Have you ever had one of those special moments in your life where you just simply can't believe you are experiencing what you are experiencing? I had one tonight. It happened when I found where our seats were at the Staatsoper to watch Renee Fleming sing in the Strauss opera, Capriccio. We had fabulous seats on the right side of the center section in the balcony. Renee Fleming was unbelieveably beautiful. Did you know she is 51 years old?? She looked amazing, and sounded really lovely.
I am so happy with the timing of this trip. After having conducting classes, being in opera, and finishing music theory and history, I love being able to feel confident in really forming an opinion about the performance, and the opera itself, as well as every musical performance I go to. The performance was incredible in every aspect. I loved the rotating sets and the designer costumes--especially Renee's dress for the final scene, and how the designers used the colors in the costumes to be brought out against the blue floor on the set! There were rotating walls with writing and musical manuscripts on them. Every seat was filled. The applause seemed to last a lifetime! The opera itself, on the other hand, was not that great. The plot was really cliche and not very interesting. At times, it was cute, and at times, funny, but a little drawn out and unecessary also at times. The most time in the plot was taken for Renee to get the idea to ask her two suitors, the poet, and the composer, to collaborate and write an opera together. The theme of the opera was "which is more important, words or music?" Kind of a silly question if you ask me! Of course both are important. Sometimes music says things that words cannot, and sometimes music can take away from the beauty of the language alone. It didn't matter that the plot was slow. I got to see Renee Fleming, hear her beyond-beautiful voice, hear a great horn solo before the final scene, and I got to sit in a great seat in the Staatsoper in Wien!
What an interesting dilemma to have! Renee's character wasted so much energy worrying over which was better, the words, or the music. I've talked a lot about language in my blog so far, and how much I love words. But yet, I am here to study music. As a singer especially, words and music MUST be inseperable, there is no question. But in my own real life, which is really more important to me, if I had to choose? I am not a composer by any means. I love sharing my gift of words in writing notes, letters, messages, emails, and blogs like this. I can only share my gift of music when I have an opportunity to peform. And then what happens? I get nervous, and consequently upset with how I sounded to the listeners. If I could share my music the same way I feel comfortable sharing words with people, my world would be a Utopia.
Language fascinates me. I love thinking about the way people learn languages and how they are so comfortable with a whole different way of moving their lips and tongues to form sounds, and how humans are built to naturally "pick-up" a language if they are immersed in the culture for long enough, at the prime age. I love thinking about the way words can affect people's emotions and actions so much. What about the words in the Bible, or in the Quran, or any other religious book? Those words have completely changed peoples lives. Words can come alive.
Music is the way I want to spend my life. I don't want to be the next Renee Fleming, but I want to share music in the way it was shared with me when I was growing up, only better. Most people need to be trained or taught to be able to look at music, and have it come alive as it would if it were words on a page. But music doesn't need words to make it come alive. Somehow, it captures the pure emotions and transports different people in different ways, some ways I'll never know! I guess I, like in Capriccio, would not be able to choose a lover based on whether he was gifted with words, or gifted with music. It's too hard to contemplate them separately!
Off topic, I cooked a great meal yesterday, and tonight, I went to Cafe Mozart and ate Wiener Schnitzel with Emily, dressed in our finest! I am becoming quite a chef by watching the other girls cook in the hause. I cooked rice, sauteeed some veggies, and even cooked raw chicken in a pan! I put it together to make a delicious stir-fry! Yum! Food is good.
So tired! Should have been asleep a long time ago. If you can, pray for me, because I have a German midterm on Thursday, that I really want to do well on. My german class moves fast, so it takes a lot of concentration to understand some of the things that I haven't thought about in 5 years or so--since high school German!
Guten Nacht!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
A documented adventure
Today there was an adventure! As we were getting on the U-Bahn, headed to an Irish pub to watch the USA/England World Cup Fussball game, the clouds were moving quickly and getting blacker and blacker, and thicker, like smoke. The wind started to pick up too. When we were inside the U-Bahn, debris of leaves and weeks and dirt were flying into our hair and faces. I knew it could only get worse when we had to get off, and of course, I was dreading it.
If you know me well, you know that I will do whatever possible to NOT be outside during a storm. I have survived many storms outside, but I do not like it. We were walking up the stairs to come out of the U-Bahn and the wind held us back, and blinded us by stirring the debris up and off of the ground. I refused to leave, so I hung back. I decided I would be ok by myself, and let the rest of the group go ahead, and let them know that I was going to wait the storm out in the shelter of the U-Bahn staircase at Stadtpark. And so I did. I watched this incredible storm from inside. The lightning was horizontal, and the wind took the rain in sheets on the pavement outside. The U-Bahn stop was flooding below. I saw two girls slip their shoes off and run barefoot out into the storm!
There was a girl about my age standing near me, and she had a trombone case with her. When she kept looking out the doors to see if it was safe to go out, and then she came back, I decided to start talking to her...in English. I have to admit, I was kind of a chicken about speaking German to her. We ended up talking for a while. She is studying Trombone at Vienna University, and is in an academic orchestra. Her part of concert had finished, but she said it was open air, and was supposed to be still going on! She looked down at the U-Bahn station at how the rain was flooding the floor, and said to me, "This is not normal!" She went on to say that how the hot weather is weird, and how this much rain is weird, and how Austria had its first Tornado in April of this year! I was glad she was there. I told her I spoke a little bit of German but I was really bad--but then I spoke German to say that I was studying for 6 weeks, and my family has a connection to Wien, which is why I'm here.
When she left, the rain had gotten "heller" (lighter) and I left soon after. Although the rain had almost completely stopped, the streets were flooded and it was still lightning like crazy. The lightning was right in front of me as I ran down the street, and it was connecting in circles. It wasn't just a flash of lightning--it was more like a surge, that stayed in the sky for a few seconds before it went dark again. I found the pub, and we watched the game in a very pleasant place. Very few people were smoking, and it was air-conditioned! It was fun to be around a lot of people who spoke my language!
