Anyone on my flist live in New Orleans? Also, Opera!
Anyone on my flist live in New Orleans? Cuz I'm a-comin' for my birthday! It coincides with Jazzfest, so I'm gonna crash with some friends and have a quickie getaway instead of organizing something at home for a change. Anyone want to babysit my kitties while I'm away? (Serious offers please email me privately).
In other news, the opera I went to on Tuesday was quite the experience. I did manage to hit the Doctor Who line party and say hello to my friends. They almost all looked so dazed and tetchy and overtired but from what I've heard it was well worth the wait. I'm glad I got to hang out for a short bit and just soak in the fandomy goodness. But with that said, it is not a common thing for me to get the chance to see someone I actually know (albeit not well) performing live at The Met.
I saw a comedic opera called Capriccio and it was actually much funnier than I expected. The story, in essence, is of a Countess trying to decide between two suitors who represent lyrics and music. A great debate ensues over which is more important. The parties debate this, I think at an afternoon tea or some other social gathering. There were a lot of jokes that came close but didn't actually break the fourth wall (such as ones about the audience falling asleep). The funniest bit, I found, was after the various characters discussed turning the conversation into an opera. The servants come into the drawing room to clean up and joke about the project "could you imagine including the servants in the opera too?"
The set was absolutely stunning. It looked like a snapshot out of a castle or a period room at the Met (museum). The costumes were lovely as well, with younger cast members dressed in 1940s high society outfits and older members dressed as though they hadn't changed their wardrobes since the turn of the last century. It was sung in German, and to my pleasant surprise I was able to understand a great deal of it (including one word with which I disagreed on the translation)! I found the men easier to understand than the women, though. But no matter, the Met has a translation program in front of every seat. A little screen tells you what they are saying and you have the option of English, German or Spanish.
Pictures of the performance are not allowed, but I did managed to take two photos after the show of the interior from our nosebleed seats.
The interior, with those gorgeous Chagall chandeliers
ME and I (note the difference in image quality as the previous shot was taken using an app called Pro HDR and this one is unretouched)
Considering the elegance of the venue, I was very surprised to find some people dressed up for a night out while others showed up in jeans and t-shirts.
The Met tends to shoo people out quickly, so I did not get to go backstage after all. Even the cast member I knew was waiting for us at the exit! Oh, his name is Steven Goldstein and I know him via my friend DR (of the Jew Crew).
All in all, it was a good experience. I can't say I'm in love with the opera, but I'm very glad I went.
In other news, the opera I went to on Tuesday was quite the experience. I did manage to hit the Doctor Who line party and say hello to my friends. They almost all looked so dazed and tetchy and overtired but from what I've heard it was well worth the wait. I'm glad I got to hang out for a short bit and just soak in the fandomy goodness. But with that said, it is not a common thing for me to get the chance to see someone I actually know (albeit not well) performing live at The Met.
I saw a comedic opera called Capriccio and it was actually much funnier than I expected. The story, in essence, is of a Countess trying to decide between two suitors who represent lyrics and music. A great debate ensues over which is more important. The parties debate this, I think at an afternoon tea or some other social gathering. There were a lot of jokes that came close but didn't actually break the fourth wall (such as ones about the audience falling asleep). The funniest bit, I found, was after the various characters discussed turning the conversation into an opera. The servants come into the drawing room to clean up and joke about the project "could you imagine including the servants in the opera too?"
The set was absolutely stunning. It looked like a snapshot out of a castle or a period room at the Met (museum). The costumes were lovely as well, with younger cast members dressed in 1940s high society outfits and older members dressed as though they hadn't changed their wardrobes since the turn of the last century. It was sung in German, and to my pleasant surprise I was able to understand a great deal of it (including one word with which I disagreed on the translation)! I found the men easier to understand than the women, though. But no matter, the Met has a translation program in front of every seat. A little screen tells you what they are saying and you have the option of English, German or Spanish.
Pictures of the performance are not allowed, but I did managed to take two photos after the show of the interior from our nosebleed seats.
The interior, with those gorgeous Chagall chandeliers
ME and I (note the difference in image quality as the previous shot was taken using an app called Pro HDR and this one is unretouched)
Considering the elegance of the venue, I was very surprised to find some people dressed up for a night out while others showed up in jeans and t-shirts.
The Met tends to shoo people out quickly, so I did not get to go backstage after all. Even the cast member I knew was waiting for us at the exit! Oh, his name is Steven Goldstein and I know him via my friend DR (of the Jew Crew).
All in all, it was a good experience. I can't say I'm in love with the opera, but I'm very glad I went.