Richard C Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 My wife is a big ballet fan. She recently suffered a close family bereavement and as something for her to look forward to I have booked a trip for us both to Germany to take in a number of performances. This is something she has for some years wanted to do and if the last few sad months have taught me anything it is stop thinking about doing things and booking them instead. Performances booked are Bayeriches Staatsballet 22 Feb - La Bayadere Berlin Staatsballet 24th Feb - Forsthye programme Dresden Semproper 27th Feb - Sleeping Beauty Leipzig Ballet 28th Feb - The Young Prince Prague Ballet - modern choreography programme. I know very little about ballet so I wonder if German ballet goers can assist to help make the trip better by letting me know: * I could not find any cast lists. My wife would be very interested in knowing who is due to perform so she can research in advance I suspect * Are there any possible rehearsals or tours of the venues available at any of these on any days known * Any tips for any of the venues such as good restaurants or bars that have some ballet history or are just really good/nearby * I am thinking about cutting short the proposed 3 nights in Dresden down to 2 and taking the Odyessy at Hamburg. I know this is subjective but it will make it a packed trip with no downtime so does anyone have any views on whether this production is really worth such a detour ? Thanks for any tips/help/guidance anyone can offer. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 Hello @Richard C and welcome to the Forum! @Angela , @Sabine and @Vanartus may be able to offer some advice. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silke H Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 Hi Richard, It seems guided tours are sporadic only At Bayerische Staatsoper there's one on 20th Feb at 2pm (in case you arrive in Munich a couple of days prior to La Bayadere) Bayerische Staatsoper tour 20 Feb 24 Tickets are €10 per person In Berlin you'd be much luckier, as there's a guided tour at Deutsche Oper Berlin on the 24th Feb at 2pm Deutsche Oper Berlin tour 24 Feb 24 tickets are €5 per person At Semperoper you're in luck that there's even an English guided tour on 27th Feb Semperoper 27 Feb 24 tickets are €14 per person Tours of Oper Leipzig are organised by 'Leipzig Erleben', seemingly upon request only Oper Leipzig I hope this helps as a start ☺️ 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard C Posted December 28, 2023 Author Share Posted December 28, 2023 Thank you Silke H! I have booked the Berlin and Dresden tours now - thank you so much for you help. I will contact Oper Leipzig 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annamk Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 Hello, have you looked at whether Stuttgart could fit your schedule ? There’s an interesting looking triple bill “Shades of Blue and White” various dates. The company has some marvellous world class dancers. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 (edited) What a great trip! Casting in Munich is only announced a few weeks before each show. ( I note casts for Onegin ballet are not up yet and those start in 2 weeks’ time!!!) Others might be more familiar with timing (if any) of casting announcements for the other companies. somewhat confused … there is no Forsythe programme in Berlin on 24 February? Edited December 29, 2023 by FionaM Grammar 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 9 hours ago, Richard C said: * I could not find any cast lists. My wife would be very interested in knowing who is due to perform so she can research in advance I suspect Hi Richard C, for this question I have bad news - Germany companies are quite late in publishing the casting. If you get it one month in advance, you're a lucky guy, often it's just two weeks before. Don't start to check before the end of January. For Munich, you'll find it with the details for the piece: https://www.staatsoper.de/en/productions/la-bayadere For Berlin here: https://www.staatsballett-berlin.de/spielplan/stueck-detail/stid/william-forsythe/101.html#a_199 For Dresden it's already online!! https://www.semperoper.de/en/whats-on/schedule/stid/sleeping-beauty/54849.html#a_30375 For Leipzig with the details for the piece: https://www.oper-leipzig.de/de/programm/der-kleine-prinz/546 For Prague it's online: https://www.narodni-divadlo.cz/en/show/forsythe-or-clug-or-mcgregor-3266489?t=2024-02-29-19-00 For Hamburg, the casts will appear in the calendar https://www.hamburgballett.de/en/schedule/index.php Information about Guided Tours for the Narodni Divadlo at Prague is here: https://www.narodni-divadlo.cz/en/show/guided-tours-at-the-national-theatre-en-1941032 I fear there are few restaurants or bars with ballet history in Germany 😳. In Munich, the famous Hofbräuhaus is near to the theatre (actually, directly next to the ballet centre Am Platzl), but also lots of other, more quiet bars or cosy restaurants in the town centre. The Leipzig Oper House is also near the town centre. you should find something within walking distance (by the way it's a beautiful house, so much space!). I haven't been to the Deutsche Oper Berlin in a long time, but there was some kind of opera café right across the street. In front of the Semperoper you'll find the Alte Wache or Schinkelwache with a café in it - it provides a beautiful view of the Theatre Place. 