I enjoy the challenge of being able to speak German to people here. The best feeling is when I go to the store or a shop, and I speak complete German to them, and they reply in German, and I understand! I have learned an incredible amount while I've been here! I would say that in two weeks, I've probably learned about a half of a semester's worth of what I would have learned by taking a German class at Penn State. It's so much easier to pick up a language when you are hearing it all the time, or seeing it everywhere. For example, yesterday, one of the other girls asked me what der Teller meant. I didn't know the answer, but today, on one of the descriptions in the Hofburg palace tour, it occured to me that 'der Teller' is a plate. There are more exciting words than der Teller. Some of my favorites.... Entschuldigung! Ausgezeichnet! Löffel, Hausübung, langweilig, Ecke, und Schlagobers, to name a few! I taste the consonants on my lips and tongue, every single one of them! Maybe I'm weird for that, but I don't care! I love the language. I love the way Austrians speak, and my German teacher is helping me to recognize what is Austrian German, and what is German German. Sometimes, when I order food at restaurants, I say the whole description on the menu, just to say the words outloud.
I will be seeing the Vienna Boys Choir tomorrow, the Wiener Sängerknaben. I love Sundays, and hopefully the weather will be nicer now that it has rained and cooled off quite a bit!
Love to America tonight! Our team played well!
If you know me well, you know that I will do whatever possible to NOT be outside during a storm. I have survived many storms outside, but I do not like it. We were walking up the stairs to come out of the U-Bahn and the wind held us back, and blinded us by stirring the debris up and off of the ground. I refused to leave, so I hung back. I decided I would be ok by myself, and let the rest of the group go ahead, and let them know that I was going to wait the storm out in the shelter of the U-Bahn staircase at Stadtpark. And so I did. I watched this incredible storm from inside. The lightning was horizontal, and the wind took the rain in sheets on the pavement outside. The U-Bahn stop was flooding below. I saw two girls slip their shoes off and run barefoot out into the storm!
There was a girl about my age standing near me, and she had a trombone case with her. When she kept looking out the doors to see if it was safe to go out, and then she came back, I decided to start talking to her...in English. I have to admit, I was kind of a chicken about speaking German to her. We ended up talking for a while. She is studying Trombone at Vienna University, and is in an academic orchestra. Her part of concert had finished, but she said it was open air, and was supposed to be still going on! She looked down at the U-Bahn station at how the rain was flooding the floor, and said to me, "This is not normal!" She went on to say that how the hot weather is weird, and how this much rain is weird, and how Austria had its first Tornado in April of this year! I was glad she was there. I told her I spoke a little bit of German but I was really bad--but then I spoke German to say that I was studying for 6 weeks, and my family has a connection to Wien, which is why I'm here.
When she left, the rain had gotten "heller" (lighter) and I left soon after. Although the rain had almost completely stopped, the streets were flooded and it was still lightning like crazy. The lightning was right in front of me as I ran down the street, and it was connecting in circles. It wasn't just a flash of lightning--it was more like a surge, that stayed in the sky for a few seconds before it went dark again. I found the pub, and we watched the game in a very pleasant place. Very few people were smoking, and it was air-conditioned! It was fun to be around a lot of people who spoke my language!
I enjoy the challenge of being able to speak German to people here. The best feeling is when I go to the store or a shop, and I speak complete German to them, and they reply in German, and I understand! I have learned an incredible amount while I've been here! I would say that in two weeks, I've probably learned about a half of a semester's worth of what I would have learned by taking a German class at Penn State. It's so much easier to pick up a language when you are hearing it all the time, or seeing it everywhere. For example, yesterday, one of the other girls asked me what der Teller meant. I didn't know the answer, but today, on one of the descriptions in the Hofburg palace tour, it occured to me that 'der Teller' is a plate. There are more exciting words than der Teller. Some of my favorites.... Entschuldigung! Ausgezeichnet! Löffel, Hausübung, langweilig, Ecke, und Schlagobers, to name a few! I taste the consonants on my lips and tongue, every single one of them! Maybe I'm weird for that, but I don't care! I love the language. I love the way Austrians speak, and my German teacher is helping me to recognize what is Austrian German, and what is German German. Sometimes, when I order food at restaurants, I say the whole description on the menu, just to say the words outloud.
I will be seeing the Vienna Boys Choir tomorrow, the Wiener Sängerknaben. I love Sundays, and hopefully the weather will be nicer now that it has rained and cooled off quite a bit!
Love to America tonight! Our team played well!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Wien, Wien, nur du allein!
I haven't written in a while because I have been absolutely exhausted almost every night. Tonight is no exception, and it is late, but I need and want to write and share of all the adventures I have had this past week! Forgive any sentence fragments, repeated words, bad grammar or typos. My writing may be overlooked when I am tired!
Everything is easier now, and comes naturally. I live in Vienna and I belong here. Getting around might be the biggest factor in feeling as if I am a part of this city, not just a visitor. There are still some interesting things about the culture here, which I find different but not different enough that it affects me too much! For example, the past few days have been extremely hot and sticky and sunny. I love the sunshine, but the heat is almost unbearable and it takes more of my energy. Taking more energy away means I need more food and more to drink, which also means that I have to spend more money. There is not really any air-conditioning in Vienna. My apartment is very hot, and it is hard to sleep sometimes. The light comes in at around 4:45am, and the sun doesn't set until around 9:30pm. The days seem extra long, and with the skylights and sheer curtains in my bedroom, I tend to wake up, delirious, at around 5 or 6 am almost everyday. Sometimes I can go back to sleep, but sometimes I wake up and I am wide awake. It makes it hard for me to socialize at night because once it gets dark, I get very tired! In addition to the heat, people here don't shower as much. I guess it saves energy, but it does NOT save me the unpleasant experience of being in standing room for concerts, or in tight, sticky corners of the U-Bahn, and smelling horrible body odors all around me. Gross.
