# Opera in the Cinema House



## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

With the Met's Live in HD, the Royal Opera House's Royal Opera House Cinema Season via Opus Arte, and Medici.TV, we have opera live telecast into the cinema theaters. Emerging Pictures' Opera in Cinema does the same, although it is a delayed transmission. Other opera houses do their own telecasting such as La Scala by http://www.arte.tv/fr. And there are multiple ways of getting opera in recorded form, ranging from online at the Met's Opera on Demand, Medici.TV, and plain ole Netflix to just traditional DVDs and Blu-rays. Given all this new technology, this is a timely topic.

Is opera in the cinema house and at home a good thing? Or a bad thing?
One critic's view

Discuss.


----------



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Well it would be a good thing if there were more if it where I live. We only get the Met Dead in HD (delayed about 4 weeks after the Live transmissions), and that's it. And this Met season is so dull (Aida again, perleease) that I'm not going to many of the transmissions - what I WOULD watch (eg Dialogues des Carmelites) is off the menu.

But still, it's better than nothing, because I live in rugby-land where opera is sparse and marginalized. While it's not the same as a live production, watching in the cinema is still a more exciting and involving experience than watching opera on a computer or even a TV screen with constant family interruptions.


----------



## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

mamascarlatti said:


> Well it would be a good thing if there were more if it where I live. We only get the Met Dead in HD (delayed about 4 weeks after the Live transmissions), and that's it. And this Met season is so dull (Aida again, perleease) that I'm not going to many of the transmissions - what I WOULD watch (eg Dialogues des Carmelites) is off the menu.


What? Ok, they played/are playing a lot of old standbys, true enough. Still, consider that the Met this season is premiering both _The Tempest_ and _Maria Stuarda_ and serving up a rare gem, _Les Troyens_! Isn't that exciting enough? How many _Les Troyens_ productions do you expect to see Dead in HD? _(love that by the way! :lol_

In fact, in the 2012-13 Live in HD season, there are:

_L'Elisir d'Amore_ which is a *new production*
_Otello_
_The Tempest_ *(!)* which is a *Met premiere*
_La Clemenza di Tito_
_Un Ballo in Maschera_ which is a *new production*
_Aida_
_Les Troyens_ *(!!!!!)* which is a *rare gem*
_Maria Stuarda_ which is a *Met premiere*
_Rigoletto_ which is a *new production*
_Parsifal_ which is a *new production*
_Francesca da Rimini_
_Giulio Cesare in Egitto_ which is a *new production*

So out of these 12 Live in HD performance, there are 2 outright Met premieres, 5 more which are at least new productions _(so at least, one can say these are old wines in new bottles!)_, and 1 rare gem.

Furthermore, if we check Operabase, we see that ranked by performance frequency:

_L'Elisir d'Amore_ *(#13)*
_Otello_ *(#27)*
_The Tempest_ *(#474)*
_La Clemenza di Tito_ *(#62)*
_Un Ballo in Maschera_ *(#26)*
_Aida_ *(14)*
_Les Troyens_ *(#150)*
_Maria Stuarda_ *(#92)*
_Rigoletto_ *(#9)*
_Parsifal_ *(#42)*
_Francesca da Rimini_ *(#224)*
_Giulio Cesare in Egitto_ *(#63)*

So out of these 12 operas, Only 3 of them are in the top 20, only 6--half of the 12--in the top 50, which means the other half of this season isn't. On the other hand, 3 of these operas are not even in the top 100. I would consider this far from a season of just old standbys. This is different from being a Met subscriber of course. As a subscriber, and since the Met is a repertoire theater, you'd be gorged on a diet of old standbys. But I'd see the Met's Live on HD as offering up quiet a nice menu balanced between the oldies but goodies and more rare treats!

And _Les Troyens_ is the cherry on the cake for me. Although I'm going to catch it Live in HD, I'm also planning on going to the opera house and sit in the stalls for a live performance, since it just is that rare that I want to catch it in-person! 

