Intermezzo

Does cinema create new opera audiences?

The answer is a big fat NO, according to a new survey commissioned by English Touring Opera.

The study of 234 operagoers "found that 81% of cinema opera attendees were over 60 years old, with an age profile slightly older than that typically found at live opera. In addition, the study indicates that attending a cinema broadcast of opera does not regularly inspire cinema-goers to attend live opera in a theatre, with 85% of respondents reporting no increased motivation to attend live after their cinema experience."

The survey covered only London, where live opera is available virtually seven nights a week. It's possible that viewers outside the capital, with less access to the real thing, might think differently.

Nevertheless it's hard to disagree with the conclusions of ETO’s general director James Conway: “A lot has been speculated about the potential for cinema relays to create new audiences for live opera. I would love that to be the case but, as this research indicates, it may be wishful thinking."

Royal Opera House 2014 - 2015 cinema season details

We're not getting the full Royal Opera House season announcement until next week, but thanks to one of its cinema distributors [link removed at distributor's request] we at least know what they're planning to screen. Here we go: 

The official program of the Live Cinema Season 2014/15

It's opera season at the BFI

The BFI Southbank is the location for a mini-operafest in April with its programming strand Broadcasting the Arts: Opera on TV.  

Examining the way that television has covered opera over the years, it will include both individual opera productions and arts documentaries.

Unfortunately it looks for the most part like a wasted opportunity. The focus is firmly on ancient stagings, with no room for the groundbreaking likes of Channel 4's The Death of Klinghoffer  or Powder her Face. However look closely and you may just find something that isn't available on YouTube.

The full programme is:

• Callas Sings Tosca + The Southbank Show: Maria Callas Mar 31, 2014 6:00 PM
• The Tragedy of Carmen Apr 7, 2014 5:50 PM
• Don Carlo at Covent Garden Apr 12, 2014 3:45 PM
• The Magic Flute Apr 14, 2014 5:30 PM
• Tobias & the Angel + Parade – All the King's Men Apr 16, 2014 6:15 PM
• The Mikado + Source of Innocent Merriment Apr 18, 2014 2:45 PM
• Julius Caesar Apr 25, 2014 7:00 PM
• The Lively Arts: Orpheus in the Underground + Monitor: Italian Opera Company Apr 30, 2014 6:15 PM

Tickets for all go on sale from 11:30 on 11 March.

London's cheapest Met HD tickets

I haven't been to a Metropolitan Opera live cinema screening for quite a while. So I was shocked to find the going rate in London has risen to £30-£40 - about three times the price of a regular cinema ticket, and more than I generally pay for live opera. And yet they still sell out, often months in advance.

One alternative is provided by the 'Encore' screenings, rebroadcast a day or more after the live event. These are mostly priced at £20-ish, but a disadvantage for many is that they tend to be scheduled mid-day and mid-week.

For the true 'Live in HD' experience, the cheapest London tickets I can find are the Barnet Odeon's. OK, so it's a 30 minute tube ride from the centre of town (close to High Barnet station), but with seats at £15.50-£18 the prices make the journey worthwhile. And there are still plenty of tickets available, for everything.

Wagner, on screen, in London

More films have been made about Richard Wagner (and his works) than any other composer - not that you'd guess it from the peculiar dearth of Wagnerversary screenings. This is soon to be remedied.

First up is Der fliegende Holländer at the Barbican on 7 December. Joachim Herz's 1964 film (extract above) is a movie version of the opera, mimed to a soundtrack from the Gewandhaus Orchester and a host of DDR star singers. By the time he made the film, Herz had directed three different stage productions of the opera.  Instead of shooting one of these, he wanted to "create images from the music, which then act as if the music had been created from the images." The largely realistic result is interleaved with ambitious dream sequences for Senta.

On 12 January, the Barbican show Carl Fröhlich's 1913 silent movie The Life and Works of Richard Wagner with live piano accompaniment. The 100-year old film, the first screen biography of the composer, is available online without soundtrack.

Finally, the Institut français is showing Patrice Chéreau's legendary Bayreuth Ring over four nights from 20 to 23 January. The Ciné Lumière's comfortable seats and excellent cafe make it the ideal venue, but bear in mind that the stated running times on the site don't include intervals

 

Jonas Kaufmann - movie star?

Jonas Kaufmann is about to make his movie debut. He's just one of several top opera singers who join John Malkovich in the film version of his stage show The Giacomo Variations.

The 'chamber opera-play' is based on the life of Casanova and features arias by Mozart. Singing them along with Jonas are Florian Boesch, Anna Prohaska and Barbara Hannigan.

Filming took place in Lisbon over the summer. It's not clear at this stage how close the movie is to completion, or when (/if?) it will be released.