Dead Man Walking now on Metropolitan Opera Player. Memorable Night with Friends in the AV Room

[TLS Guy]

The Opera Dead Man Walking is can now be viewed on the Metropolitan Opera Player on demand.

We had a great night with friends in the AV room last night.

Jake Heggie's two act opera Dead Man Walking is now available to watch on Met Player. This is the operatic dramatization of Helen Prejean's account of her involvement and support of a murderer facing death penalty for an horrendous rape and murder who is executed by lethal injections at the end of the opera.

This is dramatic storytelling of the highest and most arresting quality. Sister Prejean is sung by renowned soprano Joyce diDonato. There is a studded cast, and the renowned Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, is conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. This is a production that defines dramatic in drama, and holds your attention throughout. Jake Heggie has written a wonderful score which supports the drama throughout. This is simply a brilliant score. The drama is supported by screen video at times.

This is an opera that I think will be having productions in 200 years.

I think this is the most arresting opera produced in the modern era. This will enter the standard repertoire. Opera houses world wide a lining up to produce this dramatic work and many already have.

I actually think this opera will be better watched in a good AV room than the house. The sound recording is first class, with a huge dynamic range.

You can sign up for a trial with Met Player, and I highly recommend doing so. This is a production that will keep you riveted from start to finish. It is a theatrical production of the highest order.

 

[Squishman]

I imagine it never sounded better than in your AV room, which has to be the best in the south metro.

 

[Verdinut]

The Opera Dead Man Walking is can now be viewed on the Metropolitan Opera Player on demand.

We had a great night with friends in the AV room last night.

Jake Heggie's two act opera Dead Man Walking is now available to watch on Met Player. This is the operatic dramatization of Helen Prejean's account of her involvement and support of a murderer facing death penalty for an horrendous rape and murder who is executed by lethal injections at the end of the opera.

This is dramatic storytelling of the highest and most arresting quality. Sister Prejean is sung by renowned soprano Joyce diDonato. There is a studded cast, and the renowned Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, is conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. This is a production that defines dramatic in drama, and holds your attention throughout. Jake Heggie has written a wonderful score which supports the drama throughout. This is simply a brilliant score. The drama is supported by screen video at times.

This is an opera that I think will be having productions in 200 years.

The Opera Dead Man Walking is can now be viewed on the Metropolitan Opera Player on demand.

This is an opera that I think will be having productions in 200 years.

I think this is the most arresting opera produced in the modern era. This will enter the standard repertoire. Opera houses world wide a lining up to produce this dramatic work and many already have.

I actually think this opera will be better watched in a good AV room than the house. The sound recording is first class, with a huge dynamic range.

You can sign up for a trial with Met Player, and I highly recommend doing so. This is a production that will keep you riveted from start to finish. It is a theatrical production of the highest order.

I am usually hesitant to watch a modern opera. Most of them cannot compete for acceptance with the classic 19th century works and some of the ones of the 18th century.

I have been subscribing to the Met Opera on Demand streaming service for several years. I recently received an ad from the Met, about the addition of this opera to the list of available operas to view on demand. You now have convinced me to watch this work, that I believe is based on the same story with which the film starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon was produced.

Another modern opera which the Met recently produced that I liked is Marnie. It is inspired by the Winston Graham's novel (which was also adapted for the screen by Alfred Hitchcock). There have been mixed opinions on its performance. I enjoyed seeing and hearing the charming and beautiful mezzo-soprano, Isabel Leonard in the title role.

