THE METROPOLITAN OPERA CELEBRATES ITSELF IN ‘THE OPERA HOUSE’

By BEN KENIGSBERGJAN.

The documentary “The Opera House” chronicles the creation of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lincoln Center home. Credit Fathom Events

The documentary “The Opera House” celebrates the history of the Metropolitan Opera — in particular, the construction of the organization’s current Lincoln Center home, which had its 50th anniversary in 2016. Given that Peter Gelb, the general manager of the Met, is one of the producers, and that the movie is opening at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the Met’s across-the-plaza neighbor, it should probably be taken as a partisan history.

To its credit, “The Opera House,” directed by Susan Froemke, only sometimes plays like a fund-raising tool. The meatiest material concerns the building of Lincoln Center. Architecture historians describe the competing visions for the design of the complex, and the movie doesn’t ignore the displacement that came with what Robert Moses called “the scythe of progress.” Former West Side residents share stories of having to leave their homes. It’s also suggested that Lincoln Center had a specific Cold War role as an institution designed to show off the United States’ commitment to culture.

But much of “The Opera House” is less substantial. Alfred Hubay, the longtime box office manager, recalls how he caught the opera bug and took a job as an usher, figuring that would be an easy way to hear more. And Leontyne Price, still a magnetic presence, remembers the chaotic preparation for the Franco Zeffirelli production of “Antony and Cleopatra” that opened the new venue, and having to contend with a malfunctioning tomb.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/movies/the-opera-house-review.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fclassical-music-reviews&action=click&contentCollection=music&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=collection