Benvenuto Cellini
Published 7:00 am Wednesday, May 13, 2009
As much as the use of supertitles has changed the face of opera, the high-def broadcasting of stage performances into movie theaters may have even more far-reaching effects. With supertitles, foreign languages (and, now and then, singers sloppy diction) are no longer barriers to enjoyment; with HD, not even distance is. Most exciting for opera geeks like me is the chance for neglected works to get some attentionfor example, Hector Berliozs Benvenuto Cellini, his splashy 1838 opera about the romantic and artistic adventures of the Renaissance sculptor, memoirist, and accused sodomite. Berlioz leaves that last detail out, though this 2007 Salzburg Festival staging may notyou know how edgy those European productions get. The fiery Valery Gergiev conducts this rarely-seen opera, not staged in the U.S. until 1975. GAVIN BORCHERT
Sun., May 17, 4 p.m., 2009
