Vienna - trials and tribulations, fun days, history and beauty

Repairing tram rails at night!

Musikverein

Pastries at Demels Yum!



Greichengassl - narrow lane used by sailor s up form Danube River!

The good old Trams of Vienna

Readers,


before the memories of the 'trip of the decades' vanish completely in the mists of time here are a few notes about the main reason -


seeing as many relatives (a few, a sad few) as possible before they, too, vanish, and meeting the newer generation previously unknown -and there were many!

Vienna was Vienna, tripled.

No signs of a recession, wall to wall buses, people gawking, invading the sights, clustering around famed buildings to the point one had to be on stilts to see anything above the multitudes of heads :-).
Luckily the weather was fine, a day or two even hot...
as I may have mentioned in a much earlier post getting tickets to the Staatsoper was an Odyssey, dealing with  rather rude ticket clerks a PIB and so .. they seemingly do not want my Euros, so will not buy the Euro 275 seats that she claimed only were still available, while the ones I ordered on line and was told via email were held for me did NOT exist! So Goetz Zitat, my dear 'Fraulein' (which I was told is NOW considered NON PC... one must use FRAU regardless of age and status - akin our Ms.). So The Flying Dutchman would  fly without us. But then curiosity took over and we did want to get a glimpse, as it were, of this production so panned by my musical friends in the city. We sat in burning sunshine and waited for the  Dutchman on big screen (what has David Gockley wrought, when HE started showing live opera on the big screen at Wortham many years  ago?). Even then The Dutch,,and stayed unrevealed, because fist we saw only manic hands conducting equally maniacal playing strings... NO sound. Then.. a bit of sound, break, more manic gestures, etc. so we left-being broiled in the unexpectedly HOT sun...it seemed not worth.
Instead, due to the kindness of a former buddy,we saw -in style- a quite good La Fille du Regiment with Canadian Tenor John Tessier who tossed out the seven high Cs effortlessly and for good measure added an eighth! Wow. Alexandra Kurzaky sand a flirty Marie (undoubtedly borrowing from the Marie of Natalie Dessay). Dame Kiri Te Kanawa presented a truly regal Krakendorp,  Aura Twarovska was a Mme de Berkenfeld without the deep sounds and funny acting in style of Ewa Podles.
And as added musical "Zuckerl", the recital at the Brahms saal in which my former buddy Stephen Hopkins and his magic hands,  had his world premier on the clavicord -to huge applause.

Haunts of my youth -having wine down in the lower leves

Central stairways at Opera

Wall to wall buses

Dame Kiri



Kurzaky, Tessier, Alvarez as Sulpice

Opera in the sun-Sound on during commercials, LOL!






Stephen Hopkins, clavicord in his world premiere, taking bow after recital at famous Brahms Saal of Musikvereins

It's late, the run's almost over, but...

I still have to post on Opera in The Heights' La Fille Du Regiment  by Gaetano Donzetti.
The first production of its season. And what a sparkler!
Having had a soupcon of arias sung by all 4 of the major roles' singers during the annual OVATIONS event the day before we left for Seattle and Alaska ( thus no blog on it), I was darn sure it would be a huge success! And so it is, and will be for 3 more performances - see how to get your last minute tickets below!
Newly appointed Maestro and Artistic Director Enrique Carreon Robledo 
(he, who wowed us all with his conducting of Don Carlo last season at The OH!) had the orchestra well in hand and the soloists played rather well. On the piano Keith Chapman.
Maestro's control extended to singers and chorus who sang with panache, verve and seemingly pure joy in doing a comedy - for a change - in which NO ONE dies!  Truly... no one does!

Now, I don't have samples of the voices heard with such pleasure at the OH.
BUT, just to give you, chers readers, an idea what this music by Donizetti can do for your funny bone:
Contralto Ewa Podles

Or maybe you like to soar with the High Cs' - like this byTenor Brownlee in recital "Ah, Mes Amis"!

In the case of The OH! production, which, BTW, was shortened cutting out one or two large crowd scenes and a few minor bits, I guess to keep the performance to the stated 2 hours 15 minutes with just one intermission, the cast made it a very pleasurable and stunning evening. It was a rapt audience of seasoned opera fans and young people from universities and schools. Rather refreshing to see them enjoy this comedy to spirited music!

 Erica Miller, soprano, as Marie gave it her all, singing with an incredibly agile, soaringly beautiful, clear voice, with more than just a hint of laughter, she also managed to infuse comic pouting;

all in all, a veritable show of vocal fireworks!

Her beloved Tonio, was sung with staunch endurance (all performances-there was no alternate Tonio) by talented tenor Gennard Lombardozzi..what a vocal feat!

And what a delightful smile he had (no wonder Marie falls for him:-)!

And he nailed those fiendish high notes beautifully, too!

Sergeant Sulpice benefited from the worldly experience of seasoned bass Stefano de Peppo who strutted, sang, and postured with some rather, ahem, sensuous Italianate charm and a warm rich sound.

(Chers readers know how low voices appeal to me :-)!

Marie's  newly found 'aunt'- actually her mother - was acted with perfect comic timing by the somewhat light mezzo soprano Nancy Markeloff, an OH audience favorite in such roles!

Cameo roles were well filled by baritone Wesley Landry as Hortensio, Maxim Bitner, also a baritone, as Corporal, and Nathan de Paz, a young tenor, as A Peasant.

Among the chorus were found such favorites as soprano Traci Davis, tenor Johnny Nichols, Jr, plus several new comers who acquitted themselves rather well blending their voices under Chorus Master Fuller.

Two speaking roles, Cassandra Black as Duchesse de Krackenthorp and  Kevin James Lusignolo as a bumbling Notary, did their bit of slapstick comedy to lighten the mood.

 

 upper row the Marie of Erica Miller

all photos by the talented Gwen Turner Juarez

lower row the Marie of Ashlyn Rust (not heard)

The story is simple, Marie abandoned as a baby, is raised by a regiment of soldiers under the watchful eye of "Papa" Sulpice, who does not quite like her falling in love with Tonio, but because he can't deny her much,  says yes to the union in the end. BUT now comes the new found 'aunt' who wants Marie to be 're-made' into a 'fine aristocratic' marriageable young society lady. In the end however, love wins out! 

And Marie and Tonio may have lived happily ever after!

 That part the opera does not address, alas.

BTW you have 3 more chances to see this sparkling comedy at The OH!

TONIGHT FRIDAY September 30,

SATURDAY NIGHT October 1, 

AND

SUNDAY AFTERNOON October 2

 To get tickets if still available

call immediately 713.861.5303