Carmen - A Magical Night with Carmen.

Though missing out on the experience of the Staatsoper, I was still able to enjoy one of Vienna's other famous Opera houses - The Volksoper. Tash, Mac and I went to see an interpretation of the Opera, Carmen, a french opera based in Spain of a Spanish officer who falls for a young gypsy woman (though we didn't know it before we arrived). The surprising twists in the plot we originally thought we knew may have skewed our opinion of the opera slightly. Firstly, the entire opera was sung in German, which strays from the original language. This has implications - the opera was written in French, and thus the notes and the melodies that move with the lyrics have a musical synchronization. The language, in my mind, acts as its own instrument. The German translation did not sound as smooth as I know the original sounds. The opera disappointed further when we were brought to an abrupt end of the opera. We were still waiting for the original opera's ending to play out! Still, the music was great.

 What I thought more fascinating was the opera house itself. Though it does not harbor the same history that the Staatsoper does, it still has maintained its original inner architecture. Though VOLKSOPER is painted around half of the opera house, the inside is extremely vintage and beautiful. From the chairs we sat in to the side boxes to the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, everything felt very Victorian.
 Overall it was a great experience.