The Opera-Telephone in Munich
Through a cultural-historical analysis, the chapter portrays the Opera-Telephone in Munich as a special means of listening and explores its technical, social, economic, and psychological aspects. These aspects strongly reflect the reciprocal relation of technical innovation and listening to music, for example, by emphasizing the meaning of live broadcasting for listening habits and by highlighting the impact of headphone use on aural perception. The latter practice enables the transfer of the multidimensional opera event into a pure listening experience as the visual element is eliminated. The Opera-Telephone also serves to illustrate matters of social status in regard to private and public listening. In this way, opera was incorporated into the marketing of modern technical products.