Fraser said that he hoped I’d review the Rossini gig referred to in this post from last week. My mantra is to always give the readers/contributors what they want, so here goes.
The Vienna State Opera House is quite the venue. Our seats were among the cheapest in the house, but still came in at 65 euros a head and found us in the top tier at what I’d describe as approx somewhere between 4 and 5 o’clock from the centre of the stage….I think the best seats went for something like 300 euros. The capacity is a little over 1700, but I should mention that the venue has an historical practice of offering up tickets for as little as 10 euros, made available on the day – these are standing tickets for away, way way up in the gods and certainly aren’t for the faint-hearted!
I have, over the years, posed myself the question as to why operas/ballets etc, despite receiving very generous public subsidies not really offered to other performing arts, tend to be expensive to attend. Well, looking at the numbers involved last week at the performance of Guillaume Tell perhaps offers some clues.
Ten principal singers together with a chorus that was genuinely too large to keep an accurate count of – I’ll guess at 50. The orchestra had at least 90 players. A dozen stagehands constantly involved in moving an elaborate and stunning stage set. Add in those involved in the direction, the choreography, the lighting etc, and the numbers become mind-boggling. It was a tad more complicated and expensive to organise than a show at King Tut in Glasgow……
I enjoyed the performance immensely. I’m not qualified enough to offer a comprehensive critique, but I was particularly impressed by the soprano, Lisette Oropesa (who sang the role of Mathilde) and the tenor, John Osborne (who played Arnold). I did, however, think that Roberto Frontalli in the titular role was a bit underwhelming, but perhaps that’s down to the stronger arias belonging to other characters.
The chorus, whose participation involved multi-dimensional roles, was absolutely magnificent at all times, and I really can’t heap enough praise on the conductor, Bertrand de Billy, and the orchestra who got things under way in a most spectacular and unforgettable fashion.
mp3: Vienna State Opera Orchestra – Guillaume Tell: Overture
The overture is over 11 minutes in length, but if you fast-forward to the 8:20 mark (approx) you’ll get to the bit everyone recognises!!
All in all, a tremendous experience. But I’ll still probably restrict myself to the very occasional night at the opera in the years ahead.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Sounds like an unforgettable experience, JC. Thanks for sharing.
My mantra is to patiently and completely listen to everything my favourite blogs present. But today I had to make a compromise after the first minute. Greetings [sk]
Sounds a good night out. Who were the support band?
chaval
One of those annoying nights chaval, where the public transport got us there too late to see them…….
Thanks JC! Nothing if not eclectic, this blog. Yes, Opera is expensive to stage, so still tends to be the preserve of the wealthy. As it happens, NZ Opera are staging a Rossini number this year, Le Comte Ory, and tickets range from $80-$190 (divide by 2 for pound prices). Doubt the quality will be Viennese standard, but unless you’re a serious devotee or a professional musician you’re unlikely to tell the difference. The other thing you need for Opera is a tolerance for the corny and melodramatic, unless you’re just there for the bangin’ choons.