In Reply to: "He is very much against beaming opera to cinemas" posted by Chris from Lafayette on November 14, 2016 at 15:44:08:
I wouldn't call him elitist given the context of the entire interview. He is very concerned with the eauthenticity of the experience of opera however.
Many points are covered which I cannot precis here. His point on this subject is that the fundamental experience of opera involves the sound of an unamplified voice or voices in a specific space. This can only take place in the opera house itself. Outside of this you are not really experiencing opera. The risk is that the opera house will be turned into a kind of TV studio and that the art itself is eventually killed. He did say that he is pleased that such transmissions bring enjoyment to thousands of people but that this is not the same as the experience intended.
I am in agreement with his concern that the house may be turned into a TV studio. Ultimately the TV and not the opera director will begin to call the shots thus intefering with the opera production itself ( "you can't do that as it interferes with the camera angles" etc). I have already experienced the power of broadcasters over the event itself when I had to sit in a silent Royal Albert Hall for nearly an hour before a Prom could start because a cricket match had not finished in time on one of the BBC's channels that was also taking the Prom.
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Follow Ups
- RE: "He is very much against beaming opera to cinemas" - PAR 01:15:21 11/15/16 (1)
- RE: "He is very much against beaming opera to cinemas" - Travis 08:31:51 11/15/16 (0)