Midway through its Metropolitan Opera season, Guadalajara’s Teatro Diana hosts The Met: Live in HD broadcast of Antonin Dvořák’s high Romantic work “Rusalka” on Saturday, February 8, noon on the big HD screen.
Soprano Renée Fleming, the undisputed reigning diva of American opera, reprises one of her signature roles in this lavish production, which marks a high point in the Met’s season. Exciting young French Canadian Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Dvořák’s soulful score.
“I love every single bar of this opera,” said Nézet-Séguin in a Met Opera online interview. “I have been a huge fan of the music of Brahms since I was 12 years old. Discovering his music led naturally to Dvořák’s, and I quickly became a Dvořák lover as well. There is just something special about Renée and Rusalka.”
Since 2006, Met Director Peter Gelb has thrilled NYC opera audiences with his dramatic revitalization of the Met’s productions. His ground-breaking and award winning project The Met: Live in HD brings live productions to cinema audiences around the world, opening world-class performances to music-lovers and newcomers alike in the most accessible settings: movie theaters. You can enjoy your usual cinema snacks, dress as you care to, and spend a Saturday afternoon being dazzled by the Met’s inimitable production style.Not only does the performance broadcast include panning shots of the arriving audience, performers preparing to go on stage and orchestra members tuning their instruments, but inserts a backstage intermission interview with singers, musicians and conductor. This weekend’s interview is led by celebrated Met soprano Susan Graham, who will take her microphone behind the curtain to chat with Fleming and her co-star, tenor Piotr Beczala.
Teatro Diana joins more than 1,900 other theaters in 64 countries around the world to bring this extraordinary cinematic experience to Guadalajara. Adding to the fun, the theatre management often includes a pre-show treat: opera goers are greeted with live chamber music by local artists in the lobby, and as always, concession stands are open pre-performance and at intermission for beverage purchases. All broadcasts are subtitled in Spanish. It’s an unbeatable experience for the 100 to 250-peso admission price.
Whether you’re an opera aficionado or you’ve never seen one in your life, the Met Live in HD broadcasts are, next to being in a freezing New York, the very best way to enjoy an informed, lively and exclusive opera performance by the most acclaimed company in North America. It just doesn’t get any better.
After this weekend’s performance, the season offers five more opportunities to catch the Met in action at Teatro Diana: Borodin’s “Prince Igor” on March 1 (the first new staging by the Met in nearly a century), Massenet’s “Werther” on March 15, Puccini’s beloved “La Bohème” on April 5, Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutti” on May 3, and Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” on May 10. All broadcasts are at 11 a.m. or at noon; check Teatro Diana’s website at www.teatrodiana.com/met2013_14/ for show times and ticket information.