Don Quixote (the ballet)

Another of the great attractions I took my parents to was the Wiener Staatsoper. Since I figured they would rather see a ballet than an opera in a foreign language (and the only other thing playing was Wagner - yuck). Plus, my parents have taken up ballroom dancing, and become avid dancers. A ballet is right up their alley.

I myself love the ballet as well, and I wish I had gone to more while I was in Vienna! Though I am ridiculously uncoordinated, I did take ballet lessons for several years as a little girl. I decided I would make a magnificent ballerina - if only I didn't have to be dictated to and oppressed by the rhythm of the music! Ah well.

Don Quixote is a great comic ballet. I've seen Swan Lake at La Scala in Milan, and the Nutcracker a million times every Christmas season on TV, but that is the extent of my live ballet experience. Vienna does the Nureyev choreography, and it was truly magnificent. I can't help but feel I've missed out on something, going to all those operas all year instead! 

Les Contes d'Hoffmann

My first Theater an der Wien opera was Les Contes d'Hoffmann, which is a great Offenbeck opera based on the stories of E.T.A. Hoffmann, who is really one of my favorite German writers. The music is splendid, and the story line is charmingly Twilight-Zone-y with a twist of writerly dilemma which I find myself prone to on occasion.


The story starts in the Keller of Hoffmann's college town (Nuremberg?), where all his students love him, and he regales them with stories every night and drinks himself to oblivion. He's a blocked poet, mind you, and his muse has come to rescue him from being a hack, a lovesick fool, and an alcoholic. The muse disguises herself as his best friend, and attempts to lure him away from other loves, specifically his current obsession, the actress Stella.


Hoffmann has a doppelgänger, Lindorf, who is his evil side. Lindorf urges Hoffmann to tell the students of his three great loves: Olympia, Antonia, and Giulietta. Each of the women have their own act. Olympia is actually an automaton and Hoffmann is plagued by Lindorf disguised as Coppelius, the co-creator of Olympia, who sells him glasses that make Olympia seem like a real woman (from Der Sandmann). Antonia is a singer whose mother was also, but died, from a mysterious illness caused by singing, and whose father is a neurotic who does not allow Hoffmann to see her, nor does he allow her to sing. Dr. Miracle is this act's Lindorf, and he comes to "cure" Antonia, only to force her to sing until she dies (from Rat Crespel). Giulietta is a courtesan who steals men's shadows. Hoffmann falls in love with her, and is willing to give her everything. He even kills for her, but all in vain. She only pretends to love him, and steals his image from a mirror (from The Adventures of New Year's Eve and The Lost Reflection).


Back at Lawrence, I took a whole class devoted to Hoffmann, and really loved it. Hoffmann is one of the original suspense/horror/fantasy/sci-fi writers, and his stuff is: original, though-provoking, freaky-ass weird, and forward-thinking. Many of his themes have to do with scientific advancement, but also with traditional Germanic fairy tales and fantastical figures, such as alps, fairies, dwarfs, trolls and the like.


This staging was interesting, and a bit "out there" as far as Vienna theater is concerned. It took a lot of risks, if I may say. I liked it for the most part, but found it lacking in some areas. The director is William Friedkin who also directed The Exorcist. Um, yeah. There were puppets involved, and too many computer screen backdrops for my blood. Also, I was mildly scandalized by the soft-core porn in the third act. Simulated sex on stage can quickly turn from provocative to distracting to just plain gross, in my opinion.


All in all, I enjoyed the production. Despite directing the opera like one would direct a film, Mr. Friedkin, unless he tried harder, could not ruin an operas so great as Les Contes d'Hoffmann.

Der Parasit

A still from the Burgtheater production

A while ago, I saw a production at the Burgtheater of Schiller's comedy Der Parasit. The play is based on an older French play by some lesser-known named Picard - presumably not Jean-Luc - and is one of the few Lustspiele,i.e. comedies the very serious Herr Schiller wrote (or, in this case, stole and improved upon).

The theme of Der Parasit is very Moliere - very French, down to the names. The main character is a mid-level bureaucrat named Selicour who blackmails his way up the ranks, intending to get a fat cat job and then marry the daughter of the fat cat he replaces, Narbonne. I knew it reminded me of something about halfway into Act 2: why, Tartuffe, of course! The themes are identical: hypocracy, greed, corruption, con-artistry, lust for power, lust for some chick...the list goes on.

I am going to be honest. I am not a huge fan of the Burgtheater because I think they are a little low-brow. By that I mean everything becomes one big sexual innuendo. I did not like how slapstick and crude the characters were - there's more to comedy than a kick in the balls or something flying down a buxom lady's dress front. But, considering it is the "People's Theater" refinement is not always at hand.

