Which world-class opera performance will you be watching at Vue?

Ask any opera fan to name their favourite gut-wrenching moment and they shouldn’t be short of answers. From the scene in La bohème where Rodolfo helps Mimi search for her key in the dark and their hands meet, prompting the famous line “Your tiny hand is frozen” – to the epic finale of Tosca where the heartbroken heroine throws herself off the castle’s parapet, there’s no denying that opera packs a powerful emotional punch.

But the thing with opera, as opera lovers will tell you, is that you don’t just watch the performances for the story. The tales of forbidden love and bitter betrayal are instantly recognisable (spoiler: the main character probably dies). The pleasure of the viewing lies in the sensory stuff: the heart-breaking arias, the swelling of the orchestra, the spectacle of the radically re-imagined set designs and costumes.

From La Traviata to Madame Butterfly, here are the lavish productions you can watch live in pin-sharp surround sound and crystal clear 4K technology.

Turandot on Sydney Harbour, Opera Australia 2016

And now, screenings of world-class opera are being broadcast on the big screen at Vue – so you can experience these details in more clarity than ever. At Opera Australia’s majestic Sydney production of Puccini’s Turandot, the audience marvelled at a 60-metre long dragon set piece whipping its mechanical tail against the twinkling lights of the world famous harbour. A couple of months later, Vue-goers here in the UK got to see the spectacle in crystal clear, 4K technology, not to mention hear the rousing rendition of “Nessun Dorma” in pin-sharp Dolby surround sound.

Even members of the orchestra can???t see each stitch on the soprano???s cape, or the twinkle in her eye when her lover enters stage right.

Vue streams performances from the Royal Opera House, Opera Australia, the Met and more, and each major opera house production has a team of technical specialists who position as many as ten cameras around the venue to capture every breath and bead of sweat. Opera is an art form made up of many others: dance, acting, puppetry and circus acrobatics have as much of a place in a lavish production as singing. Beautiful cinematography allows Vue audiences to appreciate all of these elements in their own right. Even members of the orchestra can’t see each stitch on the soprano’s cape, or the twinkle in her eye when her lover enters stage right.

L'Amour de Loin, Met Opera, showing 10 December

So make a night of it. Black tie optional. Here’s what’s coming up:

Les Contes D’Hoffmann – Royal Opera

Live 15 November
Encore 20 November
Get times and tickets here.

L'Amour De Loin – Met Opera

10 December
Get times and tickets here.

Nabucco – Met Opera

7 January 2017
Get times and tickets here.

Romeo Et Juliette – Met Opera

21 January 2017
Get times and tickets here.

Il Trovatore – Royal Opera

Live 31 January 2017
Encore 5 Feburary 2017
Get times and tickets here.

Rusalka – Met Opera

25 February 2017
Get times and tickets here.

La Traviata – Met Opera

11 March 2017
Get times and tickets here.

Madama Butterfly – Royal Opera

Live 30 March 2017
Encore 2 April 2017
Tickets available soon.

Otello – Royal Opera

Live 28 June 2017
Encore 2 July 2017
Tickets available soon.