_EDIT: And of course, none of this even touched on Alexandra Coughlin's article :lol:_


----------



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

I don't give the article much credence, it's not even very timely.  When the HD broadcasts first started there was justified concern that they would supplant live performance, but I don't think that's been the case. I'm guessing the same concerns were brought up when the radio broadcasts started in the 1930's. If anything, I'd say they increase interest in attending a live performance - for one, by adding allure to established stars and up-and-coming names out there. I went pretty far out of my way to see Vittoro Grigolo live this year after seeing his ROH Faust in the cinema last year.

And poor mamascarlatti is an example of how they provide access to an opera experience to interested folks who otherwise have little or none. I don't see cinema as a replacement or substitute for live attendence, but I'd much rather have the cinematic option than learn what's going on in other houses through printed reviews only. That goes for New Yorlk and even more so for European houses where the talent pool and the production values are often so different.

My only concern, which the article touches on, would be if the stage productions start becoming tailored and compromised in order to cater to the cinematic audience, but I don't see that happening either. 

Oh and for all the reasons tyrone gives, my reaction to mamascarlatti's "dull" comment on the Met season is also +


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

My very first opera in cinema experience was the now famous _Le comte ory_ where JDF had just rushed to the Met following the birth of his son. I saw it in Berlin & although I enjoyed it, the sound was far too loud. Then I saw the ROH _Macbeth_ last year & I was disappointed. It was a live relay & there were only four other people in the cinema so the atmosphere was poor. Again the sound was too loud.

But last month I saw _Les Troyens_ & I thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn't live & the sound was right _and_ variable as it should be. There were 20 of us in the cinema so the atmosphere was slightly better.

I'm grateful that I can see the ROH broadcasts in a cinema only three miles from where I live but they would never replace live opera for me.

If I lived in NZ I think I'd become a rugby groupie, less frustrating than being an opera fan.


----------



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Compared with previous seasons I was disappointed, but I think possibly for personal idiosyncratic reasons - a combination of previous experience and my feelings about certain singers. Let me explain.

L'Elisir d'Amore which is a new production - but not that great a production, and I've seen about 7 other versions of this. But I quite enjoyed it when I saw it.

Otello - old production which I've seen on DVD when Renee was younger and with Placido. Botha just doesn't do it for me.

The Tempest (!) which is a Met premiere - yes, very excited about this, got my ticket on Saturday even though it's fully available on Vimeo.

La Clemenza di Tito - seen the production, not that bothered about the singers. I'll go though.

Un Ballo in Maschera which is a new production - unfortunately it has Marcello Alvarez in it. But I'll go for Dima.

Aida - overblown production which I've already seen at the cinema and on Met Player.

Les Troyens (!!!!!) which is a rare gem - I've got the wonderful Chatelet DVD and saw the ROH production live with fantastic casts, and I've already seen this relatively dull production on Met Player with Domingo and Troyanos. And I simply cannot listen to Giordani any more - terrible dry uneven sound.

Maria Stuarda which is a Met premiere, and has Joyce DiDonato, fantastic!

Rigoletto which is a new production - probably seen this opera about 12 times. I can't stand the story any more, the characters are so depressing.

Parsifal which is a new production - I'm going to see this for Der Jonas. But I find Parsifal's dramatic themes difficult to stomach and honestly it's too long. Someone please edit down Gurnemanz.

Francesca da Rimini - seen this on Met player with Scotto and Domingo. Although Westbroek is lovely, we have Giordani again. And I think this opera is musically very uneven.

Giulio Cesare in Egitto which is a new production - it might be new to the Met but it's very familiar to me through the Glyndebourne DVD, with a hugely superior cast. I know it by heart.