I love the mornings in Vienna. I'm usually by myself in the morning, and the city is fairly quiet. With the exception of a few crowded U-Bahn stops, the mornings are simple and peaceful. I enjoy going ins Cafe, und ein Kipferl und eine Melange bestellen. A Melange is a Viennese coffee with milk in it. I think it is mixed a certain way, but I'm not sure, sorry Sam! :) Freitags are frei. Fridays are free. This morning, I woke up early again and was able to get a good start on the day in the city. Emily and I met up so that we could buy tickets for the Vienna Boys Choir. We also stopped by the Staatsoper box office to see if we could either have seats for Cappricio (with Renee Fleming), or for Tannhäuser (Wagner!). Both shows were either completely sold out, or the tickets were over 150 Euros. We left, and figured we tried, and we could always try for standing room on the day of the opera. But then! We were walking back from the Burgkapelle where we got tickets for the Boys Choir, and to see the Spanish Riding School morning workout, and I stopped by a window which had Staatsoper tickets. It was a touristy information/souvenier place, and I asked the lady there if she had tickets for Cappricio. She happened to have just two tickets left, for only 50 Euros, to see Renee Fleming sing Strauss in Vienna! It made my day, and I told the lady that it did, and she smiled. I basically screamed when I got out of there. I am so so excited for this.
I saw Pierre Boulez, a famous composer and conductor, conduct Debussy and Bartok tonight. His conducting was so interesting to me. It was very conservative in that he did not have a huge amount of contrast, yet he got the contrast that was needed for the music. I wished I could have seen his face while he conducted! He did not use a baton, and his hands were a little floppy and almost puppet like! From far away, he was the cutest old man! I don't know what he is like as a person, other than that his music is unique. He definitely used a 'less is more' outlook on conducting. He was not as physical as the intense conductor of the Verdi Requiem, which we saw on Thursday night. I love "La Mer," the Debussy piece for orchestra which depicts some scenes at sea. I can hear the waves crashing, the water sparkling, and the storm coming. It is very beautiful, and you should listen to it, if you haven't yet!
Aside from the value and the thrill I get from going to see music played live, I think my favorite thing I have seen so far is the Schönbrunn park. Today, I got to see the inside of the incredibly huge palace where the Emporers of Austria used to live. Even Young Mozart once walked in these fabulously decorated rooms. I learned an incredible amount today. I just wonder what it would be like to live in such a large home! It gives me a real idea of how royalty actually live, or lived in history.
You might be wondering what the title of this blog is? It is a lyric to a song. When I started blogging, my grandparents, who come from Wien, began to tell my mother about this song because of how I write so lovingly of Vienna. A funny coincedence happened. My voice teacher, Donna, asked me if I knew of this song, and she started to sing it. I said no, and then I had a realization that the words were the title of the song that my Oma wanted me to listen to. When I told my voice teacher of the coincedence, she gave me the music, and suggested I work on it too! It's a cute song, and has both German and English verses. I might just have to do it at my senior recital in the Fall! 'Wien, Wien, nur du allein,' means 'Vienna, Vienna, only you alone!'
And boy, do I feel that way! What a lucky girl I am!
Everything is easier now, and comes naturally. I live in Vienna and I belong here. Getting around might be the biggest factor in feeling as if I am a part of this city, not just a visitor. There are still some interesting things about the culture here, which I find different but not different enough that it affects me too much! For example, the past few days have been extremely hot and sticky and sunny. I love the sunshine, but the heat is almost unbearable and it takes more of my energy. Taking more energy away means I need more food and more to drink, which also means that I have to spend more money. There is not really any air-conditioning in Vienna. My apartment is very hot, and it is hard to sleep sometimes. The light comes in at around 4:45am, and the sun doesn't set until around 9:30pm. The days seem extra long, and with the skylights and sheer curtains in my bedroom, I tend to wake up, delirious, at around 5 or 6 am almost everyday. Sometimes I can go back to sleep, but sometimes I wake up and I am wide awake. It makes it hard for me to socialize at night because once it gets dark, I get very tired! In addition to the heat, people here don't shower as much. I guess it saves energy, but it does NOT save me the unpleasant experience of being in standing room for concerts, or in tight, sticky corners of the U-Bahn, and smelling horrible body odors all around me. Gross.
I love the mornings in Vienna. I'm usually by myself in the morning, and the city is fairly quiet. With the exception of a few crowded U-Bahn stops, the mornings are simple and peaceful. I enjoy going ins Cafe, und ein Kipferl und eine Melange bestellen. A Melange is a Viennese coffee with milk in it. I think it is mixed a certain way, but I'm not sure, sorry Sam! :) Freitags are frei. Fridays are free. This morning, I woke up early again and was able to get a good start on the day in the city. Emily and I met up so that we could buy tickets for the Vienna Boys Choir. We also stopped by the Staatsoper box office to see if we could either have seats for Cappricio (with Renee Fleming), or for Tannhäuser (Wagner!). Both shows were either completely sold out, or the tickets were over 150 Euros. We left, and figured we tried, and we could always try for standing room on the day of the opera. But then! We were walking back from the Burgkapelle where we got tickets for the Boys Choir, and to see the Spanish Riding School morning workout, and I stopped by a window which had Staatsoper tickets. It was a touristy information/souvenier place, and I asked the lady there if she had tickets for Cappricio. She happened to have just two tickets left, for only 50 Euros, to see Renee Fleming sing Strauss in Vienna! It made my day, and I told the lady that it did, and she smiled. I basically screamed when I got out of there. I am so so excited for this.
I saw Pierre Boulez, a famous composer and conductor, conduct Debussy and Bartok tonight. His conducting was so interesting to me. It was very conservative in that he did not have a huge amount of contrast, yet he got the contrast that was needed for the music. I wished I could have seen his face while he conducted! He did not use a baton, and his hands were a little floppy and almost puppet like! From far away, he was the cutest old man! I don't know what he is like as a person, other than that his music is unique. He definitely used a 'less is more' outlook on conducting. He was not as physical as the intense conductor of the Verdi Requiem, which we saw on Thursday night. I love "La Mer," the Debussy piece for orchestra which depicts some scenes at sea. I can hear the waves crashing, the water sparkling, and the storm coming. It is very beautiful, and you should listen to it, if you haven't yet!
