The Passion of Opera

Last night I stood in line and got into Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos , performed by the Wiener Staatsoper. I had a parterre standing room seat, so the view and the sound was incredible. I can say from the beginning that with a plot like that of Ariadne auf Naxos  I always fear that the balance of comedy and seriousness will be off. However, I found that this production had the perfect mix of comedy mixed in due to Zerbinetta's band undergirded by serious questions about love, fidelity, and artistic temperament. Here is a link to the synopsis:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariadne_auf_Naxos#Synopsis Here is the cast list: Jeffrey Tate |  Dirigent Filippo Sanjust |  Regie Filippo Sanjust |  Ausstattung   Alexander Pereira |  Der Haushofmeister Stephanie Houtzeel |  Der Komponist Ian Storey |  Der Tenor (Bacchus) Daniela Fally |  Zerbinetta Camilla Nylund |  Primadonna (Ariadne) Jochen Schmeckenbecher |  E...

Program with Furlanetto's signature with ticket I went back to the Wiener Staatsoper last night to see if I could see the stars and get signatures from them or pictures of them. I hung around various places and watched from a coffee shop across the way until about 9:45 when Simon Boccanegra  ended and then went to stand at the correct  stage door, this time. It was a long wait, almost an hour, for them to come out (which I understand, but I think they came out earlier for the Saturday performance, because at the wrong stage door people were telling me they were long gone, by then). I did enjoy meeting people and talking to them about opera, in the meantime, however. Close up of Furlanetto's signature When the stars finally did come out, the first was Ferruccio Furlanetto. He was nice enough and signed my program (right in the center part, mind). I don't mind, though. He may not be as famous as Plácido Domingo, but he is a pillar of the opera business, and a great ...

This night was amazing. Unfortunately my post from my other blog won't transfer well to this one. Please refer to it here: http://sojournvienna.blogspot.com/ Incredible photos and experience!

My tour of the Staatsoper - a post to follow, gave me an opportunity to photograph one of the set pieces I did  like, though not in it's full, staged glory:

So, as I mentioned, it's been an eternity since I blogged here but I promised some new material. I am happy to say I have just returned from the Wiener Staatsoper's season opening performance of Giuseppe Verdi's  Simon Boccanegra . The production was overall quite excellent, and it was a really great experience, even if I was in the standing room section with not the best view. Poster Outside Wiener Staatsoper Here is the cast list: Paolo Carignani |  Dirigent Peter Stein |  Regie Stefan Mayer |  Bühne Moidele Bickel |  Kostüme   Plácido Domingo |  Simone Boccanegra, Erster Doge von Genua Ferruccio Furlanetto |  Fiesco, Haupt der Adelspartei Fabio Sartori |  Gabriele Adorno, junger Edelmann (In the performance I saw, Fabio Sartori was sick and replaced by Massimiliano Pisapia) Barbara Frittoli |  Amelia Eijiro Kai |  Paolo Dan Paul Dumitrescu |  Pietro Carlos Osuna |  Hauptmann Simina Ivan |  Die...

It's not opera but here's a description of a concert I had the opportunity to attend in Vienna's Haus der Musik, a museum of music history and instruments. The concert was part of a free summer series. The concert focused on the life and work of Franz Liszt, played by a violinist and a pianist. The violinist explained that when he first set out to do this project and considered Liszt's life, he was struck by the fact that at the height of his popularity and ability, Liszt decided to retire from stage performance. He therefore lectured us through Liszt's life as he played. He began with  Un sospire  but gave it little introduction. Afterward, he discussed Liszt's childhood: Liszt outpacing his teacher, his father's attempts to woo Beethoven into assistance, his move to France, his status as a "wunderkind," etc. For comparison, he played a Mozart piece as an example of what Parisian audiences would have been "used to." He proceeded  to de...

I know it's been a long time since I've been active on this blog, and it will be just a bit yet, before I'm active again. However, it is my intention to blog about performances I see in Vienna. Most will be singing related, of course, but some orchestral stuff may slip in, as well. Stay tuned!