Popcorn at the opera, anyone?

That is actually not as strange as it sounds: The Magic Flute which opens today - the famous fantasy opera, and the last ever written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - will be shown on the silver screen, not as an adaptation but as a full-blown stage performance.

The Magic Flute marks the first time a recorded opera performance will be shown in a local movie theatre.

A second one, The First Emperor - written by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon musical composer Tan Dun, directed by Zhang Yimou and starring tenor Plácido Domingo - will be screened on Sept 20.

The two "movie-operas" are part of The Metropolitan Opera's Live in HD screening series that began in New York last December. Under the Met's programme, opera performances are transmitted to cinemas in High Definition format.

The critically-acclaimed series include Tristan und Isolde, Romeo et Juliette, Hansel and Gretel, among others. In the current 2007-2008 season, over a million people are expected to watch these performances in 700 to 800 theatres in North America, Europe, Japan, and now Singapore.

Now, that's a lot of popcorn.

The man behind this move to popularise opera is Peter Gelb, general manager of The Met.

The 54-year-old former record company executive came on board the 124-year-old group last year and initiated such projects as Metropolitan Opera Radio, a 24-hour satellite radio channel broadcasting weekly live and historical opera performances, open-house events, and Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD. Plans are also afoot to have these performances on DVD.

In an email interview from New York, Gelb, who began his association with the Met as a teenage usher, said that using modern technology to democratise opera demonstrates that the art form is "forward-thinking".

"Opera used to be an art form for the populace. Performances were interactive, much like a sporting event today," he said.

For the recorded broadcasts, around 10 to 15 cameras are used, providing audiences with different close-up shots, cuts and angles. Gelb added that this is the most effective way to reach a large audience and introduce people to "the thrill of live opera".

However, live telecast of an opera performance, at least in Singapore, will have to wait.

Phoon Chiong Kit, managing director of Golden Harvest Group of Companies, and the person responsible for bringing the two "opera-movies" series to Singapore, said screening a recorded opera is only the first step towards reaching his objective - to broadcast a live performance.

"My real aim is to show these 'almost live' or on a slightly delayed basis," said the 55-year-old.

There are no plans for any other Met Opera performances to be shown after The First Emperor.

Will Singaporeans take the bait? Gelb is optimistic and expects the two opera-movies to be well-received.

"The Magic Flute is the perfect choice for families. Zhang Yimou, the director of The First Emperor, is a big star in Asia and Tan Dun is also well-known. It is very exciting to see Plácido Domingo perform a new role in an opera by this Chinese composer."

Mae Kng, 32, business manager for Singapore Lyric Opera - which has also been experimenting with opera to reach a wider audience - applauded the move.

"This is a good opportunity for first timers to have a taste of the art form. They will find that opera is not only for rich people with a talent for languages or the musically-trained." - TODAY/ym