Aside from the value and the thrill I get from going to see music played live, I think my favorite thing I have seen so far is the Schönbrunn park. Today, I got to see the inside of the incredibly huge palace where the Emporers of Austria used to live. Even Young Mozart once walked in these fabulously decorated rooms. I learned an incredible amount today. I just wonder what it would be like to live in such a large home! It gives me a real idea of how royalty actually live, or lived in history.
You might be wondering what the title of this blog is? It is a lyric to a song. When I started blogging, my grandparents, who come from Wien, began to tell my mother about this song because of how I write so lovingly of Vienna. A funny coincedence happened. My voice teacher, Donna, asked me if I knew of this song, and she started to sing it. I said no, and then I had a realization that the words were the title of the song that my Oma wanted me to listen to. When I told my voice teacher of the coincedence, she gave me the music, and suggested I work on it too! It's a cute song, and has both German and English verses. I might just have to do it at my senior recital in the Fall! 'Wien, Wien, nur du allein,' means 'Vienna, Vienna, only you alone!'
And boy, do I feel that way! What a lucky girl I am!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
A mid-summer night's dream
How on earth can I possibly explain what I just experienced? As I was trying to plan in my mind how to go about sharing this awesome night, what I had in mind originally was to completely just talk to Aaron at 50 miles an hour about this concert that I just came back from at Schloss Schönbrunn, the same place where I went for a run on Sunday and was blown away by its beauty. Talking overseas can be difficult sometimes with the cost of phone calls, and the time difference, so for this reason, I am thankful for my blog, so I can just write, and know that I'm sharing with everyone!
Today was a busy day. As soon as classes were over, my intention was to go to Schönbrunn, so that we could all have seats/standing room for tonight's concert. The concert was advertised everywhere. It was on the U-Bahn and in the U-Bahn station, it was on every pole we passed by, store windows, anywhere and everywhere, this was advertised as "Eingang Frei!" Free entrance? Wiener Philharmoniker, one of the best in the world? I think everyone in the population of Vienna, not to mention tourists and visitors, would want to go to this! So I figured that if I were there four hours in advance, I might have a chance of getting a seat.
True. I arrived at 6pm (the concert began at 9pm). Seats were filling up fast and saving seats was forbidden. My 'fam' was lucky enough to have everyone available early enough to sit right in the center of the seating area. The concert was open air, and was for sure the largest "concert hall" I had ever seen or been to. People sat on the hill behind the stage, they filled up like people in a subway train-- in the gravel areas from the castle at the bottom of the hill to the edge of the stage. The progression of attire was interesting to note--the VIPS sat in the front dressed in their finest, while those in the back, close to the castle sat on blankets, drinking beer in their flannel and dreadlocks.
The music began with John Williams' Main Title theme of Star Wars. What an opening, and so incredible to hear from an orchestra who is so accustomed to playing Mozart, Beethoven, Stravinsky, etc! They went on to play a fabulous concert of Strauss, Lizst, Lanner and even the Mars theme by Gustav Holst. A choir came on to sing Otto Nicolai's "The Merry Wives of Windsor." The encore was Strauss' "Wiener Blut," a famous waltz that you probably know even though you might not know the name of it. The conductor didn't even conduct this famous waltz! He moved his head around a little bit! During some of the pieces, they showed pictures of beautiful landmarks in Vienna at night. I could hardly contain myself. Not just for the music itself, but also for the sights that I am able to see in this beautiful country! I get giddy like a girl with a crush on someone!
On Sunday I was taken aback by this park in the beautiful sunshine, and now I've seen it completely transformed into the largest concert hall you can imagine! Thousands of people fell completely silent to the sound of the orchestra playing on a stage that looks like it could be a Dave Matthews concert. Could be, except for a few things-- the outlook on the hill, the flower gardens, the zoo on the right hand side, or the castle with a rich history behind it, to name a few. Everything was beautiful and the weather was perfect, and I kept thinking that either this is a really great dream, or I am a really lucky girl to be able to witness some of the most beautiful things on the earth. What a wonderful blessing. No Euros spent, but so much gained. I don't think I will ever forget tonight. Someday I'll come back, I hope.
Today was a busy day. As soon as classes were over, my intention was to go to Schönbrunn, so that we could all have seats/standing room for tonight's concert. The concert was advertised everywhere. It was on the U-Bahn and in the U-Bahn station, it was on every pole we passed by, store windows, anywhere and everywhere, this was advertised as "Eingang Frei!" Free entrance? Wiener Philharmoniker, one of the best in the world? I think everyone in the population of Vienna, not to mention tourists and visitors, would want to go to this! So I figured that if I were there four hours in advance, I might have a chance of getting a seat.
True. I arrived at 6pm (the concert began at 9pm). Seats were filling up fast and saving seats was forbidden. My 'fam' was lucky enough to have everyone available early enough to sit right in the center of the seating area. The concert was open air, and was for sure the largest "concert hall" I had ever seen or been to. People sat on the hill behind the stage, they filled up like people in a subway train-- in the gravel areas from the castle at the bottom of the hill to the edge of the stage. The progression of attire was interesting to note--the VIPS sat in the front dressed in their finest, while those in the back, close to the castle sat on blankets, drinking beer in their flannel and dreadlocks.
The music began with John Williams' Main Title theme of Star Wars. What an opening, and so incredible to hear from an orchestra who is so accustomed to playing Mozart, Beethoven, Stravinsky, etc! They went on to play a fabulous concert of Strauss, Lizst, Lanner and even the Mars theme by Gustav Holst. A choir came on to sing Otto Nicolai's "The Merry Wives of Windsor." The encore was Strauss' "Wiener Blut," a famous waltz that you probably know even though you might not know the name of it. The conductor didn't even conduct this famous waltz! He moved his head around a little bit! During some of the pieces, they showed pictures of beautiful landmarks in Vienna at night. I could hardly contain myself. Not just for the music itself, but also for the sights that I am able to see in this beautiful country! I get giddy like a girl with a crush on someone!
