Aussie operas heading for silver screen

An opera originally banned for poking fun at the Austrian upper classes is to be
broadcast from Sydney Opera House to cinemas across the world to make the art form
more accessible.
Mozart's The Marriage Of Figaro provoked outrage in 18th century Vienna for its
satire on the aristocracy but will now help spread opera to the masses as part of a
long-term deal between Sydney Opera House, Opera Australia and CinemaLive.
Hundreds of cinemas across Australia and New Zealand will screen the pre-recorded
performance, employing high definition and 5.1 surround sound, before it is farmed
out to film houses around the world.
Aussie mezzo-soprano Jacqueline Dark, who plays the character Marcelina, says new
technology is a vital way of opening opera up to new fans.
"Anything that helps rural and international audiences experience performances at
the Sydney Opera House is fantastic," she told AAP.
"The sound is extraordinary and it's like being on stage because the high definition
shows details and expressions even the biggest opera fan will never have seen before
because it's so close.
"It's great for the audience, but scary for us!"
Opera has often struggled to break from its connections with the stuffier ends of
society but Dark is adamant the art form can be enjoyed by anyone.
The singer believes The Marriage Of Figaro is a fitting introduction for the
uninitiated because of its sublime music and intricate story.
"I always compare opera to going to the movies. You've got to go and find out what
you like, because there's such a variety," she said.
"You can't just watch one opera and decide you don't like it. That's like seeing a
Western and saying you don't like films.
Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Taryn Fiebig, Peter Coleman-Wright and Rachelle Durkin also star
in Pierre Beaumarchais's 1778 comedic play on revolutionary politics, which was
later transformed into an opera by Mozart.
Verdi's Rigoletto will be the next production to receive the cinema treatment, and
Dark believes it won't be long until opera enters the internet age.
"It's already happening in a way with things like Facebook and Twitter, where whole
new audiences are emerging," she said.
"People who would otherwise go to see opera on their own are organising into groups
of people, and those groups are now growing and bringing their friends in.
"Any medium which builds interest and opens up new audiences is good for opera."
The Marriage Of Figaro opens in cinemas across Australia and New Zealand in October.