seen from Canada
seen from Indonesia
seen from Thailand
seen from Thailand
seen from Bangladesh
seen from Netherlands
seen from China
seen from Indonesia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Bulgaria
seen from Thailand
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Israel
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Brazil
seen from Malaysia
seen from Indonesia
seen from Hungary
Thank you very much #CarolineMerz #soprano #StaatsOperWien and congratulations #AleksandraGudzio #mezzosoprano for fantastic weekend full of #Mozart #CosiFanTutte #DariuszMikulski #opera #classicalmusic #NewProduction (hier: Düsseldorf, Germany) https://www.instagram.com/p/CF63IzxgeKr/?igshid=1neelsiwo4xgw
Vienna Opera house is O P E N https://www.instagram.com/p/CFdq65aAI7_/?igshid=o5xicksygj2e
Falstaff Review
I had no idea what to expect from Falstaff. I didn’t get to listen to the music before we went, and even though I’d heard Verdi operas before, I was told that this one was so different from his other operas that some Verdi purists didn’t like it! Falstaff is loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and I cannot do the plot summary justice. You have to google it for yourself. I’ll wait.
The Staatsoper building was beautiful and ornate. I had been told that attire for the opera in Vienna was more formal than attire in America, but I saw people in everything from jeans to bejeweled ball gowns and tuxes.
One thing that struck me was that the performance had sold out! It was a Wednesday night, and this production was a revival. And the house was packed. The standing room was full.
In The opera houses I usually visit operas are performed with supertitles. In other words he English translation of the lyrics appear above the action. In Vienna (and many other cities) they instead have screens in the back of the seat, like the entertainment centers on airplanes. I found this more difficult—it was hard to keep eyes on both the action and the titles but I managed.
One thing I had not realized was that the pit orchestra for the Vienna State Opera was made up of musicians who are also members of the Vienna Philharmonic in their free time. The quality of play from the orchestra in this performance was the best I’ve ever seen (with the exception of the times I saw the English Concert do Handel Operas in concert by that’s sort of an apples and oranges comparison). The pit was huge again so you could feel the sound on your skin. I could get used to the huge pit orchestras in Europe!
The composition style took me a while to get used to which made it harder to appreciate the first act. Unlike the varieties of opera I tend to prefer, Falstaff dispenses with the destination between Aria and Recitative and is sung through. I spent most of the first act waiting for the aria to start. Which was dumb because the singing was top notch. Once I got into the rhythm of it I was much better able to enjoy the opera.
I’d most been looking forward to finally seeing Christopher Maltman in person (and he was excellent) but he was upstaged by the powerful presence of Ambrogio Maestri in the title role. His may be the most powerful male voice I’ve heard in person. The only one I can think of is Mariusz Kwiecień in Don Giovanni, but that was many years ago. Luckily I get to test this proposition as later I get to see him in the same role at the Royal Opera House. Maestri was fully believable as the larger than life character of Falstaff and his booming voice filled the theater and then some.
Not to be out done two of the leading ladies were also highlights. Olga Betzmertina was a wonderful feisty Alice Ford, and Andrea Carroll was a beautiful Nannetta. I could swear I’ve seen her in something before and her biography mentions time at the Washington National Opera, but I don’t have my old programs with me and I cannot recall what.
Jinxing Xiahou was a solid Fenton, and I found the play a comic escapade with a feminist message a very enjoyable evening. Guess I need to listen to more Verdi!
Overall:4/5
Ready for Falstaff! #going4baroque #falstaff #staatsoperwien #sofancy (at Wiener Staatsoper)
I am planning for the sound of #Vienna #staatsoper #staatsoperwien (at Wiener Staatsoper)
Let the Opera Ball begin 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻#Vienna #operaball2016 #ball #kristii #kristiimusic #kristii_music #champagne #staatsoper #staatsoperwien