The best part is the ending, though. Unlike Tartuffe, Schiller puts in one of those ambiguous endings a la Clue where the possibilities, seemingly endless, are given: 1) Selicour is found out and punished; 2) Selicour is found out and no one cares; 4) Selicour is not found out and everyone's lives are ruined; 5) Selicour is not found out because he's clever enough to put the blame on someone else; 6) Selicour is found out by the only intelligent/sympathetic character, who is then not believed...

Schiller's point was that corruption is all around: who decides what is moral? Those in charge (of course), who are exempt from "normal" bourgeois views of right and wrong. Leaders especially can do whatever the hell they like, as they are doing it in the best interest of people who don't know any better - Schiller's lampooning of these sentiments, as well as implying they need to be changed (but who is going to be the first?) are perfectly within keeping of his normal rants under the title "tragedy." At least he finally got in a few laughs! I can only imagine: what if Schiller had devoted more time to parody and less time to bringing Classical back (like bringing sexy back, but with more Goethe)?

So, yeah, most of what I've seen at the Burgtheater I would consider marginal. (What else have I seen? A take on Shakespeare and a terrible translation of a little-known Tennessee Williams play, coming up) Most of the play was a snooze, but that's not to say I didn't get anything out of it! The staging of the final act was really excellent: the set had enough doors for each of the characters, and to signify each alternate ending, the players would walk in and out of the doors, repeat their lines with certain twists, so that the audience could ruminate and contemplate. Just my style.

All in all, I liked Der Parasit, and will say it again: I love Schiller, but damn, that dude was depressing!

La Cenerentola

As a reward for signing up for the Wiener Staatsoper newsletter, I got the best birthday present ever from a company: a free opera ticket! I got to choose my ticket, and ended up getting a center balcony seat to Rossini's La Cenerentola, a comedic interpretation of the Cinderella story, at the Volksoper. Very nice.

What was not so nice was the coat check lady, who, waited on about six old people before she took my coat, looked me up and down and said, "You have a seat in the BALCONY?" (full price for the ticket was €80), to which I replied, "Indeed I do." I fought the urge to stick my tongue out at her.

It was my first time to the Volksoper as well. My landlady doesn't like the Volksoper, but I thought the production was charming. Really, La Cenerentola is more of an operette, seeing as there are only six characters, and the show has only two acts. The story goes that a girl is enslaved by her stepfather to do the housework and care for her two ugly stepsisters. Then, one day, the prince comes into the village disguised as his valet and he and Cenerentola fall in love. Unbeknownst to the sisters, however. They take the valet for the real prince, and fight over him. That's most of the thing. And then, at the end, good triumps and Cenerentola and the prince are married and live happily ever after, at least until curtain call.

I loved the performance, in fact. The part of Cenerentola is sung by a Contralto or Mezzo Soprano. Being a Mezzo, I liked that. Also, the costumes were outrageous - they did overdone baroque to a T. The physical humor between the stepsisters was also magnificent. Those ladies can do acrobatics! And, come to think of it, the sets were a bit bland, which fit with the smallness of the production (in contrast to Die Zauberflöte) and contrasted finely with the costuming. But, I cannot forgive the lack of attention to color scheme: one sister had a peachy costume, the other had a mint green one (otherwise identical) and the father had a forest green costume. The walls were also green, and there was JUST TOO MUCH GREEN! I would have done the walls in gray or blue, and the father in purple. Cenerentola's ball gown was white (Disney inspiration, anyone?) and the prince wore red, which made the whole thing too Christmas party for me - thus, blue walls. Or gray.

Die Zauberflöte

I am slowly but surely trying to update my blog so it reflects my "life"! (I don't know why I put "life" in quotes, it just seems appropriate.) 

Around Christmastime, one of my teachers gave me free tickets to Mozart's Die Zauberflöte  (The Magic Flute) at the Wiener Staatsoper  - she has season tickets, and for some inexplicable reason, hates this opera. Well, all the better for me, I guess, since I got to go! And I actually got a seat...normally I buy a Stehplatz, or standing ticket, because they are super affordable (€3-4) and I don't really mind standing. The view is actually pretty good, and in fact better than some of the more expensive "seats" where you sit on one side of the stage or the other and thus can't see anything except the orchestra pit. I end up standing whenever I get one of those, anyway.

True to the opera, this production was fanciful - there was a revolving box as the stage, as you can see from the picture - and excellent quality, as is practically everything staged at the Staatsoper. The one problem was that during the Queen of the Night's famous solo, her crown fell off. I was with a friend, and we laughed, which was mean. But, on stage, she didn't break her concentration, and didn't hit a false note. Now that is stage presence.

