News
Met Opera and RealNetworks Partner to Reach a Worldwide Audience with Free Live Internet Streams
Begins October 25; Closing night performance of Madama Butterfly conducted by Maestro James Levine; plus operas featuring Plácido Domingo, Juan Diego Flórez, Anna Netrebko, and Rolando Villazón
October 25, 2006
New York, NY (October 24, 2006) – Continuing a concentrated effort by the Metropolitan Opera to reach a larger international audience, the Met will offer free live streaming of opera performances beginning tomorrow. With support from RealNetworks®, the leading creator of digital media services, the Met will present live streams from its website once every week, beginning with the season premiere of Verdi’s Rigoletto on Wednesday, October 25 at 8:00 PM/EST.
“Streaming operas live on the internet is the most immediate experience we can provide to opera lovers all over the world and a new way to introduce opera to the uninitiated,” said Peter Gelb, the Met’s General Manager. “This is a distribution platform that can reach into homes and generate an interest in what’s happening at the Met.”
The live streaming schedule through December 2006 continues as follows: Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana/Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, Monday, October 30 at 8:00 PM/EST; Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Friday, November 10 at 8:00 PM/EST (opening night); Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Saturday, November 18 at 8:00 PM/EST (final performance); Puccini’s Tosca on Saturday, November 25 at 8:00 PM/EST; Mozart’s Idomeneo, Wednesday, November 29 at 8:00 PM/EST; Puccini’s La Bohème, Tuesday, December 5 at 8:00 PM/EST; Verdi’s Don Carlo, Monday, December 11 at 7:00 PM/EST; Tan Dun’s The First Emperor (world premiere), Thursday, December 21 at 8:00 PM/EST; Bellini’s I Puritani, Wednesday, December 27 at 8:00 PM/EST.
Highlights from the streaming schedule include the world premiere of The First Emperor on December 21. The opera, a Met commission, will be conducted by composer Tan Dun, who also co-wrote the libretto with novelist Ha Jin. Legendary tenor Plácido Domingo sings the title role. International sensations Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón appear together for a one-night performance in La Bohème on December 5, 2006. Netrebko returns to the Met to sing Elvira in the revival of Bellini’s I Puritani. One of the leading Rossini tenors of our time, Juan Diego Flórez is the Count Almaviva in the Met’s new production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Met Musical Director James Levine conducts the closing night of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, to be streamed live on November 18. More details on the Met’s live streaming of performances are available at www.metopera.org, including opera and artist information.
About RealNetworks, Inc.
RealNetworks, Inc. is the leading creator of digital media services and software including Rhapsody®, RealPlayer® 10, and casual PC and mobile games. Broadcasters, network operators, media companies, and enterprises use RealNetworks' products and services to create and deliver digital media to PCs, mobile phones, and consumer electronics devices. Consumers can access and experience audio/video programming and download RealNetworks’ consumer software at www.real.com. RealNetworks’ systems and corporate information is located at www.realnetworks.com. RealNetworks and Rhapsody are registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
About the Metropolitan Opera
Under the new leadership of General Manager Peter Gelb, the Met has launched other initiatives to connect the company with a larger audience, including $15 tickets (formerly $26) to the Family Circle section, the new Arnold and Marie Schwartz Gallery Met to exhibit contemporary art, and exciting new media initiatives.
The Met recently announced the use of advanced distribution platforms and state-of-the-art technology to attract new audiences and reach millions of opera fans around the world. Beginning December 30, the Met will transmit six of its performances live in high-definition (HD) into movie theaters in the United States, Canada, and Europe that have been equipped with HD projection systems and satellite dishes. Following thirty-day windows, the performances will be then presented on PBS by Thirteen/WNET in the United States beginning in January 2007, and on different television systems in other countries. The Met and SIRIUS Satellite Radio recently announced Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS, a satellite radio music channel that broadcasts at least four live performances each week during the Met’s 2006-07 season and up to 500 historic broadcasts throughout the year. The live streaming available online with support from RealNetworks®, are a complement to the Met’s long-running Saturday matinee radio broadcasts, heard over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.