HD transmission to Scottish cinemas live from New York in High Definition and 5.1 digital sound.
At this stage they were being shown in only three venues in all Scotland.
These locations were the Pavilion (an independent, family-run, four screen cinema in the centre of Galashiels) and the two Scottish cinemas owned by City Screen, the Cameo in Edinburgh and the Belmont in Aberdeen. Those in Glasgow and Dundee who saw them last year at Cineworld missed out as Cineworld did not contract to show them (although most performances last year were sell outs for them).
What is the experience like? Features of the performances are the ‘red carpet’ interviews beforehand, and the insistence of the Met that screenings are live and not deferred relays. The Observer critic Peter Conrad said: “transmitted live in crystalline, high definition video with all enveloping surround sound…Watching it in the cinema was like having not just the best seat at the Met but all the best seats simultaneously.”
To those who believe that Scotland is undersupplied with opera, perhaps the prices charged are strong evidence. Don’t be misled by the price structures shown on some of the cinema websites showing their standard prices around £5.00 per film. Opera doesn’t come cheap even in a cinema. For the Met operas, the Pavilion charges £24.50 (concessions £19.50); the Cameo and Belmont are charging £25 (concessions £21.50). Try one of the performances out – the performances are now listed in our events diary.
Just maybe the Met knows that quality opera is always valued highly. Perhaps this is something the Scottish government should learn and improve the funding on offer to our marvellous art form.
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