Four operas in the last 10 days: Carmen at the Festival Theatre by Scottish Opera, The Choir at the Glasgow Citizens, Cosi fan Tutte also by the Scottish Opera with a touring version around Scotland this time at the local Academy and lastly La Boheme at the Staatsoper in Vienna. All very familiar except for The Choir – a amateur choir who come together – fall out over the programme and eventually make up again – very joyous!
But to the Staatsoper – we were in a loge near the back but could see very well. The set was by Franco Zeffirelli so quite dated and the second act was with a cast of thousands on two levels. My wife didn’t rate the singing much up on the Scottish Opera. But we really went for the experience.
We also went to the Musikverein again for the sheer experience of being there – also in a loge but immediately above the orchestra with somewhat limited visibility of the orchestra – but it didn’t matter. It was an all-Beethoven night; Leonora 2, Symphony 2 and Symphony 5 conducted by Simon Rattle and the Berlin Phil. The performance, particularly the 5th, brought the House down but then its Beethoven in his adopted home town
As to Vienna, it was excellent, sunny with temperatures around 15 – 20. As my hearing aid consultant said before we went – Vienna oozes with Empire and he’s right – Vienna has come to grips with the fact it lost its empire and looks sumptuous in consequence – it’s a pity that London can’t recognise its loss of empire and settle down to be more like Vienna.
Another feature of Vienna is the almost absence of sky scrapers – and very good too.
We did the main sites; the Belvedere, the Hofburg and two contemporary art museums, the MUMOK (truly modern) and the Leopold and walked around the centre within the Ringstrasse – really quite small. I also went to the Albertine to see an exhibition of Munch woodcuts and lithographics – very good if you like Munch – which I do. But Vienna is dominated by Klimt – everywhere you go – even in our hotel room – I’m not a great fan and after so much in Vienna even less so – but in contrast Schiele is much less familiar to UK art goers but so much more interesting – the Leopold had a whole floor to him. But what was also interesting is that there are whole gamut of Austrian and German painters I have never before come across who are clearly very good.
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