Parsifal

For homework reasons, I did not get to blog last night. Here goes:

10:00 a.m. We get up slowly, leaving a little later than we should have for our voice lessons, and not getting to read the entire synopsis of Parsifal, which we are seeing tonight!

1:00 p.m. My voice lesson! This time we primarily worked on coloratura rep, focusing on the opening of "Non Piu Mesta" from Rossini's La Cenerentola. Her technique is all new to me, but it involves a lot of focus forward and relaxation of the muscles. I cannot wait to bring this stuff back home, my melissmas are getting faster and clearer with this new instruction. I ended the lesson wishing that I had a whole hour more, to work on my other rep. The aria "Things Change Jo" is the other piece I have been working on, which is proving a hefty challenge, next week hopefully we will get to spend more time on it. Also, lately I have been longing for some Carmen, (we will have to see what Professor Gaspar has to say about that when I get back home :) here's hoping). So all in all, some really good work, and a lot to practice.

3:00 p.m. After Kim's lesson, we head directly for the opera. Before we leave Diana's apartment we borrow her cell phone to make a nail appointment! Since coming to Vienna some of my old anxious habits have re-appeared because of all the excitement. One of them being biting my nails. It's strange because here you have to make an appointment, and a nail salon is literally ONE person. They have a station where they focus on one client at a time, and usually they are getting fake nails, so the appointment is lengthy.

So off to the Opera we go!

We get there, and already the line is filling up the waiting room. There are several people who have obviously been camping out for quite some time already. The die hard fans. Tonight we see a famous conductor, known for his Wagner.

We wait, then go up some stairs, then wait some more, then go up some more stairs, and finally we are let into our seats. Then we run frantically around the U-Bahn until we find the McDonald's, which I was craving like crazy all evening. We eat quickly and head back to our standing places.

The Opera was five hours long. We had great spots. The singers were everything you could ask for.

After the first act, I was filled with loathing. I hated it. I hated the idea of it, I hated the sound of it, and I hated the ideas that inspired it.

After the second act, I loved it, I loved the music of the second act, especially the maidens' music and the extended duet material between Kundry and Parsifal. Although some of this act bordered on what I would consider Euro-trash, I think in the end it was successful.

After the third act, I was completely numb. It was very long, and abstract. I don't really think I will know whether I appreciate it until it has settled in for a few days, or maybe a few months.

The show started at 5:30, we left at 10:30. It's official, I must love opera. Everything here inspires me.

11:30 p.m. Home to skype my mom and Matt! Psychology homework. Bed!

Goodnight!

E