You may know it as the Met Opera HD broadcasts, but its official name is The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera’s series of high-definition simulcasts to cinemas around the world. However you name it, it’s an event. Unless you can afford unlimited tickets to the Met, this is a great deal: the best seat in the house to classical music masterpieces by Puccini, Wagner, Verdi, Mozart and other operatic giants. Recorded live, these state-of-the-art transmissions from Lincoln Center (home of Lincoln Center Festival) feature crisp, close-up images and immersive sound, so you can catch each and every high C and flutter from a sumptuously embroidered robe. But is it the same as seeing it live? It depends. Just as you can enjoy the best Shakespeare movies without missing the live element, you can revel in the total sensory experience of the Met Opera HD at one of the best New York movie theaters. Plus, they don’t let you take popcorn into the Met. Here’s what you need to know.
What is The Met Opera HD?
Since 2005, the Metropolitan Opera has presented high-definition simulcasts of operas. Each Met Opera HD season consists of about 10 live performances beamed to more than 2,000 movie theaters in 700 countries around the world.
What is being performed this season?
For its 2016-17 season, the Met Opera HD broadcasts include Tristan und Isolde (Wagner), Don Giovanni (Mozart), L’Amour de Loin (Saariaho), Nabucco (Verdi), Roméo et Juliette (Gounod), Rusalka (Dvořák), La Traviata (Verdi), Idomeneo (Mozart), Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky), and Der Rosenkavalier (R. Strauss). For creative teams and playing schedule, check the Metropolitan Opera’s website.
When are the Met Opera HD broadcasts?
The Met Opera HD broadcasts are live on Saturday afternoons at 1pm, and they are repeated in cinemas the Wednesday after at 6:30pm.
Where is the Met Opera HD showing?
You should check to see which of your local movie theaters carries the Met Opera HD. In New York City, you can see the broadcasts at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Empire 25, Kips Bay 15, Chelsea Cinemas and elsewhere. For locations outside the city, check the Metropolitan Opera’s website.
How do I get tickets to The Met Opera HD?
Tickets to the Met Opera HD events can be purchased at the movie theater, either online, by phone or in person.
