The Third Man

As a Fourth Man, I thoroughly enjoyed the Third Man, captivated from the start of the gypsy jazz like intro credits until I was left watching Anna walking away from Holly. I thought it was a fantastic film. The plot itself was very unique. Building on the post-war lifestyle in Vienna, traumatized especially severe by the war, the plot follows most films in its genre of dark suspense.

One aspect I feel this movie diverged from the typical Film Noir framework is the same upbeat music played every scene. Though primed to do so in certain scenes, the music failed to build the suspense the way I thought they would have wanted to. This upbeat music as well as some of the witty commentary - especially between Holly and Major Calloway - suggested the movie leaned more toward the genre of a comedy if not for all the film noir effects used (lighting, shot angles, overall commentary).

Overall, I loved it.

How Carmen seductively changed my opinion of Operas

When I think of an opera, I think of a fat man wearing ruffles, singing unintelligible syllables. I don't think of a sexy woman singing and seducing man over man over man, so when I saw Carmen, saying I was surprised would be an understatement.

I have never been to an Opera, so I was completely unprepared. I didn't realize that people actually did dress up for it, so I looked like a newb in my baggy sweatshirt and leggings, standing next to fully prepared and dressed up Mac and Ryan. I felt self-conscious, as  I could feel eyes from every direction staring at me, but once the music started and the Opera began, none of the mattered. Every person in the audience, old, young, dressed up or not, was treated the same way the opera. The music was overwhelming, and I fully enjoyed myself, even though I didn't understand every thing.

The Carmen that we saw was different than I expected. It was definitely a modern adaptation. Prior to watching it, the only thing I knew of Carmen was the main song that I learnt to play on the piano when I was 10. I knew that it was written and Spanish, and was about a seductive woman, but I was expecting it to be more dramatic.

All in all, I did enjoy my Opera experience, and I definitely want to go to another. I no longer think of fat people singing, but of an artistic and musical way to tell a story. Thank you Carmen!

Don Carlos - A Night to Remember or Forget?

A short three weeks after arriving in Vienna, I was itching to finally experience one of the city's most famed arts, opera.  Hastily, I decided on Don Carlos without any prior knowledge as to the plot or music.  Essentially, it is a story of two lovers that can never be (duh).  Elisabeth and Don Carlos meet and instantly fall in love, but to uphold a peace treaty between France and Spain, Elisabeth is forced to wed Don Carlos' father, the king of Spain (bummer!).  Unfortunately, I didn't brush up on my French beforehand and this is about all I got out of it.  I can tell you this, though: it doesn't end happily.  Fortunately, there is a lot of lovely, dramatic, and often angry music to keep you entertained even without a proper understanding of the plot.

Although I had never previously seen an opera, I had two main preconceptions: everyone would be garbed in evening gowns and suits, and only the creme de la creme are allowed a box seat.  When a man in a red velvet cape outside the state opera house convinced me to buy a thirty dollar box seat ticket instead of my previous plan of buying a four or five Euro standing ticket, I thought I was entering some alternate universe in which I, too, could be one of Vienna's finest--at least for the evening.

But I was tricked!

The box seat ticket I received was in the third box up, the second box from stage right, and the second row within that box.  A massive flaw in the architecture of the Staatsoper is that the boxes are arranged in a kind of horseshoe shape, so the closest boxes to the stage face inward towards the house.  Thus, it became almost impossible for me to see the stage at all.  I was forced to stand and awkwardly hover above the old crones who sat (or slept) in the row in front of me.  It was not glamorous and not fun.

I was, however, able to listen to the beautiful music and read translations of the lyrics on a little screen that unfolded from the wall.  The Staatsoper is magnificent inside and out, and the performances are breathtaking, but I definitely will be going for the standing tickets in the future.

xoxo,

Conor

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.

Carman

Ryan, Tosh, and I went to see Carmen at the Volksoper. Carmen was written in French and tells the story of a Spanish army officer who falls in love with a young gypsy woman - Carmon. The production we saw was in German - not the original French - and was a modern interpretation. The costumes were also modern, and very minimalistic, not at all like the elaborate costumes of the French original. The plot was changed and the role of Escamillo, the matador was significantly downplayed. I am not sure how I felt about the opera. The music and orchestra, were excellent, but the profirhmance was lacking. Carmon was portrayed much more lascivious than in the original. The actress who portrayed Carmon had a very narrow range and while she hit the high notes with expertise, she sang all of her parts more than one octave too high for my ears. Don José was ok, but at points was a little flat. Escamillo was the best and the Bass who played him had an excellent voice and a full range. He was dressed in an all free suit and looked much more like a leprechaun than a matador. He was however the most amicable and enjoyable, character. Overall I really enjoyed the experience of going to an opera in Vienna, even if the interpretation was not my favorite. From the diversity in the crowed I learned that cultural events - like the opera - are much more universally popular than they are in the states.

An evening with Die Zauberflöte

After hearing so much about the Wiener Staatsoper and walking past it on my way to my german classes at IKI, I was intrigued to get the chance to take a look inside and experience the music and art. Mozart's "Die Zauberfloete" proved to be a compelling choice, as I have always loved his compositions.

The opera house certainly stands among Vienna's most ornate and beautiful buildings. The marble staircases, statues, and fountains outside certainly display the regal attitude that Vienna embodies. From out nose-bleeder balcony seats, we had a great view of about half of the stage and the orchestra pit.


The first act was very engaging and pleasant. I really enjoyed how happy and jovial the music was, and  in particular when the Tamino and Papageno would play their flutes. The music had a great melody, and I really enjoyed the comical dialogue between Tamino and Papageno. Although not all of the jokes translated well to english, there was a screen that translated the lyrics to english which made following the plot very easy.

I think that the second act dragged a little bit, with themes of silence and unrequited love. I felt bad for the man in the orchestra who played (I think) the Celesta, as he only played 2-3 times in the entire opera when Papageno would ring his bells. I often found myself thinking that the dialogue was written with the same over the top drama that is seen in action movies today. Pamina and Papageno in particular would go from overtly amorphous to suicidal at the flip of a coin. I really liked the resolution at the end with the triumph of light over darkness and Papageno finally finding his wife.

Overall I had a great time and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Vienna with a free evening.

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.