A Night at the Opera

Ah there is nothing like an night at the opera. Of course this was my first visit. I was told by others that to live in Vienna and not to attend the opera was criminal and may be prosecuted in some states. So I decided to go. Going to the opera is not cheap. You can get what are called standing tickets which are offered an hour before the performance starts which are much cheaper, but I knew that if I intended to stay for the whole thing I'd better get the good tickets. If I paid $10 to stand in the opera, I know myself well enough that after 15 minutes I would have weighed the cost benefit and left the second my feet got tired or I was just the smallest bit bored. No, if I were going to the Opera I would have to do it right.

So when the above posters appeared for the Opera Ariodante I jumped at the chance.


I walked into the ticket office and told them I would like to see this Opera, which was only playing seven nights. He asked which night I want to attend so I told him and I showed the guy on the seating chart where I wanted to sit. He looked at me like I was crazy and said in condescending thickly accented English, "You will sit here." "That's the only seat left?" I asked. "That is the only seat left." So I took it. It was high on the third level of the balcony next to the last row. Apparently, tickets for the opera go like hot cakes in Vienna. If I waited even a day I think I would not have been able to go.

Here is my ticket:



The night of the opera I got into my Sunday best. The Opera house is only about a five minute walk from my apartment so I made it there quickly. I was nervous. The Theater an der Wien is the New Opera House. It just barely opened in 1801 so is just a little over 200 years hold, a mere baby on the block. I was embarrassed to be somewhere that hadn't really stood the test to time. I mean it's not like Mozart had played there. They are still bragging that Beethoven had opened his 2nd Symphony there in 1803. I wish I could have attended a performance somewhere with a little more history, but the new place had to do.



So I picked up my play book for an extra 3.8 euros ($10,000 American or will be soon anyway):



This is what it looked like from the inside (I ripped these from the net because I couldn't take pictures)

From the Stage:


The Stage:



When the orchestra began the play I almost gasped. The sound was so full and different. Richer than anything I'd ever heard. I mean, I suppose I'm used to listening to things through little speakers and the richness and depth of the sound almost started me crying. The acoustics of the place where so far outside of my experience that I have little to compare it with. Let me just say that this orchestra for some reason sounded way better than the high-school symphony in the gym (my only point of comparison). This is not a criticism of the high-school musicians mind you but praise of this assemble. It is a criticism of the Pleasant Grove High School's gym's acoustics.

The Opera was fantastic. Even though my butt got tired of sitting through the three acts, and I got sort of fidgety like I do on an airplane, but with two intermissions to help, I loved every minute. It was three hours long and I didn't mind. Weird huh? I finally see why opera is so important. The Aria, Recitative. My only experience with opera had been snippets from Fund-drive week on PBS. I was never impressed. I get it now. I really get it. I'm going to go again!

Pictures ripped from the Opera I saw. The Opera was by Handel (The same as wrote Messiah). 

This part was actually very strange and unsettling. This picture does not capture how strange these big headed things looked in real life.

I am getting, like, so cultured.