Meanwhile back at the Opera...

The Ballet of Anna Karenina

... so eventually I put on a pair of jeans and made my way down to the Opera house.  (As described in the previous blog, Christie and her mom were attending the Ballet at the world-famous Vienna State Opera House, and I had been rejected because I was dressed in shorts.)  In the end, I was glad I did - maybe not because of the ballet itself, but because it was something completely different than what I would normally choose to do.

The Chorley girls enjoying the intermission

I reached the Opera house during the intermission.  After passing inspection (no body-cavity search required), I made my way through the ornately designed lobby and up to the "standing room" only section.  In fact, there were three standing room only areas - we had splurged for the lower 4 euro seats.  This is of course exponentially cheaper than buying a ticket, however the potential drawbacks are clearly evident (beyond that of standing), which I was so lucky to have described for me in great detail by two overheated, tired-of-being-pushed-around women who had spent the last hour elbowing their way against fellow standing-room-only goers.  Christie and her mom did appreciate the show, however, I don't think they were completely blown away by either the performance or the general "swarming bees" mentality of the section.   

Soon the second act began, but after 10 minutes in the lower level (which thankfully had cleared out to a degree after the intermission), I decided to walk around and explore the beautiful building.  The staircases were like works of art, chiseled out of marble and other stone.  The ceilings displayed intricate frescoes.  The entire building projected an era of long lost royalty & high society.  It was cool to experience.

 

Picture taking at the Ballet "IST VERBOTEN!"  Therefore, here is an "alleged" shot of an "alleged" performance that may or may not have been taking place while I was "allegedly" inside the Opera house.

The ballet we were watching was the premier in Vienna for ANNA KARENINA.  The story itself was originally a 19th century novel by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, of War and Peace fame.  I didn't know this - or really anything about the ballet - before attending.  Later research -- aka writing this blog -- would tell me that the story is considered by some to be the "GREATEST NOVEL EVER WRITTEN," which I have a hard time agreeing to,  1) Because I hadn't heard about it before, 2) Saying something is the "greatest novel" is about as arbitrary as picking the "greatest color" - every one is different, and 3) Whoever said that must not have read Playing for Pizza.

At any rate, Amazon.com describes the story this way:

Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and must endure the hypocrisies of society. Set against a vast and richly textured canvas of nineteenth-century Russia, the novel's seven major characters create a dynamic imbalance, playing out the contrasts of city and country life and all the variations on love and family happiness. While previous versions have softened the robust, and sometimes shocking, quality of Tolstoy's writing, Pevear and Volokhonsky have produced a translation true to his powerful voice.

Having seen the second half of the ballet, it would be a stretch (no pun intended) to say that I came away thinking the same thing.  Or perhaps, anything.  In fact, my description would have been a little more vague, such as "a girl being torn between a couple guys, of which both guys were wearing tights and making a lot of little jumps in the air."  The latter of those statements I was VERY sure of.  However, I did gather the fact that (spoiler alert) Anna kills herself and that at the end somehow all the people bowed a lot of times.

Panoramic view of the Opera House.

Olga Esina takes a bow as Anna, flanked by Kirill Kourlaev as Karenin and Vladimir Shishov as Wronski.  (They don't give me a program for nothing!)

Taking one more bow...

If anything I learned, its how much the ballet performers like applause.  The conclusion of the show lasted about as long as the ballet itself.  First the background dancers came out, then the other main characters, then the stars... each with their own series of bows and applause.  Finally the director/choreographer, Boris Eifman, emerged, also to a round of applause.  At this point, having not been properly saluted, Mr. Eifman decided that he should pose individually with each main character than the whole conglomeration, until each had amassed enough applause to fill an entire CD.  After about 15 minutes (I may or may not be exaggerating here) the curtain finally closed.  Then the foursome of Eifman and three main characters emerged from the side to go through the whole thing again.  It was very tiresome, and I felt the need to ice my hands after such vigorous (and continuous) enthusiasm.  Bravo, bravo. 

Repeat after me: Happy Wife, Happy Life.

Christie and Lynn enjoyed the experience, although Lynn could be quoted as saying, "I think I'm good on ballet for the next few decades..."

Emerging into the Vienna night

For my good behavior, I was treated to a huge RIB DINNER!  Vienna has a number of trendy spots, and the "1516" is quickly becoming my favorite bar & grill.  It reminds me of my favorite restaurant back home, The Ram. 1516 serves  a wide variety of food, its own beer, and of course, ESPN America on the flat-screens!

Sidestreet night cap: Good wine, good music, and good times!

As we walked home towards the Hapsburg palaces, we heard music streaming out of a small, dimly lit door.  Upon further investigation, we pushed back a curtain to reveal a look back into time - a red velvet room with a scattering of tables and a lone piano player.  It was the type of place that just screamed ambiance, and that would never make it into any guidebook. (In fact, a quick search failed to even find a name!)  About a dozen Vienna locals casually sipped their drinks and laughed long & loud.  We found the only remaining table and enjoyed one of the most relaxing hours of my time in Europe.  Lynn's request of "Lady in Red" ended a very interesting night that can only be described as memorable.

Glad I went back for the pants!

~ J. Twice