Opera Across the Waves

Opera Across The Waves
will trace the roots of today’s phenomenon of opera in cinemas to the years
1890-1930, when New York emerged as a global operatic centre. It will show
how the Met took the initiative and used the new developments in
transatlantic travel, the recording industry and radio broadcasting, before
going on to consider how – by embracing the potential of new technologies –
audiences are able to experience this extraordinary and overwhelming art
form in their own homes, on the move and at the local cinemas. As explored
in the feature, the Met was the first arts institution to take advantage of
the development in satellites, making it possible to broadcast opera live
around the world and spawning a whole new industry of ‘event’ cinema.

The programme will feature contributions from Peter Gelb (General Manager
of the Metropolitan Opera), Kasper Holten (outgoing Director of Opera at
the Royal Opera House), Mark Schubin (Engineer-in-Charge at the
Metropolitan Opera), Barrie Kosky (opera director), Stuart Skelton (tenor),
Gundula Kreuzer (musicologist, Yale) and Ben Walton (musicologist,
Cambridge).

Opera Across the Waves
will air a matter of weeks before The Met celebrates the 50th anniversary
of its move to the Lincoln Center. Opening its doors for the first time
with the world premiere of Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra,
starring Leontyne Price and Justino DÌaz, The New York Times declared the
opening of the new opera house a “crescendo of splendor” and a new era of
theatrical possibility was born.

On 7 May 2017, the fully-staged Gala that celebrates the occasion will pay
tribute to the company’s storied past and look ahead to the future, with
some artists previewing roles they will perform in upcoming Met seasons.
The Gala will include performances from many of the company’s most
prominent singers including Piotr Becza?a, Ben Bliss, Stephanie Blythe,
Joseph Calleja, Javier Camarena, Dwayne Croft, Diana Damrau, David Daniels,
Joyce DiDonato, Pl·cido Domingo, Yusif Eyvazov, Michael Fabiano, RenÈe
Fleming, Juan Diego FlÛrez, Ferruccio Furlanetto, El?na Garan?a, Susan
Graham, Vittorio Grigolo, Christopher Job, Mariusz Kwiecien, Isabel
Leonard, éeljko Lu?i?, Angela Meade, Latonia Moore, James Morris, Anna
Netrebko, Kristine Opolais, Eric Owens, RenÈ Pape, Matthew Polenzani,
Rolando VillazÛn, Michael Volle, Yunpeng Wang, Pretty Yende, Sonya Yoncheva
and Dolora Zajick.