Wünsche nach Mut und Ausdauer nach Wien

1:59:40!

Der Kunst ihre Freiheit [and the scare of the nude]

A poster campaign advertising for several exhibits of modernist painters in Vienna, including major paintings by Egon Schiele, has met with astonishing censoring from the transport companies posting these advertisements. (And by Facebook, which AIs are visibly too artificial and none too intelligent to [fail to] recognise well-known works of art.) Not very surprising, given the well-known conservatism of advertising units in transportation companies, but nonetheless appalling, especially when putting these posters against the truly indecent ones advertising for, e.g., gas guzzling machines and junk food.

Die Zauberflöte

Attending Mozart’s Zauberflöte last week at the Volksoper Wien was a great reward for taking part in this (somewhat gruesome) grant evaluation! The atmosphere was relaxed, with loads of families and (very well-behaved!) young children [all siding for Papageno!] And the opera was given from a 2005 production, with a fast-paced orchestration and a great female singer cast (as opposed to the last time I saw the opera in Sceaux, when the Queen of the Night had botched her major arias!), if less so on the male singer side, Papageno excepted. (Sarastro barely audible in the lowest notes…) The three boys were fantastic as well. (As usual, I find the plot  incomprehensible, with Sarastro and his cult (and the kidnapping of his daughter) as despicable as the Queen’s moral pressure on Pamina…)

When running towards the Donauinsel in the early morning the next day, I saw this poster and realised the same Zauberflöte was played in another Viennese theatre, which is amazing, given that the Staatoper will also give it next December. Or not if considering that a part of Vienna’s attraction is this rich music scene.

für die menschen Rechte! [Volkshilfe].