Daphne
Just got back from seeing Daphne, which was pretty good. I'm not the hugest Strauss fan, so the lack of real melody (argue with me if you must) and constant movement and lack of resolution (harmonic or melodic) is effective, and can be quite beautiful (haunting, even) but after 1:45 it is hard to be affected by anything....I walked out in a complete sensory overload....The orchestra was HUGE....8 double basses and a huge brass section (I always count basses....it's a good indication of how big the orchestra is) The set was interesting.....Daphne's couch/bed thing was center stage and in front, and behind the bed were two large statues of Apollo and some other dude and directly behind them was a large classical structure which framed the back of the stage (it reminded me of a puppet show or something where there's a house or something which frames the action) Behind that was a big white space with these horizontal indentations which served as tracks for random pieces of the set as they slithered across the stage, plus two elevators, one small one for Apollo and the tree at the end, and a big one that ran the width of the visible stage (behind the structure thing) which raised and lowered this freaky- looking head out of which the Dionysian nymphs sprang (they were covered in red stuff....so almost everything that they touched had a tiny bit of red stuff on it). The costumes were interesting, but nothing truly spectacular.
The singing was just amazing, though, and the acting was good....good enough that I actually noticed it! I realized that the acting thus far has been OK, but tonight I actually walked away praising the acting as much as the singing. Perhaps because of the abstract take on the story (which I suppose Strauss intended...I'm not really sure what the deal is with that, and what other motives Strauss had in setting the story.....) which allowed them to be more expressive and emotive without looking semaphoric (not a word, but OSX did not correct me!). Apollo was jaw-dropping, Daphne was absolutely amazing, and although she didn't sing much, Daphne's mother had a great part (yay for women who sing low E's in opera!!). All the parts seemed so challenging, not just technically but musically, what with the strange melodies and incredibly high, unforgiving, tessitura. Like I said, it wasn't my favorite, and I'm not going to go run out and buy the CD, but it certainly was very moving.....when Daphne's love interest (he has some really Greek name....why can't I remember it?) died, Daphne's pain was palpable.....as she transformed into the laurel (a scene which was impeccably staged for the abstract setting) the transformation seemed to be happening....slowly, Apollo walks off stage pronouncing her fate, and she slowly rises from her couch, walks upstage, and the trunk of the laurel rises out of the ground; as she reaches center stage the orchestra suddenly hits a large swell and a spotlight shines directly down onto her uplifted face; she slowly, slowly inches her way towards the laurel, accepting it, embracing her new joy in being what she has always loved; she enters smoothly and lifts her arms as the transformation completes itself, and the rest of the trunk (all seemingly of glass) descends upon her awaiting form, encasing her in glorious immortality.*
Sorry this keeps jumping around, but I'm writing stuff down as fast as I can while I still remember. I stood up in the balcony again, which I really liked. Mike and Kate had bought seats in the gallery over on the right, and after the show I met them there and saw what it was like....it was a huge difference being only slightly closer to the stage. I got a picture of the final curtain call from that spot, so you can compare. It was a pretty full house, probably because this was the last of only three performances. The U-bahn was packed like nothing on the way back.....some cracked-out lady started running after Carla in the Opernpassage and trying to hit her.....scary.
I started classes today: German is exactly the same, except in a way crappier room, and of course, much shorter! (9-10:15) Austrian Art & Architecture was really good.....hearing about all the great places around Vienna we're going to visit really makes me excited about the rest of the semester. Music History was OK......I didn't realize that it was going to be exactly like 261/264 at Oxy....but I'll probably learn more from Solvik than I did from Baur. (it wasn't all his fault...it was also my freshman year and I barely remember anything from any of my classes)
We had a couple of interesting discussions today: the first in AA&A (as I'll call it, since I'm sick of spelling 'Architecture') about what art is. I didn't come to any world-bending conclusions, but it was interesting to see how we all approached the matter. For instance, at first there was some dispute about whether or not an audience is needed for something to be art (someone brought up the tree in the forest...of course) and I pointed out that even if no one else experiences it, it still affects the person who created it, and that's enough. Then we got on the subject of art created by animals and whether that's really art.....an interesting notion, and I suppose it is, even though I'm sure that chimpanzees have intentionality, but second-order? Do you have to have beliefs about other's beliefs to produce art? It seems so....do some animals have this? I don't know.......from there we were talking about aleatoric art, and different levels of randomness and if that is still art.....even though art requires an artist, does the artist have to consciously dictate everything? Perhaps not.....the whole thing was really quite thought-provoking. Next, in Music History, we talked at length about "genre" and "style period," and the difference between the two. I'm too tired to go into that conversation, and besides it was much more mundane, but still quite thought-provoking.
I have to sing again in the Performance Workshop tomorrow....I finally chose "Du bist die Ruh," even though I've never sung it before and I practiced it for the first time this afternoon after work....oh did I mention I'm working at the library? It's a fun little job....today was my first day. I got oriented around the library and met some of my fellow employees....they use cards, so I'll have to grow accustomed to that system, but I suppose it'll build character. They also use Dewey Decimal and not Library of Congress, so I'll miss seeing all the hany-dandy letters in front of the call number that give you a clue as to what genre you're dealing with. They have a pretty good CD collection, and by the time I leave I'm sure they'll all be on my computer! ^_^ I'll be working about 10 hours a week at €5 an hour, so that's a good portion of my weekly expenditures covered right there! Heck, I could even save up for some sort of journey! Well, we'll see about that. After hearing everyone's traveling stories the bug really hit me. I know I keep waffling, but I'll just have to be patient and see what happens. Everything else is going quite well, and I'm still having an amazing time here...the experience is unparalleled, really.
