Each year I see several high-definition broadcasts of performances by New York's Metropolitan Opera. I see them at the Sheppard Grande cinema near the Sheppard subway station. I got a Scene card so I can buy tickets in late August earlier than the regular people, while there are still good seats. (I'm glad they started selling tickets to individual seats: the good seats used to go to those who got into the auditorium first, except that some people would reserve seats for friends who hadn't yet arrived, which was unfair.)
Today I saw the Met production of Verdi's OTELLO. It's one of the truly powerful operas. Iago has a great aria in the second part, Otello in the third, Desdemona in the fourth. I found Iago's aria especially disturbing. ("I'm evil because I'm human... I've absorbed the primordial slime of existence... That's what I believe.") I also liked the dancing in the drinking number.
One problem with these showings is that some of the people see themselves as in a theatre rather than a cinema, and get angry if you make the sort of noises moviegoers are accustomed to. I've learned to only grab popcorn during breaks or applause, but once someone complained when I slurped a drink!
I used to go to the Canadian Opera Company a lot, but to tell the truth I've stopped going now that I have Met performances to go to instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment