Obviously we should have been at Teatro Real at 10am then we was told, they had 40 tickets for Parsifal, but we were either at Plaza Mayor or inside Palacio Real. It was sooo disappointing. The only tickets we got was for a tour inside Teatro Real, that was something too, but it doesn't compare to seeing Agnes Baltsa as Kundry with Placido as Parsifal. We tried staying at Teatro Real, waiting for the unoffical ticket-selling. We were first, but that didn't help. It was young men's game.
It felt deeply unfair: All those months with communicating to Teatro Real. How many times was told that ticket sale to Parsifal starts February 20th. AND on THAT day I was told no tickets left. Tickets to Teatro Real, was that only the insiders trade. I feel insulted by the way T. Real has treated me. How many shall earn MONEY in this system!! Shall the real lovers of Opera be treated this way. How long shall I feel like somebody has bestolen me!!
To make things worse, but that is my own fault. I had a ticket for Samson et Dalila in Barcelona with Josep Carreras as Samson. Premiere day in the Liceu. Not a GOOD ticket, bad vision too. But soo much better that NOT getting ticket for Parsifal with Agnes Baltsa.
2003 June 28. Turandot with Jose Cura was cut short before the finale because of bit of rain. November. I had to cancel my tour to Switzerland to see Jose Cura as Alfredo in Zurich's production of La Traviata. SAD!!!!
2004 September 25. Not quite lucky to come to late due to airplane trouble to see the whole Carmen with Baltsa in Berlin but I did see half of it. November 26 A total miss due to weather conditions in Norway made it impossible for me to get my 13th travel to see Agnes Baltsa as Santuzza in CavRust and Jose Cura as Canio in Pagliacci in Wiener Staatsoper. Which is totally sad but because of my recent health problem, it was not too bad. To travel when one is not totally well is not really the wonderful experience it ought to be.
2005 August 27. Turandot with Jose Cura was cancelled because of the non-stopping rain i Verona. But luckily my second Turandot in Verona was wonderful (August 30)
My parents and I traveled to Verona from Oslo via Munich. We arrived in Verona Airport at 1610. The weather was not bad at that point, but the closer the time to 2100 when the opera was to start it got worse. In the end it was pouring down. And we were waiting to get news from the Arena, is it going to start or is it going to be canceled. After 2 hours of minimal information it was finally canceled. Then I stood for one hour in queue to get my money back. And it was pouring down. So at midnight we could get back to the hotel. NOT a GOOD day.
2006 February 25-28. I am not going to Berlin to see Cav/Pag with Agnes Baltsa as Santuzza on the 26 of February, and Otello in Barcelona with Jose Cura as Otello on February 27th. I do feel that I am not that ill but just in case... Still it is not too bad, I think the Berlin production is not really my thing and I did see it in 2004 May 1rst not with Baltsa though but with Cura as Canio. And though Barcelona production is something that I would enjoy and I would enjoy Jose Cura as Otello I have seen him in Otello 5 times before (not the Barcelona production) and that is my comfort. ... I do hope that my Zurich tour in March will not be cancelled or changed.
2006 May 22-28 Suddenly I have to go to hospital to have an emergency operation. Luckily it was only my appendix, but the doctors did not know that so now I have a big scar, and on sick leave. Far to weak to go to Vienna and Austria. My splendid ticket for Agnes Baltsa's Gala Abend in Salzburg will not be used. And I will not see Puccini's Villi nor Butterfly
