Musings from the Metropolitan Opera

I went to the Met last night - Monday, October 19th. Saw Der Rosenkavalier. Started at 7:30 PM and ended at just about midnight - and worth every minute. Glorious singing - Susan Graham - Renee Fleming - Miah Persson - Kristinn Sigmundsson - Barry Banks - just breath-taking stuff. An orgasm for the ears. And the soul.

Ran into James Levine downstairs before the performance - wearing a neck collar and sweats, hair toussled, moving very slowly - his complexion was gray and he did not look good. Worrying. If this is only a slipped disc, it is taking a toll on the maestro. (Of course, on Sunday, I ran into Donald Trump at Grand Central, and while he is certainly healthy, he doesn't look good either. The hairdo is as unfortunate in person as it is on television. His assistant - or was it a bodyguard - is sporting the shaved head look, and standing next to the Donald, he looks much neater and cleaner and more together.)

New wrinkle - they have a sales table in the lower lobby before the show, and during the intermissions, on the first landing going down to the orchestra seating. I wonder that the fire department lets them block so much of a major entrance and exit. And a sign of how bad things must really be, that they are out hawking CD's and souvenirs at a lobby table. At the Met. Even selling expensive stuff, you can look cheap. Sigh.

I have to learn not to be angry at the people who dash up the aisles as soon as the curtain falls, so when the artists come out for their bows at the end of the act, they see an aisle filled with folks trying to get out. Even worse at the end of the show - people immediately stand up - I guess tourists, who think every performance should have a "standing ovation" a bit of theatrical currency that is fast becoming worthless. Of course, that means the only way you can see the cast is for you to stand. Those are better than the ones who simply leave as soon as it is over, not giving the singers the courtesy of three or four minutes of applause. Ah well - patience, John, patience.

I was surprised at the number of people who left after the second act. There is such glorious music in Act 3, especially the trio and duets at the end. I had empty seats on either side of me, and loved having the extra space.

As I was leaving - at the very end, AFTER the house lights were up, I got to the end of the aisle, and of course people were moving up the aisle as well - a very large gentleman stopped to let me out. I looked at him and said "Thank You," and he replied "Opera breeds courtesy." Would that it were so.

Imagine - they do these huge and intricate performances every night, sometimes two in a day, and not only do they pull it off, they sell all those tickets!!! Hard to imagine the whole structure that keeps all of that going.

The new fountain is really very pretty, although I confess I miss the old one. And one wonders if the work will EVER be done - construction barriers and temporary walls and detours - makes getting around Lincoln Center a little extra challenging. And when the snow arrives.... I miss the easy subway access. Might still be there but I certainly haven't found it.