Culture Fiend

Poll: Do You Like Watching Opera in Movie Theaters and Arenas?

Arts organizations are turning to HD broadcasts to reach new audiences. Is it working?

Posted by: Laura Dannen on May 08, 2012 at 10:00AM 1 Comments

Image courtesy Seattle Opera.

SO’s free Madama Butterfly simulcast drew more than 5,000 people to KeyArena. Were you there?

Ever since the Metropolitan Opera set the standard for simulcasting with its Live in HD broadcasts—and made more than a little money doing so—arts organizations around the world have been getting tech savvy. Lincoln Center beamed Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Colbert, and the cast of Company into movie theaters around the world last summer, taking the rarefied air out of a limited four-night run. The Berliner Philharmoniker maintains a digital concert hall, and Seattle’s On the Boards uses multiple HD cameras to film its experimental theater, creating a whole new kind of art for ontheboards.tv.

We can experience the Bolshoi Ballet and London’s National Theatre for a third of the price at SIFF Cinema—and just this weekend, Seattle Opera entered the HD arena with its first-ever (free!) simulcast, of opening night of Madama Butterfly.

Let’s call it what it is: a democratization of high art. The Groundling pit at the Globe Theatre. And I’m a proud Groundling. I would never say these broadcasts replace the thrill of a live performance, but have you heard Dolby digital sound these days? With the help of high-quality cameras and sound equipment, life (in HD) looks fantastic; it offers an extreme close-up of the opera, the ballet, and the theater, and a chance to travel when budget and schedule don’t allow it. Plus, the broadcasts will (hopefully) attract that all-too-elusive “new audience” simply by being more accessible.

But some people fear the digital boom is the undoing of art itself. In Zachary Woolfe’s The Screen Can’t Hear When You Yell ‘Bravo’ in this Sunday’s New York Times, critic Marcel Prawy is quoted saying, “Opera in general can only be properly enjoyed when audience, orchestra, and stage form a compact community.” Woolfe then adds: “An image, in high-definition, 3-D or any other permutation, creates only the illusion of intimacy. It is a cooler, more detached art form.”

What do you think? Did you see the Madama Butterfly simulcast at KeyArena last weekend? Is simulcasting just a trend, or a way to save the arts?

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Tags: Opera, Met Live in HD

The Met Opera’s Ring Cycle Hits the Big Screen

See all four operas and a behind-the-scenes documentary at area cineplexes.

Posted by: Seth Sommerfeld on May 02, 2012 at 11:00AM 1 Comments

A scene from the Met’s production of Das Rheingold.

Photo: Courtesy Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

Nothing compares to Wagner’s epic Ring cycle. The four-opera, 16-hour drama centers around a ring of power (and it predates that other famous ring-based saga some guy named Tolkien wrote by more than 50 years), with a monumental cast of mythic creatures: heroes, gods, giants, dragons. To stage the entire cycle usually takes a full week—in part, to give its stars a chance to catch their breath; Seattle Opera’s famed Ring cycle only comes around once every few years. (It returns in 2013.)

After two decades away from The Ring, the Metropolitan Opera decided to tackle Wagner’s opus again in 2010 with its most ambitious staging yet—a production five years in the making. Lucky for us, the Met: Live in HD series will give Seattleites a chance to see encore performances in HD glory on the big screen. The entire cycle will be screened over nine days (May 9–19). Additionally, the series will feature Wagner’s Dream, a documentary about the Met’s extensive preproduction, including the manipulation of a 90,000-pound set nicknamed “The Machine.”

The Met: Live in HD productions will be screened at Thorton Place Stadium and AMC Oak Tree 6, as well as other local cinemas. Tickets are $13–$18 for each screening.

Here’s the full cycle schedule:

Wagner’s Dream
May 7 at 6:30

Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold)
May 9 at 6:30

Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)
May 14 at 6:30

Siegfried
May 16 at 6:30

Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)
May 19 at noon

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Tags: Opera, Met Live in HD

The Vocal Stylings of Attila the Hun

He can sing, he can sack countries.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jan 10, 2012 at 09:30AM 0 Comments

Image courtesy Rozarii Lynch (foreground) / Yossi Zwecker and Israeli Opera (background)

John Relyea sings the title role in SO’s Attila.

We fancy the king of the Huns a bass-baritone—so John Relyea is well suited to lead the hordes as they sack Italy in Seattle Opera’s upcoming production of Verdi’s Attila. The Toronto native has already impressed local audiences as a tragicomic hero (Don in 2011’s Don Quixote) and a sadist (Bluebeard in 2009’s Bluebeard’s Castle); this year he’ll further test his talents as a conqueror (Attila) and a servant (Leporello in the Met’s Don Giovanni).

