......The trip to Munich was mean to be a cultural weekend abroad. During festivals, as in this case, there are a lot of productions and artists to be seen in a short period of time.
We managed to find a very good combination of operas and concerts. Angela Gheorghiu ann Jonas Kaufmann in concert, Otello and Luisa Miller. And this in only 3 days.
......This post is dedicated to Jonas Kaufmann. Where should I start from? Maybe from the moment I first saw the concert on the webside of the opera. Lieder concert...hmm... but then again. Why not? Die Schone Mullerin by Franz Schubert. You can listen to it on the internet. It's even easier if you get the lyrics in English or other language that you know. The music is beautiful and German fits perfectly.
......It was my first Kaufmann experience. I saw him in several productions on DVD or on tv but nothing compares to seeing him singing live. He has something special that makes you follow his voice throughout the piece. And this Schone Mullerin is difficult. Not to mention that there's no backup from the orchestra. There is no orchestra. Only the piano and the voice. This piece is not very long. There are 20 songs, the story of the daughter of a miller. It lasts about one hour.
Jonas performed it beautifully. It must have been very, very hard to sing it without a break. Of course, he's trained to do this but still, one hour of singing without 1 minute of relaxation. I know this was a story and it couldn't have been interrupted. Lucky him the pianist was turning the pages very slow so he could have some seconds to breath normally.
......When he's singing he's very involved. a lot of emotions that can be read on his face and in his gestures. It was a delight looking and listening to him. And if I got at this point, I can't stop wondering why people in the hall were reading the lyrics instead of looking towards the stage?!?! Afterall he was singing in German....
......A few words about the seates I had. Actually it was standing. The only tickets we could find on short notice. Third floor, tor III, second row, left. When you buy the ticket nobody tells you that it's restricted view for opera and no view for the concerts. From there you can only see the right side of the stage. The piano and Jonas where towards the left side. So we chose to leave our places and move to a better place, to the center of the floor. Right in front of the second door. From there the view is perfect. So be careful when buying. Call the box office or ask somebody that attended the concert. It might be helpful. Oh, one more thing. It's hot inside. The lack of fresh air is obvious towards the end of the performance.
......On the first day in Munich we spotted this poster on the right side of the backstage door of the Bayerische Oper. One day left to the concert.
Bayerische Staatsoper by day. July 26th, 10:30am 
Inside the opera. It's very beautiful.
All the photos below were taken at the end of the performance. There were.. two encores. Both in German so I don't know the name. If anybody can help, I would be grateful.
The pianist, Helmut Deutsch
......He came in about 20-25 minutes. But there were a lot of people waiting there for photos and autographs. We prefered to wait outside for a while.
...... He talked to everybody about everything. Mostly about his future apparences. As far as I know, two Carmens. At Scala in December and at the Met next year. And later next year in Adriana Lecuvreur with Angela Gheorghiu.
......What a great afternoon. I'm looking forward to the next meeting.
Many, many great photos ! ;))
ReplyDeleteOh, you are so lucky to have heard the lovely Jonas sing live! I will never hear him if I stay in my country because I don't think he will ever tour Canada, and I'm in Alberta. I'd have to go to Germany or New York to hear him. :( But I DO have that dream to someday hear his powerful voice in person. <3 <3
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