German theatres - seating, booking

[myrtle]

7 hours ago, Don Q Fan said:

@Myrtle

Deutsche Oper Berlin stalls are very good with reasonable rake and off set seats so usually you get a good view. The balconies are so far back and high that you are quite far from the stage so I go for stalls around rows 15-17 in the middle. 

At the Staatsoper u d Linden avoid the first couple of  seats on ends of rows on the tiers as there are high safety rails that interfere with views. The best seats are in the royal box (mitteloge)  if you can get it. Bang in the middle first tier I think. It's a U shape theatre so usual caveats apply. Think stalls are offset as well. I saw Onegin from the rear stalls and think it was ok. 

 

Thank you very much for this helpful information.   I especially appreciate hearing about the reasonable rake and offseat seats in the stalls.      

[Don Q Fan]

The Deutsche Oper is probably the only theatre where I will book a stalls seat! Hope you get some good seats. 

[FionaM]

The sightlines in Munich opera house are pretty good from stalls as well as circles.  There is a good stagger   Personally I avoid the first few rows else (like ROH and many other opera houses) you’ll not see the dancers’ feet. 
 

I’ve been told to avoid stalls in Vienna altogether due to lack of rake, but I’ve not been myself yet. 

[Lizbie1]

15 hours ago, FionaM said:

The sightlines in Munich opera house are pretty good from stalls as well as circles.  There is a good stagger   Personally I avoid the first few rows else (like ROH and many other opera houses) you’ll not see the dancers’ feet. 

 

I'm not so sure about the view from the circles at Munich - I was once pretty central but a couple of rows back and I had no view of some fairly crucial action going on at the sides in Kameliendame. Depending on degree, further round (with the possible exception of the front row) is, IMO, strictly for opera. The ballot system doesn't help, either.

Edited April 5 by Lizbie1
typo

[Sabine0308]

A friend of mine who lives in Munich always buys tickets for standing room (2nd or 3rd tier) and she's always happy. Not too much on the side though.

[Angela]

21 hours ago, Sabine0308 said:

Not too much on the side though.

 

Second Balcony in the middle is excellent for standing room, but third balcony is already too far away for my taste. And I would only take the more expensive standing room tickets, not the cheaper ones, you always miss a part of the stage.

[Sabine0308]

49 minutes ago, Angela said:

 

Second Balcony in the middle is excellent for standing room, but third balcony is already too far away for my taste. And I would only take the more expensive standing room tickets, not the cheaper ones, you always miss a part of the stage.

I have no experience with standing room, I want to sit😉. So in Munich it's either stalls until row 10 or 1st balcony.

I once had the pleasure to sit in the "King's Lounge" by pure luck, but although the overall view is great it's way too far away from the stage for me.

[Angela]

The Munich standing room is quite cosy, places are numbered, you have much room and a friendly railing at the perfect height to put your arms on. But yes, the Nationaltheater is way too big for ballet, you need good binoculars to see the details. In the first rows of the stalls, I have a feeling like I need to look up to see the stage, as the seats are under the level of the stage, and the rake is not really steep. Another theatre where I can't find the perfect seat for ballet...

[myrtle]

On 05/04/2024 at 07:53, Lizbie1 said:

 

I'm not so sure about the view from the circles at Munich - I was once pretty central but a couple of rows back and I had no view of some fairly crucial action going on at the sides in Kameliendame. Depending on degree, further round (with the possible exception of the front row) is, IMO, strictly for opera. The ballot system doesn't help, either.

 

Sorry what is the ballot system?   Is it a Munich only thing?   Thank you in advance

[myrtle]

On 04/04/2024 at 15:41, Don Q Fan said:

The Deutsche Oper is probably the only theatre where I will book a stalls seat! Hope you get some good seats. 

 

Are the end of stalls (toward aisles) bad in Deutsche Oper?   In which theaters should non-central stalls be avoided, in your extensive experience?   

 

Also, do a lot of people in Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam and Zurich speak English?    Efforts will be made with phrasebooks, but my pronunciation is usually too horrid for anyone to figure out what I'm trying to say, so a city where the people will laugh rather than get offended, or better yet, answer me in English, would be most encouraging!   

 

Thank you all for the education. 

[Lizbie1]

3 hours ago, myrtle said:

 

Sorry what is the ballot system?   Is it a Munich only thing?   Thank you in advance

 

It's probably best to quote their own website:

 

AT ANY TIME FROM PUBLICATION OF THE SCHEDULE

 

You can easily place binding orders in writing as of now using the online form on the online schedule.

 

Three months before the performance date, all orders will be processed and half of all available tickets will be allocated. If demand exceeds the available ticket contingent, tickets will be allocated at random. If we are unable to fulfill your ticket request, we will notify you in writing. Orders can only be cancelled as long as processing has not yet begun.

 

https://www.staatsoper.de/en/ticket-info

 

i.e. they choose the seat for you from the price band(s) you have specified.