On Sunday I was taken aback by this park in the beautiful sunshine, and now I've seen it completely transformed into the largest concert hall you can imagine! Thousands of people fell completely silent to the sound of the orchestra playing on a stage that looks like it could be a Dave Matthews concert. Could be, except for a few things-- the outlook on the hill, the flower gardens, the zoo on the right hand side, or the castle with a rich history behind it, to name a few. Everything was beautiful and the weather was perfect, and I kept thinking that either this is a really great dream, or I am a really lucky girl to be able to witness some of the most beautiful things on the earth. What a wonderful blessing. No Euros spent, but so much gained. I don't think I will ever forget tonight. Someday I'll come back, I hope.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
One great view after another
What a beautiful weekend we had here in Vienna! I guess it goes to show that prayers about the weather are heard. :) God is good, and I know it for sure now, if I didn't already before!
Yesterday began early, trying to find open practice rooms. No luck, but I didn't mind because as you know from my last post, I am in love with just walking in Vienna. Doesn't matter whether I know where I'm going or not. When I am on no time schedule with no pressures to find food or find drinks, I love just walking until I get lost and have to pull out my map. Vienna is not like New York in that the city streets are not a grid, making it easier to get lost. We walked down the main street by Stephansdom (Kärnterstrasse) and we (Emily and I) walked until we got to Karlskirche. There, she went back to IES to practice and I hopped on the U-Bahn to go to my voice teacher's apartment, which is not that far away-- it is just on the edge of district 1 in a really nice area. I had a meeting with Donna for the first time for her to hear me sing, get to know me, and schedule weekly lessons. It will be good for me to study this summer and to receive some different views and methods of teaching voice. Actually, the few comments she gave me yesterday were quite similar to what Professor Trost says to me at Penn State. Surprise! :) These six lessons will serve me well I think, so I am excited to get started, and to get ahead on planning my senior recital. Ihr Haus ist auch sehr schön!
The afternoon of Saturday was spent with "the fam" at Naschmarkt and Flohmarkt, about a 10 minute walk from IES. Naschmarkt is this island with busy streets on either side where fresh...everything...is sold!! Fresh fruit, fresh dried fruit, fresh fish, fresh meat, fresh veggies, fresh nuts, fresh everything. And each stand is run by families who stand there and if you stop and look even for a milli-second, they will get your attention by saying something nice about you, or just a friendly "Bitte schön" which kind of translates to "how can I help you." Flohmarkt is at the end of Naschmarkt and is a huge fleamarket filled with peoples junk. It was hard to find things that I would actually want there, but it was cool to experience that bit of culture, and I did end up buying some jewelry and scarves for which I haggled to get the price I wanted! Yay me!
Emily and I decided we wanted to do some touristy things that we didn't want to miss, while everyone else decided to just relax and enjoy the weather by the Danube. So we went to the top bell tower of Stephansdom to see the 21 ton bell, and a great view of the city! Then we went to the Mozarthaus where Mozart lived for the longest period of time in Vienna and where he wrote The Marriage of Figaro! I got to be in the room where he composed Figaro--about 6 manuscript pages per day! We tired ourselves out, stuffing our brains full of information and wonder, and then treated ourselves to Mozartkugeln, a delicious chocolate truffle!
The night closed with a beautiful rendition of Mozart Requiem in a beautiful church called Karlskirche built in the early 1700s. It was on period instruments, which meant that the trombone was especially interesting to look at, and it sounded almost like a French Horn. I loved it.
This morning, I was given the opportunity to see the Wiener Philharmoniker play in concert! This was like a dream come true. I can barely even describe the wonder of one of the greatest musical experiences of my life. Everything was perfect. The violins not only played the music in unison, but they moved in unison, in correspondence to the conductor. The visual element always adds to the sound. For me, being able to see the conductor and see the members of the orchestra made the sound I was hearing more energized, more exciting, more engaging, and therefore easier to connect with. I swear either my mouth was hanging open or I had a goofy smile on my face the entire time. I was in love with the horn section and the double bass section: the horns for their consistently perfect tone, and range of dynamics, and the bass section for their absolutely engaging musical personalities. Shostakovich left tears in my eyes so much that I could barely clap or say anything! The applause at the end lasted about 6 minutes straight, even after the orchestra left the stage. I thought to myself about the idea of a standing ovation. In America, so often when people give standing ovations, they don't really mean it, or, they stand up and look around hesitantly to see if all will follow. In Wien, they have it right. They stand up when they feel moved to stand up. And not even necessarily after the concert is over! Random people stand up throughout the crowd, maybe 4 or 5, stood up just because they were really moved by a certain piece. They were sincere and not hesitant. They were moved greatly, so they stood up--that's all there is to it. Come on America, get with the program. Stand up if you feel so encouraged to, but don't just do it because somebody beside you does it.
I had Palatschinken at a cafe today for lunch, which is a crepe with marmalade in it. The rest of the day was spent doing Deutsch homework on the terrace in the warm sunshine! I feel like I am on vacation! The afternoon was lovely and relaxing. I decided that before I ate dinner, and before the sun went down, I wanted to go for a run, something I haven't done in over a week, that is normally part of my everyday schedule in the summer time! I went on Google maps to map out where I wanted to run to--Schönbrunn park--a park not too far from my apartment. I ended up running for over an hour (!!!!) because I was so taken by the beauty of this park. After running through some mazes and by some fountains, and like a dream, through a never ending canopy of greens, I came upon this hill with the beautiful Schloss Schönbrunn. The hill was so steep, I could barely run anymore, so I slowed to a walk and took a quick glance behind me. I couldn't keep from exclaiming "Oh my gosh" as I turned around to see a breath-taking view of the city below. Like I said, every steep hill is worth it for the view at the top. And so it is true again. I must go back with my camera.
So Vienna continues to excede my expectations, and I got to run about 3-4 miles through a park to get to know the personality of my love affair better.
