An Evening of Bartók

At the historic Slovak National Theatre yesterday, I saw a one-act ballet Wooden Prince with music by Béla Bartók, followed by his only opera, the one-act Count Bluebeard. A Hungarian, he lived for a time in Bratislava and collected Slovak folk tunes for use in his work. Both of these compositions were created in the early 20th-century at the dawning of modernism. The production values and depth of talent in both productions were just astonishing.

This was my view of the stage from the big center box. It doesn’t get much better. I shared the box with a couple from Vienna who were opera buffs and lovers of Bartók -- and American musicals. A family from Toronto, Canada with three young daughters stayed only for the ballet.

Here’s another view of the boxes in the theatre. Although some on the sides were empty, the main orchestra seating appeared to be sold out.

These long steps lead up to the various levels of the boxes.

This is a view of the lobby taken from the first mezzanine.

I love this theater. Next up in a few weeks are performances of Balanchine's Serenade and the Russian classic Raymonda, works very familiar to me from American productions, so I will get a better sense of the capabilities of this company.

NOTE: Click on any image in this blog to see it full-size.

A Night at the Opera

On our final night of Fulbright orientation, we attended the opera Ariadna na Naxe by Richard Strauss at the 19th century Slovak National Theatre. A theater was located on the site in the 18th century. This one was built in 1886. For more information on the historic building: http://www.snd.sk/?historical_building_of_snt

This is a picture of the Theatre I took a sunny day. It is located at the eastern end of Hviezdoslavovo namestie.

This is the elegant lobby. You have to buy a program, but it was only 50 SKK ($2.00) and it included an English translation of the libretto and program notes.

It is a very intimate theater, with fewer than 700 seats. (In comparison, the Kennedy Center Opera House seats almost 2000 and the Metropolitan Opera House about 3000.) We sat in the main level seating. Sightlines were marvelous. Ample room separated the rows. Three levels of box seats surrounded us, with a nosebleed balcony almost out of sight. The detailed decorations throughout the theater were stunning.

I took this before the performance, standing in front by the orchestra pit.

I was struck by the huge size of orchestra pit, far larger than I have seen in any opera house. The stage seemed narrow, but very deep.

I do not have the professional expertise to judge opera. Suffice it to say that I was blown away. I had wondered if the old cliche, "You get what you pay for," might apply. Our tickets were gifts of the Fulbright Commission, but would cost the public only 700 SKK ($28) for the second-best seating in the house (second only to the individual boxes above us). It most decidedly did not.

I was stunned by the depth of talent in the many roles in this two-hour opera. I do not have a base of comparison for the production options for this opera, but I know nuance, interpretation, amplitude, expressiveness, and richness of voice, and this performance was marvelous by any measure. I know a bit more about instrumental music and relished the polish and interpretation of the orchestra. Pit orchestras sometimes sound like rag-tag afterthoughts. This one was ready for prime time in the concert hall.

The acoustics in this theater were marvelous – rich, full, with no dead spots or missing registers that I could detect. Another Fulbrighter with some expertise in this area said that it had been designed by the same people who designed the Vienna State Opera House, which many think has among the best acoustics in the world. I kept looking for hints of miking and electronic amplification, but I am certain there were none.

Pictures were not allowed during the performance, but for more information on this opera: http://www.snd.sk/?opera_7&predstavenie=ariadna_na_naxe

The performance started at 7:00 p.m., early by American standards. The explanation from our Fulbright guides: Most public transportation lines stop running at 11:00 p.m. As so many rely on those, the performances need to finish well before then.

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