Saturday's Met at the Movies

This Saturday, October 11th, at 1:00 p.m. the Metropolitan Opera will present the next HD broadcast live in movie theaters across the country.  Richard Strauss' Salome will feature Finnish soprano Karita Mattila, Ildiko Komlosi, Kim Begley, Joseph Kaiser, baritone Juha Uusitalo as Jochanaan, and conductor Mikko Franck. 

 Mattila first sang Salome at the Met in 2004, and she will reprise her stunning interpretation this Saturday, including her unforgettable Dance of the Seven Veils.

Opera lovers may wonder about the Dance scene, in which the soprano sheds her seven veils.  According to the Los Angeles Times, Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter Gelb decided that the Salome broadcast would not include nudity, stating that the HD broadasts are marketed as "family-friendly."  The commitment of staying true to the original piece however will be handled by the camera operator.  While the live audience at the Met will "see it all," the theater audience will see either a close up of her face, or a clever camera pan away from her dance.

Strauss' Salome will be shown in Rochester at the Regal Theater Eastview and at Tinseltown.