Слыхали ль вы за рощей глас ночной Певца любви, певца своей печали? Когда поля в час утренний молчали, Свирели звук, унылый и простой, Слыхали ль вы?

I was ready to put down my $21 last night for Eugene Onegin in XD, but (1) it didn't start until 6:30, and the running time was 4 hours, and 10:30 is kind of late for me, (2) last time I went to see an opera at the movie theater there were a bunch of old fucks who were less reverent than I wanted them to be, and (3) I don't really like going to the movies ABMS. (Neither does Eric Carmen.) So I didn't go.

But I really wanted to see that opera. For one thing, it starred  Anna Netrebko, the Super 🔥 Russian gal I saw in La Traviata a few months ago. So I thought I'd see if, perchance, I could stream it on NETFLIX or amazon. But alas, it was not to be.

But during the course of my travails, I happened upon 

 .

And I thought I'd have a look.

And . . . well blow me down. They had Eugene Onegin. Six of them. Two on video and four audio only. And one of the four says that one of the two was saved. Ach, sorry. Suffering from Godotette Syndrome. One of the two was the one which starred the divine Miss Netrebko. 

I checked the price. $14.99 a month. Hmmm. So less than the price of a ticket to one opera at the theater, where the picture was, admittedly, much bigger, and the sound quality higher, but I have excellent hearing and can always sit closer to the tv. And the thought of not having to deal with the irreverent old fucks and being able to pause for a piss or a snack (high fiber, low sugar, of course) . . . sign me up. 

But it got better. For one thing, the catalog is truly immense. According to the website's FAQ section, 

"Met Opera on Demand is the online streaming service that allows users to watch and listen to 550 Met performances over the internet.

"This online streaming catalog includes HD videos (from the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series of worldwide cinema transmissions), classic telecasts (standard-definition videos that were originally broadcast live on television from 1977-2003), and radio broadcast (audio-only) performances dating back to 1935 (from the Met’s long-running series of Saturday matinee radio broadcasts as well as more recent satellite radio broadcasts.)"

Oh, yeah. Mos def sign me up.

But it got better. 'Cause there's a 7 Day Free Trial.

I signed up.

Watched Eugene Onegin with 🔥 Anna Netrebko. Oh, my. That woman is not from Russia, she's from Planet Grrrrrrr. 

I don't think I'm going to be cancelling my subscription at the end of the 7 Day Trial.

And I'll probably never go to the theater for the Opera in HD again. $21? Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.