It’s official. The numbers are in, and the Met’s first HD transmission of the season, Roméo et Juliette starring Anna Netrebko and Roberto Alagna, had an international audience of nearly 97,000 — making it the biggest live alternative cinema event ever. The performance was shown on 477 screens in the U.S., where the transmission sold 77,000 tickets. The 100 screens internationally garnered another 20,000 in ticket sales.

Needless to say, Met General Manager Peter Gelb was pleased. “The success of Saturday’s HD transmission is an indication that the public’s interest in these global events is building,” he said. “And the demand for tickets to our transmissions parallels the increase in attendance to the opera house in the first third of the performance season. More people are interested in opera today, which is great news for the Met.”

The 2007-08 HD season continues on New Year’s Day, with Richard Jones’s new production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, sung in English.

Students, teachers and parents loved watching the transmission at Celia Cruz Bronx High School, and most of them said they were going to come back for the second one in January. There were even some very young kids in the audience, who watched with fascination and clapped enthusiastically after the opera’s arias and duets.

“This is a milestone opportunity, a great way to introduce our community to the wonderful world of opera,” remarked Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez, who was attending the show at The Grand Street Campus High Schools in Brooklyn. “It’s a win-win situation: a win for the Metropolitan Opera and a win for our community and our students, for the future Plácido Domingos or Jessye Normans right here on our campus.” The students agreed: “I can’t believe I got to see that for free!” one of them said. Some were surprised how exciting live opera can be: “I really like the way they captured the audience by going backstage,” said 15-year-old Jamaine. “That was awesome!” The atmosphere was almost like being at the Met: ushers even used xylophones to call people back to their seats at the end of the intermission. While all of the boys seemed to love Anna Netrebko, the girls were especially taken with her white-and-pink dress.

Enthusiastic reports also kept coming in from movie theaters in places as far apart as Nashville, Prague and the Walter Reade Theater right next door to the Met.

Photos: Stephanie Berger/Metropolitan Opera

The excitement during the transmission was palpable everywhere in the opera house—on stage, in the auditorium, and especially backstage. Here are some first-hand impressions of what was going on there during performance and intermission.

“Roméo” Roberto Alagna, coming directly from the stage at the beginning of the intermission, walks to his dressing room…

…where he and co-star Anna Netrebko are being interviewed by fellow soprano Renée Fleming.

A look into the control room, where Netrebko and Alagna can be seen on the screens.

Fleming announcing a clip from the season-opening Lucia di Lammermoor.

Her next interview partner is the legendary Plácido Domingo, who conducted the performance.

Gary Halvorson (with headphones) directs the transmission…

…while General Manager and Executive Producer Peter Gelb (right) looks on.

Photos: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9)
Elena Park/Metropolitan Opera (5, 7, 8)