Yesterday began early, trying to find open practice rooms. No luck, but I didn't mind because as you know from my last post, I am in love with just walking in Vienna. Doesn't matter whether I know where I'm going or not. When I am on no time schedule with no pressures to find food or find drinks, I love just walking until I get lost and have to pull out my map. Vienna is not like New York in that the city streets are not a grid, making it easier to get lost. We walked down the main street by Stephansdom (Kärnterstrasse) and we (Emily and I) walked until we got to Karlskirche. There, she went back to IES to practice and I hopped on the U-Bahn to go to my voice teacher's apartment, which is not that far away-- it is just on the edge of district 1 in a really nice area. I had a meeting with Donna for the first time for her to hear me sing, get to know me, and schedule weekly lessons. It will be good for me to study this summer and to receive some different views and methods of teaching voice. Actually, the few comments she gave me yesterday were quite similar to what Professor Trost says to me at Penn State. Surprise! :) These six lessons will serve me well I think, so I am excited to get started, and to get ahead on planning my senior recital. Ihr Haus ist auch sehr schön!
The afternoon of Saturday was spent with "the fam" at Naschmarkt and Flohmarkt, about a 10 minute walk from IES. Naschmarkt is this island with busy streets on either side where fresh...everything...is sold!! Fresh fruit, fresh dried fruit, fresh fish, fresh meat, fresh veggies, fresh nuts, fresh everything. And each stand is run by families who stand there and if you stop and look even for a milli-second, they will get your attention by saying something nice about you, or just a friendly "Bitte schön" which kind of translates to "how can I help you." Flohmarkt is at the end of Naschmarkt and is a huge fleamarket filled with peoples junk. It was hard to find things that I would actually want there, but it was cool to experience that bit of culture, and I did end up buying some jewelry and scarves for which I haggled to get the price I wanted! Yay me!
Emily and I decided we wanted to do some touristy things that we didn't want to miss, while everyone else decided to just relax and enjoy the weather by the Danube. So we went to the top bell tower of Stephansdom to see the 21 ton bell, and a great view of the city! Then we went to the Mozarthaus where Mozart lived for the longest period of time in Vienna and where he wrote The Marriage of Figaro! I got to be in the room where he composed Figaro--about 6 manuscript pages per day! We tired ourselves out, stuffing our brains full of information and wonder, and then treated ourselves to Mozartkugeln, a delicious chocolate truffle!
The night closed with a beautiful rendition of Mozart Requiem in a beautiful church called Karlskirche built in the early 1700s. It was on period instruments, which meant that the trombone was especially interesting to look at, and it sounded almost like a French Horn. I loved it.
This morning, I was given the opportunity to see the Wiener Philharmoniker play in concert! This was like a dream come true. I can barely even describe the wonder of one of the greatest musical experiences of my life. Everything was perfect. The violins not only played the music in unison, but they moved in unison, in correspondence to the conductor. The visual element always adds to the sound. For me, being able to see the conductor and see the members of the orchestra made the sound I was hearing more energized, more exciting, more engaging, and therefore easier to connect with. I swear either my mouth was hanging open or I had a goofy smile on my face the entire time. I was in love with the horn section and the double bass section: the horns for their consistently perfect tone, and range of dynamics, and the bass section for their absolutely engaging musical personalities. Shostakovich left tears in my eyes so much that I could barely clap or say anything! The applause at the end lasted about 6 minutes straight, even after the orchestra left the stage. I thought to myself about the idea of a standing ovation. In America, so often when people give standing ovations, they don't really mean it, or, they stand up and look around hesitantly to see if all will follow. In Wien, they have it right. They stand up when they feel moved to stand up. And not even necessarily after the concert is over! Random people stand up throughout the crowd, maybe 4 or 5, stood up just because they were really moved by a certain piece. They were sincere and not hesitant. They were moved greatly, so they stood up--that's all there is to it. Come on America, get with the program. Stand up if you feel so encouraged to, but don't just do it because somebody beside you does it.
I had Palatschinken at a cafe today for lunch, which is a crepe with marmalade in it. The rest of the day was spent doing Deutsch homework on the terrace in the warm sunshine! I feel like I am on vacation! The afternoon was lovely and relaxing. I decided that before I ate dinner, and before the sun went down, I wanted to go for a run, something I haven't done in over a week, that is normally part of my everyday schedule in the summer time! I went on Google maps to map out where I wanted to run to--Schönbrunn park--a park not too far from my apartment. I ended up running for over an hour (!!!!) because I was so taken by the beauty of this park. After running through some mazes and by some fountains, and like a dream, through a never ending canopy of greens, I came upon this hill with the beautiful Schloss Schönbrunn. The hill was so steep, I could barely run anymore, so I slowed to a walk and took a quick glance behind me. I couldn't keep from exclaiming "Oh my gosh" as I turned around to see a breath-taking view of the city below. Like I said, every steep hill is worth it for the view at the top. And so it is true again. I must go back with my camera.
So Vienna continues to excede my expectations, and I got to run about 3-4 miles through a park to get to know the personality of my love affair better.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Can't help falling in love...
Sorry Aaron, if you are reading this! I think I am falling in love. So sorry, but I just can't stop myself from hyperventilating a little bit when I walk down the streets of Vienna by myself, and feel the exhilaration of being free, independent, unknown, and entirely, utterly happy. I just can't stop from breathing in and soaking up the moment when the cool air of another U-Bahn is passing by in the underground. I love the way the night shines bright and brings out the life of a city. I love the charming elderly Austrians, and how they smirk a little when I speak German with my obvious American accent. I love Heurigens, and feeling connected to my heritage. And, I just cannot stop myself from saying every street name, every road sign, every store name outloud to myself in German. The ring of the pure vowels of the German language light a spark in me, and I just. can't. stop. I listen to every conversation I possibly can, hoping to catch something funny to laugh at, or maybe some juicy gossip to chew on.... I'm falling in love. Falling.
I'm sort of making a joke, because I have a boyfriend who I love dearly and miss dearly who has been in New Zealand for the past few weeks (Happy 18 months, Aaron!), but also, I'm being serious. Today, I was talking to one of my professors casually as we walked through a village, and he asked me if I ever considered living here at least for a while. I didn't have an answer to that question, aber vielliecht mein Traum ist in Wien wohnen! Oops. :)
My last entry was on Wednesday. Thursday was a day full of class, and getting to know and love the Palais Corbelli, the palace where I go to school! I have to practice a lot because I have new repertoire that I am trying to get into performance shape in 6 weeks, which is kind of short. (Now it's only five! Oh gosh.) Our voice performance workshop is absolutely wonderful and I love Mr. Russell Ryan, who is "not a trained voice teacher" but has plenty of wisdom and helpful things to offer us. I was able to get ahold of my actual private lesson teacher, Donna, and I am meeting with her on Saturday morning.
