Yes, I know, I’ve heard it a million times; you don’t like opera. I often wonder how many have actually experienced the opera? The opera in a world-renowned stage like  New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House? I haven’t and very few people in the Valley will say they have.

The Met Live in HD project began in 2006 with the main goal of reaching out to people from all over the world. Live opera performances were presented in several venues in the United States and abroad. Today, people experience world-class opera in over 2,000 venues in 73 countries and six continents. Cinemark theaters in Harlingen and Edinburg are among those venues. I heard from a friend that a theater in Matamoros, Mexico – just across the border. I have not been able to corroborate this information, but if you live in that area it is worth checking it out.

I highly recommend for you to try it at least once and if you fall asleep it’s OK. Chances are you will not. The cost of a ticket is about $25 with discounts for seniors and students and shows start at 11:55 a.m. with an intermission. You are out by 3:30 give or take. My husband enjoys these concerts as much as I do, but if your husband is not into classical music, this is the perfect opportunity for a girls get together.  Why do I like and recommend this experience? Let me count the ways;

1- Something completely different to do. Chances are slim for a production of this magnitude to make it to the Rio Grande Valley.

2- Experience is live and I get to see spectators walking into the theater finding their seats and visiting with each other. The cameras are positioned in a way that makes me feel like I am there! I like to look at the way people are dressed and the beauty of the opera house.

3- Now that Cinemark sells wine and beer, it makes an even better opera experience.

4- Reporters behind the curtains interview the actors and show us how the backstage process develops.

5- Operas are the original “telenovelas” or soap operas. There is love, drama, and more drama. This was the entertainment of the 19th century.

6- I can’t describe the sensation, but it opens my mind to new sounds and visuals. The opera makes me cry and when it features a chorus it gives me goosebumps. It is something foreign, sometimes even uncomfortable, awkward and even comedic at times, but tremendously impressive.

7 – The stage and costume designs are beyond incredible. All of the 7 stage elevators at the Met are used in the production of Aida. There are horses on stage and in the last act, the stage splits in two to show a temple above and a tomb below. Simply spectacular.

The new season starts tomorrow with Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida. Check out all their upcoming shows here. Samson & Dalila is not to be missed and Carmen, everybody loves Carmen! It is the sexiest opera I’ve ever seen. She was something else!

This particular opera; Aida, had its world premiere at the Opera House in Cairo in 1871 and it has all the drama of current “telenovelas.” Read the synopsis below and get ready to experience New York and its amazing opera.

Aida by Giuseppe Verdi

This grandest of grand operas features an epic backdrop for what is, in essence, an intimate love story. Set in ancient Egypt and packed with magnificent choruses, complex ensembles, and elaborate ballets, Aida never loses sight of its three protagonists. Few operas have matched Aida in its exploration of the conflict of private emotion and public duty, and perhaps no other has remained to the present day so unanimously appreciated by audiences and critics alike.

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