9 hours ago, Richard C said: I am thinking about cutting short the proposed 3 nights in Dresden down to 2 and taking the Odyessy at Hamburg. I know this is subjective but it will make it a packed trip with no downtime so does anyone have any views on whether this production is really worth such a detour ? John Neumeier's Odyssey is one of his older pieces, it's the Homer epic. It's been decades since it was on the schedule, so this should be interesting. It was made for the second generation of his famous dancer-actors, people like Ivan Liska, Ivan Urban, the Bubenicek twins - no idea how he will replace them, Hamburg was such a great company back then. I liked it very much, but that was 25 years ago. I would definetely recommend it, because Neumeier was a much better choreographer then - but on the other hand, Dresden is such a beautiful, beautiful town where you can spend much more than three days. Visit the museums, the bridges, the wonderful Frauenkirche, maybe take a tour to Saxon Switzerland. Right now, Dresden is flooded, but I suppose the waters will disappear until February. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanartus Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 https://www.rdo-berlin.de/ …the restaurant of the Deutsche Oper Berlin where some of the ballets are staged is right next to the building. The front part is the restaurant, and behind a partly closed velvet curtain is the canteen for the dancers, singers and stage crew. It’s all like a magic mirror, two worlds semi co-existing! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 What a lovely thing to do for your wife. And what a great ballet trip! I imagine there’s quite a few on this Forum who’d like to tag along!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 It's a really lovely thing to do, so thoughtful. I hope it all goes well and it will be a great experience anyway. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard C Posted December 30, 2023 Author Share Posted December 30, 2023 Thank you for all the really helpful replies. I’m now looking at cramming either (or both) Stuttgart and Hamburg in and I’ve booked 2 opera house tours. Fiona you are absolutely right- the performance we have tickets for in Berlin is the 23rd not the 24th! The cast lists remain shrouded in mystery which is a contrast to ROH where my wife chooses dates based on her favourite dancers ( Nunez, Osipova and Lamb are the names I hear most frequently as she huddled over the laptop on booking days). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annamk Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 @Richard C If you manage to fit Stuttgart into your trip and you fancy something different from an opera house tour I highly recommend the Mercedes Benz museum. I’m not in any way interested in cars but I thought it was really brilliant. Please report back and tell us about the performances you see. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabine0308 Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 (edited) Great idea, I am sure you will enjoy your trip to Germany! Cast list for Onegin is out in Munich, but not the February dates yet, sorry. https://www.staatsoper.de/en/productions/onegin As for Berlin: there's also a Snackbar inside Deutsche Oper of course. You can order a table and food/beverages the day before your visit. Also, if you need more information regarding getting around in Berlin or Munich, sightseeing recommendations etc, send me a PM. I would love to send recommendations. Edited December 30, 2023 by Sabine0308 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 14 hours ago, annamk said: @Richard C If you manage to fit Stuttgart into your trip and you fancy something different from an opera house tour I highly recommend the Mercedes Benz museum. I’m not in any way interested in cars but I thought it was really brilliant. Please report back and tell us about the performances you see. Sadly, I do not think Stuttgart will fit your schedule, as you will probably have found out yourself by now. Anyway, it might be worth checking out Stuttgart Ballet (including a visit to the wonderful Mercedes Benz museum mentioned by Anna) on a separate trip, as it does have some of the best dancers and the "Shades" program will be a highlight this season! This is not terribly realistic, I fear... