I tell people that I am an ethical hedonist. My goal in life is to pursue happiness. And music for me is a source of happiness. And since I've been discovering opera lately, I've been checking out potentially interesting productions near and far. And recently, I've even ventured outside of Berlin: we even went all the way to Hannover one weekend just to see an opera. And I must say, that was fun!
Berlin has three opera houses. Yes, I track the season calendar of all three opera houses. But sometimes, there are also exciting productions in cities nearby. And sometimes, the schedule just works out that one can take the train in the morning, watch a matinee performance of the opera, and then take the train in the evening to head back. Is it a long and tiring day? Yes. But I must say, it's also a lot of fun.
This made me think, what exactly would make me think that an out of town opera production is worth it. The three opera houses in Berlin altogether already give a very rounded selection of opera pieces. Even if my tastes gravitate towards the modern and contemporary, there nevertheless are plenty of items that I can select to see. Still, I think it's also fun to venture out and check out the calendars of other opera houses. And sometimes there's just this production of an opera that is very rare, and so you wonder and think that this is perhaps the only time you'd see it produced in the near future. Indeed, I won't go out of my way to see an opera outside of Berlin if it were just Verdi or Puccini, but if it's a rare contemporary title, then I would definitely consider it.
So yeah, I went to Hannover to see a John Adams opera. Who knows, I might go somewhere else and repeat this exercise. After all, it's a source of happiness, for sure.
