The Metropolitan Opera ramped up its second season of live and encore HD telecasts to designated movie theaters throughout North America, Europe and Asia last weekend (Dec. 15).
The New York City public school system will take part in this season’s simulcasts, with at least one designated school in each of the city’s five boroughs carrying the live and repeat HD feeds. About a month after each closed circuit telecast, the performances will be made available on a PPV basis on the iN Demand network (HD Notebook, Nov. 28, 2007).
The Met’s first presentation in its second season of “Live in HD” from Lincoln Center in Manhattan was “Romeo et Juliette” conducted by Plácido Domingo. The live telecasts in HD will be held mostly on Saturdays at 1 p.m. (ET), and will be featured in far more venues this year than its inaugural season last year, due to popular demand. Many theaters again expect to report sellouts for both the live and encore shows.
This year’s theater program, expanded to include an additional two more presentations than the 2006-07 season, will feature eight operas. Apart from presentations in more than twice as many North American venues as last year, movie houses in the following countries also are included: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan.
Also later (and for free), PBS will again televise each Met broadcast in HD. The 2007-08 season of HD performances will run through April.
