TT night at the opera in Munich

Out with me mates last night and we fell to chatting about opera and discovered that we all had a PASSION for it. I've been in Munich 15 months and I'm ashamed to say I haven't set foot in the world class Staatsoper - largely because I have not had anyone to go with.

So - do you melt for Monteverdi?

Do you rumble for Rossini?

Do you wail for Wagner?

If so, post here and we will see if there are enough people to organise a bodice-ripping night at the opera here in Munich.

No thanks...

I'm pretty sure BTC is only looking to see who's interested... no need to rain on the parade, DK.

Having said that, I like opera too. I'm too busy to organise anything, but would tag along if anybody managed to arrange something

goodho georgiagirl!

here are the programmes for coming months to get people's appetites whetted:

January

February

March

April

I prefer Italian opera (particularly Puccini) and I see that both Tosca and La Traviata are scheduled for April.

there is also La Calisto, Rigolletto and the Barber of Seville in March.

I'd love to see Die Fledermaus on February 20.

If you're not familiar with it, it's a lighter comic opera with catchy tunes and drinking songs.


(From the Wikipedia article on the opera.)

yes, please. (also Wagner, Richard Strauss, anything modern coming up, like Britten or Prokofiew or Janacek or Stravinsky...but I don't see any of that on the current programme...some of them have been performed here before, so maybe in future..? Kent Nagano has a reputation for championing modern opera in Lyon, so I'm hopeful)

Am also interested, thanks for organising Btc.

FYI, Cinema will be showing the Staatsoper’s production of Norma on:
- Sunday, Jan 14th, 10.30 am (according to Cinema's website - the newsletter states 11 am)
- Saturday, Jan 20th, 10.45 am.

Peter Jonas, Edita Gruberova and Jürgen Rose are expected to be present at the premiere on Sunday, January 14th.

Not the same as live, of course, but considerably cheaper.

Now this is a good idea, I and a few others are interested in this.

Me, me, me!

they have Billy Budd (Britten) in March

like the sound of Die Fledermaus actually. It's light and fun and the kind of thing that you don't have to be an opera snob to have fun at. Might be a good bet for a group event.

Die Fleidermaus would be lovely.

Have seen the following here at the Bayerische Staatsoper and can defo recommend 'em:

Il barbiere di Siviglia

Cosi fan tutte

Fidelio

Carmen

Le nozze di Figaro

Die Zauberflöte

Der Rosenkavalier

La bohème

okay, based on the suggestions above (and the dates I will be here in Munich) these look to be the selection of recommended operas (below). All fairly accessible for people new to opera, although some might be harder than others. What I suggest is that people reply to this with which of the following they would like to do and when we know the most popular opera, I can then make enquiries and set up a sign-up sheet.

Die Fledermaus (Strauss) - Feb 20th

Billy Budd (Britten) - Feb 23rd/ 1 March

Barber of Seville (Rossini) - March12

Rigolletto (Verdi) - March 20, 23, 26

Parsifal (Wagner) - April 1

Fidelio (Beethoven) - April 3, 10

Carmen (Bizet) - April 12,14

Marriage of Figaro (Mozart) - April 15, 18,21

Tosca (Puccini) - April 22, 25, 27

La Traviata (Verdi) - April 23, 26

Wow, BTC, thanks for all the work already! I'd be interested and as things stand available for:

I am up to see my Opera! (just kidding, my parents never even named me after the opera )
but would still love to see it.

Not a huge opera fan, but also not an enemy, and would love a introduction to some of the more classical pieces.

Saw Haendel's Orlando last summer: beautiful music, somewhat over-the-top but highly entertaining production. Very much worth checking out, as baroque stuff is rarely staged as far as I know. I will be back in town through mid-January, depending one what people are going to I might be interested in tagging along. Hoping to catch more chamber music too.

How spontaneous is this? I am just settling in and can't plan too far ahead right now, but I would love to join in if I may.

