I finally beat the Curse and went to the Opera House. It's wasn't actually doing any opera as such but that's beside the point.
The first half of the program was solely orchestral; the overture to Der Freischutz, an Vietnamese piece, and 'Variations on a Theme of Haydn' by Brahms'. All quite well done. I wonder what the HCMC Symphony Orchestra does with all their time.
Puccini's Messa di Gloria was a nice, exuberant piece, though I can't say it was particularly memorable. Still for an 18-year-old composer it was quite impressive.
The Opera House is a pleasant little theater but I'd be surprised if it could hold more than 300 people. There's no way they could actually perform opera there (maybe in concert?) but it gives you an idea of how small the French community actually was.
Afterward Oanh and I repaired to Q Bar, located in the basement of said opera house and so combining two of my favorite pastimes. It turns out Q Bar is rather labyrinthine, but I suppose that's the charm of it. Good drinks too, though I managed to spill my mojito on myself (klutziness not drunkenness).
Update: the local press weighed in, praising the performance though describing the Mass as an 'opera' by 'Puchini' (and a 'five-chapter' opera, no less). Still, it's good to see that at least they noticed...
2 comments:
I feel like there's something wrong about mojitos in saigon.. but somehow, bagels don't bother me in the least!
Way to break the curse! Can't wait for opera in the park.
Well duh, they're both Communist...
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