Seattle Opera’s Attila
McCaw Hall, Jan 14–28

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Tags: Opera, Classical and More, Seattle Opera, McCaw Hall

Opera in the Park with Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra

The young musicians give old works new life.

Posted by: Julia Scherzinger on Jul 12, 2011 at 12:30PM 0 Comments

Photo courtesy Google Earth / examiner.com

Will wood nymphs and frat boys join the Greek chorus at UW’s Sylvan Grove Theater?

Seattle opera aficionados have to endure this summer’s brief dry spell, devoid of Verdi or Wagner, counting the weeks until Porgy and Bess begins. It’s the perfect time for a group of rising sopranos to step in. Beginning this Friday, University of Washington’s Vespertine Opera Theater, accompanied by the fresh-faced Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, will perform Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Gustav Holst’s Savitri at UW’s Sylvan Grove Theater.

Dido and Aeneas, a three-act based on Virgil’s Aeneid, and Savitri, taken from an Indian text written in the eighth century BC, are both ancient stories of love and tragedy given new life by the young performers. Opera director Dan Miller chose Savitri, in part, because he could experiment with the setting. The chamber opera was written for smaller venues or outdoor performances, so the Grove’s lush stage—nestled within a cluster of oak trees, with four freestanding Ionian columns as backdrop—is ideal.

The setting may be green, but not so for the roster of classically trained performers: UW vocal music program graduates or students who’ve trained with local masters. To wit: Soprano Nataly Wickham, who’ll sing the role of Dido, has worked with Seattle Opera grande dame Jane Eaglen. “We’re putting forth all of the most talented young musicians we can find in Seattle to do this show,” Miller said.

The cast will be accompanied by the equally promising Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra: a group of 25-plus musicians mostly in their twenties, graduates of Juilliard and music conservatories across the country, led by founder and conductor Geoffrey Larson (age 24). Despite having only two years under its belt, SMCO has already played Benaroya Hall and is gearing up for its first world premiere in October. This is the orchestra’s first opera performance, but the score fits into its regular repertoire of small, intimate works.

Larson believes the youth of the musicians gives fresh energy to the music. “It’s so exciting because the music is served by people who are experiencing it for the first time—people who aren’t bored by the music. People who aren’t bored by anything.”

Dido and Aeneas and Savitri will be performed July 15, 20, and 23 at 8pm in the Sylvan Grove Theatre on the UW campus. Tickets are $20 general admission or $15 for students and seniors, available at brownpapertickets.com.

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Tags: University District, Opera, Outdoor Performance

Queen of the Night: Q&A with The Magic Flute’s Emily Hindrichs

Posted by: Annie Rose Favreau on May 04, 2011 at 10:05AM 0 Comments

Photo courtesy Richard Hubert Smith.

Louisiana native Emily Hindrichs makes her Seattle Opera debut as Queen of the Night.

When Mozart’s fairy tale The Magic Flute opens at McCaw Hall this Saturday, soprano Emily Hindrichs will make her Seattle Opera debut as the infamous Queen of the Night. (The part is shared with Mari Moriya, another SO newcomer.) Hindrichs is no stranger to the role: By 2012, the former SO Young Artist will have played the Queen in England, New Orleans, Mississippi, Seattle, Syracuse, and Germany. She took a few minutes from a hectic opening-week schedule to talk opera villains and Cupcake Royale.

The Queen of the Night was your first major role [in 2004 at the University of Southern Mississippi]. How has your understanding of the role changed, from that first performance to this one?

When I first played the Queen, I wasn’t confident enough to seek the non-obvious choices. She was powerful and dark, but there was no chink in her armor… In this production, she’s more sensitive, more vulnerable than I’ve ever played her before. It allows the audience to empathize with her, instead of seeing her as manipulative and vengeful from the get-go. It also makes the transformation into venom and rage even more effective.

What’s different or surprising about this production of The Magic Flute?

Zandra [Rhode’s] costumes are some of the most creative and beautiful I’ve ever seen. I’m completely in love with the animals she designed—watch for the emu, she’s my favorite. What’s surprising is the amount of depth [director] Chris Alexander has been able to execute in such a short period of time. His knowledge and understanding of the characters has allowed us to build more complex relationships.

When you’re performing in Seattle, do you get the chance to explore the city?

