Now That's What I Call a Party!

Last night there was a huge party at the opera house to say farewell to the Intendent (general manager I think), who is leaving. He's been running this company for, I think, five years, and everyone in the company seems to love him (last night I could see why!), and so they threw him a really spectacular farewell party. Because Freiberg is such a small town, he's also a very important person throughout the town, and not only to the opera company members. Apparently this party was even more spectacular because it coincided with the full moon festival. I missed this last month, but it seems that every month for the full moon there is some sort of town-wide party to celebrate it. (And as an aside, in the month since we've been here there have been TWO national holidays for which the entire town--except the restaurants--closed down. Servers still have to work on holidays so everyone can go out to eat, but everyone else gets a lot of days off. It's like Christmas twice a month! except the presents. I think most holidays here actually involve beer more than presents, but then every day here involves beer.)

Have you ever been to a progressive dinner party? That's where you have drinks in one location, then go somewhere else for appetizers, a different place the main course, somewhere again for dessert...you get the idea. That's what this party last night was like. It started at 10 pm, after all our rehearsals and such were over (and everyone had time after rehearsal to change and get some food). Most people dressed up at least a little. The party was free for employees of the theater (including us), but members of the town had to buy tickets, at least for the part at the theater. For an hour or so, there was music in two rooms at the theater. One of the main choristers sang cabaret songs (I heard her sing La vie en rose), and upstairs Jan Horstmann (the conductor for the theater) played jazz (fabulously) with a violinist and cellist. Oh, and alcohol was sold. I had a glass of white wine (generally a mistake for me, but it made the jazz even better than it already was!).

After a while of this, everyone gathered on the square in front of the theater for a performance by Venetian Masks. This is, I think, a form of entertainment dating from medieval times. And I was fascinated. I think most of the other Americans were befuddled...but the experience took my breath away. All I could think was...here I stand, drinking a glass of wine, on ancient cobblestones in an old town in Germany, watching a dance performance probably very similar to ones performed in Italy in the 15 or 1600s. I couldn't stop smiling. And I didn't have my camera!

So, after the masks, we walked to the Freiberg castle. I had forgotten there was, in fact, a castle in this town. I think there are castles in most towns, actually. But yesterday's was not my first castle: the day before we went to Louenstein and performed in a castle (I volunteered to do a song in the recital just because I wanted to be able to say I had sung in a castle!). But I won't deny I was a little disappointed: both the castle here in Freiberg and the one on Louenstein look more like very large, old houses than Cinderella's palace at Disneyworld. The Freiberg castle has, if I remember correctly, two towers, and the rest is just like a very, very big, square stone house. But there is a bridge to the front entrance which crosses (truly!) a COURTYARD, which is surrounded by the original wall, built of stones. If the Venetian masks didn't do me in, this certainly did. I felt as though I were in a storybook. There was music here too--some strings I think--but I was so taken by admiring the castle that I missed it, and spent this stage of the party talking with Michael, our director for Suor Angelica, about castles.

But wait! there's more! The party was STILL not finished. After the castle we all (and I haven't mentioned this...by all of us I mean probably around 100 or more people walking down the little cobblestoned streets of downtown Freiberg in a big stream) walked to the Tivoli, a sort of theater/club. I hadn't been there yet, either, but they have bands and also performances there. The first week we were here, Die Fledermaus was performed there, but we weren't able to go because of our rehearsal schedule (which was a huge disappointment to me--I really would have loved to see Die Fledermaus in Germany!). The party ended at the Tivoli, but not for several hours more. They sold more beer, wine, and pretzels there, and the performances ranged from a sort of German folk duo and a German garage-type band to opera and musical theater. I think my favorite was the skit of a scene from the musical Spring Awakening. It started with a man wearing a very fake pencil mustache, a robe, and a turban, and ended with the girl taking off her blouse to reveal a body suit including...yes, ass-less chaps. (She was wearing a thong under that, does that count??) That wasn't my favorite part, though. During this skit, they both kept making each other laugh. He would do something funny, and she would get that look that actors get when they're trying not to break character, and then she would start to giggle and try to stop it. Next time it would be her making him laugh. And a couple of times they both just lost it and cracked up. And actors breaking character because they can't stop laughing is funny in any language, whether or not you understand what's being said!

Finally, at 2 am, the entertainment ended and we all meandered home to bed. Fortunately, I wasn't scheduled for anything this morning, so I was able to take part of the morning to catch up on sleep. Tonight a group is going to Chemnitz Opera to see The Full Monti. I'm not sure yet whether I'll be going, but it should be good regardless.