In 2015/16, the Bayerische Staatsoper is presenting its fourth season of selected performances as live streams free of charge online with STAATSOPER.TV. Classical music fans from all over the world can thus follow several evenings of opera and of ballet at the full length, live from Munich.
Past live streams in the 2015/16 season: Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, Arrigo Boito’s Mefistofele and Sergei Prokofiev’s The Fiery Angel.
The central box of the National Theatre (Photo: Wilfried Hösl)
“Over a million viewers from 55 different countries and countless imitators from the Vienna State Opera to various private suppliers prove that we’re right with STAATSOPER.TV. We see our live streams as an expansion of our cultural mission, and we continue to stand out from all the other services offered by the nature of our programme: Unique, live, free of charge, plus the top singers and dancers and the most important directors”, says General Manager Nikolaus Bachler. “Also Kirill Petrenko supports the initiative and was happy to make all the new productions conducted by him available in this form too.”
As previously, four to six cameras in the auditorium will broadcast the performances throughout the world at http://www.staatsoper.de/tv. Up to 40 microphones in the orchestra pit and on stage provide first-class sound quality. From this season onward, the video images will be produced in high definition (Full HD). Another innovation is the provision of streams in HD resolution with increased bandwidth, offering even better picture quality. All the streams (without subtitles, German or English subtitles) are offered in three different transmission qualities (Low, High, HD). Viewers can choose freely between these three qualities and adapt the transmission to their own individual internet connection.
General Manager Nikolaus Bachler (or Ballet Director Ivan Liška for the ballet performances) will provide an introduction to the work before every live stream, and in the intervals, the Bayerische Staatsoper will offer a glimpse into the theatre’s backstage areas. Subtitles in German and English complete the services offered. Apart from a computer, laptop or tablet, users only need a broadband internet connection such as DSL and speakers connected to the device.
Here is the 2015/16 season live stream schedule:
Zubin Mehta
March 19, 2016, 7.00 p.m.
Giuseppe Verdi
Un ballo in maschera (New Production)
Musical Direction: Zubin Mehta
Stage Direction: Johannes Erath
With Piotr Beczala, Simon Keenlyside, Anja Harteros, a.o.
June 12, 2016, 7.30 p.m.
Marius Petipa / Ivan Liška
Le Corsaire
Musical Direction: Aivo Välja
Soloists and corps de ballet of the Bavarian State Ballet
Le Corsaire
June 26, 2016, 6.00 p.m.
Fromental Halévy
La Juive (New Production)
Musical Direction: Bertrand de Billy
Stage Direction: Calixto Bieito
With Kristine Opolais, Roberto Alagna, John Osborn, Aleksandra Kurzak a.o.
July 31, 2016, 4.00 p.m.
Richard Wagner
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (New Production)
Musical Direction: Kirill Petrenko
Stage Direction: David Bösch
With Wolfgang Koch, Christof Fischesser, Jonas Kaufmann, Sara Jakubiak a.o.
Opera, My Love Magazine 