Met Opera movie theater broadcasts, 2008-2009

knight66 · October 08, 2008, 01:56:26 PM

Well, don't go posting nudies of that Minotaur; great hairy thing.

I do admire your questing; no resting on your laurels and putting your feet up to The Merry Widow. Do give us reports IDC.

Mike

bhodges · October 08, 2008, 02:03:17 PM

I admire the questing, too. Lis, I'm especially interested in that Birtwistle, which got pretty much raves all over.

--Bruce

Brünnhilde forever · October 08, 2008, 02:08:58 PM

Ach! What I won't do for my friends! I already had the Castor and Pollux Act I in the machine, but not pushed the 'play' button yet, when your post arrived. I took off the Castor disc and put in the Mineotaur, as per request!

I shall return and report!

knight66 · October 08, 2008, 02:10:26 PM

She just lives for her friends that one. A life of self sacrifice on behalf of Bruce and me. Humbling really.

Mike

knight66 · October 08, 2008, 03:06:50 PM

Sarastro linked this site elsewhere. Here is a trailer for the Birtwistle.

http://www.roh.org.uk/video/

Mike

Brünnhilde forever · October 08, 2008, 03:55:23 PM

Mike, that trailer shows Don Giovanni, no Birtwistle.

But I just finished watching the first act and have to take time out to be able to sleep tonight. Mike, take your son David to the performance, he'll love it!

Music is tremendous, loud, dramatic, love it, but oy vai, all that blood! I just might join the vegetarians for a few days, weeks, months.

But Tomlinson is not frighening at all, in fact he is the least frightening thing on stage, except Ariadne of course, kind of on the cuddly side. Please keep in mind, these are very fresh impressions, straight away from the monitor, no time to digest or recover.

I'll have a banana for supper, a feature of the Minotaur gave me the idea. - he he he

Wendell_E · October 09, 2008, 03:00:46 AM

Unfortunately, HD theatre viewers will be getting a censored version:

Why the Met won't show Karita Mattila naked in the HD broadcast of 'Salome'

Quote"You'll see the camera pan away from her as she does the dance," a Met spokesman told Culture Monster. "Either it will pan discreetly away to the audience, or it will do a close-up of her face."

The decision not to show the nudity came from Met general manager Peter Gelb, who, the spokesman said, "decided early on that the 'Salome' broadcast would not feature nudity."

The spokesman added that the Met markets its HD broadcasts as family-friendly events and that Gelb and the creative team are treating the scene in a way that is sensitive to the artists while still being true to the original piece.

What, I ask you, is more "family-friendly" than breasts?

knight66 · October 09, 2008, 11:34:27 AM

Salome, with its pervy storyline and bloodletting culminating in a necrophiliac finale does not seem too much like a family friendly opera. Mere breasts are the least of it.

Mike

bhodges · October 09, 2008, 11:42:03 AM

That is exactly what has been running through my mind ever since yesterday, when I found out they are going to cut away during the nude scene. And "scene" is almost inaccurate, since she's nude for barely two seconds.

--Bruce

Brünnhilde forever · October 09, 2008, 11:59:30 AM

And you actually pay good money for this censored edition of a great Richard Strauss opera? Have you written to the prude Mr. Gelb and told him to . . . . never mind, he wouldn't get to read your letter anyhow.

I'll spend my afternoon watching the uncensored production of Minotaur. I paid not quite $30. and can watch it any time I want, and drink my bubbly without worrying about the bloke next to me! Now that's living, my Lovelies!!

bhodges · October 09, 2008, 12:03:12 PM

Quote from: Brünnhilde forever on October 09, 2008, 11:59:30 AM
And you actually pay good money for this censored edition of a great Richard Strauss opera? Have you written to the prude Mr. Gelb and told him to . . . . never mind, he wouldn't get to read your letter anyhow.

I'll spend my afternoon watching the uncensored production of Minotaur. I paid not quite $30. and can watch it any time I want, and drink my bubbly without worrying about the bloke next to me! Now that's living, my Lovelies!!

The Birtwistle looks great. I was just in Virgin awhile ago (bought the Met Peter Grimes) and forgot to see if they have it yet.

--Bruce

Brünnhilde forever · October 09, 2008, 12:16:44 PM

A picture of the Minotaur where you can see most of Tomlinson's face:

Sarastro · October 09, 2008, 11:50:39 PM

Quote from: bhodges on October 08, 2008, 10:55:25 AM
Salome this Saturday

A friend of mine had been there (live) and told me it was so so.

knight66 · October 10, 2008, 09:38:25 AM

What exactly was it that was so so? The bits I will get to see, or the bits I will not get to see. Also, is your friend's opinion worth paying attention to?

Whether or not, the money is committed, we will be going....and so so will not cut it.

Mike

bhodges · October 10, 2008, 09:50:17 AM

Quote from: Sarastro on October 09, 2008, 11:50:39 PM
A friend of mine had been there (live) and told me it was so so.

Interesting...I wonder if he saw one of the first performances in the run? Patrick Summers, the conductor, took over for an ill Mikko Franck at the last minute and (so I heard) didn't really hit his stride for the first couple of performances. But now I've been hearing nothing but great reports, at least for the musical values. Some don't like Jürgen Flimm's production (I do), which of course is another matter.

From today's New York Times: "[Mattila's] singing of the daunting final scene is a tour de force of depraved eroticism and rapturous lyricism. With the director Jürgen Flimm's arresting modern-dress production, Patrick Summers's vigorous conducting and a supporting strong cast, this Salome comes across once more as a landmark for the Met."

--Bruce

knight66 · October 10, 2008, 10:21:54 AM

From today's New York Times: "[Mattila's] singing of the daunting final scene is a tour de force of depraved eroticism and rapturous lyricism

To preserve family-friendly viewing, perhaps the camera will stick to a view of the Chagal for an hour and 40.

Mike

Wanderer · October 10, 2008, 10:50:49 AM

Quote from: knight on October 10, 2008, 10:21:54 AM
To preserve family-friendly viewing, perhaps the camera will stick to a view of the Chagal for an hour and 40.

Or this:

(but maybe not this:)

Sarastro · October 10, 2008, 11:36:46 AM

Quote from: bhodges on October 10, 2008, 09:50:17 AM
Interesting...I wonder if he saw one of the first performances in the run?

As I wrote, she was there last Saturday, Oct. 4th. She said that the voices were great, but the production featured a lot of unnecessary fuss and was very dull. So, the overall impression is ambivalent but leaning more to "so so" - not bad but not extremely exciting.
Of course, people are different, but I more or less trust the friend. I'd like to see it myself, but since I moved far away from LA area and have a class meeting that day, I will miss the telecast.

Anyone knows if they are going to run any online podcasts?

Sarastro · October 10, 2008, 10:34:11 PM

That is how it is going to look like, I believe:

knight66 · October 10, 2008, 11:24:49 PM

But only in the theatre. I, in my cinema seat, will not have my eyes sullied. My wife will be spared her blushes. We will only get Salome kissing the decapatated bloody head; and as I am sure we all agree, that is a much less egregious and shocking exposure for the Family Audience to cope with.

She looks just fine; but worth unto half the kingdom?

I hope there are some good whistle-along tunes.

Covent Garden did something similar with their Rigoletto outdoor screening. The orgy scene was filmed to exclude the simulated sex, we watched reaction shots instead. They also were obviously simulated.

Mike