Today, we took a day trip to Steirmark, to the city of Mürzzuschlag, where Brahms lived and composed during the summers because the "air is fresher." The drive was beautiful. One moment we are going through a tunnel 500 meters long, and then we come out of the tunnel to see Sound of Music-esque rolling green hills, mountains, fields, vineyards, cattle, castles and cottages, among other things! Look for pictures, please! Caution: these pictures may be convincing enough for you to come and visit Austria. I could see why Brahms said (approx. translation) "here, the Melodies fly, so be careful not to step on them!" I totally get it. I was sure that while we were driving past these sights of fresh Austrian land that there should be a symphony soundtrack playing in the background. Literally, these mountains have music in them. Thank God for that gift.
After five days of all rain and no sun, finally we saw some blue sky and felt the warmth of the sun. And what a perfect day for it! We climbed up some hills-- and in Austria countryside, when you climb up a steep hill, you know it will all be worth it for the view at the top. And so it was. So many memorable moments today!
I've been here for a week now, it is crazy. I have adjusted just fine, finding a coffee shop I can go to in the morning, getting the hang of handling the Euro and Euro cents, and even working the U-Bahn by myself (taking a few wrong turns, in daylight of course!). The smoking still bothers me, and I am glad that the weather is warm and nice enough that I can sit outside at cafes if I need to now. Another major difference is that I am cooking for myself and buying groceries in a store where everything is in German! I had to look up every word of the directions of my ravioli in order to cook it, but I made it happen. I am getting ideas from all my housemates at dinner time when we all cook different things for ourselves at the same time. Have any good recipes? Let me know! One last major difference that is shocking to me is the public displays of affection here! Two people in love do NOT think twice about taking their time to share a long kiss on the U-Bahn, or even between pieces in a concert! A little weird, but everyone does it, and it is accepted. Major culture difference.
So now begins my love affair with the city of Vienna. No worries, it's not cheating because my heart has someone else in mind. But this city has opportunities running rampant for me, and I can't wait to catch every single one I can. I'm trying my best to make the most of this weekend. After this weekend, 1/6 of my time here is over. Prost! (Cheers!) To making the next 5 weeks go as slow as possible!
I'm sort of making a joke, because I have a boyfriend who I love dearly and miss dearly who has been in New Zealand for the past few weeks (Happy 18 months, Aaron!), but also, I'm being serious. Today, I was talking to one of my professors casually as we walked through a village, and he asked me if I ever considered living here at least for a while. I didn't have an answer to that question, aber vielliecht mein Traum ist in Wien wohnen! Oops. :)
My last entry was on Wednesday. Thursday was a day full of class, and getting to know and love the Palais Corbelli, the palace where I go to school! I have to practice a lot because I have new repertoire that I am trying to get into performance shape in 6 weeks, which is kind of short. (Now it's only five! Oh gosh.) Our voice performance workshop is absolutely wonderful and I love Mr. Russell Ryan, who is "not a trained voice teacher" but has plenty of wisdom and helpful things to offer us. I was able to get ahold of my actual private lesson teacher, Donna, and I am meeting with her on Saturday morning.
Today, we took a day trip to Steirmark, to the city of Mürzzuschlag, where Brahms lived and composed during the summers because the "air is fresher." The drive was beautiful. One moment we are going through a tunnel 500 meters long, and then we come out of the tunnel to see Sound of Music-esque rolling green hills, mountains, fields, vineyards, cattle, castles and cottages, among other things! Look for pictures, please! Caution: these pictures may be convincing enough for you to come and visit Austria. I could see why Brahms said (approx. translation) "here, the Melodies fly, so be careful not to step on them!" I totally get it. I was sure that while we were driving past these sights of fresh Austrian land that there should be a symphony soundtrack playing in the background. Literally, these mountains have music in them. Thank God for that gift.
After five days of all rain and no sun, finally we saw some blue sky and felt the warmth of the sun. And what a perfect day for it! We climbed up some hills-- and in Austria countryside, when you climb up a steep hill, you know it will all be worth it for the view at the top. And so it was. So many memorable moments today!
I've been here for a week now, it is crazy. I have adjusted just fine, finding a coffee shop I can go to in the morning, getting the hang of handling the Euro and Euro cents, and even working the U-Bahn by myself (taking a few wrong turns, in daylight of course!). The smoking still bothers me, and I am glad that the weather is warm and nice enough that I can sit outside at cafes if I need to now. Another major difference is that I am cooking for myself and buying groceries in a store where everything is in German! I had to look up every word of the directions of my ravioli in order to cook it, but I made it happen. I am getting ideas from all my housemates at dinner time when we all cook different things for ourselves at the same time. Have any good recipes? Let me know! One last major difference that is shocking to me is the public displays of affection here! Two people in love do NOT think twice about taking their time to share a long kiss on the U-Bahn, or even between pieces in a concert! A little weird, but everyone does it, and it is accepted. Major culture difference.
So now begins my love affair with the city of Vienna. No worries, it's not cheating because my heart has someone else in mind. But this city has opportunities running rampant for me, and I can't wait to catch every single one I can. I'm trying my best to make the most of this weekend. After this weekend, 1/6 of my time here is over. Prost! (Cheers!) To making the next 5 weeks go as slow as possible!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
My new addiction: speaking German
Hallo! I'm starting to speak so much in German now. I almost can't stop myself. It's like an addiction. I feel kind of bad for the people in my group because when we hang out, I'll answer their questions in German or I will just randomly say my thoughts in German! I think the addiction started today when I started off my free morning finding a cafe to do some reading and journaling. When I go in the stores, the friendly, adorable Austrian cafe workers say "Grüss Gott," which means, "greetings from God." It makes me smile every time, and then I do everything to keep from saying my American, "Hi!" back. I am the quiet girl who is by herself. I'm doing by best to blend in here, and not be another American tourist. I'm living in Vienna!!! If I don't know how to answer in German and I'm by myself, I just don't talk. But! Today I entered this cafe with confidence, I asked to sit down, and ordered my food, and even asked the waitress what was good for Frühstuck (breakfast)! No English speaking for me this morning! And she continued to speak German to me, and I understood! So I considered that a success.
