The Ladies of the Opera

Standing in the nosebleeds of the opera house made me realize two things:
One-- When they say heat rises, they mean it. Especially in a giant room full of people.
Two-- Not all opera houses are made so everyone gets a great view of the stage, no matter how ornate that said opera house is.

When I got to my stehplatz, I contented myself to listening to music rather than seeing a play. Music, after all, is the primary thing I think of when I hear the word "Opera." The lady in front of me, however, was not so content. For most of the "Zauberflöte" I watched this elegant lady in pearls lean precariously over the railing, trying to gain a better view of the stage. With every transition, she would go through a dance of sorts, bending along with the music. As the music gained momentum, she would leap back up to the railing while the orchestra played frantically below.

The music was wonderful, even though I couldn't see every action being done on stage I heard everything perfectly clear. The acoustics of the Staatsoper made me feel as if I was in the front row, and when I closed my eyes, I could almost believe it. But these acoustics provided other unintentional entertainment for the evening. Occasionally from the dark seating areas of the opera house came the near deafening cough of a woman in her 80's. Towards the end of the opera, I began to feel worried that the excitement would be too much for her. Especially with the loud whooping of the man to our left. They seemed to be in a contest for who could be loudest.

Those things aside, I found it a very enjoyable evening. I found the underlying tones of the freemasons to be clever, although not entirely hidden. Particularly when they pulled out their triangles for a good 10 minutes in case anyone had missed it. I liked that the majority of people dressed up for the occasion in long flowing dresses as well as suits with ties. I would definitely go again, if only to vie for a better spot.