In March, the Opera Club embarked on a five-day trip to Munich for a captivating blend of musical culture, haute cuisine and friendship.
On the first evening, after dinner in the suitably adorned Restaurant ‘Il Tenore’, the group enjoyed a refreshing re-telling of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, which included a memorable and colourful interpretation of The Spinning Chorus in Act II.
Der Rosenkavalier was joyous from start to finish. Strauss’s rich score, impeccably directed by conductor Vladimir Jurowski, was matched only by the lavish costumes and sets of the Bavarian State Opera House, which included a full-size horse-drawn carriage, whose arrival on stage drew gasps from the audience and much-merited spontaneous applause for the designers and performers – not least those playing the role of the horses!
The depth of psychological repression suffered by Káťa Kabanová, (Janáček) was conveyed with great intensity through an innovative use of cameras and a wonderful performance by Corinne Winters in the title role.
The musical performances were complemented by guided tours of Munich’s historic landmarks, including the Nymphenburg Palace and the famous Marienplatz, providing an immersive experience of the city’s architectural grandeur, not least at the Rathaus, where we enjoyed the unique sights and sounds of the famous carillon.
A most enjoyable trip with a footnote to say – let’s not leave it too long before coming back to Munich again!