I started my classes yesterday. I walked into German class and sat down practically as the teacher took off speaking very fast German! I was put in an intermediate class for some reason, even though I thought I wasn't, so I decided to try it out. There are only three people in this class, all from our music group. Our teacher, Andrea, is young, pretty, and nice, but this German class will be a challenge for me. I really don't know very much about grammar rules, and my vocabulary is getting better by the hour. I keep remembering words that I thought I forgot all about! I haven't taken German since my sophomore year of high school. It's been a while. I like challenges though, and I'm up for learning fast, especially since I am not taking the music history course. Most of the people in my group paid extra to take 9 credits, a music history course, but I am so glad that I have some free time to roam the streets or practice or do homework during that time.
The music performance workshop is going to be incredible. I was given the name of a voice teacher who I have to reach personally by phone to find out when she can schedule me, and where she lives. I was also handed about 6 different pieces of music to work on, including a few chamber works! Emily and I were given the Richard Strauss "Alphorn" piece for voice, horn and piano, and we are supposed to be able to run through it on Thursday! Ahhh! Practice rooms for me! It's a weird thing to have practice rooms available in Vienna. We have access to three different buildings in the city where we can use the practice facilities. I like practicing in Vienna. It feels good to sing in a new place, but I am very unfocused! I think I am overstimulated with so much of what I am interested in.
I'm not weird here. No, seriously! In America, people would look at you weird if you said you liked classical music and that's what you devote all your time to, but here in Austria, the majority of people like classical music. It plays in cafes, in the streets, and people of all ages enjoy the opera. We saw a little boy stare with gleaming eyes for 3 hours, just tonight! I just got back from the Volksoper in Wien. We saw Strauss' "Die Fledermaus" for only 3 Euros! We got standing room tickets about an hour before, went to a famous place called Figlmüllers for dinner, and then we stood in the back of the orchestra level at the opera! What an experience! It was fabulous. I especially am taken by the beautiful costumes and sets, as well as the opera voices!
Yesterday, I went to a museum around the corner from the IES center (where all my classes are, it is a palace!) called Haus der Musik. I was amazed with it. I especially liked the entire floor where I could walk around and each room I entered into was devoted to a different Viennese composer: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mahler, Strauss, Schönberg and even Berg! I loved it. Even though I'm not in the history class, this was like a crash course for me. It was interactive, and at the end, I got to virtually conduct the Wiener Philharmoniker. The baton was a stick with a laser at the end of it, and I could only control tempo. Fun, and a good exercize! (I guess I don't have perfect rhythm, because it was NOT the same tempo throughout!)
I will try to post pictures soon, but they might be on Facebook. If you want to see them, and you don't have a facebook, look for a link on a blog, so you can see the album. You won't have to sign up for Facebook to see them.
I even think in German now! I had to stop myself from writing some sentences in German. Forgive any slips if there are any. It is late, and I still have homework to do. Guten Nacht!
I started my classes yesterday. I walked into German class and sat down practically as the teacher took off speaking very fast German! I was put in an intermediate class for some reason, even though I thought I wasn't, so I decided to try it out. There are only three people in this class, all from our music group. Our teacher, Andrea, is young, pretty, and nice, but this German class will be a challenge for me. I really don't know very much about grammar rules, and my vocabulary is getting better by the hour. I keep remembering words that I thought I forgot all about! I haven't taken German since my sophomore year of high school. It's been a while. I like challenges though, and I'm up for learning fast, especially since I am not taking the music history course. Most of the people in my group paid extra to take 9 credits, a music history course, but I am so glad that I have some free time to roam the streets or practice or do homework during that time.
The music performance workshop is going to be incredible. I was given the name of a voice teacher who I have to reach personally by phone to find out when she can schedule me, and where she lives. I was also handed about 6 different pieces of music to work on, including a few chamber works! Emily and I were given the Richard Strauss "Alphorn" piece for voice, horn and piano, and we are supposed to be able to run through it on Thursday! Ahhh! Practice rooms for me! It's a weird thing to have practice rooms available in Vienna. We have access to three different buildings in the city where we can use the practice facilities. I like practicing in Vienna. It feels good to sing in a new place, but I am very unfocused! I think I am overstimulated with so much of what I am interested in.
I'm not weird here. No, seriously! In America, people would look at you weird if you said you liked classical music and that's what you devote all your time to, but here in Austria, the majority of people like classical music. It plays in cafes, in the streets, and people of all ages enjoy the opera. We saw a little boy stare with gleaming eyes for 3 hours, just tonight! I just got back from the Volksoper in Wien. We saw Strauss' "Die Fledermaus" for only 3 Euros! We got standing room tickets about an hour before, went to a famous place called Figlmüllers for dinner, and then we stood in the back of the orchestra level at the opera! What an experience! It was fabulous. I especially am taken by the beautiful costumes and sets, as well as the opera voices!
Yesterday, I went to a museum around the corner from the IES center (where all my classes are, it is a palace!) called Haus der Musik. I was amazed with it. I especially liked the entire floor where I could walk around and each room I entered into was devoted to a different Viennese composer: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mahler, Strauss, Schönberg and even Berg! I loved it. Even though I'm not in the history class, this was like a crash course for me. It was interactive, and at the end, I got to virtually conduct the Wiener Philharmoniker. The baton was a stick with a laser at the end of it, and I could only control tempo. Fun, and a good exercize! (I guess I don't have perfect rhythm, because it was NOT the same tempo throughout!)
I will try to post pictures soon, but they might be on Facebook. If you want to see them, and you don't have a facebook, look for a link on a blog, so you can see the album. You won't have to sign up for Facebook to see them.
I even think in German now! I had to stop myself from writing some sentences in German. Forgive any slips if there are any. It is late, and I still have homework to do. Guten Nacht!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
