It seems that the Met video broadcasts have been so popular, they are all earning encore performances! Bravo! This evidences a (hopefully not premature) greater public interest in opera than I think anyone expected. I have my own theories about that - and I blame the Internet.
I blame the Internet for introducing us to a much wider world of musical interest than we ever had before. Thanks to everything from Napster and Audiogalaxy (may they rest in peace) to Itunes, consumers have found (gasp) a selection of music again! They have (shock) learned how to experiment with their musical taste!
Remember in the old days, when the only ways to learn about new music were the radio, MTV, and maybe a record store friend? In those days, the only acts that could catch anyone's attention were the big sellers - the mass market stuff that made it onto the airwaves, or into your local record shop. Smaller bands and niche genres were SOL. Even if someone did venture outside of their demographic and chance to recommend an opera singer to you, the likelihood of you actually going and buying a CD to find out was small.
In the age of the internet, musical experimentation has become commonplace, even a social activity. I can't count the times I've been to a party where the host was keen to show off his/her selection of bands and music I'd never heard of. Having a distinct and individual taste in your music is now a badge of pride, and sharing niche music a social activity.
Is it any surprise that in this niche-oriented market, opera is feeling increased success? People are proud of their esoteric taste, and actively hunt out new kinds of music to experience. Today, if someone told you to check out singer X who's really incredible, you would probably go look her up on Youtube, almost no matter what genre of music she was in. This is a very good thing.
In the age of niche music, of aural experimentation, opera is popular enough to earn reruns in the theaters. I say Bravo!