According to some, the Vienna State Opera is the premiere in the world. I would agree, except I don't think I should agree too quickly. I haven't seen much opera outside of the United States and Europe. Though, this one in Vienna was definitely head and shoulders above the production I saw at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin in 2007, complete with a giant papier-mâché rhinoceros (actually, the only thing that really stuck out to me about the whole thing). 

For those of you with the opportunity to go to an opera in Berlin, I highly recommend the Berliner Staatsoper (the State Opera seems to get more funding and better singers and directors). I saw a most magnificent version of Der Freischutz there.

As for the Wiener Staatsoper, they are highly respected, and tend not to take many risks (so, for those of you into avant garde theater, look elsewhere). Personally, I am never disappointed with a performance. 

If you are not familiar with the plot, Wikipedia gives a good summary. I love it because of all of its mystical undertones, especially having to do with the Free Masons (Mozart was one) and Zoroastrianism. 

Regionalmusikschule Amstetten: Schulkonzert

Ballet recitals are a thing of my childhood. I remember being a very poor ballet student, never being coordinated, talented or practiced enough to take much pride in my recitals. This is something I regret now, of course, seeing the amazingness of Natalie Portman in Black Swan, or even some of my students participate in their own recitals here in Amstetten.

I was invited last Friday to see the year-end recital for the Amstetten regional music school by one of my students. It was interesting on several levels:

1. The recital was just about 3 hours and took practically every lesson the school offers into account: a Kindergarten choir, a brass band concert, an abridged ballet (Le Corsaire by Adolphe Adam), and a jazz/tap/modern dance recital.

2. Being able to see other aspects of students outside of school: their talents, their personalities, what they spend a lot of time doing, what they're passionate about. Dancing, playing the saxophone or drums, etc.

3. It's refreshing to know that not all Europeans are super-classy and dignified. The image Americans have in their heads is a bunch of Austrians at the Vienna Philharmonic in tuxes and ball gowns staring through opera glasses at the performers and clapping daintily after each set. This recital, however, saw plenty of families from the Kindergarten group get up and leave as soon as their kids jumped off the stage. Americans, though we can be crass, are not the only crass human beings on the planet.

4. I found one more thing to do in Amstetten!

I was pleasantly surprised at the level of enthusiasm and hard work that went into the recital, and found it very worthwhile to attend. Bravo!

Jekyll & Hyde: A Broadway Show Comes to Amstetten

Richard Mansfield in the 1887 double roll

Last week, Jekyll and Hyde: the Musical came to the Pölz Halle in Amstetten. I bought my ticket from one of the students and, surprisingly, it was worth it.

Why "surprisingly'? Well, a town of 20,000 people is not likely to attract class acts - fewer people means fewer cultural interests, right? At least that's how it goes in America. And, I can vouch from personal experience (this year) that certain - certain! - shows that make it to Amstetten's theater (yes, just one!) are slap-dash and mediocre. But this production was actually quite professional, although utterly Austrian.

If you haven't already disregarded this post as the blathering of a theater snob (or worse, hack critic!), please, read on.

A German-language rendition of the Broadway musical with fabulous singing and choreography, the overall feel of he performance reminded me of so many creep "classics" I've been exposed to through learning German. The dark side of Austrian humor continues to fascinate me. I maintain that there is a distinct Alpine and central European penchant for death and the devil. Could it perhaps be a holdover from they days of the Holy Roman Empire? Visions that come to mind:

1. The Cabinet of Dr. Calighari (need I say more?)
2. Brecht's Threepenny Opera (I had the wonderful opportunity to also see this staged in Berlin in 2007)
3. Das Parfum (notably the scene at the end where a mob of homeless Parisians literally eats him alive)
4. Cabaret (really, just Joel Gray's version of the MC)

...and the list goes on! Much less the 1931 and 1941 (respectively) sugar striped versions with Frederic March, and/or Spencer Tracy. Lots and lots of sexual innuendo, partial nudity, and skin-tight costuming (which showed off the rest of what wasn't exposed - I felt like I was back in Amsterdam!*) but, hey, I wouldn't expect any less in the land of Freud.

My overall critique of the musical is a positive one. Fabulous singing, dancing, costumes, the works. The actors even got a standing ovation at the end. And I know it's not Vienna (where a standing ovation really counts for something) I'd like to think that Austrians in general are discriminating in their tastes, at least the ones who attend plays, musicals and operas.

Should this grace be extended to my students, who made up a large portion of the audience that night? Well, let's give them the benefit of the doubt if they've come to the theater at all.

NB: *Over the Semesterferien I went to Amsterdam with Jake. A rendition of these events (plus photos!) is to follow...at some point in the future when I have time to upload my pictures :)

A Christmas Carol - Vienna

Last Thursday, I went to Vienna with the students to see a version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol at the International Theatre. By "International," they mean English-language theater.


