Saturday 2 April 2016

Office To Opera...

...and back!

Do you like the opera? Generally, I do like going to the theatre, opera, ballet, and concerts of classical (and modern) music - but I do not automatically like all and every opera, ballet, theatre and so on.
Often, I simply don't "get" modern productions, but I don't always like the classics, either. What I do like, however, are operas by Giuseppe Verdi. I've not seen all that many, but the ones I have seen were so full of drama and GREAT music that they simply took my breath away.

On Wednesday night, I saw my first Puccini opera - another Italian composer, born 45 years after Verdi and different in style but just as dramatic. The opera was "Tosca", and the tickets (2nd row at the wonderful Opera house of Stuttgart, which is well worth a visit for the building alone) were very generously given to me and my sister. 
My Mum and a friend of hers have a subscription for a certain number of performances every season. This time, the friend was away over Easter, and my Mum had already seen "Tosca", and so my sister and I were given the tickets. What a great gift for the two of us!

Tosca killing Scarpia
We both worked during the day and went to the opera straight from the office, so my choice of outfit had to be both business-like and good enough for the relatively posh atmosphere at the opera.
I am not one to go to the opera jeans-clad; to me, seeing a performance (opera, theatre, ballett or concert) is something out of the ordinary, a special event sparkling in the course of everyday life, and I want to express that in my outfit. I know the people on stage can not see me, not even in the 2nd row, but in my mind, dressing properly is also a sign of respect for them and their great talent and effort going into the performance.

"Our" Tosca saw a great cast of singers and actors on stage. The photo above is taken from Stuttgart Opera's home page. "Tosca" was sung by the amazing Adina Aaron; you can read about this particular production here.
What touched me most of all was when Tosca's lover, Mario, knows he has only one hour to live before the firing squad will kill him. In prison, he sings about how he has never loved life more than at that moment, and after the aria, he breaks down, sobbing. It was that sobbing that really got to me.

Back to safer, more shallow ground! This is what I was wearing:


A teal silk shirt (Christmas gift from my parents) with a classic black skirt I often wear to the office, pearls around my neck and on my ears, black tights and shoes with a bit of a heel.

On Friday, I worked at RJ's home office. Whenever I work there, I dress more or less as if I was working from home; still properly dressed (definitely NOT in my PJs when I work from home!) but not quite as business-like as when I go to the office where I meet "The Customer" (which, in my case, consists of hundreds of people working in the same building, eating at the same canteen).

The outfit I wore on Friday was a combination of old and new. I've had this pair of trousers for many years, and the lovely spring weather we'd had the day before made me look for something pastel. The top was in the birthday parcel my mother-in-law sent me from England, among many other things, as well as the bracelet, which consists of hearts - something I would not have bought for myself, but now that I have it, will wear occasionally.



Flying tomorrow with the same pilot friend who took me along a year ago - fingers crossed the weather will hold!

14 comments:

  1. We've discussed this before and, as you know, I, too, love opera (although, of course, not all operas). I have never seen Tosca and it's a while since I listened to it. Ido, however, have the CD with Maria Callas, Guiseppe di Stefano and Tito Gobbi. To be honest Maria Callas is not one of my favourite singers. I was contemplating what music to listen to today so I shall start by reminding myself of Tosca. I hope that the weather is kind and you enjoy your flight.

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    1. I am not knowledgeable enough in opera to have favourite singers, and of Maria Callas, I only have an image of her face in my head, not her voice. I have seen a house of hers in 2012 when RJ and I were holidaying in Italy - that's about all I know about her.
      Thank you, the weather was very flyable and we had a great day out!

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  2. I really learned to love Opera when I was first married and living in Europe. It was so much more available to experience. And so well done. In Cleveland, Ohio in my youth, the Met came for two weeks a year and that was the only possibility to hear something and it was performed in an enormous public auditorium with poor acoustics and no ambience to speak of. I like the outfits you model, especially the white trousers with the colorful blouse and wish you and enjoyable flight. Take some good photos!

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    1. Thank you, Kristi! (The trousers are a very pale pink, not white.)
      I did take lots of photos, but not all of them turned out as good as I hoped, what with the window pane between the camera and the outside and the occasional turbulence hitting just as I was clicking :-)
      Still, there are plenty I will show here on my blog.

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  3. Yes I love opera! My favorite is La Traviata, but my husband prefers Tosca. Nice outfits. Have a nice flight...I don't like planes by the way, I haven't taken one since 1994!

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    1. I love "La Traviata", too - hardly surprising, as it is Verdi's work :-)

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  4. I left a comment last night but somehow it disappeared. I love the combination of teal and black, that's a very pretty outfit! You always look so good!

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    1. Thank you, Jennifer, and the same is true for you and your very beautiful face!

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  5. What a lot of nice things in your life, it seems, right now. I love the silk shirt and it looks very glamorous.
    One of the many things I appreciate about Germany is that opera is a more reasonable price than it is in Britain. I think that is partly because classical music always seems more important in Germany than in the UK, so many provincial towns have opera or concert halls, etc. Whenever I go to Germany I always love the concerts and opera. I've heard so much marvellous stuff there.

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    1. I consider myself extremely lucky for the life I have, with indeed many nice things in it, not just right now but all the time.
      Especially the opera, but also tickets for the ballet, are not exactly cheap here, either. When you want a good seat for unhinderend view of the stage, you easily fork out a small fortune. But this time, we were generously given the tickets - second row, too!
      The silk shirt is nice, isn't it. I love how it feels against my skin, and it is just as easy to wash and iron as any of my cotton shirts.

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  6. Lucky you! I have never seen this opera but I am sure I would love it. And that teal silk shirt looks very pretty on you, I love the color!
    Hope your weather was good for you today!

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    1. It's a great colour, isn't it, Kay!
      Thank you, the weather was good and there will soon be pictures of the flight(s) :-)

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  7. I love live theater of all kinds and have a subscription, with a friend, for the season of Pacific Opera Victoria. Like you, I don't like every opera - last year's production of Donnizetti's Lucia di Lammermore was downright ugly, with set and costumes set in 1039 Germany. In February was The Barber of Seville and in April, the last opera of the season is Benjamin Brittan's A Midsummer Night's Dream and I am really looking forward to it! You look lovely in your office-to-opera ensemble.

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    1. Thank you, Pondside!
      You probably mean "set in 1939 Germany"? Sometimes modern productions are trying too hard, aren't they.
      I hope you'll enjoy A Midummer Night's Dream!

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