----------



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

sospiro said:


> My very first opera in cinema experience was the now famous _Le comte ory_ where JDF had just rushed to the Met following the birth of his son. I saw it in Berlin & although I enjoyed it, the sound was far too loud. Then I saw the ROH _Macbeth_ last year & I was disappointed. It was a live relay & there were only four other people in the cinema so the atmosphere was poor. Again the sound was too loud.
> 
> But last month I saw _Les Troyens_ & I thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn't live & the sound was right _and_ variable as it should be. There were 20 of us in the cinema so the atmosphere was slightly better.


We've got four Met HD venues in the city proper (Chicago) and a smattering in the suburbs. For bigger shows, the city ones sell out and we've found ourselves driving out to the boonies. Our favorite venue has reserved, numbered seats for all its shows, which is nice. It's already over 2/3 sold for this weekend's _Ballo_.

Sadly it looks like our one city Opera in Cinema venue has ceased operations. Surprisingly they never got big turnouts despite the large crowds Met HD gets here. There's still a venue in a nearby suburb but not nearly as convenient.


----------



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

mamascarlatti said:


> Compared with previous seasons I was disappointed, but I think possibly for personal idiosyncratic reasons - a combination of previous experience and my feelings about certain singers. Let me explain...


I have to admit, all pretty legit reasons. I wonder if it will get tougher for houses to share productions as much as they do now with all this broadcasting going on.


----------



## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

Cavaradossi said:


> We've got four Met HD venues in the city proper (Chicago) and a smattering in the suburbs. For bigger shows, the city ones sell out and we've found ourselves driving out to the boonies. Our favorite venue has reserved, numbered seats for all its shows, which is nice. It's already over 2/3 sold for this weekend's _Ballo_.
> 
> Sadly it looks like our one city Opera in Cinema venue has ceased operations. Surprisingly they never got big turnouts despite the large crowds Met HD gets here. There's still a venue in a nearby suburb but not nearly as convenient.


This weekend Opera in Cinema is showing _Le Nozze di Figaro_ from the ROH, and so I opted to postpone the Met's _Un Ballo in Maschero_ until January.

In Washington, DC, the best Met Live in HD venue sells out quickly. So quickly that even as a Met member and able to buy tickets during the pre-sale period with other Met members, I have found the venue full for certain performances even by the 3rd day of the pre-sale period! It means everyone in the auditorium will be a Met member living in DC!  My backup venue is about 80% full for the most popular operas, but it was about 80% full even for _The Tempest_, so go figure. A less desirable venue only 2 miles away from the second one is about 5-10% full for most shows. This is evidence of the lemming effect. I must be a lemming too as I too prefer the 80% full #2 to the 5% #3. 

There are a few Opera in Cinema venues around. Most are art-house auditoriums that have less than 50 seats in small rooms with a small screen. These are very lightly attended, perhaps a dozen for a performance. Clearly Emerging Pictures does not have the marketing muscle of the Met, and that is highly unfortunate since they have many real gems, such as the La Scala _Lohengrin_ with Jonas Kaufmann in late January and the La Scala _Siegfried_ with Nina Stemme a month ago. Like Live in HD though, Emerging Pictures doesn't control its own theaters, so different operas end up at different theaters all over this area and sometimes not in this area. For example, the nearest venue to me showing the December 16th performance of the ROH's _Cendrillon_ with Joyce DiDonato is 82 miles away!

Besides the attendance, what I find completely fascinating is the demographic! For all three Live on HD venues, the average age is well over 50yo, perhaps even 60. There was a 30+ yr old man sitting in the row in front of me pointing out to his male companion that he was the youngest person in the auditorium. I don't want to exaggerate, but I can't remember when I saw someone who clearly was young.

On the other hand, at the Opera in Cinema performances, though sparsely attended, the average age is perhaps 25-30!

How this happens is anyone's guess. I would love to understand how Emerging Pictures can market to a younger audience when clearly the Met, with all its pulling power, is clearly unable to.


----------



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Just back from the Dead in HD Tempest at my local cinema. The sound pretty much cut out in Act 3 which was VERY irritating and spoiled the experience. I think they must have got a dud version because none of the HD reviews mentioned sound problems on the night.