Now, this is my real love..if you want to catch up on more with someone else, let me know. I currently have a subscription and if the programme continues to be as full of contemporary stuff as it was under Poppen, I'll definitely be renewing it..last week was a concert of Estonian and Latvian 20th century stuff - wonderful!

I'm already seeing Oralndo in January. Actually, in the last decade baroque (my real love) has had something of a revival and Handel, Gluck, Monteverdi and Cavalli all now regularly appear in opera and oratorio schedules around the world. If there has been any Monteverdi in this programme, I would have been gunning for that.

I'm afraid the Staatsoper gets booked up conssiderably in advance and often sells out and the tickets are quite expensive, so it is not really something that can be done ona last minute whim. Once we have chosen an opera and people have signed up, I really will need a comittment that they will at least pay for the tickets.

BTC: I thought about organising something like this once before, but the financial outlay really is a bit of a worry with a lot of people you only know online.

I would suggest (something like) once people have signed up, meeting and everyone gives you an upfront amount of money (and maybe also a limit of what they want to pay), so that you don't have the risk of buying tickets and having people pull out.

Only a suggestion; you may want to do it differently. Anyway, I have this sneaking suspicion that for the first event, people's tastes may be for one of the ones not on my must-see list...but maybe once you've picked one I'll decide to tag along anyway

good idea ruapehu

I was starting to get a little jittery. We could organise a meetup early in January and make the booking etc only after that. In the meantime I can price out some of these when we knoe what is popular.

Personally, I still think Die Fledermaus on Feb 20 wins my vote but maybe it might be prodent to wait for one of the later operas like Tosca or LaTrav

Feb 20th is Fasching, just for your information.

So, a night at the Opera is not recommended...? I am really looking forward to Fasching.

bugger, what are they doing showing Die Fledermaus then. Blast!

not saying not to go to the opera, but just that there are other things going on that night.

I may be interested in one or maybe two places, depending upon which one is chosen, what else is happening and how much money I have at that time.
MT

Bit of a daunting task if nobody is going to come out of hiding and say which one/s they'd like to see

If you don't get any replies, just decide on the one you want to go to BTC and then see who says they'll come along - after all, you're doing the work.

EDIT: and by the way, of all the ones I mentioned above, Billy Budd would be my first choice (but I'm not overly hopeful that there will be a lot of takers )

I guess I would be most interested in

Romeo & Juliet
Fledermaus
Cosi fan Tutti

(In no particular order of preference)
MT

I would be interested seeing in

Barber of Seville

Rigoletto

Carmen

Marriage of Figaro

Tosca

La Traviata

Okay, I'll take a stab. Lets say La Traviata on April 23. This gives plenty of time to get money and bookings in.

Does anyone know how I can set up a sign up sheet? Mods - any suggestions?

because Fledermaus is a traditionally played at new years and/or fasching.

BTC, I would PM Editor Bob directly to ask for a sign-up sheet if you haven't already. I know he's busy, so it might take a while, but he'll get around to it. We've some time before the show, so should be okay.

I for one would definitely be up for La Traviata.

@BTC, can you also please set us a deadline. I would love to come along but have no idea how my schedule is in April... Thanks .

well, the way I am going to do it, is to put a sign up list on the site. Then, sometime in January or February I will organise evening drinks in town so that people who want to come to the opera can come with the money so that I can make the booking and pay for the tickets at the same time. I will PM everyone on the sign up list for this.

Opera is costly and gets booked up well ahead so I do not want to get caught out with lots of people saying they 'might' be there but leaving me to foot the bill when they pull out.

That sounds like a sensible way to do it, BTC.

Unfortunately, I will already have moved to Minnesota by April, so I'll have to back out. (I've heard Minneapolis has a good opera house, though.)

It looks like the first bookings (schriftlich vorverkauf) are being accepted as of Jan 23rd.
Maybe you need to make it more January than February.

I have seen that there is a vast price range for tickets, which ones were you thinking of?

MT

well done BTC, sounds like a great plan.

