Music at the Golden Hall Mozart concert was the best – the crowd and organization, not so much… I was surprised at the disorganization and staff requiring people to check their coats for a fee, before they were allowed to enter the hall and be seated. I think that should be optional, even so, most museums and art galleries who require visitors to check their belongings, do so free of charge. Tipping the person who checks your coat is optional.
Audience
The tickets were pricey, and there were vacant seats throughout the hall. Most annoying were the late arrivals, piling into the hall in the middle of the performance. Usually, if you arrive late to a performing arts venue, you must wait outside until the break to be seated. It’s disruptive and disrespectful when people traipse around while musicians are concentrating on performing.
Selfie Obsession
The most irritating thing was the unbelievable selfie deluge! People pushed others out of their way to jockey themselves into the best possible position for taking selfies. A middle-aged woman sitting in front of me was obsessed with getting her face into every aspect of Golden Hall. She fidgeted nervously during the performance and took photos, even though it was announced the photography wasn’t allowed, and cell phones had to be turned off. At one point, I almost tapped her on the shoulder to suggest she storm the stage and take a selfie with the orchestra!
I was sorry that the musicians had to endure that. Sadly, it was clear by the looks on their faces, that performing before an audience of less-than-courteous tourists wasn’t new to them.
Vienna Mozart Orchestra and Opera Singers
All that noise aside, Mozart’s music was as beautiful and captivating as always, and the musicians, their conductor, and the opera singers were the ultimate talented professionals. They performed dressed in beautiful period costumes, and it was obvious they loved the musical repertoire. The concert lasted two magical hours with a short break. The orchestra was gracious enough to play several encores.
The orchestra performed overtures and familiar Mozart pieces with flawless perfection. The opera singers were outstanding and sang excerpts from Mozart operas Don Giovani, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Magic Flute. Yasmin Özkan’s performance of The Magic Flute Aria Queen of the Night was phenomenal!
The conductor, András Deák, has a good sense of humor and was as skilled at interreacting with the audience as leading the orchestra. They dazzled the audience with a fantastic encore of The Blue Danube Waltz by Viennese composer Johann Strauss II!
Program – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Overture to The Drama Director, KV 486
- Canzonetta
- Duettino Zerlina
- Aria
Concerto for Oboe in C major, KV 314
- Adagio non troppo
- Allegretto
Opera The Marriage of Figaro, KV 492
- Allegro
Opera The Marriage of Figaro, KV 492
- Overture
- Aria of Figaro
Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV 550
- Very Merry
- Papageno’s Aria
- Duet Papageno
Artists
- Vienna Mozart Orchestra
- András Deák, Conductor
- Yasmin Özkan, Coloratura Soprano
- Sokolin Asllani, Baritone
- Sima Sebastian, Oboe Soloist
I’m grinding my teeth just thinking about inconsiderate audience members. Then, listening to the Mozart excerpts, I lighten up. The music is as fresh and delightful as if it was written just yesterday.