In 2012/13, the Bavarian State Opera will be the first international opera house to present, with STAATSOPER.TV, a season with live streams online free of charge. Opera and ballet lovers from all over the world will be able to enjoy a total of seven opera performances and two ballet evenings in full and live online from Munich. The first of these were the audiovisual transmissions of Jörg Widmann's new opera Babylon, Giacomo Puccini's Turandot, Tchaikovsky's/Neumeier's The Nutcracker, Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto, Leoš Janáček's Jenůfa, Richard Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer, and Giuseppe Verdi's Macbeth.

This will be followed by streams of the following opera performances:

June 1, 2013
Terence Kohler
Helden


July 5, 2013
Giuseppe Verdi
Il trovatore

July 26, 2013
Modest Mussorgsky
Boris Godunov

"I think that live streaming, as a one-off event, provides a contemporary way of opening the doors of the Opera House to the world. STAATSOPER.TV is live, like the theatre, and disappears when the curtain falls – and this is what gives it its very special appeal. The Bavarian State Opera is thus able to present itself to an even wider audience as a unique forum where innovative music theatre meets the world's best artists", says General Manager Nikolaus Bachler.

Four to six cameras in the auditorium of the National Theatre will broadcast the performances to the whole world via www.staatsoper.de/tv. Up to 40 microphones in the orchestra pit and on the stage will provide first-class sound quality. The streams will be offered in three different transmission qualities which will adjust automatically to the viewer's computer power or internet connection. Before each live stream, General Manager Nikolaus Bachler will provide an introduction to the work, and the State Opera will also allow a glimpse behind the stage of the Opera House during the intervals. Subtitles in German and English complete the services offered. Apart from a computer, laptop or tablet PC, users will only require a broadband internet connection such as DSL and speakers connected to the device.

As a sponsor for STAATSOPER.TV, it has been possible to attract, with The Linde Group, an international corporation which has been involved with the Bavarian State Opera for many years. Linde is exclusive Season Partner since the 2008/09 season and will now also be the International Streaming Partner for the next four seasons.

Advance test

If you would like to find out before the live transmission whether your system meets the technical requirements, start one of the videos in the Multimedia area. The format and technology of these films are the same as the live transmission. If the video plays, then the technical requirements for the live transmission are in place.

To the videos

Adobe Flash Player

Our live stream runs via the Adobe Flash Player. When a video starts, it automatically checks the installed version and compares it with the most recent version available. If a new version is available, the update and installation of the latest Flash Player are automatically recommended. We recommend that you carry this out. The Adobe Flash Player is constantly being developed. New versions also offer security benefits. At the moment, streaming requires a Version 9 player or higher.

Free download of latest Flash Player

Basics

The essential requirement is a broadband internet connection such as DSL. The video is offered at 600 kb and 1000 kb in two transmission qualities which automatically adjust to the individual internet user's data connection.

During the transmission, no downloads should be carried out in the background and no additional applications should be open.

With access via WLAN, the internet speed depends partly on the distance from the access point / WLAN router. A change in physical position can improve the connection quality.

With DSL/cable connections, the bandwidth promised by the provider may fluctuate.