our most recent high definition transmissions,” commented Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager. “We are committed to serving our public with the greatest possible range of operatic artistry.” While Sony Classical’s president Bogdan Roscic said “The Met broadcast archive is one of the ultimate treasure troves of recorded music. We’re happy to be able to make some of its most legendary tapes available for the first time in the way they should be presented. Today, the Met’s work of course gets preserved in a much different way, and so we also look forward to releasing some of the most spectacular recent productions in glorious HD video.”

Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia was recorded on December 16, 1950 and features Lily Pons as Rosina, Giuseppe di Stefano as...