Opera Streaming Service
Off to Good Start at Foothills

By CASPAR EWIG

Death, both as the tragic end to a love story and as the culmination of a lover’s revenge, marked the start of the 2022-2023 Metropolitan Opera’s “Live in HD” streaming series at the Foothills Performing Arts & Civic Center.

Ironically, the streaming series narrowly avoided near tragedy itself before it had even begun. The Foothills needed to update its receiving equipment to accommodate a change in the Met’s transmission, the cost of which would have amounted to half of the expected ticket sales. When added to the 50 percent of ticket sales the Foothills pays as the price for receiving the stream, it would have meant the series would not have netted any income.

“However, we felt that it was important for us to offer the opera series,” said Geoffrey Doyle, newly-installed executive director of the Foothills. “And so, prior to the start of Cherubini’s ‘Medea,’ I issued a plea for contributions from the audience to cover this unanticipated shortfall.”

As it turned out, Doyle’s sense of obligation was rewarded.

“I was delighted,” he said, “to report that, upon the opening of Verdi’s ‘La Traviata,’ our supporters had not only equaled, but had generously exceeded the number needed to make the season a success.”

Last month’s “Live in HD” opera season opener, “Medea,” retells the rather dark theme from Greek mythology of a woman scorned. Medea takes revenge on her unfaithful husband, Jason (of the Argonaut fame), by killing not only his new bride but also taking the lives of their two children. In her final act, Medea kills herself and lies amid the bodies of her dead children while the gods cause the fiery immolation of the surrounding temple.

Although written and premiered in 1797, the opera’s style is prescient of the domineering orchestration that will become part of the Wagnerian experience some 50 years later.

The role of Medea was once the signature role of the renowned soprano, Maria Callas, and there are those who will say that nothing will ever compare to her rendition. Yet, without assuming the role of musical critic, the singing in the present production was strong and the acting was expressive. The staging was appropriately minimal during the portions where the music defined the characters or furthered the underlying theme, and grandiose and artistically innovative during the festive portions.

This month’s second opera, Verdi’s “La Traviata,” presented the more lyrical mood of opera. In “La Traviata,” Verdi tells the story of Violetta, the Parisian courtesan whose mutual love with Alfredo is interrupted by Alfredo’s father’s concern for the family’s honor. Only as she is dying from consumption are all parties reunited and reconciled. The production was lively and the choreography of the dancers in the second act was astounding in both its artistry and athleticism.
As a total aside, this opera was, for this writer, an interesting new experience from earlier performances seen many decades ago. The third act was always a musical event in the Italian language with which I was not familiar. However, thanks to closed captioning, written dialogue accompanied the music, and—for the first time—the production had a more emotional effect upon me. A veritable tearjerker!

The remaining operas this season are:
• December 10: Kevin Puts’ “The Hours” (world premier)
• January 14: Giordano’s “Fedora”
• March 18: Wagner’s “Lohengrin”
• April 1: Verdi’s “Falstaff”
• April 15: Richard Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier”
• April 29: Terence Blanchard’s “Champion” (Met premier)
• May 20: Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”
• June 3: Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte”

Nothing can compare to attending a live performance at the Met in its New York opera house, but the Foothills venue served the performance well. The large movie theatre-type screen on the second floor of the center’s annex and the good quality of the sound made for a first-rate experience. The folding chairs were comfortably padded to make sitting through the performances enjoyable. The entry price of $20.00 was certainly reasonable and, for the price of prepaying for all the remaining operas, the Foothills even provides a living room seating experience.

For more information on upcoming “Live in HD” showings at the Foothills, visit www.foothillspac.org.

Editor’s note: Do you have a second impression on this topic, or a first impression of your own on a performance, book, movie or something else? Send your thoughts to info@allotsego.com.