Operatic Art In The Digital Medium: Key Trends And Adaptation Problems

In today's world many spheres and industries face the problem of adapting their activity to digitization. In the context of the highly competitive cultural market, theatres and concert halls increasingly feel the need of attracting new consumers, which can primarily be achieved with the help of digital communications. In order to build a good communication strategy and improve the theatre's economic efficiency it is highly important to analyze how the consumers perceive the new technologies within the framework of the traditional genre. The authors have analyzed a wide social background of the audience's attitude to the cultural product nowadays, as well as overviewed a general classification of digital instruments in the operatic sphere and their role in the period of the pandemic. To that end an empirical research has been conducted in the form of an online survey of Russian and Italian audiences represented by the users of opera-themed groups in the social networks. A comparative analysis of the audiences' opinions has been effected regarding the positive influence of digital technologies on opera; their presence on the platforms of operatic institutions and in social networks; the possibility of replacing live theatre by the digital analogue. The results of the analysis allow to interpret digitization of opera as an important applied instrument which plays a significant role in promoting and popularizing this sphere in society but should be prevented from transforming the authentic essence of the operatic art.