Focus on Opera – A virtual night at the opera

Wyl Menmuir argues that any truly informed overview of opera must take into account the age-old impact of technology.
When you think about opera what is the first thing that comes to mind? Moblogging, wikis, and folksonomies? Or the emotion, drama and grace of a mind-blowing aria? The chances are your first thoughts revolve around an audience rapt by a spectacle of vocal and orchestral virtuosity, rather than the buzz words of technology, which go in and out of fashion as fast as bloggers can blog. Opera is for many people emphatically a high skill, low-tech thing, at first glance incompatible with the fast moving world of new technology.

The persistence of technology

On closer inspection, however, the challenge of considering technology and opera is not in the lack of subject matter, but in the sheer choice. What area to broach? There is little in opera that has not been touched by technology, especially in the past hundred years or so  from the advent of electric lighting in the late 19th century, introducing hitherto impossible levels of subtlety on stage, the use of hydraulics, projections and pyrotechnics as stage effects, to new costume materials. Opera staging continues, as it always has, to require increasingly sophisticated solutions.

Opera audiences do not need to understand the technology behind the scenes of Wagners Ring Cycle any more than cinema-goers do the technical wizardry behind the CGI-fest of giant fighting robots that comprise the average Hollywood blockbuster. But as boundaries of what can be portrayed realistically in film are pushed back at a staggering rate, expectations of realism on the opera stage are altered accordingly. As the audiences capacity for wilful suspension of disbelief decreases so, concordantly, technology must make up the ground. This is a matter of changing audiences  audiences who, as time and technology move on, are being offered a wider spectrum of cultural experience with increasing levels of realism, and in unconventional, often virtual and mobile, spaces.

One of the strengths of emerging technologies is their ability to combine forms to provide a multi-media experience; and is that not, after all, what opera is  an immersive multi-media experience of theatre and music? So where does opera belong in the world of new media? Of course live performance remains the key purpose of the large opera houses, but the opportunity now exists to distribute performances on an ever-expanding number of platforms.

Opera companies are certainly moving out into the world. The Royal Opera House (ROH) pioneered Big Screens showing live opera in city centres across the UK, whilst the ROHs recent acquisition of DVD company Opus Arte categorically asserts digital media as an important part of operas future.

What these forays into the wider world represent  apart from the obvious possibility of reaching audiences for whom the luxury of a trip to an opera house is not an option  are new ways for people to interact with the artform. While removed from the live experience, these represent infinitely more exciting opportunities than radio and TV broadcasts traditionally have. DVD, for example, offers control and interaction with the work, including the possibility for the viewer to change the camera angle from which they view the action. Live satellite relays to cinemas offer those who cannot afford top price seats at the live performance a privileged view of the action as well as a soundscape far superior to that available on a TV. More controversial are the opportunities offered by the Internet. A hot topic of conversation in opera circles is breaking down the barriers preventing people interacting with opera, of removing perceptions of inaccessibility. New media allows audiences to dip in and out of experiences and choose how they experience the art, when and how they access it, and change the terms on which they engage with art. ROH head of opera development, John Lloyd Davis, said earlier this year, One of our big challenges is that people like a lot of music, including opera, but are reluctant to come through the doors of a building that looks like the Royal Opera House.

Video-hosting sites increasingly offer free hosting (and a quick search reveals audience members already taking matters into their own hands if opera companies do not post material themselves), whilst social networking sites present the audience with the ability to interact with opera houses, singers and directors through a combination of tools. Second Life is a virtual world in which it is possible to stage events in virtual space, in which it is not necessary to pass through the doors of a venue to be part of a community enjoying a common live experience.

Art and interaction

Opera organisations have a remit to reach out to new audiences and break down barriers between people and the art form. The big question for the future is, will opera follow the trends in new technology? Will opera producers embrace the new media models which offers audiences the chance not only to interact but to subvert established models? The next generation of art aficionados want not just to consume but affect what they experience. Participation is a question for opera to consider: new audiences want to access content on different platforms, mobile phones, laptops… Are we ready for this? Is the opera world ready for audiences who self-regulate and who set their own agendas?

So will new technology provide new performance spaces for opera? Will the traditional boundaries between audience and creator remain in place or develop as a result of the opportunities technology offers? All this remains to be seen and certainly new technologies are not substitutes to live performance. They are altogether different, but a performance should not be constrained by the number of seats in the auditorium any more than great paintings should be experienced solely by people in galleries or great photography constrained to a single print on a wall.

Overall new technology provides greater and more flexible access to one of the most vibrant and rich artistic experiences available and the opportunity to develop opera as an art form for the 21st Century. The steps taken so far are impressive, but the door to far more exciting possibilities is open and the opportunities are there for those brave enough.

Wyl Menmuir is a writer and information manager.
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