Awesome Opera

Each year the Austrian town of Bregenz holds Bregenzer Festspiele, an opera festival. There are two stages for the event, an indoor theater that showcases lesser known works and a grand outdoor amphitheater on the lake for popular titles. While I haven't had the chance to see how amazing they performance is, I have had the opportunity to be stunned by the festival. The fantastic thing about Bregenzer Festspiele is the sets. Each year it seems that the festival attempts to outdo itself with another awesome set.

Designs like the one above, used for Tosca, have won international fame by appearing in the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace". I remember being awed by the scene in the film but to find out that this was a real theater was incredible. And then I saw the rest of the sets.

Above is one that was used for A Masked Ball by Verdi.

The above one, for Bizet's Carmen gives an idea of the setting for the stage and the huge audience. I can't imagine how incredible it has to be to see opera outdoors, on the lake.

The last one is from one of my favorite operas, Pucci's La Boheme. It was the first opera I ever saw, decades ago on TV. I loved the starving artist motif and the sad sweet tale of love. It was my introduction to opera and has lead to a lifelong love. I don't see the local operas every year but I try to go at least every other. And now I want to see the ones in Bregenz. I love good set work and it doesn't get any more dramatic or awe inspiring than this. For the history of the festival and the rest of the sets, click here.

Live Drama

We have seen some terrible movies in the last month. From the second Pirates of the Caribbean, Madagascar, Dukes of Hazzard, Elf, and most recently Open Season, it is has been a little slow on the movie scene. Now I hate going to the movie theaters so we watch a lot of movies at home. But the most recent ones seem to be terrible. And the one thing I've seen in the theaters, Iron Man, was fantastic. I would recommend it to anyone. So other than a couple movies we have really been lacking for visual entertainment. 

But this month I have been fortunate so see some fantastic live drama. I have been to the opera twice now and an outdoor community theater once. In the beginning of June we were in St. Louis to visit Jeff's family. His dad took us out to see Shakespeare in the Park. Now if you have never seen Shakespeare done outdoors you need to. There is something about a park setting that makes the experience so much more magical. I felt bad for his dad though. He had never seen Shakespeare done before, much less read much of the work. So which play do we get? Not Romeo and Juliet, not Macbeth, not even Hamlet. No, we saw Richard 3. Not a beginners play. Richard the third is so complicated that you really need an org chart to follow the family structure. It was a well done performance but I felt bad for Dad. 

Last weekend Jeff and I went to see Regina done by the Des Moines Metro Opera. My parents get season tickets and weren't able to use them. This is a modern operetta and is a lot of fun. I thought it was a very enjoyable show. But apparently that is because I have no idea how enjoyable they can be. Now I like Carmen and the Magic Flute, but the Elixir of Love is now my very favorite opera. This was an amazing show. I got to go last night with my mother. Beautiful voices, stunning set and costumes, and memorable music made for one of the best shows I have ever been to. I honestly hoped it didn't end. 

Elixir of Love is Donezzetti's work and is sung in italian. The Des Moines opera does supertitles so you can follow all the words. It is a fun story of man pining for a beautiful woman who isn't interested in him. He buys a magic love potion from a charlatan. (actually just wine) When the village girls find out that the young man has recently inherited a fortune they flock to him and he thinks the potion is working. The young woman becomes jealous and vows to win him. The show, of course, ends happily with the two of them together. I clapped so hard my arms gave out. Breathtaking. 

So I have been to the theater three times in one month. And I've enjoyed all of them. I have one more option for a show within the next month too. I have two friends in Minneapolis doing Oklahoma at an outdoor stage. Now I just need to talk Jeff into making the trek up to the cities again. I've already promised him golf and a casino up there. It might be incentive enough. But even if I can't go I'll have seen some amazing theater and found a new favorite opera. Ah the stage!!!