Jewels of the New World

Since the last few posts were about performances, I thought I would throw in one more.  A couple of weeks ago, I was able to attend the opening of the "Juwelen die Neue Welt", or Jewels of the New World as my rudimentary translation skills are leading me to believe, performed by the State Ballet at the Opera House.  It's the annual kick-off to the state ballet season here, and a compilation of short pieces by what I presume Vienna considers "new world" choreographers.  Last year's performance was fantastic, featuring the full production of Jiri Kylian's Petite Mort, among other things.  This year's did not disappoint either featuring two pieces by Balanchine, one by Twyla Tharp and one by William Forsythe.  The first Balanchine - Themes and Variations - I could do without from a choreography point of view but the costuming was done by Christian Lacroix and it's appropriate level of over-the-top compensated for the sleepy execution.  Luckily, that was the first piece so the rest of the show allows you to sit back and enjoy.

Catch the performances across November - full schedule available here.

Word to the wise - when attending a performance at the State Opera with guests in tow - especially guests you'd like to impress - order your "snacks" in advance.  Then, during the intermission, your snacks are laid out on a table (specify that would you like it to be done in the main bar) with a number attached to it, you've pre-paid and have a fine view of the unfortunate others that have to spend their entire intermission waiting for a glass of champagne when you're calmly half done with yours.  The way intermission should be - and it costs exactly the same.  Unless you know your guests preferences, we always recommend going with a round of bubbly sekts and a plate of petit fours - it never fails to make an impression.  Opera as it should be.