BroadwayHD Expands Opera Offering with BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN and NABUCCO

BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater, continues to expand content and is adding two breathtaking opera performances to the existing lineup of more than 270 titles. Brokeback Mountain is a modern opera adaptation of the short story written by Annie Proulx and directed by award-winning, international superstar director Ivo van Hove, who will be directing the eagerly-anticipated revival of West Side Story on Broadway in 2020. The vivid patriotic opera Nabucco is a drama in four acts filled with energetic performance, intensely beautiful singing and impressive set design that collectively throttles the audience into the time period of the 1800's.

"The additions of Nabucco and Brokeback Mountain are significant in that they build the accessibility of breathtaking live opera performances that would be hard to find elsewhere," said BroadwayHD co-founders, Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley. "It also gives viewers the chance to see the legendary vision of Ivo van Hove one of the most important creative forces in live theater today.."

In partnership with BelAir Media, an independent media company which produced both Brokeback Mountain and Nabucco, BroadwayHD is excited to bring content from all over the world to the streaming platform. Details on each show are below:

Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain is an internationally acclaimed production staged by Ivo van Hove, who is renowned for his provocative approach to conceptualizing very visual, disorienting chaos on-stage to evoke a visceral response from the audience. The story follows ranch hand Ennis del Mar and rodeo cowboy Jack Twist, two young men who meet and fall in love on the fictional Brokeback Mountain of Wyoming in 1963. In this musical adaptation, composer Charles Wuorinen creates a grittier atmosphere with heart-pounding scores that amplify the significance of the mountain where the protagonists first meet and continue their relationship in secret for 20 years. The tragic doomed love of the two principals played by bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch and tenor Tom Randle calls forth the most lyrical flights in the score.

Nabucco

Nabucco is an Italian-language opera in four acts composed in 1841 by Giuseppe Verdi, which immediately resonated with the Italian nationalists and has ever since been a symbol of Italian national identity. The story takes place in Jerusalem and BABYLON between 1848 and 1860 in which the Austrian EMPIRE dominated the kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. French Director Arnaud Bernard interprets Nabucco through a historic lens, placing the audience at the epicentre of the "Risorgimento" and the capital of Italian nationalism, at a time where the supporters of Italian independence from Austrian occupation were starting to make their voices heard. The story also follows the plight of Jews as they are exiled from BABYLON by Nabuchodonosor. Soprano Susanna Branchini plays the role of Abigaille, Nabuchodonosor's daughter, and performs one of Verdi's most challenging score. Conductor Daniel Oren, a true connoisseur of Verdi's musical language, conducts with great panache this lyrical epic that holds such a special place in the heart of all Italians. Nabucco was directed by Arnaud Bernard and conducted by Daniel Oren.

BroadwayHD introduces award-winning theater from all across the globe with both classic and modern productions. Fans can expect to see the full works of Shakespeare, awe-inspiring performances from Cirque du Soleil and a selection of the world's greatest musicals including Phantom of the Opera, Oklahoma, Billy Elliot, Cats, Les Miserables, and Sweeney Todd. All performances are adapted specifically for streaming audiences to maximize the entertainment experience. To learn more about BroadwayHD, visit www.broadwayhd.com