And yet, we believe that it may be possible to use technology to go, a little bit at least, towards capturing the social, - and thus emotional and intellectual - experience of a visiting a live performance - in some way, perhaps more so.
With that in mind, we would like to do something online: interactive, social, recorded video performances of Wagner's work. A mini online Bayreuth if you like. Indeed, we did a little mini-trial a few weeks ago with a small few people to test the technical capabilities of the platform we wish to use - with some success. We then asked on twitter if people would be interested and more importantly take part by joining in and chatting, a108 voted yes.
So, with that in mind, we would like to do a full trial, broadcasting a famous performance of one of Wagner's works - Tristan und Isolde - in full this Sunday. We will be rebroadcasting live from youtube, a performance made available there, by the copyright holders. The reason we will be broadcasting live from youtube is that although we have good technical equipment and band weight to broadcast ourselves should we encounter any technical difficulties,, you should at least still be able to watch and chat.
We will be using a video/social broadcasting platform called Twitch. Normally considered a platform for gamers to broadcast gameplay, but in truth, it is used for other forms of the arts also - more so during this pandemic. To watch the broadcast, you simply need to visit the channel at the time given below. However, we are hoping that you will join us in the chat that will run live at the side of the performance - especially during the intervals. We think that this experience can only be raised from simply watching a youtube video by your considered thoughts and insights. To do this, you will need to register an account with Twitch. This is free, quick, simple, only requires an email address - any will do if you wish to make one just for this - and is unobtrusive.
There may be teething problems, although hopefully few. if any. You will need to bring your own ice cream and cushion.
An Online Mini Bayreuth (Test)
Work: Tristian und Isolde (Sadly, at this stage, not a Bayreuth performance)
Time: Join us at 3.00 PM BST on Sunday 3 May (Bring your own cushion)
Place: Twitch Click this link (might be a good idea to register in advance if you want to chat but will only take a few minutes on the day)