Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

Recommended Posts

Here is the line up. Operas from the last 2 or 3 seasons. It will be wonderful to see some of these again.

Madama Butterfly

June 15, 2011, 6:30 pm

Don Pasquale

June 22, 2011, 6:30 pm

Simon Boccanegra

June 29, 2011, 6:30 pm

La Fille du Régiment

July 13, 2011, 6:30 pm

Tosca

July 20, 2011, 6:30 pm

Don Carlo

July 27, 2011, 6:30 pm

Link to comment

Today I saw the HD live broadcast of Die Walkure. I'm an opera newbie, having seen my 1st opera last Dec., and this was my 1st Wagner opera. It was awesome. The movie theatre (AMC on 42nd St.) was packed.

I just want say that I'm in my 50's and am delighted to have come to another art form to enrich my life.

Link to comment

vipa, you better be careful -- this opera stuff is addictive!

I'm glad you had such a great time. Except for the first major technical difficulty I've experienced at one of these -- we missed about five minutes of Act III, including Sieglinde's beautiful lines before she runs off into the forest -- I loved Die Walkure, and I think The Machine is brilliant.

Link to comment

I too saw Die W today. I loved the signers (my God Siegmund was awesome), and the orchestra, but I predict this production will not last. I was very disappointed in Le Page's concept of this opera. I rather liked what he did with Das Rheingold, but not this time. I will remain hopeful for the next 2 operas, but my gut tells me the use of the "machine" as the foundation of the spectacle was a mistake.

Link to comment

We had to cancel at the last minute, so I missed the HD/Live performance and therefore the 45-minute delay before the curtain rose. I've seen almost all the HD/Live performances and don't recall such a problem in the past.

I was wondering how the HD/Live producers handled the 45 minutes of dead time. Did they attempt to "cover" the story on screen in some way, possibly using some of the their many cameras to show the backstage repairs? Or did they just keep running the same old repetitious promotional materials for an additional 45 minutes?

It would have been fascinating to get a chance to see the stage crew at work. On the other hand, this might be embarrassing to Le Page or to the Met's technical team.

It's interesting that the stage machinery failed at the two biggest performances of the first half-Ring season: opening night of Das Rheingold and the final performance of Die Walkure, which also happened to be the international video transmission. The Curse of Alberich, perhaps?

Link to comment
I was wondering how the HD/Live producers handled the 45 minutes of dead time. Did they attempt to "cover" the story on screen in some way, possibly using some of the their many cameras to show the backstage repairs? Or did they just keep running the same old repetitious promotional materials for an additional 45 minutes?

Someone on the tech team explained the problem during the first intermission, but beforehand, after one showing of a video on the summer season, we were just shown a graphic about that season, then a notice that the broadcast had been delayed (no reason given), then a notice that it would start in 15 minutes. I think it was more like 20 or 25 minutes before Placido Domingo came on to introduce the opera, saying nothing about the delay.

Link to comment

We also got the slide show of stills of the performers, and an announcement from the very nice theatre manager that it wasn't a problem at the theater or with the transmission.

It was The Machine : one or more censors on the planks went out. As a result, the computer couldn't tell where the planks were on the axis.

Every once in a while we've gotten blips in the transmission, but yesterday at Scotiabank Theatre we lost what felt like five minutes of audio in the first scene of Act III, and, sadly, we missed Sieglinde's gorgeous parting line to Beunnhilde, the theme that is repeated in the orchestra at the end if Götterdämmerung. We received vouchers from the theater, which was great, and we can use them for encores.

Link to comment

Sorry to hear you missed some of the audio, Helene. I'm a little surprised the Met didn't announce right away what was causing the delay, although I should have guessed. All along I was hoping Levine hadn't had to cancel at the last minute.

Link to comment
I was wondering how the HD/Live producers handled the 45 minutes of dead time. Did they attempt to "cover" the story on screen in some way, possibly using some of the their many cameras to show the backstage repairs? Or did they just keep running the same old repetitious promotional materials for an additional 45 minutes?

Someone on the tech team explained the problem during the first intermission, but beforehand, after one showing of a video on the summer season, we were just shown a graphic about that season, then a notice that the broadcast had been delayed (no reason given), then a notice that it would start in 15 minutes. I think it was more like 20 or 25 minutes before Placido Domingo came on to introduce the opera, saying nothing about the delay.

When the delay was announced a lot of people near me left for the concession stand or rest room. One person said to me I'll go now - Wagner wasn't made for modern day bladders! I didn't quite know what to make of that.

In any event the AMC concession stand did quite well from Wagner, between the delay and the intermissions.

Link to comment

When the delay was announced a lot of people near me left for the concession stand or rest room. One person said to me I'll go now - Wagner wasn't made for modern day bladders! I didn't quite know what to make of that.

In any event the AMC concession stand did quite well from Wagner, between the delay and the intermissions.

Hah! The theater I watch in sells champagne, wine and coffee, but I forgo all liquids until at least the last intermission and get my caffeine from dark chocolate.

Link to comment

Thanks for those reports. It's amazing, actually, how smoothly this HD/Live project has gone from the beginning. On the whole, that is. Satellite transmission problems have tended to be local and brief. But I can't really recall any problems within the theater itself, until this.

Ditto with the excellent National Theater transmissions from London.

To return to the topic of this thread: which reruns this summer will you be attending? I'll definitely make it to Don Carlo :clapping:, and probably to Simon Boccanegra (love the Council Chamber scene) and Mme Butterfly (for Racette and Anthony Minghella's production).

Link to comment

It's not so much of a surprise that there were issues in the theater for "Die Walkure" -- The Machine can be tetchy, and it's not a quick or easy process to get it back up and running when there's a glitch. They're still working out the kinks, which is one of the reasons many houses introduce their Ring Cycles a with at least the first two operas in the seasons before a full Ring, which the Met is doing before the full Ring in the 2012 season.

At first, I, too, wondered if Levine was okay. I'm very happy they aren't making him drag himself to the stage for curtain calls. Then I wondered if they had a very last minute singing substitute and were getting that person in costume and warmed up during the delay. I'm glad it was just mechanical issues.

I'm disappointed that I'll be out of town during both of the "Die Walkure" encores here, and they don't play the same dates in the US. I hope this eventually gets broadcast on PBS or made into a DVD. The summer encores are generally mainstream greatest hits selections. I think we are lucky to get something as serious and relatively exotic as Don Carlo, which I'll try to see.

Link to comment
To return to the topic of this thread: which reruns this summer will you be attending?

I'm planning on M. Butterfly (for the same reasons as you bart); Tosca (I'm fascinated by the character of Scarpia....loved those eyes in this production); Don Carlo (too big and grand for me to absorb in my single and only viewing).

BTW, I saw all the MetHD operas this season except "Le Comte Ory" due to having a schedule conflict on every single possible date.

Link to comment
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...