Hello, all!
Back from seeing the Met’s new production of Benjamin Britten’s
Peter Grimes, projected live in HD to my local movie theatre. WOW!
Leaving the production aside for the moment: if you have any interest in opera, and can’t get to New York City, I
highly encourage you to try this out.
HERE is the link to what’s being broadcast when, and where to find the closest theatre to you.
Those of you who have HD televisions are used to the clarity and detail by now, but for me it was a real eye-opener. You could see every hair on the back of the [cute] cellist’s hand!!! Before it started, they zoomed in on an audience member reading his program, and you could actually read the synopsis out of his program!!! Plus you get comfortable, inexpensive seats, extra features and interviews before and during each intermission, and incredible close-ups and reaction shots that you’d never see from the house. They’ve obviously planned each shot and camera cue; it was incredibly dramatic and aligned to what was happening in the score. In this case, the opera was in English, but they do project the translations across the bottom of the screen.
As for Mr. Doyle – I was not impressed. His staging did NOT serve the composer or the actors well. But it didn’t dampen the effectiveness of the piece, especially viewed this way, because you got all the drama from the close-ups of the actors. Had I been sitting in the house, I doubt I would have been so moved. The Met chorus and orchestra outdid themselves, as well as Anthony Dean Griffey in the title role.
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