 

The remaining half are made available online etc. from two months before.

 

It's been a while since I've been to Munich but some of what I've quoted above feels new: I don't remember their saying before that half of tickets are held back. I could be mistaken, however!

[Sabine0308]

5 hours ago, myrtle said:

 

Are the end of stalls (toward aisles) bad in Deutsche Oper?   In which theaters should non-central stalls be avoided, in your extensive experience?   

 

Also, do a lot of people in Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam and Zurich speak English?    Efforts will be made with phrasebooks, but my pronunciation is usually too horrid for anyone to figure out what I'm trying to say, so a city where the people will laugh rather than get offended, or better yet, answer me in English, would be most encouraging!   

 

Thank you all for the education. 

The view from stalls in Deutsche Oper is good from any seat, as there is no restricted view. I would avoid seats on the side in Staatsoper and (when they are back in their renovated house) in Komische Oper Berlin. Staatsballett Berlin usually performs in 3 Opera Houses except during the renovation of Komische Oper. They might perform in the Schillertheater next year, it's the provisional house for Komische Oper.

 

Staff in German Opera Houses speaks German, if that is your question. And of course a lot of people in the audience, because either they learned it or are English/American etc and live/work here. Or tourists😉

Edited April 7 by Sabine0308

[Angela]

9 hours ago, myrtle said:

Also, do a lot of people in Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam and Zurich speak English? 

 

You will always find someone who speaks English to help you, just ask the younger people. Not necessarily at the box office or with the ushers, but normally they know somebody they can ask to help you. Zurich is a very international town, so don't worry. And don't try to understand Swiss German, it's impossible 🥴

 

9 hours ago, myrtle said:

so a city where the people will laugh rather than get offended

 

We know how hard it is to learn German, we don't laugh or get offended if anyone makes the effort. On the contrary, we admire you! Most websites of German theatres have an English version to help you with the basics.

[Lizbie1]

9 minutes ago, Angela said:

We know how hard it is to learn German, we don't laugh or get offended if anyone makes the effort. On the contrary, we admire you! Most websites of German theatres have an English version to help you with the basics.

 

This is my experience - a little German goes a long way. My German is very ropey these days so I often revert to English after an intial attempt and have never been made to feel bad about it. As long as you're polite about it and don't just assume everyone speaks English you'll be fine.

[Sabine0308]

@Angela swiss German is not a language, it's a throat disease 😁

[Don Q Fan]

In reply to @myrtle I have only sat in the middle of row seats at the Deutsche Oper. There's no middle aisle there to break up the seating. 

Many theatres offer a ballot system for subscribers where they offer tickets for sale earlier than I ternet booking but the seat choice is not yours you just get allocated a seat in your chosen price bracket as far as I know. 

Munich I found hard to get a decent seat with comfortable view. Of my 3 Onegins in January all my seats despite being front row tier 2 or 1 had an issue of one sort or another. The curse of U shaped theatres!!! 

[myrtle]

On 07/04/2024 at 03:22, Lizbie1 said:

 

It's probably best to quote their own website:

 

AT ANY TIME FROM PUBLICATION OF THE SCHEDULE

 

You can easily place binding orders in writing as of now using the online form on the online schedule.

 

Three months before the performance date, all orders will be processed and half of all available tickets will be allocated. If demand exceeds the available ticket contingent, tickets will be allocated at random. If we are unable to fulfill your ticket request, we will notify you in writing. Orders can only be cancelled as long as processing has not yet begun.

 

https://www.staatsoper.de/en/ticket-info

 

i.e. they choose the seat for you from the price band(s) you have specified.

 

The remaining half are made available online etc. from two months before.

 

It's been a while since I've been to Munich but some of what I've quoted above feels new: I don't remember their saying before that half of tickets are held back. I could be mistaken, however!

 

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to explain that.  The word ballot made me think of voting and I was so confused!   But you helped me to make sense of it, thank you again.  

[myrtle]

On 07/04/2024 at 05:03, Sabine0308 said:

The view from stalls in Deutsche Oper is good from any seat, as there is no restricted view. I would avoid seats on the side in Staatsoper and (when they are back in their renovated house) in Komische Oper Berlin. Staatsballett Berlin usually performs in 3 Opera Houses except during the renovation of Komische Oper. They might perform in the Schillertheater next year, it's the provisional house for Komische Oper.

 

Staff in German Opera Houses speaks German, if that is your question. And of course a lot of people in the audience, because either they learned it or are English/American etc and live/work here. Or tourists😉

 

Thank you for this valuable information.  

 

On 07/04/2024 at 08:50, Angela said:

 

You will always find someone who speaks English to help you, just ask the younger people. Not necessarily at the box office or with the ushers, but normally they know somebody they can ask to help you. Zurich is a very international town, so don't worry. And don't try to understand Swiss German, it's impossible 🥴

 

 

We know how hard it is to learn German, we don't laugh or get offended if anyone makes the effort. On the contrary, we admire you! Most websites of German theatres have an English version to help you with the basics.

