I attended today a live performance of Monteverdi's Orfeo ed Euridice, only that I was not at the theatre (horribly expensive) but sitting comfortably at a cinema and having paid just 15 bucks.

And many people in 30 other cities in the country were enjoying at the same time the superb digital audio+high definition video, broadcast through digital satellite.

This is new here, but I have heard this is frequent in USA and there are over 300 cities served by a similar system there.

It's nice to see that some technology (derived from the generally speaking infamous TV) can be so efficient and useful to people who love music.

True is that Opera is "à la mode" right now and it can bring crowds to cinemas exhibiting those remote-live performances. I wonder, when will it be the time that flute concerts can trigger similar popular interest?

I hope that ...soon, but I am feeling optimistic again, it must be my healing elbow...

Yes, that would be nice. Can't remember the last time I saw crowds of people gather to hear someone play the flute for an hour or two...oh, and glad your elbow is healing up!!!

"This is new here, but I have heard this is frequent in USA and there are over 300 cities served by a similar system there."

Interesting idea. I understand that it is possible but have not seen it implemented in my area of the U.S. .

Here it has been promoted by a chain of cinema halls, it looks like in a joint venture with an Italian company (Dynamic Cinema or something like that). I listened by chance to a radio interview with the manager of the cinema and he mentioned that it had been taking place in USA for a while and it covered 300 cities there. Or maybe it was just marketing bluff, I do not know.

High definition video (with suitable projectors) is really very good, you can count the hairs of a close up character.

The video production can have minor defects as is often the case with live productions, but one can sometimes have the impression of being on the stage, beside the singers. Nothing like seeing the play from the nrmal distance in a big theater (and more, if one has limited resources to pay for a first row seat).

The baroque orchestra and Choir were "Les Arts Florissants" on the left of the stage and a percussion and trombone orchestra "Les Sacqueboutiers" on the right side. Together they sounded admirably. And two baroque lutes (recorder type) on the left, beautifully played.

Orpheus role was sung by a baritone and not a tenor and he was too much a bass-baritone. I think he was not the best choice for the role, specially for the light and highly adorned arias of this particular opera.

The piece was not Orfeo ed Euridece (Gluck), but "L'Orfeo, favola in musica" (C. Monteverdi), sorry for the confusion with the title.

Most interesting... I have never heard of such a thing being done before. I think it is a much better thing than just plain listening over the radio when one can't get to a performance, say in New York or something (especially if on the other coast!).

Yes indeed. I would not exaggerate too much in saying that the experience was better than being in the theater physically, if I had to sit 40 meters away from the stage and use binoculars just to see something.

With the present popularity of bigger and bigger flat screens, once HID TV will be a reality and the standards fight is over, we could expect to do the same comfortably at home. But this time, it could really mean end of big theaters and halls, a very undesired side effect that latter could turn against the artists.

As with most things in real life, everything has the good and the bad sides. But I believe
that., like it or not, we have to get used to the increasing virtuality of almost everything, art first.

Not to mention friendship and social interaction, as this Forum, among so many others clearly shows, IMHO.