Live opera for global audience
RTE will livestream at this year’s Wexford Festival Opera for the first time, as part of a collaboration with European public service channel, ARTE.
The parntership will see Wexford Festival Opera’s production of Saverio Mercadante’s Il bravo (The Assassin) livestreamed internationally on October 27 on RTÉ’s online Culture platform, RTE.ie/culture.
The performance will then be available for catch-up on RTÉ Player.
The opera will also be broadcast in April next year on Arte’s digital on-demand culture channel, Arte Concert, as part of ARTE’s 2019 Opera Season in which 22 operas from opera houses across 14 countries will be broadcast free-of-charge to audiences across the world, creating a special online service for lovers of classical music.
The project has been facilitated by a close partnership between RTÉ and ARTE as part of a pan-European public-service initiative which sets out to promote European culture by offering
European cultural content and events on-demand and free-of-charge to audiences worldwide on the digital platforms of partner broadcasters.
RTÉ lyric fm will also broadcast Il bravo (The Assasin) live on Saturday, October 27 as part of Opera Night with Paul Herriott and it will also be streamed around Europe courtesy of the EBU Premium Opera Season. The two additional operas will be recorded for future dates.
The European premiere of William Bolcom’s, Dinner at Eight will be broadcast on Saturday, November 3, on RTÉ lyric fm and streamed around Europe as well, courtesy of the EBU Premium Opera Season; while the double-bill of L’oracolo and Mala vita will be broadcast on RTÉ lyric fm on Saturday, November 10.
Festival chief executive David McLoughlin said: ‘Ten years on from RTÉ broadcasting live on terrestrial television from the National Opera House on its opening night, a new and exciting chapter in Wexford’s partnership with RTÉ has commenced.’