La Traviata isn't one of my absolute all-time favourites, but on the other hand I currently have a big blank in my diary for 23rd April - so I'll pencil it in.

ruapehu: sorry I didn't reply sooner, I just got into town and I've been a bit jetlagged and overscheduled!

If there is some interesting chamber music going on before January 15 please let me know. I will look online to see what might be interesting to me. I am a particular fan of Baroque music, and then the contemporary stuff. Weird, huh? Once I am in Munich full time (soon!) I might even go for season tickets.

Ah, but it is mine. I've got the Netrebko DVD at home. Oh, baby!

Unsolicited, but very well-intentioned advice: having done so, I can say that organizing a night out at the opera can be difficult. Particularly in Munich it's not a "looks interesting, maybe I'll show up sort of thing". Having a drinks night for opera enthusiasts (or wannabe enthusiasts) is a fantastic idea and I'd probably show up.

One thought would be to pick your date, have people sort out their own tickets and just meetup before, during and after the performance. No risk to the person who's organizing and everybody gets the type of seats that they want. Intermissions at Staatsoper are quite lengthy and allow one enough time to wander all the way down from the cheap seats, fetch a beer and exchange a quick word about the performance. If you're interested in something in the mid-tier price range, I can say that I've not been terribly impressed with the stuff towards the side of the stage. The sound is excellent, but sight lines are not great. Swank dude that I am, I like to sit on the floor. I know someone who swears that the ten euro spots at the top of the theatre are the best seats in the house. I've not yet tried them, but keep meaning to for a performance that I'm not super keen on and for which I wouldn't want to lay out loads of cash.

Also, consider Gärtnerplatz. The performances aren't nearly as elaborate as Nationaltheatre, but tickets are half as much and don't sell nearly as quickly. I saw Carmen there (the opera, not the TT'er) and was fairly impressed. And it's local.

Oh, and if he's performing, be sure and get Profundo's autograph.

Just back from seeing Jules Massenet's "Werther" at the National Theather and I am so hooked on opera. Marcelo Alvarez was incredible as Werther. Even though he's a stalker/emotional blackmailer, I was still crying when he ***spoiler warning*** kills himself at the end.
I can't wait for more. One opera that I think will be particularly interesting is Alice in Wonderland playing:
Première on 30 June 2007
Munich Opera Festival: 4 July, 7 July 2007
Nationaltheater
Introductory matinée on Sunday, June 17, 2007
Max-Joseph-Saal of the Residence
It has the extra incentive of being in English. Anyone interested in that one?
Otherwise, I am definitely interested in going with any group we get together. The 15€ tickets aren't that bad if you can live with the back-ache you'll get from hanging over the railing to see. I wouldn't recommend standing room - I haven't had royalty training and just couldn't stand there that long.

I would definitely be keen for La Traviata on April 23rd, count me in! Although Barber of Seville would have also been a good option...

um...this topic seems to be getting splattered like an egg against the neighbor's window.

I am interested in

Barber of Seville (Rossini) - March12
(Wasn't Sweeney Todd based on it? and the film "delicatessen" inspired by it?)

and will go seek out tickets. Thanks fer the scoop!

P

I noticed it had gone quiet...but I thought that was because La Traviata on 23 April had been decided on and a meeting would be arranged late Jan/early Feb...?

I'm still interested

Hi,
I would also be interested. Havent been to the opera for over a year now, so really Im up for whatever the majority is going for. La Traviata sounds good though :-)

When is the planned meetup to arrange?

My wife and I are travelling to Munich (from Boston) that week, in part because we want to see La Traviata on April 23rd. Apparently all advance sales have been oversubscribed. The email I got seems to indicate that more tickets will be available 2 months before the concert. Is this normal? Is there any hope of getting tickets now for the April 23rd performance? are there ticket agencies/brokers/scalpers in Munich?

BTC,
are you still planning on going to this?
After reading the above posts, will there still be tickets available?

*Still interested*
MT