 

Thank you and much gratitude to all the kind folks who overlook clumsy pronunciation like mine is sure to be. 

 

You mention Zurich being an international town.   Which of the many languages should I be trying to learn phrases in for Zurich?    I gather Swiss German is for the true connoisseur and not a klutz like me, but there must be so many other options?     

 

Should I just learn a wee bit of regular (high?) German because that's somewhat widely understood in Zurich?  

 

Google / wikipedia tells me Swiss German is used by 63% of the people, and since that's not to be attempted by amateurs, should I instead purchase a French phrase book?   Didn't I read somewhere that as soon as a French speaker joins a conversation in Zurich, everyone switches to speaking French, even if they had previously been speaking German (or Swiss German)?  

Thank you all for educating me and allowing me to dream about ballet tourism.

Edited April 9 by myrtle

[myrtle]

On 07/04/2024 at 09:07, Lizbie1 said:

 

This is my experience - a little German goes a long way. My German is very ropey these days so I often revert to English after an intial attempt and have never been made to feel bad about it. As long as you're polite about it and don't just assume everyone speaks English you'll be fine.

 

15 hours ago, Don Q Fan said:

In reply to @myrtle I have only sat in the middle of row seats at the Deutsche Oper. There's no middle aisle there to break up the seating. 

Many theatres offer a ballot system for subscribers where they offer tickets for sale earlier than I ternet booking but the seat choice is not yours you just get allocated a seat in your chosen price bracket as far as I know. 

Munich I found hard to get a decent seat with comfortable view. Of my 3 Onegins in January all my seats despite being front row tier 2 or 1 had an issue of one sort or another. The curse of U shaped theatres!!! 

 

Thank you for this.   I admire your cosmopolitan travels, and I'm very grateful for the valuable insights you're sharing.    

 

On 07/04/2024 at 09:07, Lizbie1 said:

 

This is my experience - a little German goes a long way. My German is very ropey these days so I often revert to English after an intial attempt and have never been made to feel bad about it. As long as you're polite about it and don't just assume everyone speaks English you'll be fine.

 

I'm sure you are being modest, but it is reassuring to hear that people are kind and generous when you speak German with them, even if you aren't as fluent as you'd like to be.

[myrtle]

On 07/04/2024 at 14:54, Sabine0308 said:

@Angela swiss German is not a language, it's a throat disease 😁

 

Need a smiley for giggles  :)

[alison]

Zurich is in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, so I'd think that logically German would be the language to go for, even if it's only a few words.  There's absolutely no point in trying for Swiss German, which apparently varies greatly across the country (Roger Federer's Basel dialect is pretty impenetrable).  And I gather the public perception of Swiss people being bilingual, or even trilingual, isn't very accurate - it's certainly not a given that a native German speaker will also speak good French, or vice versa.

[Angela]

13 hours ago, myrtle said:

Didn't I read somewhere that as soon as a French speaker joins a conversation in Zurich, everyone switches to speaking French, even if they had previously been speaking German (or Swiss German)?  

 

This never happened to me. But Swiss people do speak many languages, maybe not perfectly, but they switch easily. Everyone who speaks Swiss German speaks "normal" German too, don't worry, and they switch because they know no one can understand them. Whatever normal German may be... I have heard from dancers at Stuttgart who came with well-prepared German words and then people here spoke Swabian and they were lost. We all have a common standard German that we try to use with strangers, but as soon as Swiss people or Saxonians or Bavarians are among themselves, the language gets imcomprehensible. It's like me hearing Scottish or Australian for the first time 🙂 

[myrtle]

1 hour ago, Angela said:

 

This never happened to me. But Swiss people do speak many languages, maybe not perfectly, but they switch easily. Everyone who speaks Swiss German speaks "normal" German too, don't worry, and they switch because they know no one can understand them. Whatever normal German may be... I have heard from dancers at Stuttgart who came with well-prepared German words and then people here spoke Swabian and they were lost. We all have a common standard German that we try to use with strangers, but as soon as Swiss people or Saxonians or Bavarians are among themselves, the language gets imcomprehensible. It's like me hearing Scottish or Australian for the first time 🙂 

 

Ah, thank you.   Luckily thanks to the wise folks here I have more than just wikipedia to go on. 

 

9 hours ago, alison said:

Zurich is in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, so I'd think that logically German would be the language to go for, even if it's only a few words.  There's absolutely no point in trying for Swiss German, which apparently varies greatly across the country (Roger Federer's Basel dialect is pretty impenetrable).  And I gather the public perception of Swiss people being bilingual, or even trilingual, isn't very accurate - it's certainly not a given that a native German speaker will also speak good French, or vice versa.

 

Thank you for the insight.