New opera website
16 May '15 23:33http://www.opera-europa.org/
They show operas both live and on demand, for free, and you don't even have to sign up. I watched Król Roger (King Roger) by Symanowski live tonight since my parents went to the Royal Opera House to see it.
Note-form review:
Liked:
* dramatic, intense
* unusual-sounding music (albeit an acquired taste, probably)
* very good set design
* never before heard an opera sung in Polish
* the word Król
* good acting
* Antonio Pappano did a great and helpful job of explaining and evangelising some of the music during the interval, sitting at his piano (pre-recorded, obviously, as he was conducting)
Disliked:
* music was fairly impenetrable (for my level of understanding/appreciation)
* plot was also impenetrable to me
* religious theme felt too dated
* inevitable "talking up" by the presenters made me feel a bit disappointed: if they weren't always so positive about everything I might enjoy some more difficult operas more
* I didn't really connect emotionally with the opera
* It was hardly a balm for my frazzled mental state; Mozart, Verdi or Puccini would have been
* I gather the opera was to some extent about the composer's personal struggles; however, I am relatively uninterested in Symanowski the man having never heard of him before tonight
I had no problems with the stream cutting out except for a couple of times which were probably my fault for overtaxing my computer with other tasks. I'll certainly be watching more operas on this site.
They show operas both live and on demand, for free, and you don't even have to sign up. I watched Król Roger (King Roger) by Symanowski live tonight since my parents went to the Royal Opera House to see it.
Note-form review:
Liked:
* dramatic, intense
* unusual-sounding music (albeit an acquired taste, probably)
* very good set design
* never before heard an opera sung in Polish
* the word Król
* good acting
* Antonio Pappano did a great and helpful job of explaining and evangelising some of the music during the interval, sitting at his piano (pre-recorded, obviously, as he was conducting)
Disliked:
* music was fairly impenetrable (for my level of understanding/appreciation)
* plot was also impenetrable to me
* religious theme felt too dated
* inevitable "talking up" by the presenters made me feel a bit disappointed: if they weren't always so positive about everything I might enjoy some more difficult operas more
* I didn't really connect emotionally with the opera
* It was hardly a balm for my frazzled mental state; Mozart, Verdi or Puccini would have been
* I gather the opera was to some extent about the composer's personal struggles; however, I am relatively uninterested in Symanowski the man having never heard of him before tonight
I had no problems with the stream cutting out except for a couple of times which were probably my fault for overtaxing my computer with other tasks. I'll certainly be watching more operas on this site.