Great Performances backdrop
Comedy•Documentary•Drama

The Best Episodes of Great Performances Season 40

Every episode of Great Performances Season 40 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Great Performances Season 40!

Binge this in Unknown•Peaking at 8.4/10

The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.

Airs on
PBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons54

All123456789101112131415161718192021222325262728293031323334353637383940414243444546474849505152535455

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Great Performances Season 40 Episode 4 - From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2013
    8.4/10(13 votes)

    S40:E4

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 2 - Rod Stewart: Merry Christmas, Baby
    7.9/10(30 votes)

    S40:E2

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 7 - Great Performances at the Met: L'Elisir d'Amore
    7.8/10(28 votes)

    S40:E7

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 3 - Magical Mystery Tour Revisited
    6.8/10(24 votes)

    S40:E3

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 1 - Paul McCartney's Live Kisses
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E1

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 5 - Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E5

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Great Performances

    READ
  7. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 6 - Paul Simon's Graceland Journey: Under African Skies
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E6

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 8 - Great Performances at the Met: The Tempest
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E8

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 9 - Great Performances at the Met: La Clemenza di Tito
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E9

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 10 - Great Performances at the Met: Un Ballo in Maschera
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E10

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 11 - Great Performances at the Met: Rigoletto
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E11

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 12 - Great Performances at the Met: Aida
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E12

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 13 - Great Performances at the Met: Les Troyens
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E13

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 14 - Dancing at Jacob’s Pillow: Never Stand Still
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E14

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 15 - Great Performances at the Met: Parsifal
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E15

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 16 - Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2013
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E16

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 17 - Great Performances at the Met: Francesca di Rimini
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E17

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Great Performances Season 40 Episode 18 - Great Performances at the Met: Giulio Cesare
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S40:E18

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Season 40 Ratings Summary

"From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2013" is the best rated episode of "Great Performances" season 40. It scored 8.4/10 based on 13 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/1/2013. This episode is rated 0.5 points higher than the second-best, "Rod Stewart: Merry Christmas, Baby".