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The timpani thrillingly rolled in the production of Opera in Cinema's broadcast of Verdi's Il Trovatore, last Tuesday at the Legends.  The curtain at the Gran Teatre Del Liceau in Barcelona rose to a chorus-filled stage as audiences all over the world participated in viewing this iconic Italian masterpiece.

To some opera lovers, high definition broadcasts are old hat.  Movie theaters all over the world have been projecting operas from the Metropolitan Opera (MET) in New York City live for several years now and the reception has been overwhelmingly positive.  In some cities, lines form hours before the show and encore showings are added to accommodate demand.

Here in Kansas City, a new player is making their way to the big screen and giving the MET broadcasts a run for their money.  Opera in Cinema is letting American audiences get a taste of European opera and the competition is heating up.

Il Trovatore  featured an all Italian cast including Fiorenza Cedolins as Leonora, Marco Berti as Manrico and Luciana D'Intino as the gypsy Azuncena.  It was interesting to hear the singers in their native languages.  They easily articulated with classic dramatic passion.

Fiorenza Cedolins gave a short pre-performance introduction from her dressing room.  The 1 p.m. performance was a live broadcast and visiting with her before the show not only gave the audience an overview of the Opera, but invited us on the adventure we would share with people all over the world.  I attended the 7 p.m. rebroadcast.

 There was no backstage exposure, which differs from MET broadcasts.  They didn't interview the performers and the cameras didn't pan the sets or costumes.  I imagine the ancient European opera houses aren't as glamorous behind the curtain as the MET, but a little peek would have given the audience a glimpse of what a 300-year-old theatre looks like -  and added a gritty authenticity to the experience.

Il Trovatore is a virtuosic opera demanding four outstanding lead singers.  The Mezzo Luciana D'Intino was without question the best of the group, singing rich bottom notes with strength and resonance and ascending to glass-shattering soprano heights.  Her portrayal of the distraught gypsy who accidentally kills her own baby and kidnaps a Count's child was gut-wrenching.

But the camera is an unforgiving eye.  Seeing the singers up close and personal reminded me of looking through old-fashioned opera glasses.  The soprano Cedolins, could be seen laboring over her notes and looking inside of herself for intonation while D'Intino was always in character using her eyes to tell the story.

It was exciting to hear the Spanish reaction to the stellar arias.  People would enthusiastically scream Brava and hooted and clapped with vigor after the final notes.  And it inspired the same rowdy reaction in our movie theatre.

There were some audio glitches that occurred in the live performance, but it made the rebroadcast feel authentic and not overly produced, which I didn't mind.

The venue at the Legends is a great fit for grand opera.  The Legends boasts first-class leg room;   there is state-of-the-art technology which picked up the acoustics of the originating space.  There is even a bar on the second floor so that audiences can leisurely imbibe during the 30-minute intermission.   Plenty of restaurant options exist on site, and one can even do a little shopping.

The only flaw with this particular performance lay in the fact that it was visually sparse.  There were no sets or elaborate costumes.  The minimal staging did, however, allow for complete focus on the singers, the plot and the action.  It is also possible that without the expensive stage dressing, the company was able to hire more chorus members. The famous "anvil chorus" boasted over 100 singers on stage. I counted.   

The next live presentations are Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio at the Liceu via the Legends on the 21^st of April 2010 and Verdi's Simon Boccanegra broadcasting from La Scala on the 29^th of April 2010 starring Placido Domingo.  Mark your calendars. April will be full of great singing.

Lucky american audience members may have had the opportunity to enjoy a live performance  at the MET, but few have had the luxury of seeing, hearing and feeling world-class European talent from such legendary venues as La Scala in Milan.  I'm grateful to have this little window into the world of opera, even if it happens on the big screen.

REVIEW:
Opera in Cinema
Il Trovatore by Verdi
Live HD Broadcast from Barcelona
The Legends 14 Theatre
Kansas City, KS
For more information call the Legends 14 Theatre at 913-428-2992 or online at www.operaincinema.com

Top photo: Fiorenza Cedolins

By Megan Browne Helm

Classical, Vocal and Theatre Contributor

Megan Browne Helm grew up singing, dancing and acting.  Inspired by Emma Kirkby as a high school student in St. Louis she went on to study voice and sing with the Collegium Musicum at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio where she also had a radio show of contemporary classical music on WOBC.  At the University of Kansas she had the pleasure of working with former Kings’ Singer, Simon Carrington in his Collegium Musicum and Oread consort. Years later, she was a choral fellow at the Yale School of Music’s  Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.  She is currently singing with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus under the direction of Charles Bruffy. 

 As a freelance music and culture writer her work can be found on KCMetropolis.org, presentmagazine.com, the Lawrence Journal World, Shawnee Magazine, Leawood Lifestyle Magazine and KC Parent.  She was one of 26 journalists in the country chosen as a NEA Institute Fellow for Classical Music and Opera at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. 

Her current interest is how classical music remains relevant through active collaborations with artists in different fields, including science.  She also sees a connection between classical music, travel and food as a way to engage all of the senses in a 360 degree cultural experience.  She blogs at raworganum.wordpress.com.