My first weeks here have been full of the most fantastic music! My first day arriving I had a lesson with Walter Seyfarth, a clarinetist in the Berlin Philharmonic. We worked on Brahms together and he taught with so much passion. Afterward he gave me a tour of the Philharmoniker and introduced me to the upcoming performances there, for which I am so grateful! I was able to hear Britten’s War Requiem and Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, also seeing such an elegant production of Swan Lake. I went to Vienna for the weekend to see Falstaff at the Vienna Oper, which is perhaps the most beautiful venue I’ve ever seen. I also saw Faust at the Deutsches Oper which was incredible macabre with German humor; all the supporting roles wore baby masks and carried machine guns. The leading roles glided through arias on roller skates.
I learned so much through these performances. German productions always start on time, compared to American performances which usually start 5-15 minutes late. The audience members, who were largely young and very dressed up, were so completely still and silent during the performances. The intermissions are at least 20 minutes long, which allow for people to indulge in a glass of wine or even a small sandwich outside with friends. At the end of the performance, applause lasts for up to a half hour! I saw an orchestra take more than 6 bows. My hands were quite exhausted. Most noticeably, the caliber of the musicians was so so high and they seemed to be really enjoying themselves: moving with the music, engaging with the conductor, taking artistic liberties. I fell in love with German musicians and hope to someday be one!