Classical Music

I've been listening to Mitsuko Uchida's recordings of Mozart's solo piano sonatas. It's been a difficult few days and I've needed to listen to classical music to relax. For a change of pace, I tried listening to Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. B. tells me it's his sister's favorite opera; she named her son Tristan. Forty minutes into the first act I was surprised how tense I had become. I should have known better.

I had seen the opera performed in Paris at the Opera Bastille. After the first act there was a break of an hour for dinner. It was towards the end of my stay and I was exhausted. The entire performance lasted well over four hours, and that experience served as my true introduction to Wagner.

It was my first extended trip to the city, and I had tried to see everything. That week I had already seen a staging of Shakespeare's The Tempest at the Comédie Française and a production of Giselle at L'Opera. I was assured that I would have no troubles understanding the performances at the Comédie Française, but I don't know how I thought I could understand Shakespeare translated into French. Looking back on it now, I'm not sure why I would have wanted to, save for the experience. And that was, actually, reason enough.

I was more successful with the performance of Giselle. It remains one of my favorite ballets, as much for the dance as for the room in which I saw it. I still remember climbing up to the top of the stairs and looking up over the railing at the Chagall-painted ceiling. On the lower floors, mirrors seemed to take up entire walls. I wish I had spent more time wandering the halls and exploring the building. But it was, I think, my first night in Paris, and I was too enthralled with the ballet and the fact of just being there. Posted by eku at February 11, 2004 12:32 AM