Coming soon to a theater near you
So how about that news from the Met that they’re going to transmit performances into movie theaters? Personally, I think it’s a neat idea, even though I’m not really a huge fan of opera on screen; for me, it’s just close enough to live performance to make me wish I were watching a live performance. And I kind of wish they’d picked a different lineup of operas to broadcast. I’m curious about The First Emperor, but it would’ve been nice to see Orfeo ed Euridice (even, alas, without Lorraine Hunt Lieberson) on the list. All that said, however, it’ll be interesting to see how a live performance on a big screen with an audience compares to the PBS opera broadcasts of my youth, watched on the small screen at our kitchen table.
And speaking of things opera-related, my thoughts on the Opera Company of Philadelphia‘s upcoming season are: Yes to La Cenerentola and Falstaff; likely Porgy and Bess; probably not La Bohème unless I hear particularly good things about it. I may check out Temple University Opera Theater’s production of Les Contes d’Hoffman in November if I have time.
(Oh. And Zadie Smith is coming to town and giving a reading next week! Not a musical event, but it made me happy even so.)
Hey Amanda,
Just saw a short but glowing review in the Sundary New York Times of a new CD, “Peter Lieberson: ‘Rilke Songs,’ “The Six Realms,’ Horn Concerto,” which has Lieberson’s late wife, Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson, singing on it. Thought of you when I saw it–and also thought, “Ooh, I want this.”
BTW, (despite the mouse in the house) sounds like you are settling in well in Philly. That’s wonderful to hear, too, that you’ve got a job at Swarthmore. Me? I’m way busier than I’ve been in a long time, but it’s all good, ’cause this is what I’ve been wanting to do for a while (immerse myself in LIS).
All best,
Patricia
This is interesting news. I would have really appreciated this about ten years ago, when I was living in south georgia. I listened to the radio broadcasts religiously in those days, far more so than I do now. I didn’t get any sense from the story I read, how many theaters would be participating in this. I have a hard time believing that there will really be that much demand for this, even in a place like charlottesville, let alone rural georgia.
Maybe I’m being too pessimistic?
Glad to see you are blogging again.