It was actually one of the first operas I ever saw, at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music back in 1976. The last time the Met put it on in 1978 (Pavarotti, Verrett) I was there (and I’m still waiting for it to come back). The first time I saw the French version was in San Francisco in 1999. I was fortunate to witness a love fest Favorite in 2013 at which Juan Diego Flórez was cheered like a rock star at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. I caught the opera (en français) most recently at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia in 2020.

The singer I most wish I could have seen in this opera was Alfredo Kraus, whose technique and style are just perfect. His performance of the last act aria is the epitome of elegance. Bravo.

Moe Rear concurs:

This 1975 OONY performance of La Favorita starred Shirley Verrett, Alfredo Kraus, Pablo Elvira and James Morris. I was there and I remember it as a feast of grand and stylish Donizetti singing that the later Met performances lacked. On this night Alfredo Kraus reigned supreme and received a champion’s ovation for “Spirto gentil”.