Cecilia Xuereb's article stating (The Sunday Times, May 17) that the St James Cavalier cinema will be transmitting live, high-definition performances from New York's Metropolitan Opera Theatre, is really good news for opera-lovers.

A year ago, some English friends treated us to one such live Met transmission of Verdi's Macbeth in a Southampton cinema. Before experiencing this electronic feat I was sceptical of watching opera in a cinema, but once I realised how close one felt to the stage and audience in New York I thought it was a great idea.

On my return to Malta, I immediately informed one of our leading cinema complexes about this possible joint venture with the Met, but the owners considered it too expensive.

I am very pleased that St James Cavalier will be going for it in October, although their cinema is small. This may not be a replacement for live opera in a Maltese opera house but, at least, local opera lovers unable to experience grand opera performances overseas would be able to enjoy a close second best.

Controversy rages again about whether or not to rebuild our opera house in Valletta. I cannot now see how a modern opera house can be put into the small site of the old Opera House - the whole Freedom Square area would have to be included. When you see the refurbished Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, including its four restaurants and champagne bars, you begin to realise what a large-scale undertaking this must have been - you can book not only your seats (average price £200) online, but also your theatre restaurant table and menu choices (all extra, of course), and you are offered impeccable service before the performance and in the interval.

I doubt whether we are capable of finding and funding the required skills to emulate this standard at the very top of the world's opera houses.