The cinemas that host the broadcasts are also quite happy with the results with overall movie attendance in decline, they are grateful for the extra foot traffic, and popcorn sales.īut at the Met’s season announcement this past spring, Gelb made a somewhat stunning admission. Each year the broadcasts have brought in bigger audiences and more revenue, and for several seasons have been turning a profit.

(In Gelb’s defense, the artistic vision of the company has been significantly compromised by the failing health of music director James Levine, whose sporadic presence has left artistic leadership in a semi-permanent limbo.)Īmid such turmoil, Gelb has happily been able to point to the Met’s HD initiative has an undisputed success. Even the amiable Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times proposed not too long ago that Gelb hire an artistic advisor of some sort, a suggestion that has yet to be acted upon. Alex Ross of The New Yorker has repeatedly questioned Gelb’s artistic vision and institutional priorities, in particular the massive investment in Robert LePage’s elaborate “machine” for the house’s new production of Wagner’s Ring. The Met has also established a SiriusXM satellite radio station, as well as offering its own “Met On Demand” service with extensive online content.īut despite these innovative programs, Gelb’s record as leader of the Met, the largest performing arts organization in the country, has been rocky at best. The HD broadcasts are the most spectacular aspect of this agenda and are now being screened in almost 2,000 movie theaters in over 60 different countries. Soon to enter their eighth season, the Met “Live in HD” has indeed emerged as the most successful initiative of the tenure of General Manager Peter Gelb, whose main goal has been to make opera a more popular and accessible art form. For many decades the Met had offered such access to radio listeners, but now audiences far from New York could both see and hear their favorite Met stars from their local cineplex, for only about $20 a ticket, less than even a standing-room ticket at the company’s home at Lincoln Center. The basic concept was simple: the Met would offer live cinema broadcasts of its Saturday matinee performances to a network of movie theaters around the country. When the Metropolitan Opera launched its high-definition broadcast initiative in 2006, hopes were very high.

Metropolitan opera on demand