In 1997 we went to Vienna, Austria for our summer holidays. Of course I filled our week in Vienna with as much opera as possible. I saw STIFFELIO, my favorite opera by Verdi, for the first time, but Carreras did not sing as scheduled. Antonio Lotti was my first Stiffelio live. I only have Carreras on CD and DVD as Stiffelio. We saw Mefistofele by Boito and AIDA by Verdi. I will never forget the flash from a camera when Waltraud Meier (Amneris) was going down the stairs, scary...
Opera Gala in Hamburg with Baltsa, Carreras and Isabel Rey was a highlight. Outdoor concert with great singing. Then I was in Vienna again in October, I did not have tickets so I bought a cheap ticket for 300 Austrian Schilling to see FEDORA with Baltsa and José Cura. I was excited to see my new favorite tenor. I had decided that Cura should be my next tenor. But this was my first time. My cheap seat meant that I saw little of what happened onstage. 3rd act was best because I could see "all" the action.
What I could not enjoy in 1997's Fedora in Vienna I could in 1998. 3 travels in 1998. First 2 in May and the 3rd in October. First to Zürich to see L'elisir d'amore with Isabel Rey and SLY by Wolff-Ferrari with Carreras, then next weekend it was Vienna for Verdi's Jerusalem and LE PROPHETE by Meyerbeer with Agnes Baltsa and Plácido Domingo. Then it was my big travel to Zürich with a short trip to Vienna to see the whole Fedora with Baltsa/Cura. I had a heavy diet of operas in Zurich, Andrea Chenier, Attila, Carmen, Tosca and finally FEDORA with Carreras and Agnes Baltsa (with Signierstunde in 2.rang after the opera).
In 1999 I traveled to Vienna twice. In May to see 2 performances of Die Fledermaus with Agnes Baltsa as Orlofsky in Theater an der Wien. I also managed to see L'elisir d'amore with Ramon Vargas and Die Walküre with Gabriele Schnaut. Then in November a weekend trip to see LE PROPHETE again with Agnes Baltsa and LA JUIVE with Neil Shicoff. A great pair of operas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What I loved about year 2000...
For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com
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