My
super hero Herman Broch first acquainted me with the man in his book Hugo von
Hofmannsthal and His Time: The European Imagination, 1860-1920.
Hofmannsthal
was raised in the classic European aristocratic tradition; the cult of beauty
and refining the art and arts of leisure. His father was a fanatic of the
higher mind foods, and, as a result, steeped the young Hugo in all the best
gooey aristo-esthetics. . .
So
when the European culture value system was going through its dry heaves up to
and through WWI, Hugo was right in there dreaming away (and writing about it),
as he had been so well trained to do. . .
His
works can now show us a few things about the aristocratic feeling slash thought
of the time, as it is diametrically opposed to the other. . . the bourgeois
scientific slash quantitative realm that we are more familiar with today. . .
that fact that he sat on the cusp of this class quandary is interesting in
itself. . . Along with so many others like Robert Musel, Karl Kraus, Freud, and
of course Herman Broch. . .
However,
within the libreto that Hofmannsthal wrote for Strauss (and thanks to Richard,
too), we shall have a comic peek at what it was like to be raised in the temple
of art, in the pure aestheto-aristocratic tradition.
OK
so anyway I'm not much for opera in German . . . a bit harsh for me personally.
You know, in the same vein English is the best language for rock n roll,
Shakespeare, and sex. . . while Italian gets my first choice language for opera
and eating. Gosh, that doesn't leave too much room for French . . . ok maybe
it's the best language for blabbering. . .
That
being said (or blabbered), as a humble, however voracious disciple of the art
and arts of living slash leisure, I figured I could learn a thing or 3 on the
subject. We will also be able to catch a snapshot of Austrio-Hungarian umpire
in all its tragicomic greatness (sorry, I can never resist saying umpire. . .
let's just call it a personal tick).
For
tickets, you can easily purchase them via the Internet and there are several
price categories, and your tickets will be sent to the address of your choice.
There is a 2 euros charge for Internet THEATRE DES CHAMPS ELYSEES or you can call in reservations.
Of course the sooner you reserve the better the seats.
As
we will probably not all be in the same spot, we should meetup at the entracte,
at the 1ER BALCON BAR.
So,
I've just realized this is hard-core nerd material, so don't forget to wear
your plastic shirt pocket protecter (with pens).
And
of course, the cooler people can just stop by the bar after the show to rub
elbows (only) with the top models. . . with a drinkypoo at the BAR DES THEATRES after the show. . . You know it now. . .
Métro : station Alma-Marceau or Franklin-Roosevelt (ligne 9)
RER: station Pont de l'Alma (ligne C)
Bus : lignes 42, 63, 72, 80, 92
Douglas J. English
About the author:
Douglas is a bit of a nerd. A Californian in France since 1998, he would probably be better called eccentric. He describes his interests as, at their core, ergonometrically socio-sexual.
