Die beste Bildung

I very absent-mindedly left my memory card in the student residence last Saturday, so all photos in this post are taken from the internet.

I spent the day alone as almost everybody else decided to join Professor Jennings on the tour to Nuremberg. Since I blogged the whole morning and didn’t leave the student residence for Königsplatz until 1pm, I decided that didn’t want to return immediately after musueum closing hours. Wondering if there were still tickets for any performances in the evening, I stumbled upon the website of the Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera), one of the foremost opera houses in the world. Much to my surprise, there were still very cheap tickets to Der Rosenkavalier, an opera that I had wanted to see for quite a while. Needless to say, I immediately bought a ticket and was looking forward to the show the whole afternoon as I wandered along the halls of the fascinating Pinakothek der Moderne.

The show was slated to start at 6, so once the Pinakothek der Moderne closed for the day, I had to rush to the U-Bahn station at Odeonsplatz. Germans are famous for being extraordinarily punctual, so I knew that if I didn’t arrive in time I probably would have to miss the first act (Der Rosenkavalier has three). Fortunately, I arrived 10 minutes ahead of time, but it took me a while to navigate through the multiple rings of the opera house. Everybody else seemed to know where they belonged, so I must have looked ridiculously tourist-like and stupid as I frantically sought my place and made one mistake after another.

Anyway, for those of you who don’t know, Der Rosenkavalier means “The Knight of the Rose”, and is a comic opera written by the German composer Richard Strauss exactly 100 years ago, when the German Empire under Wilhelm II was still at its zenith of power. It is the story of noblewoman Marie Thérèse, her young lover Octavian, her cousin Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau and his fiancee Sophie von Faninal. At the beginning of the opera, Marie Thérèse and Octavian have just spent a passionate night together when they hear sounds outside their bedchambers. Fearing that Marie Thérèse’s husband has returned, Octavian immediately hides himself by dressing up in a lady-servant’s garb. As it turns out, the sounds were actually the clumsy and unsophisticated Baron Ochs, who was there to announce his engagement to the much younger Sophie von Faninal. According to tradition, Ochs must send a knight to deliver a silver rose, the symbol of engagement, to Sophie, and Marie Thérèse immediately selects Octavian for the task.

As Octavian arrives at the Faninals’ residence to deliver the silver rose, he begins a romantic relationship with the exquisitely beautiful Sophie. Soon Ochs comes to the residence, and his barbaric behavior disgusts Sophie, who is determined not to marry him. This decision angers Sophie’s father, who worrys about the family’s reputation and therefore threatens to send her to a convent. Then Octavian challenges Ochs to a duel, wounds him, but is immediately thrown out of the residence.

Later on, Ochs goes to Marie Thérèse’s residence once again for a dinner party, but is distracted by the looks of a chambermaid (Octavian in disguise) and attempts to seduce her. At this point, Octavian’s personnell rush in and spread rumours in attempt to defame the Baron. He tries to call the police and use his status as nobility to get out of his embarrassment, but to no avail as the police commissioner is also a conspirator. Marie Thérèse then arrives at the scene; she sends the disgraced Ochs away, and realizing that Octavian and Sophie are fated for each other, she generously releases Octavian, allowing the two lovers to finally be with each other.

I am a complete amateur when it comes to operas (the only other one I’ve seen is Otello by the Polish National Opera), so I definitely am not in a position to critique. Having said that, it was a true pleasure being there to witness this phenomenal production. Every performer both on the stage and in the orchestra pit seemed as though they had been born for their roles. The scene in which Octavian arrives at the Faninal residence to deliver the silver rose was especially memorable, and I can still vividly recall Sophie’s monologue (or should I say solo? I have no idea what terminology I should use) as she decides not to marry Ochs. The stage design was among the elaborate I’ve ever seen, although I only had a view of around 1/3 because I bought my ticket at the last moment. It didn’t really matter though, as most of the time I was staring at the subtitles on the projector screen and trying to understand the German libretto. It was easier than what I expected it to be.

I must also mention that opera house itself was astonishingly magnificent, especially for somebody who is used to performance venues no bigger than Richardson Auditorium at Princeton. Looking at the intricate decorations adorning every visable surface, the multiple rings of seats, the rich draperies clinging to them, the enormous chandelier reminiscent of an imperial palace, and the impecabbly clad audience, one could easily imagine the opulence of the Bavarian state back in its glorious days. I spent the two intermissions wandering in the grand galleries, admiring the portraits of musicians who had led or influenced the opera scene in Munich since its founding days, and couldn’t help feeling a bit like Tom Canty in Westminster Palace.

One thing I really liked was how for all its extravagance and ostentation, the use of this place was not the prerogative of the rich. Of course there were plenty members of high society seated in the ridiculously expensive boxes, but cheaper options are also in abundance. My ticket for a standing place, for example, costed only €12.5, significantly less than the price one would usually have to pay for dinner at a restaurant here. In other words, one does not have to shell out an enormous fortune in order to enjoy world class performances and marvel at the genius of great composers like Verdi, Wagner and Strauss. For me, attractive prices helps a great deal not only to entertain people, but also popularize and sustain a fine art. I was glad to see that among the audience were people from all backgrounds and walks of life, some of them with entire families. A little girl two places away from me was at the opera for the first time, and she looked as though she couldn’t be a single day older than 8. Needless to say, I was secretly envious of the fact that at such a young age she already had – and seemed to know how to enjoy – this amazing experience.

Although my feet hurt quite a bit after standing for almost 5 hours, I’m still delighted that I went to see Der Rosenkavalier because I had a wonderful time. I’m going to see another opera, Verdi’s Aida, next Wednesday, this time with a couple other people in the Princeton-in-Munich program. It’s one of the most famous operas ever written, and I was acquainted the story and a couple tunes as a child. Also, I totally regret not taking part when my school choir was offered the opportunity to perform in the Hong Kong production last October. This will be my chance to finally get to know the masterpiece, and I very much look forward to it.