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 (edited) On 29/12/2023 at 14:34, LinMM said: What a lovely thing to do for your wife. And what a great ballet trip! I imagine there’s quite a few on this Forum who’d like to tag along!! Quite a few wishing our own hubbies could be so amazingly thoughtful & generous with effort/time/funds too! Hero Husband of the Year to you! Very well deserved x Edited December 30, 2023 by Peanut68 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard C Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 On 30/12/2023 at 23:16, Peanut68 said: Quite a few wishing our own hubbies could be so amazingly thoughtful & generous with effort/time/funds too! Hero Husband of the Year to you! Very well deserved x I was eager to show this to my wife. Oh how she laughed! of which there has not been a lot lately so that was good. Her only comment was that I now need to keep up this benchmark. Hmmm. Ive had a look at Stuttgart and sadly it’s fairly impossible. Perhaps another time. sabine i will take you up on your kind offer. As soon as I’ve worked out how to PM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 You have indeed set the bar very high! To be fair to my own partner… I did get to book tickets to see Nunez/Bolle in Manon for my Xmas present 🥰 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 11 hours ago, Richard C said: sabine i will take you up on your kind offer. As soon as I’ve worked out how to PM Click on the four little lines on the top right hand side of the page. You will see a little envelope. This is the DM system. However, @Sabine0308 a number of us may be interested in your advice for Berlin and Munich! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myrtle Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 11 hours ago, Richard C said: I was eager to show this to my wife. Oh how she laughed! of which there has not been a lot lately so that was good. Her only comment was that I now need to keep up this benchmark. Hmmm. Ive had a look at Stuttgart and sadly it’s fairly impossible. Perhaps another time. sabine i will take you up on your kind offer. As soon as I’ve worked out how to PM Your loving efforts and thorough planning for your wife's sake thawed my icy heart, though only briefly, lol. Perhaps one advantage of having a second trip centered around Stuttgart to look forward to is now you're afforded the leisure to savor all you can on this Germany tour without the urgency to get it all in during the one and only trip? May the New Year bring only good things for you and your wife. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard C Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 Just wanted to report back. My wife and I had a wonderful time on this trip. Thank you to everyone who gave help and tips but especially to https://www.balletcoforum.com/profile/28587-sabine0308/ who gave us great advance guidance, especially for Dresden. We did many of the things Sabine suggested - we are really appreciative of the time and trouble she went to. Please bear in mind my comments are based on a lay person’s viewpoint. I do not know a jette from a plié! The productions were mainly magnificent, especially La bayadere in Munich where we were lucky to catch Lauretta Summerscales, Julian McKay and Shale Wagman ( Bronze Idol). The Forsythe programme in Berlin was excellent after a false start (we went to the wrong opera house to start with but made it in plenty of time), and our favourite was Sleeping Beauty in Dresden. The Opera House there is a gem, the production excellent. In Leipzig the Young Prince left us a bit bewildered but it was a good occasion, a young appreciative audience and a lovely city. My wife has had a tough time and the restorative power of watching a number of ballets over a week in a foreign country has been phenomenal and a joy to see. We hope to get back and take in Stuttgart and Hamburg another time. 20 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabine0308 Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 Oh @Richard C you're very welcome, it's so nice to see that you had a great time. Yes Semper Opera House is a BEAUTY. I guess you went to Staatsoper Berlin but then found Deutsche Oper. Staatsoper is the beauty here, but in Deutsche Oper the view is good from every seat especially in the stalls. Good to know you made it in time, as there is quite a distance between the two Opera Hoses. Anyway, glad you enjoyed! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard C Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 Yes Sabine - that was the error! Taxi ride needed! We need to return sometime to go to the SO! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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