So this is Vienna. Buildings dating back to the 12th century, music and opera all over the damn place, and schnitzel. I’m writing this all on my phone, and I’m quickly learning that I need to start bringing my keyboard EVERYWHERE.
My last day in Prague was anything but exciting, but I definitely needed the rest. The best part was playing a fun drinking game with my hostel involving a cup (ask me for deets if you want to learn, I was pretty good at it though so WATCH OUT), and then going out at night to a couple bars: the first one was called a cave bar, because it’s literally a cave. It was underground and there were tunnels and coolness. The other bar we went to was just…nuts. First of all, there is a giant dog that like, lives there. There are ladders to climb up onto beams that are really high up to sit for awhile, and little crevices with seats in them. Also a swing. It was definitely one of the strangest bars I’ve ever been to.
I left the next morning on a bus to Vienna, where I accidentally got myself the equivalent of a first class seat and also didn’t end up sitting with anybody because nobody else was dumb enough to not sit in their assigned seats. Worked out nicely. All I had the energy for when I arrived was a wee bit o’ grocery shopping at the German equivalent of Aldi’s right next to my hostel, making some boring pasta, and doing some laundry in the sink because my life is that exciting.
Yesterday was my first “real” day in Vienna. I started off by going to one of my dream destinations, the Spanish Riding School. Unfortunately, they only have shows on weekends, but I got to see a two-hour training session with four different groups of horses, which was incredible. Plus, there was an announcer who periodically explained what was happening and why.
Then I walked around. A lot. And the weather was just terrible, it was pretty cold and pissing on me all day, and it just got miserable. I saw most of the buildings I wanted to see (at least from the outside, I’m getting sick of museums), went to a bunch of Christmas markets which cheered me up a little bit, but I eventually had to go to a cafe just to warm up. And then it was time to get in line for…duh duh DUH! the opera! At the Wiener Staatsoper which sounds dirty but is actually the super duper famous Vienna State Opera if you’re a lowly English speaker.
So standing room is both great and terrible. It’s great because you get to see a professional show for 3 or 4 euros, and you have a great view of everything. The terrible thing is that you have to get there early, stand the whole time, and deal with people who have no theatre etiquette whatsoever. I got extremely angry at a (I use this term loosely) gentleman who moved my scarf that reserved my area (a big no-no) and took up half my spot. He also smelled terrible. I kept shoving him out of the way but he was stealing my leaning area, but eventually shoved past me into the row in front of me. And then TOOK PHOTOS DURING THE SHOW. It’s a good thing he left during intermission, because I would have murdered him otherwise.
As for the show itself, I have mixed feelings. I saw Madame Butterfly, which I’ve been wanting to see for a long time so it worked out perfectly. The thing is, I have no sense of what’s good or bad in an opera because I haven’t been to one before. I didn’t love it, but I think that also might be because it was different than what I’m used to. It’s two-dimensional acting; the performers are presentational and use their bodies to be large in a certain way, but I missed the specificity of straight theatre and of choreography. The actors didn’t use anything around them or express much with their bodies other than to supplement their voices. The set just seemed like a setting, not something for the characters to truly exist in and use.
I also wasn’t a huge fan of the story itself. Nothing…happened. Act I was basically this Japanese chick meeting an American guy, and you find out the she already renounced her religion (in hopes of marrying an American) and her family was just like hell no, bitch. And then she marries the dude a few minutes later. Intermission. Act II was three years later, and everyone was telling the chick that her hubby wasn’t coming home, and she’s like nawww, I’ve got faith you guys, also PS I have a kid with him. Act III was really the only interesting one. Hubby comes home with his new wife, and Japanese chick is like wtf mate? And then hubby is like oh by the way I want my kid. And she’s like really bro? And then she kills herself the end. This took three hours.
But cool fun fact about specifically Wiener Staatsoper: you may be thinking, “but an opera! That’s not in English! However could you understand what was happening, Genevieve?” WELL. There are these handy little screens in front of every seat and four per every five or six people in the standing area with subtitles! So you can watch the English translation as everything is going down!
I decided I needed more information about opera because I have absolutely no critical eye for it. The next day, I again went to the Staatsoper to see if I could have a better point of view. Don’t worry – I saw a different show! They play multiple productions every week, which from a production standpoint is absolutely absurd, but from a performer/audience standpoint actually kind of makes sense. They have to change the set EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. And they’re pretty hefty. I assume they all use the same lighting plot. But then what about dressing rooms? Do they share dressing rooms with other productions? HOW DOES THIS WORK? But it’s really cool to be able to see two completely different shows in the same venue two days in a row.
Aside from a bit of drinking at the bar downstairs from the hostel that evening, and a (fantastic) walking tour and a turkey schnitzel today (basically a flat piece of meat that is breaded and fried. I don’t get the hype), the main event was Opera #2, this time Salome. I went with my American roommate that I had just met, and repeated the exact same standing room situation.
So this opera was about a princess chick who is kind of a brat and is like oh, why can’t you let this prophet out of his hole? And then she seduces a guy until he makes that happen, and then she falls in love with the prophet guy. Unfortunately, he doesn’t like her because she’s the product of like incest or something, and she gets mad. And then her stepdad is there, and he thinks she’s sexy, and her mom doesn’t seem to give two shits. So she dances for her stepdad so he will go behead the prophet dude. Which he does, and then she eventually is sad because he still doesn’t love her, and she like strokes and kisses his head which is weird. And then her stepdad orders her death. The end.
Salome was way more enjoyable to both watch and listen to than Madame Butterfly for a multitude of reasons. I’m going to start off by pointing out that they are both incredibly sexist, but they are old shows so I’m attempting to give them the benefit of the doubt. I found the music in Salome to be more varied and therefore more exciting. It was only two hours instead of three (no intermission, oof) but there was literally nowhere in the score you could put one: the music didn’t stop at all from start to finish. A lot more also happened during this show, and it had more funny moments. Both characters Madame Butterfly and Salome are super dramatic and serious the whole time, but Salome is also wishy-washy about what she wants, making her just, well, FUNNY. The woman playing Salome was the most interesting performer to watch both nights: she clearly had movement training and kept me completely captivated.
Despite all my confusion and issues, there were moments that moved me. Moments where I got chills over my entire body, and moments that I was so sucked in that I forgot to look at my translation to see what they were saying. One of the most interesting moments for me, however, was the curtain call. I’ve never seen such a heartfelt bow as those taken by the women playing both of the leads. They knelt all the way to the ground, and stayed there for several beats, truly thanking the audience for allowing them to perform for them.
I’m so glad I was able to return to have a completely different experience at the opera. I’m still not sure it’s exactly my “thing,” but I would love to watch more and see how I feel.
Vienna has been a completely eye-opening experience. It amazes me that there is a place in the world where theatre, opera, ballet, and music is so highly respected and treated not only as a legitimate pastime, but as something to aspire to. I would love to come back and fill my days with concerts and performances and continue to experience the beauty of this city.