 

[Trebdp83]

Well, I wanted to like this thing but I just like it. I don't believe this modern story and its setting, told in this mixed medium production, works as an opera. There is something very off with this particular stage production that had me wondering what year I was in and when it was actually produced. Only the technical equipment and Joyce Di Donato's unfortunate and distracting face work, pricey hair cut and color job reminded me that this production was filmed recently and not forty or fifty years ago in East Berlin. Does Sister Helen really have to look like a miserable hausfrau wrapped in a frock that is the same color of the Iron Curtain? Vocally, Di Donato hits a pure note but needs to sing more openly and annunciate more clearly. I often asked myself, "Is this b#%ch actually singing in English?" Fillers and muscle numbing poison injections aren't a good idea for those who need their face and throat to emote and sing. Susan Graham, who originated the role of Sister Helen on stage over twenty years ago, steals the show here as Mrs. DeRocher. She did not need to sing a single note. We knew who this character was and what she'd been through in her life simply by looking at her as she walked on stage. Absent from her performance was the self indulgent mugging seen by some other performers. The presence of cameras does things to some folks. Anyway, I like a visually grand opera with memorable tunes. This one just isn't it.

The audio and video presentation did not impress here. The Met On Demand folks could learn A LOT from the Berliner Philharmoniker (Digital Concert Hall) folks. The Digital Concert Hall supports 4K, Hi-res and Dolby Atmos. Depending on the device used for playback, FREE concerts are available for playback in 4K and Dolby Atmos without a subscription or free trial on the Digital Concert Hall. Those with far better systems than my own will pump out better presentations watching Met On Demand of course. But, for me, it just was not state of the art and a disappointment from an outfit showcasing the arts. I compared the audio and video presentation using no less than four devices. It was just ok on all of them. Surprisingly, the Met On Demand app is not available from the app stores of the LG C1, MacOS(iOS app will download to Mac but display in boxed 4:3 ratio), Nvidia Shield TV Pro(stock not side loaded) or the XBOX Series X/S. If using a browser on PC/Mac and certain streamers or the official apps on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV 4K or Roku Ultra, you are good to go. I believe Samsung TVs and of course various Smart phones and tablets contain the Met On Demand in their various app stores.

 

[TLS Guy]

Well, I wanted to like this thing but I just like it. I don't believe this modern story and its setting, told in this mixed medium production, works as an opera. There is something very off with this particular stage production that had me wondering what year I was in and when it was actually produced. Only the technical equipment and Joyce Di Donato's unfortunate and distracting face work, pricey hair cut and color job reminded me that this production was filmed recently and not forty or fifty years ago in East Berlin. Does Sister Helen really have to look like a miserable hausfrau wrapped in a frock that is the same color of the Iron Curtain? Vocally, Di Donato hits a pure note but needs to sing more openly and annunciate more clearly. I often asked myself, "Is this b#%ch actually singing in English?" Fillers and muscle numbing poison injections aren't a good idea for those who need their face and throat to emote and sing. Susan Graham, who originated the role of Sister Helen on stage over twenty years ago, steals the show here as Mrs. DeRocher. She did not need to sing a single note. We knew who this character was and what she'd been through in her life simply by looking at her as she walked on stage. Absent from her performance was the self indulgent mugging seen by some other performers. The presence of cameras does things to some folks. Anyway, I like a visually grand opera with memorable tunes. This one just isn't it.

The audio and video presentation did not impress here. The Met On Demand folks could learn A LOT from the Berliner Philharmoniker (Digital Concert Hall) folks. The Digital Concert Hall supports 4K, Hi-res and Dolby Atmos. Depending on the device used for playback, FREE concerts are available for playback in 4K and Dolby Atmos without a subscription or free trial on the Digital Concert Hall. Those with far better systems than my own will pump out better presentations watching Met On Demand of course. But, for me, it just was not state of the art and a disappointment from an outfit showcasing the arts. I compared the audio and video presentation using no less than four devices. It was just ok on all of them. Surprisingly, the Met On Demand app is not available from the app stores of the LG C1, MacOS(iOS app will download to Mac but display in boxed 4:3 ratio), Nvidia Shield TV Pro(stock not side loaded) or the XBOX Series X/S. If using a browser on PC/Mac and certain streamers or the official apps on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV 4K or Roku Ultra, you are good to go. I believe Samsung TVs and of course various Smart phones and tablets contain the Met On Demand in their various app stores.

