Dubai firm ties up with New York's opera house

The Dubai Event Management Corporation has entered into a one-year partnership with New York's Metropolitan Opera, one of the most widely heard and known opera companies in the world. This will bring to Dubai some of the critically acclaimed series of live high-definition performances, transmitted into movie theatres around the world.

Ten operas will be offered during the 2008-09 season of The Met: Live in HD. The series begins on October 11 with soprano Karita Mattila reprising her rivetting interpretation of the title role in Richard Strauss's Salome. The first show will be screened at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai.

Dubai Event Management Corporation's initiative will place Dubai alongside other global cities in Europe and South America, which have joined the network this season to transmit The Met: Live in HD.

At the time of its launch in 2006, The Met: Live in HD was instantly recognised as a groundbreaking effort, with the Los Angeles Times describing the vivid, high-definition transmissions as a 'new art form.'

Fifteen or more high-definition cameras capture the action of the Met's Saturday matinees (1.00pm New York City, 9.00pm Dubai) both onstage and off, providing never-before-seen angles. The performances are presented with multi-channel surround-sound audio for an extraordinary audio-visual experience.

Richard Attias, CEO of Dubai Event Management Corporation, said: "For the first time Dubai will premiere the Metropolitan Opera's live opera transmission to the airwaves, adding another layer to the growth of the city's culture and performing arts. Opportunities like this will not only educate people of Dubai, but also provide a rich source of artistic entertainment."

More than 920,000 people from 17 countries around the world attended last season's transmissions, which took place in some 700 cinemas and performing arts centres. For the upcoming season, Dubai joins the network that has expanded to 28 countries and 850 movie theatres and performing arts centres.

Peter Gelb, General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera, said: "Our live transmissions are reaching new audiences for opera around the world. I am pleased both opera lovers and newcomers to the art form will now have the opportunity to experience the Metropolitan Opera in Dubai."

In the Met's transmissions, audiences not only get to see the performances, but are also transported behind the scenes for live intermission interviews with the stars. A bird's-eye view of scenery changes and other backstage action are also brought to viewers real-time. Some of the biggest stars in opera serve as hosts of the programmes, including renowned sopranos Renée Fleming and Natalie Dessay.

The HD 2008-'09 season includes the Met premiere of John Adams's contemporary masterpiece Doctor Atomic; the rarely-staged masterwork La Damnation de Faust by Berlioz, conducted by Met Music Director James Levine, and featuring Marcello Giordani and Susan Graham; Massenet's Thaïs starring Renée Fleming; Puccini's La Rondine with Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna; and Bellini's La Sonnambula starring Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Flórez.

Other highlights of the HD season include Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor; Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice with Stephanie Blythe and Danielle de Niese; Puccini's Madama Butterfly starring Cristina Gallardo-Domâs and Giordani; and Rossini's La Cenerentola featuring Elīna Garanča.

The Dubai Event Management Corporation was established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to manage and organise world-class events and conferences. It also develops and owns global events, representing all sports.