Apart from that I enjoyed everything about the production except for LePage's totally bewildering idea of setting it in La Scala. OK, Prospero was Duke of Milan and La Scala is in Milan, but that seems a pretty tenuous connection. Still it WAS pretty, and Keenlyside, Luna, Leonard, Schrader et al more than made up for silliness - when I could hear them properly.


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> Just back from the Dead in HD Tempest at my local cinema. The sound pretty much cut out in Act 3 which was VERY irritating and spoiled the experience. I think they must have got a dud version because none of the HD reviews mentioned sound problems on the night.
> 
> Apart from that I enjoyed everything about the production except for LePage's totally bewildering idea of setting it in La Scala. OK, Prospero was Duke of Milan and La Scala is in Milan, but that seems a pretty tenuous connection. Still it WAS pretty, and Keenlyside, Luna, Leonard, Schrader et al more than made up for silliness - when I could hear them properly.


How frustrating.


----------



## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

mamascarlatti said:


> Just back from the Dead in HD Tempest at my local cinema. The sound pretty much cut out in Act 3 which was VERY irritating and spoiled the experience. I think they must have got a dud version because none of the HD reviews mentioned sound problems on the night.


How awful for you.  Yes, when I saw it live in telecast, there were no problems with the sound in Act 3.



mamascarlatti said:


> Apart from that I enjoyed everything about the production except for LePage's totally bewildering idea of setting it in La Scala. OK, Prospero was Duke of Milan and La Scala is in Milan, but that seems a pretty tenuous connection. Still it WAS pretty, and Keenlyside, Luna, Leonard, Schrader et al more than made up for silliness - when I could hear them properly.


Actually, I liked the staging as it was a fantasy element. But I can definitely see why some might not like it.


----------



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

tyroneslothrop said:


> Actually, I liked the staging as it was a fantasy element. But I can definitely see why some might not like it.


I liked a lot of the staging too and thought that it was visually very attractive - especially the "forest" in act 2, and Ariel whirling on a chandelier. And the use of the "prompt box" for entries and exits was quite entertaining. But halfway through Act 3, when La Scala appeared, it somehow seemed a bit disconnected with what had gone on before. Although I suppose it's connected to the concept that the Tempest is about Prospero "directing" events to fulfil some kind of revenge fantasy. That's presumably why he was standing on the sidelines mouthing other people's lines all the time (when the wretched video director let you see enough of the stage to take this in).


----------



## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

mamascarlatti said:


> I liked a lot of the staging too and thought that it was visually very attractive - especially the "forest" in act 2, and *Ariel whirling on a chandelier*.


Actually, as I understood, that was not Luna, but a professional acrobat. Now we know we are no longer in the age of Lauritz Melchior when an opera director has to employ a stunt double! 

_EDIT: I should mention that from what I read, the basis of the historical La Scala was that Prospero's eviction from Milan was so traumatic for him that using sorcery, he recreate a partially phantasmagorical La Scala on the island as a symbol of what was lost. Personally, this motivates it enough for me._


----------



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

tyroneslothrop said:


> Actually, as I understood, that was not Luna, but a professional acrobat. Now we know we are no longer in the age of Lauritz Melchior when an opera director has to employ a stunt double!


Yes, Luna made that clear in the interviews. I did say Ariel not Luna.

I thought Luna moved very well while singing. She deservedly got the most applause. Her high notes sounded more pleasant on the ear than the soprano in my CD version.


----------



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

tyroneslothrop said:


> Besides the attendance, what I find completely fascinating is the demographic! For all three Live on HD venues, the average age is well over 50yo, perhaps even 60. There was a 30+ yr old man sitting in the row in front of me pointing out to his male companion that he was the youngest person in the auditorium. I don't want to exaggerate, but I can't remember when I saw someone who clearly was young.
> 
> On the other hand, at the Opera in Cinema performances, though sparsely attended, the average age is perhaps 25-30!
> 
> How this happens is anyone's guess. I would love to understand how Emerging Pictures can market to a younger audience when clearly the Met, with all its pulling power, is clearly unable to.


