I happened to mention to my next door neighbour this afternoon about wanting to go to an opera. She said that she was going to her first one tomorrow. Well, how strange. La Traviata. No dress code. But, alas, Trafalgar Square and I just won't go to Central London these days. Now I have googled the event I see that it is in a series and actually on a big screen so - I am not sure how it works - is it beamed across live? - it presumably wouldn't be the same. But I thought I would be post the details nevertheless in case other people would like to go.
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You don't have to go to central London to see this. There are 'big screens' all over the country:Originally posted by Lat-Literal View Post
Aberdeen, Duthie Park | Bradford, City Park | Brighton Marina | Bristol, Millennium Square | Coventry, Warwick University, The Piazza | Hammersmith, Lyric Square | Hull, UK City of Culture, Zebedee's Yard | London, Trafalgar Square | Newcastle, NE1's Screen on the Green, Old Eldon Square | Portsmouth, Guildhall Square | Swansea, Castle Square | Woolwich, General Gordon Square | Castle Howard, York
And, yes it is beamed live. The Opera House have been doing these screenings for years. The main London screen used to be in the piazza in Covent Garden, but in recent years they have moved to Trafalgar Square, presumably because this allows more people to watch the performance.
On occasion, the singers also do an additional 'curtain call' in Trafalgar Square after the performance.
Interestingly, the Vienna State Opera has a permanent screen set up on Karntner Strasse, on which every performance is shown live, and anyone can sit outside and watch that evening's performance for free."I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square."
Lady Bracknell The importance of Being Earnest -
Not sure what the Trafalgar Sq event is all that high-profile?
Cinemas up and down the UK live stream opera / theatre........been doing it for years. Perfs are usually genuinely live, not 'as live' i.e. recorded.
If you live as far away from 'centres' as some do, then these live streaming events are a godsend.Comment
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Originally posted by DracoM View Post
- given the weather forecast, a Cinema showing will probably be a wiser option than an outdoor event.
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][I][B]Numquam Satis![/B][/I][/FONT]Comment
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I saw Mozart's 'Idomeneo, King of Crete' when it was performed at La Scala, Milan on the big screens placed in the centre of the Galleria Vittoria Emanuele II when, iirc, Daniel Harding conducted it on the opening night. It was very well attended with the Milanese ladies well wrapped up in mink. Only slightly marred by some English football 'fans' attempting to 'sing' along.
Not my favourite Mozart opera but a memory to treasure.Comment
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Did the 'football fans' sing as well as the England national team perform on the pitch, because if so, it would have been pretty dire all round.Comment
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I was so taken with Jaho as Madama Butterfly, I went to see it in the cinema broadcast - and found it very rewarding posts #2 and #5 :
I think having the closed auditorium of a cinema puts a ROH streaming ahead of live in a Piazza, "en masse" event (never been able to understand the appeal of arena/rock field/open air concerts - other than as a "day at the races" type of one-off experience). But if the Piazza free streaming appeals to you, well we can all make our choices......Comment
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I didn't see anyone from La Scala asking them to audition but I did see the local carabinieri moving in on them so perhaps they wanted to take the fans to the stazione for an encore...Originally posted by DracoM View PostComment
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Originally posted by Cockney Sparrow View Post - having been rained upon, chilled (in a bad way), sunburnt, and pestered by a variety of flying insects at outdoor Musical and Theatrical productions regularly in my twenties and thrities, I long ago decided that England just didn't have the requisite climate for such events.
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][I][B]Numquam Satis![/B][/I][/FONT]Comment
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Very interesting and helpful comments for which many thanks.
My best bet then - sometime - would be Brighton Marina unless I should ever find myself again in York.
I like the idea of it - but, also, a screen is not quite an opera.Comment
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A bit more background, for those who are interested.
These big screen live relays actually predate the live showings in cinemas that are all the rage now.
According to the Opera House site:
"The Royal Opera House has been screening free live performances on big screens since 1987 and through the years the popularity of these events has grown and grown from a thousand in Covent Garden Piazza to well over 27,000 across the UK"
When they started, the screenings were only shown in the piazza, but the advent of streaming technology has allowed them to be shown in multiple squares and parks across the country. BP have sponsored the screenings since 2000, and there are usually about 4 performances shown in this way each year, in addition to the broadcasts in cinemas. Some of the 'big screenings' have also been streamed live on the ROH youtube channel."I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square."
Lady Bracknell The importance of Being EarnestComment
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In case anyone is interested, the latest BP big screen broadcast from the Opera House, Turandot, was also streamed live to YouTube, and is available for viewing for free on the Royal Opera House YouTube channel for the next 30 days."I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square."
Lady Bracknell The importance of Being EarnestComment
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