wjm@whuxl.UUCP (MITCHELL) (08/27/84)
<gulp> Yesterday was my first personal experience with the NY City Opera's subtitle system (actually super-title would be a more descriptive term, since the English translations are projected onto a screen at the top of the proscenium opening and the opera is sung in the original language). To put it briefly, I was impressed. No more fumbling through the libretto, and no more having to either hear hacked-up English translations (I really can't take non-English opera sung in a language other than the original). The opera was an excellent performance of "Madama Butterfly" which was not only well sung, but also excellently staged, and the subtitles were the icing on the cake. Well Done. Bill Mitchell (whuxl!wjm)
luis@mhuxl.UUCP (SOTO) (08/27/84)
I also recently experienced the super-titles at the NY City Opera for the first time. I was not entirely satisfied, the main problem was that from orchestra seats one has to look up to read the titles which means you glance away from the action on the stage. I actually found them distracting. The opera was Puccini's "La Rondine" which is a very simple story. Perhaps they would be much more useful for operas where the text is much more important, i.e any of Wagner's, Pelleas, Wozzeck, etc.