Ha! Yes the average age at my prime HD venue is probably well over 60 also. On occasion, I've seen a bus from a nearby retirement home out front. With all the canes, walkers, and wheel chairs, it always takes a few extra moments exiting but it says alot that they make the effort to come out for opera.

The Opera in Cinema audiences tend more toward middle age, probably more the opera connaisseur crowd. The previous city venue was on the campus of an arts-centered college and down the street from arguably our best school for voice, so it's surprising that students rarely if ever attended. I would think it would be required viewing.


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

The problem with watching opera in close-up is one of credulity, when you see over-weight tenors and ageing sopranos. I have a copy of the Met Mastersingers on DVD where the tenor would be better off being Falstaff and looks older than Sachs! Similarly, in the Don Giovanni from the same source the lead soprano looks too old. When my daughter came in in the middle of the final scene she said, 'What are those fat old men singing about?' I think if they are going to continue with broadcasts then they must give due heed to how the singers look on the screen in close-up else we might end up being the theatre of the absurd. What one can get away with in a large opera house with the audience well back, one cannot with the unforgiving close-up camera.


----------



## Yashin (Jul 22, 2011)

I am not sure it is a credibility issue more one of expecting someone "young" to sit through hours and hours of something. Most adults cannot sit through and opera without fidgeting, yawning, sleeping or hiding the fact they are desperate for a pee so expecting someone in their teens is a mistake.

In major cities with vibrant opera houses I suspect the age groups are more spread whereas in others with sporadic opera offerings it attract more middle and old age people. This could be due to cost or snobbery (those houses with strict dress codes). I think some opera houses need a more transparent booking system, more relaxed dress code and better advertising.

For some "going to the opera" is a status symbol to tell their friends on Facebook or announce that they have a discount for being "friends of X opera company". Others like myself go to enjoy, learn and support the company.


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

DavidA said:


> The problem with watching opera in close-up is one of credulity, when you see over-weight tenors and ageing sopranos. I have a copy of the Met Mastersingers on DVD where the tenor would be better off being Falstaff and looks older than Sachs! Similarly, in the Don Giovanni from the same source the lead soprano looks too old. When my daughter came in in the middle of the final scene she said, 'What are those fat old men singing about?' I think if they are going to continue with broadcasts then they must give due heed to how the singers look on the screen in close-up else we might end up being the theatre of the absurd. What one can get away with in a large opera house with the audience well back, one cannot with the unforgiving close-up camera.


This is a subject which is being discussed more & more. To enjoy opera you have to suspend belief anyway & sometimes the age & appearance of the singer makes that difficult. Operatic singing is rigorous & singers need stamina to get through a long opera so they need to be fit. They can't all be handsome/beautiful & owe it to themselves not to get overweight & to make the most of what they've got. But hopefully a beautiful voice will take precedence over a beautiful face.

Weighty issues


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

sospiro said:


> This is a subject which is being discussed more & more. To enjoy opera you have to suspend belief anyway & sometimes the age & appearance of the singer makes that difficult. Operatic singing is rigorous & singers need stamina to get through a long opera so they need to be fit. They can't all be handsome/beautiful & owe it to themselves not to get overweight & to make the most of what they've got. But hopefully a beautiful voice will take precedence over a beautiful face.
> 
> Weighty issues


Good article you attached. I remember the days when the tenor sang 'Your tiny hand is frozen' and he would be presented with something the size of a dinner plate. I know Karajan made a point of trying to get singers who at least looked something like. He said one of his operatic ambitions was to 'chase all those fat ladies off the stage'. One problem is, of course, that many roles demand maturity of voice and hence maturity of artist too. In such cases it is maybe better to just listen to a CD. However, when the voice and beauty match up, the result is delightful. For example I have a DVD of Cosi fan Tutte from Glynbourne with singers young enough (and good looking enough) to be creditable. Breathtaking!


----------