In my room the audio is excellent, it is 16 bit 44.1 which is perfectly adequate and CD standard. There is no point in going higher, so that is lossless audio. I suspect the video is 2k, at least, but I can't find that spec. Video though is excellent here on my LG OLED screen. The audio is superb and I did not have any trouble with intelligibility.

I would vote the AV very high quality. I streamed from my HTPC via HDMI to my AVP, and HDMI to the TV.

I thought the singing was excellent, and I have no compliant with Joyce diDonato's singing, acting or appearance. I have always rated her as one of the greatest sopranos of our time. I thought the orchestra rendered a perfect performance with phenomenal intensity and dynamic range.

I do agree with you about the sparse sets. That is common today, as it saves a lot of money!

However I found myself totally involved in this performance and thought the audio was a very high standard and I had zero complaint with it. I use the DD SUR upmixer and the front stage was well balanced. In that I do have an ace in the hole, in that my center speaker aces any other I have ever encountered so that may be why I had no dialog issues.

 

[Trebdp83]

I also use an LG OLED and am 9’ from a 77” C1. The HD video signal here is just not anything close to as good as the 4K image of the Berliner Philharmoniker app nor is the audio. Lossless, hi-res or Dolby Atmos tracks from the Digital Concert Hall are just perfection. Met Opera On Demand, and BroadwayHD for that matter, can’t touch it.

My opinions of the show and the performers are my own. Hey, I mostly hated “Hamilton” and think it the most overrated stage production perhaps of all time. Lin-Manual Miranda is not a star and that schlub is a mediocre performer at best. Casting himself as Hamilton was pure ego and practically ruins the show. Though, the filmed production in Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmos on Disney+ is better than anything on Met On Demand or BroadwayHD and Jonathan Goff steals the show as King George.

Sorry, wandered off there. Anyway, “Dead Man Walking” not for me and the Met On Demand needs to step it up. But, I appreciated the recommendation.

 

[TLS Guy]

I also use an LG OLED and am 9’ from a 77” C1. The HD video signal here is just not anything close to as good as the 4K image of the Berliner Philharmoniker app nor is the audio. Lossless, hi-res or Dolby Atmos tracks from the Digital Concert Hall are just perfection. Met Opera On Demand, and BroadwayHD for that matter, can’t touch it.

My opinions of the show and the performers are my own. Hey, I mostly hated “Hamilton” and think it the most overrated stage production perhaps of all time. Lin-Manual Miranda is not a star and that schlub is a mediocre performer at best. Casting himself as Hamilton was pure ego and practically ruins the show. Though, the filmed production in Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmos on Disney+ is better than anything on Met On Demand or BroadwayHD and Jonathan Goff steals the show as King George.

Sorry, wandered off there. Anyway, “Dead Man Walking” not for me and the Met On Demand needs to step it up. But, I appreciated the recommendation.

I don't understand the difference is the audio quality. The sound here is the equal of the tow channel sound of the BPO. The picture quality may be a little lower but not that I would notice, it still seems as good or better than most network TV.

All I can say is that streamed via my HTPC the picture and especially the sound are top class from the Met.

 

[Trebdp83]

The differences may come down to the actual recordings themselves rather than the stereo stream. The Berliner Philharmoniker recordings and app are top notch and the streamed results are very nice.

While not bad, the Met On Demand app and this particular production did not blow me over. Perceived technical shortcomings can be overlooked when engrossed in a production. When not enjoying a production, it can all get picked apart.

 

[TLS Guy]

The differences may come down to the actual recordings themselves rather than the stereo stream. The Berliner Philharmoniker recordings and app are top notch and the streamed results are very nice.

While not bad, the Met On Demand app and this particular production did not blow me over. Perceived technical shortcomings can be overlooked when engrossed in a production. When not enjoying a production, it can all get picked apart.

I think the sound of Met Player is easily the equal of the BPO stereo stream.

Opera is far harder to record and reproduce than practically anything else. It easily overwhelms most systems. The large orchestras, huge choruses and powerful operatic voices place huge demands on reproducing systems, especially the midrange components of speakers. Few speakers have adequate midrange power to handle opera and large choral works for that matter.

