It was a 1967 LP recording of "The Daughter of the Regiment" that first earned Luciano Pavarotti the epithet "King of the high Cs." This month, the Metropolitan Opera unveils a production of Donizetti's delightful opera comique with Natalie Dessay in the title part and Juan Diego Florez as the tenor who must sing the famous aria with nine high Cs.

But there's a twist with this version. Saturday's performance beginning at 1:30 p.m. will be viewed in high definition in theaters around the country, the last of this season's eight live high-definition simulcasts from the Met in partnership with National CineMedia.

The Pittsburgh-area venues are Cinemark at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer and Showcase Cinemas West in Robinson, with repeat screenings Sunday at 3 p.m. The very successful project, which began last season with six operas, will be further expanded to 10 simulcasts in 2008-09.

This is a logical 21st-century continuation of the Met's Saturday afternoon broadcasts, an invaluable American cultural institution since its inception on Christmas Day 1931.

Pittsburgh Opera artistic director Christopher Hahn calls the simulcasts "an extension of what we do." The local company, quite admirably, has maintained a presence at the showings, greeting people at the theaters and helping to spread the word about the events. Opera lovers, avid for more opera than is generally available here, have been loyal and stalwart in attending the shows.

"I'm all for it," Hahn says. "[The simulcasts] expose audiences to a wider range of operas, to new repertory, different operatic styles and the best of today's singers." He also points out that the intermission features take the viewer backstage, showing how the production itself is put together. "Of course, the experience of live opera trumps everything."

That last sentiment is echoed by the on-screen hosts, usually a contemporary diva such as Renee Fleming or Susan Graham, who remind viewers to come to the Met or see a production by your local opera company.

Most of this season's patrons have been of the older generation, but Hahn hopes "that it will bring new people in, and become an extension of our operatic family in Pittsburgh. With the ease of taking young people, I'd like to see it become a family experience, like going to the movies." Other opera lovers have suggested selling seats in the less desirable front sections to students at prices comparable to what they pay for a Saturday afternoon movie.

A screening I attended in the first season, Bellini's "I Puritani," may have warmed up local operagoers for Pittsburgh Opera's revival of that composer's "The Capulets and the Montagues," opening at the Benedum May 3.

This season I attended "Hansel and Gretel" at the Met in New York, then watched the telecast, and found the two experiences fascinating but very different. The live performance was exhilarating, but even in excellent orchestra seats, some details were lost.

One example: At the Met, the Witch (played by tenor Philip Langridge in drag) came across as a benign Miss Marple type. With the cameras up close and personal, she -- and the items in her kitchen -- were far more menacing.

At Pittsburgh Mills, I also attended "Manon Lescaut," "Peter Grimes" and "Tristan and Isolde." The tragedy of Manon was particularly affecting, enhanced by a backstage view of Karita Mattila getting into character before the final scene. The vicious villagers and Grimes' madness took on a terrifying reality on the big screen. Most striking was Barbara Willis-Sweete's brilliant and innovative split-screen photography, inviting the viewer to scan among a full-stage view, or individual characters, alone and in combinations -- all on screen at the same time.

The Met is not the only opera company marketing its productions to mainstream movie theaters. Three San Francisco Opera productions were shown this month at the Galleria in Mt. Lebanon and the Carmike theater in Cranberry. Its "Don Giovanni," directed by David McVicar with Marius Kwiechen in the title role, was superb, with the picture and sound clearest of any such productions I've seen. Internationally, Milan's La Scala Opera has a mouthwatering series currently showing throughout the United States, but so far -- alas -- no place close to Pittsburgh.