The introduction of live HD broadcasts has quite literally transformed the world of opera overnight. Theaters that are broadcasting have seen an increase in in-theatre audience numbers, remote locations without a hope of ever hosting a local company are seeing for the first time world-class productions, and — perhaps most important of all if opera is not to become a museum curio — younger audiences are being wooed and successfully seduced. So let’s ignore the usual chorus of reactionary naysayers, and look at some excerpts from recent productions that illustrate the power of the medium:

John Adams — Nixon in China
Alban Berg — Lulu
Benjamin Britten — Billy Budd
Leos Janacek — The Makropulos Case
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — The Magic Flute
Giacomo Puccini — La Bohème
Giuseppe Verdi — Otello
Giuseppe Verdi — Simon Boccanegra
Richard Wagner — Tristan and Isolde