Anja Harteros, center, as Countess Almaviva, and Dorothea Roschmann, left, perform during a dress rehearsal of Mozart’s opera “Marriage of Figaro” at the Metropolitan Opera, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2003, in New York. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano)
Though Oxford is overflowing with cultural opportunities, nothing is quite so unique as what the Oxford Commons movie theater has to offer — live broadcasts of special events, such as ballets, plays and even the occasional opera.
The Metropolitan Opera in New York City began a program nine years ago to bring their productions to a larger audience; they called it The Met: Live in HD, and it brings ten live performances per season to movie theaters across the world. Karen Scott, director of marketing for Malco Theaters, said her company began offering live broadcasts like the Met’s program in response to a growing trend.
“The program is very popular and draws a wide audience,” she said. “(The program) has been well received.”
Opera isn’t for everyone, admittedly, but part of the object of The Met: Live in HD is to introduce audiences to the art form in a “low-risk” way.
The broadcast tickets are a fraction of the cost of a live Metropolitan Opera production, but audiences can still enjoy the incredible talent of some of the world’s best opera singers in one of its most excellent opera houses. The casual atmosphere of the movie theater encourages opera-goers to relax and enjoy the performance, and the Met chooses operas for its HD season that are popular and entertaining to attract a wide range of attendees.
This season opened Saturday with a broadcast of Verdi’s “Macbeth.” Though the crowd was small, only fifteen to twenty people, the audience was no less enthusiastic because of its size.
People applauded when the conductor entered the orchestra pit, whistled appreciation when soprano Anna Netrebko completed the “mad scene” aria of Lady Macbeth and laughed congenially at the backstage antics of the singers during interviews, who surely had to do something to alleviate the weighty grimness of the tragic opera.
Ashleigh Clark, Chinese major at Ole Miss and a member of the Women’s Glee and Concert Singers choirs, attends Met broadcasts a few times a season. Her musical background contributes in part to her enjoyment of opera, but she also credited her continued attendance with the accessibility of Met productions.
“The operas are staged for modern audiences,” Clark said. “They’re compelling and current, not boring and stuffy like some people think opera is. I can get my fix for drama and hilarity with opera, and now, I can get it in a small town theater.”
Indeed, the Met has presented some interesting visions of classic operas. Last year saw a production of “Rigoletto” set in 1960s Las Vegas, as opposed to its original 16th century Mantua, Italy. This staging wasn’t universally popular with opera fans, but it garnered good reviews and proved opera could be new.
Additionally, the Met isn’t afraid to stray from the old standards of opera — they regularly produce works by modern composers, like “Two Boys” by American composer Nico Muhly, first performed in 2011.
The program does more than bring opera to the masses, however.
“The ‘Live in HD’ events are enhanced by specially produced features that offer audiences a look behind the scenes,” said The Met: Live in HD’s website. “These include live interviews with singers, directors, designers and stage technicians, as well as documentaries and other short features.”
Nine more operas will be shown at the Oxford Commons from now through April of next year. The next one is an absolute classic — Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” a comedic tale of a barber and his bride that has entertained audiences for hundreds of years. If people in 2014 can laugh at the same jokes as people in 1786, the Met must be doing something right.
“The Marriage of Figaro” will show Oct. 18 at 11:55 a.m. at the Oxford Commons.
