No, I'm not talking about my new digital cable set-up (which is great - thanks, Andy!), but rather about the event I attended yesterday: the live premiere of "Madama Butterfly" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, streaming live in HD to a movie screen at Showcase Cinemas!.
I had never attended one of these events until yesterday, although my mother goes to them often and has recommended them enthusiastically. All I can say is, I will not be missing any more of them. If I have to miss the live ones, I will go and see the replay performances. I can't believe I've been missing such an amazing experience all this time.
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The sense of excitement started right away. I went in... I sat down among the buzzing crowd... the screen showed the audience of the Met doing the same... I heard the orchestra warming up... and I couldn't quite believe I was really just sitting at the old Showcase Cinemas on Carpenter Road on a dreary, rainy Saturday afternoon!
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The performance itself, directed by Anthony Minghella, was extraordinarily beautiful to look upon while still remaining oddly stark. Ballet, puppetry, and vivid swaths of color combined with rich costuming to make the whole thing breathtaking. Then there was Puccini's music itself, and the extraordinary vocal talents of the performers - Patricia Racette especially, whose voice only got better and better as the performance continued. I can even report that I had two full waves of goosebumps up and down my arms during "Un bel dì"!
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Riveting. And I came out of there astonished that it was still just a wet day in Ypsilanti. I had been taken completely out of myself for three and a half hours..
Pure happiness in HD. That's all I can say.
