Where in the World?

I went to my first opera tonight. Carmen. It was awesome, in all senses of the word. I wasn't quite sure what to expect since I've never been to one and they aren't incredibly popular in the U.S. I went with Sam. He told me that the pit orchestra is where the Wiener Philharmoniker scouts for talent. Actually, some of the pit are members of the Wiener Philharmoniker. So seeing an opera is similar to seeing a performance of the Wiener Philharmoniker.

When I went, I didn't think I'd know any of the music. Apparently, though, Carmen has seeped its way into popular culture. I recognized most of the pieces. There is the overture, of course. Then, there is Carmen's famous song. And there is the toreador song. I liked that one the best, though it is included in the overture.

The sets were incredible. I've never seen a set on any stage before that I thought might actually be real. These were. Or at least, they were as close as it could come. The perspectives made it look like the set actually continued on past wherever the back was - you really couldn't tell. The third act's set was by far the best. It was in a valley at night. There was fog all around, which you could see obstructing the moon. It honestly did not look like the actors were inside. Instead, they were in some desert valley in Spain. The set designer is Franco Zeffirelli. Sam told me he is also the guy who directed the 1968 film of Romeo and Juliet - the one in which the actress who played Juliet went on to become a porn star (if you've seen her outfit in the movie, you know that porn isn't that far of a jump... though her outfit is actually more historically correct than what you'd expect). Franco is one talented dude. Sam also told me that when he went to the Met, Franco was awarded some set designing honor and they put up a plaque with that date on it, so there is a plaque hanging in the Met commemorating the day that Sam went there.

On the way back from the opera, Sam and I saw a cop getting all up in some kid's face. It was a pretty entertaining night all the way around.

Oh, and I had my second class today. It's international monetary economics, and I think it'll be interesting. The prof seems a little less violent, too.

To sum everything up, the opera is highly recommended - as long as it's the Staatsoper. I can't really speak for anything else (the music is always good, though).

And next time, I'll remember my camera.