Review: Metropolitan Opera Live in HD season starts with stunning 'Tristan and Isolde'

IMG_0206.JPG

Memorial Hall in Shelburne Falls, MA moments before the live Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde" on Saturday.

(Photo by Ken Ross)

SHELBURNE FALLS - It's Saturday morning, just before noon in the small, picturesque village of Shelburne Falls.

I'm 185 miles from 30 Lincoln Center Plaza in New York City and I'm about to watch Wagner's epic, 5-hour-long opera, "Tristan and Isolde," live in Shelburne Falls Memorial Hall, a charming, old theater with a balcony and wooden seats.

This wouldn't have been possible 10 years ago. Back then, if you wanted to see the Metropolitan Opera live, you needed to make the journey down to the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

All that changed on December 30, 2006. That's when this legendary opera house began showing operas live in movie theaters in North America. Now, you can watch the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD in thousands of theaters around the world.

I will admit I was skeptical at first. As someone who was dragged to the Met as a kid by opera-mad parents, then willingly started going to operas on my own in the early 90s, I thought there was no way a live broadcast in a theater could ever compare to actually going to an opera and hearing the performers in person.

The first few times I went to a movie theater to a see Met broadcast in 2007 or 2008, I remember thinking, it's just not the same as seeing an opera live in New York. But over time, I started to appreciate the live movie theater broadcasts. That's because I stopped comparing the movie theater presentations and live performances. They're different. And they each have their own merits.

Nothing will ever compare to hearing an opera live in person, without speakers or any sound amplification of any kind.

The Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, MA on Saturday.

But I have really grown to enjoy the Live in HD broadcasts for different reasons. In particular, I actually look forward to the intermissions. That's when you get to hear live interviews with the performers who just walked off stage a few seconds ago. You also get to watch the stage crew taking apart and putting back together the sets in between acts.

And while I'm not a sound engineer, I think the sound quality of the Live in HD broadcasts has improved dramatically in recent years.

Plus there's no deny the cost and convenience of seeing an opera live in a theater versus driving or taking the train down the New York to see an opera. Although I would like to point out that the actual cost of the tickets is fairly comparable. We paid $22 each to see the Live in HD broadcast in Shelburne Falls on Saturday. As for tickets for a live performance at the Met, they start at $25. You can also purchase same day, rush tickets online for $25 for some of the best seats in the house.

I also especially enjoy seeing the Metropolitan Opera performances at Memorial Hall in Shelburne Falls. The theater's charming. And instead of being stuck inside a mall, you can actually go outside and be on a bustling street in a beautiful, small town.

This year's Live in HD series got off to a fantastic start on Saturday with "Tristan and Isolde." I have seen this opera live several times, including in 2008 at the Met in a spine-tingling performance featuring Deborah Voigt as the doomed Isolde.

Voigt served as the host of Saturday's live broadcast, which featured soprano Nina Stemme as Isolde and Australian tenor Stuart Skelton as Tristan. I was also especially interested to hear what the Metropolitan Opera orchestra would sound like under the direction of conductor Simon Rattle, the principal conductor of the phenomenal Berlin Philharmonic, which will perform Nov. 11 in Boston at Symphony Hall.

Rattle and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra did not disappoint on Saturday. Then again, they were working with one of the most beautiful pieces of music. The first 10 minutes of the overture alone to "Tristan and Isolde" is a masterpiece. Wagner had a magical ability to write some of the most haunting, delicate music, as well as some of the most bombastic barrages of explosive sound.

The overture to "Lohengrin" and several of Wagner's Ring Cycle operas contain such stunning contrasts. But the sheer, dramatic beauty of the overture to "Tristan and Isolde" (as well as the opening music in Act 3) never fails to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up, especially when the violins swell to a gorgeous climax a few minutes into the opera.

Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley in Shelburne Falls, MA.

On Saturday, Rattle and Met orchestra squeezed every single drop of emotion out of every single note. I also loved the new staging of the opera by Mariusz Trelinski. Unlike the bare-bones, minimalist, glitch-prone nightmare known as "the machine" created for the Met's 2012 Ring Cycle (which I saw in person), Trelinski's use of modern technology actually enhances the performance, rather than taking away from it.

As the overture to "Tristan and Isolde" plays, we see a large image of a circular sonar device projected onto the curtain. This image is soon filled with a small battleship braving rough seas and fleeting images of men in uniform and more vague, mysterious images.

It's the perfect opening for this mysterious opera which begins on a ship carrying the star-crossed lovers from Ireland to Cornwall. Without even knowing the plot, you can tell from the music that this opera will not end well.

But while the plot is tragic, it's the thrilling music that has kept audiences coming back year after year for more than 150 years.

Stemme sounded spectacular Saturday as Isolde, expressing all the fury and passion that makes her character so compelling. And when Stemme sang the final, fantastic aria in Act 3 known as the Liebestod, you could hear a pin drop in the theater in Shelburne Falls.

Skelton was also superb as Tristan, a character driven mad with passion for Isolde. In fact, the entire cast was excellent. Skelton completely inhabited the role and I'd love see him in other, iconic Wagner roles.

And in between acts, my wife and I watched some of the interviews (I especially enjoyed hearing Rattle and Skelton talk about this challenging opera), then raced around the corner through an alley to have a quick drink at the charming, candle-pin Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley.

It's not same as having a glass of wine in a balcony at the Metropolitan Opera. It's different. And they're both great ways to experience an amazing, live performance at one of the world's greatest opera houses.

The Metropolitan Opera Live in HD can be seen in thousands of theaters around the world. In Western Massachusetts, you can see the Met Opera Live at the following movie theaters:

West Springfield 15 in West Springfield, MA

Hampshire Mall 15 in Hadley, MA

Memorial Hall in Shelburne Falls, MA

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, MA

The remaining Metropolitan Opera Live in HD performances for 2016-2017:

Sat., Oct. 22 (12:55 p.m.) - Mozart's "Don Giovanni"

Sat., Dec. 10 (12:55 p.m.) - Saariaho's "L'Amour de Loin"

Sat., Jan. 7 (12:55 p.m.) - Verdi's "Nabucco"

Sat., Jan. 21 (12:55 p.m.) - Gounod's "Romeo and Juliette"

Sat., Feb. 25 (12:55 p.m.) - Dvorak's "Rusalka"

Sat., March 11 (12:55 p.m.) - Verdi's "La Traviata"

Sat., March 25 (12:55 p.m.) - Mozart's "Idomeneo"

Sat., April 22 (12:55 p.m.) - Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin"

Sat., May 13 (12:30 p.m.) - Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier"

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.