And, yeah, it was interesting. Enjoyable. The students seemed to like it - and actually get the jokes, etc., which is a good sign! It's hard to gauge how much of their refusal to talk in class is confusion over the English language and how much is refusal to talk because they are either a) embarrassed/unsure of their abilities or b) buyers-in to the too-cool-for-school mentality. Hey, teenagers will be teenagers.


We were 70 or so, and completely filled the theater. Elfriede told me that there were ten students who were supposed to come, but cancelled. They had to bring chairs in for us in fact, so who knows where those extra students would have sat?


The performance itself was good - inasmuch as it was well acted and basically faithful to the story I know and love. My biggest problem was with Scrooge - the guy was about four feet tall, and emaciated with a shriveled face...if he had been two feet taller, I think he would have been perfect.

I mean, I'm not a sizeist or anything. But, well, the Scrooge I grew up with was the Alastair Sim version - released as Scrooge in the UK but known to me by its original title - and I still consider it the best version of A Christmas Carol. He was only 5'10" but looked taller. And, of course, there are the mythical performances of Basil Rathbone (6'1"), Albert Finney (5'9") and, of course, Michael Caine (6'2").



This is a tribute to the fabulous Muppet Christmas Carol, of which I could similarly rhapsodize. I mean, really, it merges the best of two worlds: Muppets and Michael Caine. Oh, and it also parodies holiday sentimentality, but in a family friendly, musical way that is imperceptible to anyone under 12. And most over 12, if we wish to be mean about it. But, really, no one can top Gonzo the Great as Mr. Charles Dickens. Especially not the narrator in the cramped English theater in Vienna.


Afterward, we went to the Christkindlmarkt near the Rathaus (city hall). And, like all Christmas markets, there was food, and Glühwein and little trinkets to buy, homemade soaps, crafts, hats and mittens...other things people normally give for Christmas. 


Now, I'm getting a little jaded with these things, because they've been up for a whole month now, and I've been to no fewer than a dozen Christmas markets all around Austria and Poland - there are several in Vienna alone. The one near the Rathaus is the largest.


Christmas is getting closer and closer. And I'm getting ready to go home. I'm wondering how reentry will feel. The last time I was in Europe, I stayed on the continent for an entire calendar year - not going home for Christmas (obviously) - but I think going home is necessary right now. The more I think about it, the better it sounds. Which, oddly enough, didn't happen when I was in Berlin. I was too excited (?) to go home. There is none of that this time, and I wonder whether this is because I am older (and, presumably, wiser) and I've done the whole "Europe" thing...or if it's a creeping, unconscious form of homesickness. Or if there are other factors at play. Unless I go to a psychotherapy session, perhaps we'll never know...

Farm der Tiere u. Tierisch gut

Trying to get some more exciting posts up here...the thing perhaps, is that I feel my social life is not spectacularly interesting...

This takes me back to about two weeks ago. The students in the 3rd form recently read Animal Farm and the play came to Amstetten - which means I got to see it!

I forgot how much I completely LOVE Animal Farm, seeing as I haven't read it since high school. But it is still one of my favorites. It's more...what shall I say? Satirical than 1984. I mean, it's less hit-you-over-the-head with doom and gloom and the destruction of modern civilization, etc. And plus, animals improve everything.


The acting troupe that put on Farm der Tiere was from Salzburg. And I must commend them on their great show: three actors, no set, no costumes - except that the three of them were each wearing white painters' pants and used the occasional prop to signify a character change - for example, Napoleon had sunglasses, Boxer had rolled-up sleeves, etc. There was a lot of physical humor, and some crudeness (like, one of the actors grabbed his crotch at one point...)  but, hey. They're playing animals. What do you want?

And then, later that week, I was invited to Klaus and Ilsa's choral concert. I went with one of the English teachers, Gabi, her friend, and her friend's parents. The audience was (unsurprisingly) mostly older people. And, now that they know I also sing, they're trying to get me to join the church choir. Well...they suggested I go to the practices. Which I am planning to do, as soon as I figure out when they practice. It's just a little confusing.

The concert was titled "Tierisch Gut" which referred to the choice of songs. All of them were about animals, with poems or stories about animals in between the songs. Many of the pieces were baroque, and performed a cappella. Very interesting.

One of the poems selected was...mildly amusing. About the love life of a wild boar named Horst. Who falls in love with another pig named Vanessa. And takes her out for a movie and ice cream. My one concern is this: who would name a pig Vanessa? Pigs should be named things like Tinkerbell. Or Roxy. Or not named at all if they are destined to be eaten. But then again, once named, a pig has a certain power over its captors - think Wilbur in Charlotte's Web or Babe. 


And, well, I felt vindicated when Gabi leaned over and whispered to me, "Vanessa? Would it have killed them to change the name?"