Roley- your command of the language leaves one rapt. You should write your own travel books for music geeks who appreciate humor. Wait. I think they call those people Opera Fans :)
We are definitely doing the Beethoven, just planning out our dates. I need to clarify that by stalls you mean seats on the floor up toward the front. Is that correct? Here in US halls those seats are commonly called %26quot;orchestra%26quot;. That often means you are at spit valve level with only a view of the bald head in front of you as there may be no incline. Not so much a problem for those of us who are tall, but still kind of annoying. We appreciate your advice and will act accordingly. We too have encountered the difficulty of losing all feeling in the feet just for a front balcony view.
We are also working on Fledermaus tickets. I am thinking that the more venues the better. Any thoughts on that? I am also wondering about the various %26quot;palace%26quot; concerts? While I assume they are more visual than musical are there any you would recommend? I am no music prig, easily entertained, and a real sucker for costumes. Perfect for concerts like that right? Even so, my husband will hear the difference so any input would be appreciated. He is still kind of moping because there is nothing we can hear at the Musikverein. I see it as an opportunity to return later in the Year of Mozart (his personal hero).
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Very glad to provide some light relief! And yep, by stalls I mean what I think they call the Parterre - the seats on the ground. I notice on the seating plan that the seats where you are staring directly up the first violin%26#39;s nose are actually category 2 and the category 1 seats start in row 5. There isn%26#39;t much of an incline in the Grosser Saal, from memory - the whole ground floor level is pretty much flat, which is common in many of the concert houses in Wien. The Symphoniker are very LOUD which I like - I sat in row 3 of one of their concerts in the Musikverein, hair streaming out behind me ... excellent!
I%26#39;m going to Fledermaus in Dec at the Volksoper. The parterre seats there are dead comfy and cheap - good seats for 50 euros. The standard is very high and I thoroughly recommend it as jollier (also, cheaper!) than the Staatsoper. I know FM is also on at the SO around this time but I would prefer the VO - their business is operetta, after all! Some of the cheaper seats in the SO leave something to be desired for well-grown individuals (hem hem) - the seats further back in the balcony are torturous if you have long legs. At the SO I would definitely recommend front row in the balcony or gallery, and if you can%26#39;t get those, second row in the boxes isn%26#39;t bad.
I%26#39;ve never been to any of the palace concerts so can%26#39;t give any comment on them. But do keep an eye on the church concerts - I%26#39;ve heard some wonderful music (from decent performers sans costumes eg. Wiener Kammerorchester) in the Viennese churches. The Augustinerkirche in particular has a fantastic choir. But wear LOTS of clothes for a church venue. I caught flu by omitting to wear gloves %26amp; a hat in a concert in the Augustinerkirche (silly me!)
If you return later in the year, there%26#39;s the Osterklang (at Easter, do%26#39;h) and Klangbogen over the summer which should have many Mozart-y events. Info about these (not yet available) will be posted at www.osterklang.at I am a bit of a Mozart nut myself and am bursting with excitement because next year Gidon Kremer is actually coming to Oxford, my manky hometown, to play the Sinfonia Concertante - joy! I can%26#39;t imagine what he was *thinking*!
Now to work, sniff, but never mind; I am to Wien tomorrow!
Rol, gloating
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Roley! Wien again!? I am so jealous!!
Just back from a week in Crete - perfectly pleasant but proof, if I ever needed it, that I am not a package person! I%26#39;ve got 47 days to Wien, and yes, I%26#39;m counting! Gute Reise!
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Hallo! Crete sounds lovely - but I%26#39;m not a package-person either - too much like a dread school trip! I%26#39;m v. excited - only a three-day dash but I intend to pack in the goodies (aesthetic as well as culinary, you understand ;)
47 days isn%26#39;t much though isn%26#39;t it? Only just over 6 weeks (that makes it sound less) Hoorah!
xr
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Re stalls seating and foot room -- For our one experience at the Staatsoper we were in the last row of stalls directly in front of the standing room (remember that tortured discussion, Roley?). That row, and the two or three in front of it, were on a distinct rake, which was a tremendous advantage. And the place is so small that we were as close as we cared to be.
I must add that we%26#39;re green with envy of those who live close enough to just flit over to Vienna at will.
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Roley, thanks again for all your help. Must be mourning a bit to have your most recent trip done. On to the vicarious enjoyment eh? Thanks to your astute advice, we have procured our tickets (front balcony and stalls) for Zauberflöte and Fledermaus (both at VO, will suit our pleb tastes just fine). We also snagged the Beethoven (stalls). The institutions have already siphoned off the credit cards for due amounts, so I assume we will just fetch them in person once we arrive? We will definitely follow-up on the church leads once we get there. I am ecclesiastically enthusiastic, and agnostic hubby is willing to do almost anything to hear a good organ. The Warm Clothes Caution is duly noted. (We spent a couple of weeks in Bavaria one December and still remember how cold those cathedrals are.)
How about starting a new thread about Wien restaurants? We are carnivores who crave carbohydrates and bier. In mass quantities.
Any ideas?
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I am a first timer to the volksoper and have elected to see Madame Butterfly in January. Can you tell me if there is a dress code and what it is!
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