High drama: opera screenings

Catch an operatic tale of passion and intrigue at Farnham Maltings and at The Palace Cinema in Alton this month thanks to Met Live in HD.

Anyone who likes their opera traditional style with velvet and silk and not a hint of a bobble hat or a hoodie in sight should put the next Met: Live date in their diary now.

A tale of passion, intrigue and jealousy set in 18th century France are perfect ingredients to satisfy opera buffs and newcomers to the genre alike.

Francesco Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, composed in 1092, is inspired by the life and mysterious death of French actress Adrienne Lecouvreur and her lover, the soldier Maurice of Saxony.

Soprano Anna Netrebko sings the diva role for the first time at New York’s iconic Metropolitan Opera when she returns for her second leading role of the season. Taking the role of her lover, Maurizio, is tenor Piotr Beczała whom The Telegraph recently described as “what an authentic star sounds like”. After a successful run at the Royal Opera House in 2017, this production recreates in exact detail a baroque theatre, similar to that in which the real Adrienne would have performed in the 18th century.

The Met: Live in HD is the world’s leading provider of alternative cinema and is enjoyed by nearly 3million opera lovers every season including in more than 200 UK cinemas.