The other issue is that opera is very hard to record in AV. The orchestra is in the pit, and the singers and chorus are on stage. They are almost always recorded live. You can not have mics in view of the audience. I have recorded two operas live for broadcast. Not that, that was a huge challenge for me as I am against close miking.

The problem becomes that distant and especially coincident techniques really, really show up loudspeaker shortcomings. This does require speakers with superior phase alignment as well as being superior in every respect.

In the days of the LP and CD, in otherwise audio only, singers were individually miked. However, I think the inability to do so with live opera is a huge bonus.

All I can tell you that here in this room the Met streams sound superb, even the huge moments like the end of Turandot for instance.

In this room the perspective is maintained and it sounds very close to being there.

But as you know I design my speakers like no others, and they are designed entirely with chamber, solo, symphonic, choral music and opera in mind.

 

[Trebdp83]

Anyway, I still don’t like “Dead Man Walking.”

 

[TLS Guy]

Anyway, I still don’t like “Dead Man Walking.”

Well if you are going to write on opera about a murder, and his execution, a lot of the music is not likely to be pretty. His music is tonal in the main, except where it can not be. Even J.S. Bach could use discord including the "Devil's Chord".

 

[Trebdp83]

I don’t remember saying that the actual music was what I did not like about it. The stage production and the filming of it were not great. It takes care and cleverness to arrange a stark stage. This just looked cheap. I think I already mentioned that horrible frock. How about those prisoners who all looked as menacing as bored nursing students on their lunch break?!

This show, like the recent “The Color Purple” stage and movie musicals, borrows too much from a previous film production that already took liberties with the source material. It and “The Color Purple” suffer in comparison. The drama is actually diminished rather than elevated in both musical productions.

If the Met wants to support the modern opera, it needs to showcase original material. While “Dead Man Walking” is technically modern, it premiered at The San Francisco Opera in 2000 and only recently made its way to the Met where it was met with mixed reviews. Sometimes, you can use the best of ingredients in a recipe and still be left with a bad taste in your mouth. But, some may like it and ask for seconds.

 

[TLS Guy]

I don’t remember saying that the actual music was what I did not like about it. The stage production and the filming of it were not great. It takes care and cleverness to arrange a stark stage. This just looked cheap. I think I already mentioned that horrible frock. How about those prisoners who all looked as menacing as bored nursing students on their lunch break?!

This show, like the recent “The Color Purple” stage and movie musicals, borrows too much from a previous film production that already took liberties with the source material. It and “The Color Purple” suffer in comparison. The drama is actually diminished rather than elevated in both musical productions.

If the Met wants to support the modern opera, it needs to showcase original material. While “Dead Man Walking” is technically modern, it premiered at The San Francisco Opera in 2000 and only recently made its way to the Met where it was met with mixed reviews. Sometimes, you can use the best of ingredients in a recipe and still be left with a bad taste in your mouth. But, some may like it and ask for seconds.

I do agree about the staging, but not the costumes.

However in opera it is really the music that tells the story. Don't forget that the prisoners etc. are part of the renowned Metropolitan Chorus, which is second to none. They are hired for their voices and it is the singing and especially the orchestra that tell the story. They do this superbly.

It was Richard Wagner who perfected telling stories with music. He did not call his works opera, but "music dramas". That is a very appropriate term. Without Wagners achievements Hollywood would never have been what it became. Those that wrote the film scores were Wagner's disciples, and actually still are.
Wagner coined the term, "the Hypnotic line". That really describes the purpose of the score, to be a short circuit to the subconscious.

Wagner's music and character interplay had a huge influence on Carl Jung and his techniques and theories on psychotherapy.

 

[Trebdp83]

If costume design or anything else is a distraction from the music or the performances, it needs to be fixed. Those frocks should be burned. Sir Cecil Beaton would roll over in his grave over comments of costuming not helping tell a story and he certainly would never have put an actress in that piece of s#%t.

