Great News for Opera lovers in sligo

westtip

The following press release has gone out today about Live HD broadcasts of the New York Met Opera Saturday Matinees - performed live in NY City Lincoln centre at 1.00 pm local time 6.00 pm irish time - the Gaiety had been due to start broadcasting these events with the first opera Tosca four weeks ago - and Aida last Saturday - there are 7 more broadcasts being done every two weeks starting from November 7th with Puccini's Turandot - the one that includes the infamous Nessun Dorma - this is a great way to see international standard opera - and here in Sligo - If you have never tried opera - give this a go and if you are an opera fan well just enjoy!

Press ReleaseNovember 2009

Opera Live
at
GCG, Sligo


The Metropolitan Opera Live via satellite from New York for the first time to GCG, gaiety cinema group, 12 Screen Multiplex, Wine St, Sligo.
The Met Live in HD Season begins in Sligo on Saturday 7th November
with a
New Production of Puccini’s Turandot
Tickets for this are now on sale at GCG Sligo.


Following the success of the inaugural Opera Ireland presents the MET Live in HD series last season, tickets for the fourth season of the Metropolitan Opera’s popular, award-winning series of live transmissions to GCG, Sligo are on sale now. 24 hour c/c booking 1520927011, www.gaietysligo.com or office hours on 071-9162651.

Due to the phenomenal success and popularity of the first season in Ireland last year, Opera Ireland in association with RTE Lyric fm has expanded the number of venues and locations to include eleven cinemas and theatres around the country North and South. Ticket prices are €25 each.

The 2009-10 season, featuring seven live opera transmissions, opens in Sligo on Saturday, November 7th at 6pm with Maria Guleghina and Marcello Giordani in Puccini’s Turandot.

More than 900 theaters in 42 countries around the world are participating in The Met: Live in HD this season. A record number of more than 1.8 million Live in HD tickets were sold last season.



Four other new productions are featured in the series, including Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann starring Joseph Calleja in the title role, with Anna Netrebko and Alan Held; Bizet’s Carmen starring Elīna Garanča and Roberto Alagna; Natalie Dessay and Simon Keenlyside in Thomas’s Hamlet; and Rossini’s Armida starring Renée Fleming. The HD season also includes Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier with Fleming and Susan Graham; and Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra starring Plácido Domingo, singing the title role for the first time at the Met. James Levine leads four of the HD transmissions. Complete casting and details of the season’s Live in HD performances follows below.

Commenting on the expansion of the Met live series in Ireland, Niall Doyle, Chief Executive Opera Ireland stated “One of the developments of our last season was Opera Ireland’s partnership with the Metropolitan Opera bringing the spectacular Met Live in HD live opera relays from New York to Ireland for the first time. Thanks to the huge success of that initial test programme and the demand all around the country, we are delighted this season to expand to a countrywide network of 11 venues. We hope to bring a whole new audience to opera in Ireland as well as enriching the operatic menu for already committed opera fans.”

The Met: Live in HD series is made possible by a generous grant from the Neubauer Family Foundation. Bloomberg L.P. is the global corporate sponsor of The Met: Live in HD. The HD broadcasts are supported by Toll Brothers, America’s luxury home builder®.

For further information, images or to reserve your press tickets please contact:
(Paul Keenan, General Manager, GCG, gaiety cinema group, 12 Screen Multiplex, Wine St, Sligo 071-9162651)

Essexboy

Excellent news.

It will be available in other towns eg Derry, Newry also.

westtip

A full list of the other venues in Ireland can be seen at http://www.operaireland.ie/index.jsp?p=119&n=162&a=0

Its come to Sligo late as they had some trouble getting the HD and satelite equipment into the Gaeity but this is good news for opera lovers and those who want to give it a go in the sligo area. Hope the weather is ok next saturday last saturday the broadcast of Aida was slightly interupted by the bad weather system over the country - which caused some minor break up of the broadcast in the first act - but the MY MET opera has been broadcasting these HD live events now for five years so the technical side is pretty good. Fair play to the Gaiety tho for giving us this opportunity to share these live HD broadcasts here in Sligo...For anyone sceptical about opera or never tried it this is really worth it.

tedshredsonfire

2 things I would love to see opera simply because I never have but E25 is bit steep for a cinema ticket is it not and is there a dress code for the operatic cinema experiance?

westtip

tedshredsonfire wrote: »

2 things I would love to see opera simply because I never have but E25 is bit steep for a cinema ticket is it not and is there a dress code for the operatic cinema experiance?

25 euro is to see a live performance being transmitted from one of the great opera houses of the world - up there alongside La Scala Milan and Royal Opera House Covent Garden. The sound quality it tremendous, believe me the Tosca in Galway 4 weeks ago was unbelievable. don't think of it as a "cinema ticket" think of it as something different. It is worth it - believe me. In terms of dress code this is a myth - Jeans and sweatshirt is perfectly acceptable at live opera - and even more so at cinema opera - in fact if you put a tuxedo and black tie on you will look a right eejit. Dress like you were going out for the cinema - normal - In fact this applies if you happen to go to the opera pretty much anywhere - there is no supposed "dress code" for opera, this is what might put people off - its a myth that people start to believe in, Back in the 1920s and 1930s the greatest supporters of the Dublin Grand Opera Society were the workimg class of Dublin - sitting in the "Gods" at the Gaeity and booing when the tenor hit bum notes, believe me opera is not for toffs - just go discover it for yourself.

tedshredsonfire

Thanks for the info will defo get to one of them.

westtip

Good stuff and I hope you enjoy - This saturdays opera is an interesting one Turandot the final opera from the Maestro Puccini, the last act of the score was actually arranged by the famous conductor Toscanini who conducted the premier after the maestros death.

A synopsis of the opera and full cast list is here:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/uploadedFiles/MetOpera/watch_and_listen/hd_events/Turandot.pdf

Print off this .pdf for your own programme for the evening

Of course the finale of the opera contains one of the great anthems of the operatic repertoire - Nessun dorma - made so famous as his signature tune by the late great Luciano Pavorotti.

Listen to the great man sing it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr5vpHtJIlg there are several other options on You tube to listen to of the great man singing his party piece.

But there is also the great Questa Reggia to be heard by the main protaganist of the opera Turandot herself

here is a recording of one of the greats singing it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSSLtS2KUfo&feature=related

the unmistakable voice of Callas.

The final scene of the MY Met in 1988 can be viewed here - i think the Saturday show is a new production but this will give you an idea of how the NY met does "Grand Opera"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoTa-b7cUw0

Enjoy these clips and enjoy the opera if you go....

westtip

Well done the Gaiety cinema, Turandot was magnificent tonight - once they had turned the volume up on the broadcast. Great to see nearly a hundred there; I am sure the audience will build further as this great innovation in HD broadcasting picks up - looking forward to the next show on December 19th, the Tales of Hoffman.