23 degree Celsius. Life is good. I meet another Baltsa fan in
Arcadia Opera Shop, she is working there. 16.30 Edita Gruberova
Autogramm-stunde in Arcadia.
I get just in time (1500) for a Guided Tour in the Staatsoper, it was not my first time. But I enjoyed it nevertheless. In Staatsoper, it was Edita-Gruberova-Austellung in Gustav-Mahler-saal, we saw the Carmen-scenery in the audience. And the tour ended in Arcadia Opera Shop, I stood in line for an autograph, bought the Lucia di Lammermoor with Gruberova/Josep Bros so she could have something to write on. I took photos, of course. A hot day for Gruberova to sit inside, they had to open more doors, and stand garde so no one would enter the shop that way.
Then it was Carmen with Agnes Baltsa and Julian Gavin. 1900-2215.
I guess I was not in the mood to be overwhelmed. It was a very good,
but not great performance. I love this opera, and Baltsa as Carmen
is always special. But anyway the audience loved it. The performance
was not exactly the same as the last time, I guess Julian Gavin took
some of his Carmen-expericed from Zurich with him. Agnes Baltsa did
her death-scene differently, it was very effective. Julian Gavin was
OK as Don Jose, I would have loved a better pronunciation of the
French when speaking, but also in singing. You had to know what Don
Jose was saying, if you didn´t you got lost. Agnes Baltsa was always
clear in her pronunciation, if I knew the French language better I
would know if it was pronounced correctly. But for my ears it was
correct.Beside this Carmen is wild, her pronunciation should not be
terribly correct. Krassimira Stoyanova was embraced by the Vienna
audience. And this Escamillo, Ildar Abdrakov was great. I loved the
sweet soprano voice of Simina Ivan (Frasquita).
I stood long in line to wait for Agnes Baltsa, by 2300 I had to go
to Westbahnhof since my train was leaving 23.25, and I had to
collect my luggage first, too. Then I saw the sign, 40 min's late
change to 55 and in the to 120 min's. Had I known this I could have
waited longer for Baltsa, and maybe Baltsa would have come, or maybe
not. So it was over 0100 when the train came to Vienna Westbahnhof.
freitag, 27. juni 2003
