Opera in The Economist
July 08, 2008
This week's The Economist has an article on Peter Gelb's simulcasts. San Francisco Opera and the Royal Opera House are also mentioned.
I especially like these two sentences from the article:
Opera purists are not at all happy about Mr Gelb's foray into cinemas. They argue that opera was made to be seen live in opera houses and they worry that cinemacasts will hasten the demise of an ailing art form.
I believe I know a good many individuals who might like to claim the title "opera purist," and yet I have not heard this sort of thing from anyone. The Met simulcasts are enjoyable, but I hardly think anyone who would normally go to the opera house would go to one in lieu of a real performance. Opera in movie theaters is a supplement rather than a replacement for opera in real life.