Finally checked out a Met opera at Pittsburgh Mills Cinemark theater.
Here's the skinny: the operas are usually shown on one screen, which sells out. The audience is mostly very nice, cultured elderly folks. Outside of a couple who looked to be in their late 30s, I was the youngest person in the theater by a good four decades. The old people start lining up AN HOUR IN ADVANCE, and then sit through the four-hour show. These folks are NOT kidding around...! Saturday's show was Lucia di Lammermoor starring the world-famous Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon. Probably due to their star power, the Cinemark sold so many tickets they added a second screen, which turned out well-- the first screen room was pretty packed, and the second theater was about half-full.
Seeing the opera live from the Met was stunning. The picture and sound quality are quite good. Although there were a couple minutes where technical difficulties knocked out the picture, missing 5 minutes of a 4-hour opera was not a big deal.
I can't overstate how much seeing it live added to the enjoyment. You're witnessing a live performance and all the unexpected moments and magic that may result. On Saturday, star tenor Rolando Villazon-- the guy everyone came to see-- was sick! So, in circumstances that have given many stars their first break, Polish tenor Piotr Beczala was rounded up last-minute and did a wonderful job. It's a performance unlikely to end up on DVD, and we saw it all live. The camera follows the audience in New York shuffling in and taking their seats, and a host (this time, opera star Natalie Dessay) takes you backstage during intermissions. I felt like I was not only there, but given the VIP tour...! I know, I'm sounding like a bad commercial.
For some reason, seeing opera in a movie theater changes the rules of audience etiquette. Patrons brought sandwiches wrapped in foil, drinks and even thermoses. People fell asleep, snored, and made occasionally loud comments... but somehow I didn't mind. In a concert hall, most of this would be unacceptable, but at the movies, it all became part of the experience. The audience clapped after arias. These weren't annoying strangers snoring and talking-- these were my people, the few dozen individuals in the entire Pittsburgh area who care enough about opera to assemble for this performance.
How was the opera? Great, if not life-changing. Anna Netrebko isn't the biggest star in opera for nothing, and she lit up the screen with her looks, voice, and presence. The sets would not be out of place in a Hollywood blockbuster. Professional critics seemed unimpressed ("Netrebko and Villazon Disappoint in Met's Lucia", etc.), but screw 'em. This was world-class opera that only professional opera-watchers could find fault with.
4/5 Duchamps
Classical Music and Nature
5 years ago