Jetzt muss ich meine Hausaufgabe schreiben und danach ins Bett gehen. I am sooooo tired tonight, probably because a strange form of homesickness prevented me from getting much sleep last night. Tonight, more sleep is definitely on the agenda!
*super-nerd alert: Leto II, anyone? I was definitely reminded of the scene where he begins his transformation.....there really are only a few plots in this world!!
The singing was just amazing, though, and the acting was good....good enough that I actually noticed it! I realized that the acting thus far has been OK, but tonight I actually walked away praising the acting as much as the singing. Perhaps because of the abstract take on the story (which I suppose Strauss intended...I'm not really sure what the deal is with that, and what other motives Strauss had in setting the story.....) which allowed them to be more expressive and emotive without looking semaphoric (not a word, but OSX did not correct me!). Apollo was jaw-dropping, Daphne was absolutely amazing, and although she didn't sing much, Daphne's mother had a great part (yay for women who sing low E's in opera!!). All the parts seemed so challenging, not just technically but musically, what with the strange melodies and incredibly high, unforgiving, tessitura. Like I said, it wasn't my favorite, and I'm not going to go run out and buy the CD, but it certainly was very moving.....when Daphne's love interest (he has some really Greek name....why can't I remember it?) died, Daphne's pain was palpable.....as she transformed into the laurel (a scene which was impeccably staged for the abstract setting) the transformation seemed to be happening....slowly, Apollo walks off stage pronouncing her fate, and she slowly rises from her couch, walks upstage, and the trunk of the laurel rises out of the ground; as she reaches center stage the orchestra suddenly hits a large swell and a spotlight shines directly down onto her uplifted face; she slowly, slowly inches her way towards the laurel, accepting it, embracing her new joy in being what she has always loved; she enters smoothly and lifts her arms as the transformation completes itself, and the rest of the trunk (all seemingly of glass) descends upon her awaiting form, encasing her in glorious immortality.*
Sorry this keeps jumping around, but I'm writing stuff down as fast as I can while I still remember. I stood up in the balcony again, which I really liked. Mike and Kate had bought seats in the gallery over on the right, and after the show I met them there and saw what it was like....it was a huge difference being only slightly closer to the stage. I got a picture of the final curtain call from that spot, so you can compare. It was a pretty full house, probably because this was the last of only three performances. The U-bahn was packed like nothing on the way back.....some cracked-out lady started running after Carla in the Opernpassage and trying to hit her.....scary.
I started classes today: German is exactly the same, except in a way crappier room, and of course, much shorter! (9-10:15) Austrian Art & Architecture was really good.....hearing about all the great places around Vienna we're going to visit really makes me excited about the rest of the semester. Music History was OK......I didn't realize that it was going to be exactly like 261/264 at Oxy....but I'll probably learn more from Solvik than I did from Baur. (it wasn't all his fault...it was also my freshman year and I barely remember anything from any of my classes)
We had a couple of interesting discussions today: the first in AA&A (as I'll call it, since I'm sick of spelling 'Architecture') about what art is. I didn't come to any world-bending conclusions, but it was interesting to see how we all approached the matter. For instance, at first there was some dispute about whether or not an audience is needed for something to be art (someone brought up the tree in the forest...of course) and I pointed out that even if no one else experiences it, it still affects the person who created it, and that's enough. Then we got on the subject of art created by animals and whether that's really art.....an interesting notion, and I suppose it is, even though I'm sure that chimpanzees have intentionality, but second-order? Do you have to have beliefs about other's beliefs to produce art? It seems so....do some animals have this? I don't know.......from there we were talking about aleatoric art, and different levels of randomness and if that is still art.....even though art requires an artist, does the artist have to consciously dictate everything? Perhaps not.....the whole thing was really quite thought-provoking. Next, in Music History, we talked at length about "genre" and "style period," and the difference between the two. I'm too tired to go into that conversation, and besides it was much more mundane, but still quite thought-provoking.
I have to sing again in the Performance Workshop tomorrow....I finally chose "Du bist die Ruh," even though I've never sung it before and I practiced it for the first time this afternoon after work....oh did I mention I'm working at the library? It's a fun little job....today was my first day. I got oriented around the library and met some of my fellow employees....they use cards, so I'll have to grow accustomed to that system, but I suppose it'll build character. They also use Dewey Decimal and not Library of Congress, so I'll miss seeing all the hany-dandy letters in front of the call number that give you a clue as to what genre you're dealing with. They have a pretty good CD collection, and by the time I leave I'm sure they'll all be on my computer! ^_^ I'll be working about 10 hours a week at €5 an hour, so that's a good portion of my weekly expenditures covered right there! Heck, I could even save up for some sort of journey! Well, we'll see about that. After hearing everyone's traveling stories the bug really hit me. I know I keep waffling, but I'll just have to be patient and see what happens. Everything else is going quite well, and I'm still having an amazing time here...the experience is unparalleled, really.
Jetzt muss ich meine Hausaufgabe schreiben und danach ins Bett gehen. I am sooooo tired tonight, probably because a strange form of homesickness prevented me from getting much sleep last night. Tonight, more sleep is definitely on the agenda!
*super-nerd alert: Leto II, anyone? I was definitely reminded of the scene where he begins his transformation.....there really are only a few plots in this world!!
1 Comments:
yes, other animals have second-order intentionality. vervet monkeys can imitate an alarm call in order to draw a rival tribe into a trap. also they make playing card houses. very wierd.
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