April 2, 1999

Carlisle Floyd's ''Susannah'' had its Metropolitan Opera premiere on Wednesday, in a production starring Renee Fleming and Samuel Ramey, above. Though this rare example of a successful American opera is just right in size and difficulty for more modest theaters, it is dwarfed at the Met. The subject of the 44-year-old piece -- the Bible's story of ''Susannah and the Elders,'' set in the Tennessee mountains -- is suitably operatic. But the music tells the story and nothing more, with few layers, little resonance, no implications beneath the surface. And the entire production is lost in the 3,800-seat Met opera house.

Three US soldiers captured along Yugoslav-Macedonian border will appear before Yugoslav military court; US says court-martial would be violation of international law; Staff Sgt Andrew A Ramirez, Staff Sgt Christopher J Stone and Specialist Steven M Gonzales are paraded on Serbian state television, which also broadcasts unexpected meeting between Pres Slobodan Milosevic and Ibrahim Rugova, prominent leader of Kosovo's ethnic Albanians and part of delegation that signed Western-drafted peace agreement in Rambouillet, France, that Serbs rejected; both leaders sign document calling for peaceful end to Kosovo crisis through political means; spokesman for ethnic Albanian rebels calls Rugova's meeting high treason; Rugova, re-elected as leader of ethnic Albanians in April and has long advocated nonviolent political solution to problem, reportedly asks protection from Serbian police; some Western diplomats say he may be trying to shore up position and save what is left of Kosovo from catastrophe; he was originally supported by US, but his credibility sharply declined with rise in support for insurgents of Kosovo Liberation Army; Western officials fear Milosevic may reach agreement with him for Kosovo's partition or political autonomy along lines West has drawn, but without presence of NATO peacekeeping troops West has insisted on; Milosevic moves to shore up support in Yugoslav Army by dismissing commander and seven other generals based in sister republic of Montegenro; photos (M)

New York State appeals court rules Mayor Rudolph Giuliani exceeded his authority when he blocked state auditors from reviewing how effectively New York City's government is managed; unanimous decision upholds lawsuit by State Comptroller H Carl McCall that sought to compel city auditors to cooperate with his probe of how well city delivers services; says State Constitution and state laws cleary give Comptroller authority to conduct performance audits; McCall says he will pursue audits; Giuliani says he will make available most, if not all, of information sought by Comptroller; court decision settles bitter dispute between two of state's senior elected officials that began in 1997, when McCall set out to review performance of half-dozen city agencies; photo (M)

Battle is already taking shape over physical evidence in Amadou Diallo case, as lawyers and experts seek to buttress their own versions of what happened based on entrance wounds, bullet trajectories and other forensic details; since there were apparently no eyewitnesses to shooting, such evidence could be crucial element when Police Officers Sean Carroll, Edward McMellon, Richard Murphy and Kenneth Boss are tried on murder charges; photo (M)

Fuel cells, devices that produce electricity from hydrogen with only water as byproduct, are emerging as auto industry's most promising alternative to internal-combustion engine; manufacturers are racing to become first to put such a vehicle on the market; so far, DaimlerChrysler AG appears to be in lead; it has already unveiled prototype for Necar 4, A-Class subcompact equipped with fuel cells; photo; chart (M)