11:30 a.m. We wake up. We had showered the night before, so we just got dressed. Today is the day I get to see one of my all time singing hero's on stage. Elina Garanca is singing the role of Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier.
Since Garanca is such a big star that people get there three, four, five, even sometimes six hours early. They bring stools, reading materials, meals, and friends, and make a day of it! We decided to go out to Karlsplatz and see what the line looked like, then get some food and hunker down for the few hours before the show.
First, we definitely needed coffee. After last night, we really needed coffee. Thankfully, there is a Starbucks right in front of the Staatsoper. We get there and order our coffees, and suddenly we spy what looks to be the most delicious sandwich in the world, staring at us from inside the glass case at Starbucks. It was called the Pita Rustica. They heat it up for you, and the cheese melts around the chicken, and the pita bread gets all toasty on the outside. It was gone in less than three minutes. Our coffees were still being made, and this sandwich was gone.
1:40 p.m. We went to check out the line. Basically there were five people in line, so we decided we had nothing to worry about, and that we had time to stock up on snacks before finding our place in line.
I head to McDonald's first. Ready? Twenty piece chicken nugget. Two large fries. And a Coca-cola light. (that's what they call diet coke here) Oh god, the glory of it all comes back to me as I write it. I don't think anyone had ever ordered the twenty piece meal there before, because when the cashier told the cook in the back, they laughed, and looked to see who had ordered it. Suck it nerds, I'm American!
Then Kim and I stop at an Anker so she can get her healthy alternative: a deli sandwich. Then we go on a little journey to find her some chips to go with it. After a few stops, we end up at a subway where she gets Walker's salt and vinegar, (basically Lay's but british) and "Dorito's." Later, waiting in line, we found out that these Dorito's were really some sad imitation that tasted like rotten ketchup. :( Disappointing.
Anyway...
3:00 p.m. We got in line!
After that came a few hours of waiting. We ate, talked, read Tina Fey's book on Kim's Kindle, I started writing a paper I had been procrastinating on.
Right ahead of us in line, were a group of American singers. All girls of course. Unfortunately, all they talked about (rather loudly) was their insecurities about graduate school, music careers, and topics like: "Well the only reason that she got into all those schools is because she is tall and pretty, I heard that one of her vocal folds was paralyzed" or, even better, "Yea, once they got the leads, the pretty much were the only ones who got cast, that always happens." There was even talk of "How much do you need to be a musician, I just couldn't have a job just for the money." Of course, on some level, I am sure all singer's feel a little judged, and insecure, but these girls were every cliche of singers rolled into one. It was quite embarrassing.
But now onto the important stuff.
6:00 p.m. We got great spots. We could see and hear everything perfectly.
As far as I am concerned, the performance was spot-on. In particular, Octavian and the Marshalin were incredibly inspiring. The magic wasn't in the voice. Well, let me rephrase: the magic was the totality of the character. Voice, physicality, expression, emotion, tambre, relationship with the other characters, relationship with the audience, relationship with the conductor, relationship with the orchestra.
It was certainly a performance I will never forget. It was the first time at the Staatsoper that I cried. And it was a good cry. It started during the trio, and I ended up being in tears pretty much the rest of the opera. I just realized that I really can relate to the Marshalin. No, I have never had to leave a lover, nor have I ever had to be mature enough to know to let someone go, but I have experienced debilitating loneliness in my life, and I have experience complete satisfaction. There is so much good in her character that I wish to discover in myself as I grow up. This trip has helped me discover so much self confidence, but it has also provided me with a look at how I want to mold myself for the future. I experienced so much emotion, that I don't really think I understand what I was thinking exactly, as I watched the bows, but I know that I found something that I love, and that I am determined to chase it with everything I got. People are going to have to beat me down before I give up, and I just can't wait to see what my life has in store for me.
Seeing one of your idols in person is one of the strangest experiences: I realized that after scrutinizing over youtube videos of Garanca, and looking for updates from her website, reading articles and reviews, translating interviews, that this is a real living person. She is a performer on the stage. And that is really the best way to experience great performances: Live on the stage. Her intelligence shows on the stage, and she is enchanting, after seeing just one role, I am almost sure of her ability to play a range of different characters.
10:30 p.m. I didn't wait by the stage door, and I am glad. After such an emotionally enlightening experience, I am happy that I walked away with the feelings that I had. Trying to meet a famous person can be tiring, and disappointing. (because they are, after all, human, and after giving a kick-ass performance, and probably traveling/rehearsing/etc they may just not be the perfect person you hope they would be) And so Elina Garanca is still one of my heros, and is still shrouded in a little bit of mystery. And for now, that is how I like it.
Goodnight!
E
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