My best friend says I like to eat my way through a city, and Seattle is no different. I’m a longtime devotee of Cupcake Royale (the Ballard shop is my favorite) and I’m trying to work my way through all of Tom Douglas’s new restaurants. I’m hoping to make a trip out to Woodinville to visit the wineries while the weather is still nice.

Any behind-the-scenes details we should look for?

There’s a very festive prop in Act II—you’ll know it when you see it!

Seattle Opera’s The Magic Flute is at McCaw Hall from May 7–21. For more from Hindrichs, check Seattle Opera’s blog at seattleopera.blogspot.com.

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Tags: Interview, Opera

Opera in the End Zone

Two legends-in-the-making rocked Qwest during the Seahawks-Saints game.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jan 11, 2011 at 10:00AM 1 Comments

Marshawn Lynch’s 67-yard-touchdown run is already the stuff of legend. A guy in the elevator yesterday insisted Lynch tossed eight men single-handedly. (From my seat in row EE, somewhere in the lower stratosphere, it looked more like six. ) Some say Lynch used magic, Hogwarts style. And Seahawks fans went so freakin’ insane when he scored, it registered as a small earthquake in Seattle. Not to mention the three false starts the 12th Man already caused by drowning out audibles with a constant “AHHHHHHHHHH.”

It was one of the finest runs in football playoff history, and one of the most amazing sporting events I’d ever been to. But you kind of knew the day was going to be epic when the national anthem got people fired up—I’m not talking about the usual handful of people around you half-mumbling, but everyone singing. Credit Lawrence Brownlee, a rising opera tenor who got his start in Seattle Opera’s Young Artists program, and returns this weekend as love-struck Count Almaviva in SO’s The Barber of Seville. Brownlee stepped up to the mic at Qwest Field and absolutely owned the “Star-Spangled Banner”—confident, with clear intonation, a purity you rarely hear over loudspeakers. He’s also a local legend of sorts, having been known to hit a high F above high C in his last Seattle appearance, I Puritani in 2008, which is the aural equivalent of Lynch’s touchdown run. Brownlee’s cameo was enough to get me to the opera this weekend—if you were equally impressed, tickets are on sale now for performances January 15-29.

Here’s a little taste of another star from Saturday’s game (from May 2010):

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Tags: Sports, Opera, Classical and More, Classical and More, Seahawks

Summer Encore: The Met Live in HD

Enjoy a reprise of the 2010 season as six operas screen at theaters around the country.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jun 15, 2010 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

Elina Garanca stars in Carmen. Photo courtesy Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera.

The Metropolitan Opera reprises its popular Live in HD series this summer with encore screenings of six of past seasons’ productions, including the Zeffirelli staging of Turandot and Richard Eyre’s darker, “shock and awe” direction of Carmen. Tickets sell out quickly, so plan ahead.

Verdi’s Aida
Wednesday, June 16, 6:30pm
Violeta Urmana sings the title role of the enslaved Ethiopian princess, with Dolora Zajick as Amneris, and Johan Botha as Radamès. Daniele Gatti conducts.

Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette
Wednesday, June 23, 6:30pm
Anna Netrebko and Roberto Alagna star as the doomed lovers with famed tenor Plácido Domingo conducting.

Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin
Wednesday, July 7, at 6:30pm
Renée Fleming is Tatiana, Ramón Vargas is Lenski, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky stars in the title role of Tchaikovsky’s adaptation of Pushkin’s novel in verse. Conducted by Valery Gergiev.

Puccini’s La Bohème
Wednesday, July 14, 6:30pm
Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production features Angela Gheorghiu as Mimì, Ramón Vargas as Rodolfo, Ainhoa Arteta as Musetta, and Ludovic Tézier as Marcello. Nicola Luisotti conducts.

Puccini’s Turandot
Wednesday, July 21, 6:30pm
Puccini’s final opera stars Maria Guleghina as Turandot and Marcello Giordani as Calàf. Andris Nelsons conducts Franco Zeffirelli’s production.

Bizet’s Carmen
Wednesday, July 28, 6:30pm
Richard Eyre’s acclaimed new production is conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Elīna Garanča seduces as the titular gypsy, and Roberto Alagna costars in one of the most popular HD transmissions to date.

For tickets ($19), go to metopera.org/hdlive. The films screen in Redmond, Lynnwood, Kent, Federal Way, Auburn, Olympia, and at Southcenter AMC and Pacific Place in Seattle.

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Tags: Opera, Classical and More, Met Live in HD