A truly great production is the sum of all the parts. This one had some great parts as well as some other parts that need to be replaced. That is just my own opinion of this particular production. Others may have enjoyed it fully. I simply did not so but life, and the show, must on.

 

[TLS Guy]

If costume design or anything else is a distraction from the music or the performances, it needs to be fixed. Those frocks should be burned. Sir Cecil Beaton would roll over in his grave over comments of costuming not helping tell a story and he certainly would never have put an actress in that piece of s#%t.

A truly great production is the sum of all the parts. This one had some great parts as well as some other parts that need to be replaced. That is just my own opinion of this particular production. Others may have enjoyed it fully. I simply did not so but life, and the show, must on.

Don't get me wrong. I love the spectacle of great scenery and exotic costumes. However, they cost money. The other issue is racial sensitivities concerning the increasing number of African American and Asian singers. There is increasing sensitivity about them dressing up in exotic European costumes.

I bet we have seen the last production of Turandot in a traditional costume as you won't put together a huge chorus of Chinese singers.
You certainly can't use "blackface" any longer for Princess Aida. However that is no longer a problem, as there are now a significant number of good African American and other singers of color to take on the role. However in this age casting has become a nightmare, and even scenery can create offense. So, between this and casting issues, stark helps solve this issue and is cheaper.

 

[Trebdp83]

Those concerns aren’t relevant in a modern production. Other productions of this work bettered it in staging and costuming. F#%k those folks overly sensitive to older properties that may offend them. It was what it was and I don’t believe in revisionist hostory. I can’t think of any Americans of African or Asian descent who hit their number in this country and then ran off to the home land. Ok, Tina Turner did leave the country. But, she retired to Switzerland, not Africa. Smart girl.

 

[Verdinut]

The Opera Dead Man Walking is can now be viewed on the Metropolitan Opera Player on demand.

We had a great night with friends in the AV room last night.

Jake Heggie's two act opera Dead Man Walking is now available to watch on Met Player. This is the operatic dramatization of Helen Prejean's account of her involvement and support of a murderer facing death penalty for an horrendous rape and murder who is executed by lethal injections at the end of the opera.

This is dramatic storytelling of the highest and most arresting quality. Sister Prejean is sung by renowned soprano Joyce diDonato. There is a studded cast, and the renowned Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, is conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. This is a production that defines dramatic in drama, and holds your attention throughout. Jake Heggie has written a wonderful score which supports the drama throughout. This is simply a brilliant score. The drama is supported by screen video at times.

This is an opera that I think will be having productions in 200 years.

I think this is the most arresting opera produced in the modern era. This will enter the standard repertoire. Opera houses world wide a lining up to produce this dramatic work and many already have.

I actually think this opera will be better watched in a good AV room than the house. The sound recording is first class, with a huge dynamic range.

You can sign up for a trial with Met Player, and I highly recommend doing so. This is a production that will keep you riveted from start to finish. It is a theatrical production of the highest order.

Yesterday night, I watched the opera Dead Man Walking through my Roku streamer, and as you predicted, I was kept riveted to it till the end. The performance of both mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, and baritone Ryan McKinny, was outstanding. The quality of the music score greatly contributed to the success of the whole production. Yannick's well controlled direction emphasized the dramatic climaxes.

 

[TLS Guy]

Yesterday night, I watched the opera Dead Man Walking through my Roku streamer, and as you predicted, I was kept riveted to it till the end. The performance of both mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, and baritone Ryan McKinny, was outstanding. The quality of the music score greatly contributed to the success of the whole production. Yannick's well controlled direction emphasized the dramatic climaxes.

I agree entirely. That work will have legs down the ages. I thought the score was brilliant. The orchestra really supported the story in the tradition of the greatest operas. You can see why it is selling out. As Daniel Barenboim has remarked, music lovers and concert goers generally get it right. I agree with that. Bottoms in the seats and now hits online are a much better guide than music critics and academics.