Aruna S Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 It's me again, this time looking for advice for booking at the Nationaltheater in Munich. There's a performance of Neumeier's Dream on 5th July, the day after my Hamburg performance, that has got to be a sign! My questions are: - Is it necessary to send in an email order or is there a fair chance of getting a ticket when online sales open? According to the website postal orders are usually processed 3 months before the performance while online sales start 2 months before the performance. BUT for this specific performance they'll start processing email orders on 1st February which is 5 months ahead. I don't know if that means there's something special about the performance and therefore there's likely to be greater demand for tickets. There's no mention of when online sales will start so perhaps the 2 month rule will apply. I would like to be able to choose my own seat, the one in Stuttgart with an email request was just fine but I always prefer to choose for myself unless that means there's a strong risk of not getting a ticket. Since saver train fares go on sale 3 months ahead, I would be booking travel before online sales open so I have to be reasonably certain of getting a seat! - Assuming I can choose my seat, what is the rake like? I seem to have nailed it with Hamburg where I have a seat in Row 11 of the stalls, what would be a similar option in Munich? I'm thinking the first row of the Balcony might be better for this particular ballet. I would be most grateful for any advice, I know many of you have been to Munich and have experience of how the system works. How did you book your tickets, and is it any use requesting a specific row in an email order? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 I can't comment on how the performance will sell but when we went to see BRB in Munich last year we used the email order facility. I asked for front row of the stalls on the order form. I got front row for one performance and second row for the other so I suppose to that extend it worked. I loved the auditorium! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruna S Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 Thank you, Janet. I'm leaning towards email booking to be safe. What was your impression of the rake? Front row would be too close for me but I could ask for, say, row 5 onwards and see how that works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Sorry, I didn't notice the rake. Not sure the front row would be too close for you, the stage is so enormous the dancers looked tiny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruna S Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 (edited) That's useful to know! I'll try for the front row then. I've been looking at some photographs of the auditorium, it has to be one of the most beautiful (if not THE most beautiful) theatres around. Edited September 20, 2013 by afds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Wait till you get inside - I was absolutely blown away by it! Julie 2 Milner may be able to offer better advice than me, BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 The Nationaltheater at Munich is HUGE, and although it's very beautiful (and people do dress up there), it was built for opera, not for ballet I cannot recommend a perfect seat for ballet, because for me there is none - in the stalls you always have to look up a little bit, the stalls are not raked enough, only from row 15, 16 you have some kind of overview for the corps de ballet scenes. They have five balconies which are much too far away from the stage, you can only see from the middle part of a balcony and if you choose the side seats of a balcony, you must sit in the first row or the sight will be restricted (the standing room in the middle of the balconies though has excellent sight lines, if somebody wants to go there). The first row in the stalls is fine, because the orchestra pit is also huge, so don't fear that you will be too near. A fine alternative is the first row of the first balcony (Balkon). Or you take one of the other balconies and bring good binoculars. Normally the Munich ballet performances do not sell so fast as at Hamburg or Stuttgart, so you should have a chance by online booking. But if you want to go sure for the front row, maybe email booking is better. The performance of July 5th is part of the Munich Opera Festival in summer, that's why you have an earlier booking date. Don't worry, people will buy the opera performances first, not the ballet. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruna S Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 It helps a lot! Thanks so much, Angela. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 I have been to Munich for the ballet several times; it's true that the rake in the stalls isn't good for the first 7 rows, but I have found row 8 and back to be ok. Be careful not to get a seat on the far end of an aisle,as you may get a pillar in front of you. Good Luck! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie 2 Milner Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 My son dances with the company. I have only ever sat row 12 and further back and the view is great and the rake very good. Many Bavarians are tall and I have never had issues. Whilst usually I would agree with Angela about sales I'm a bit stunned this year as already performances are selling very fast. Already I'm pushing Romeo and Juliet to next year and plan tomorrow to get him to get tickets for me to Midsummers. Already some performances are sold out for R and J and Midsummers top tickets gone. Not sure why as never before been in this situation. ( This is his 4th year). Maybe they are just very popular esp Romeo and Juliet. The theatre is lovely. People do dress well but is certainly not as narrow as let's say Vienna ( my son was an apprentice there). Every performance, even very classical has those who do not dress up. Munich is a lovely place and a lovely place for a ballet break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie 2 Milner Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Just wanted to say only said my son dances there as thought afds would not know. Didn't mean to sound abrupt. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruna S Posted September 21, 2013 Author Share Posted September 21, 2013 (edited) I know he dances there Julie, I remember reading about that :-) And it didn't sound abrupt at all anyway! Thanks for your suggestions. I was having second thoughts about booking by email after looking at the link Angela posted about the Opera Festival where it mentioned that online sales would start on 29th March, but if tickets are selling so fast I'm not going to take any chances. I am really looking forward to seeing two different companies in back-to-back performances and visiting Hamburg and Munich. Edited September 21, 2013 by afds 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruna S Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 Well, the theatre has finally got back to me, and although I had requested the Parkett front row or row 8 onwards I'm being offered Parkett links Reihe 5 Platz 163. I have to confirm in a few days. A friend has a spare ticket in the lowest balcony - Balkon rechts Reihe 4 Platz 6, which is of course a bit cheaper. I would be very grateful for advice on which option to go with. I looked at the seating plan and the Parkett seat seems nicely located but if the rake is negligible I'm too short to take risks and will take the balcony. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 (edited) the rake in row 5 really is quite negligible and you are unlikely to be able to see over the person in front of you (I'm 5' 4"). I haven't sat in the Balkon so can't comment on the view from there. Have you got your Hamburg tix yet? I am just back from a great trip there with one of my groups, and there the first 10 rows are almost not raked at all but behind them it's almost like stadium seating, with each row raised quite a bit over the one in front. Even my shortest person (who is well under 5') could see well. We were in row 16. Edited March 21, 2014 by toursenlair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruna S Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 Thank you, toursenlair. I'm 5'6" so it's much of a muchness. I will go for the Balkon then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Your Balkon seat is right in the middle, perfect sight, just really far away. As Neumeier's Dream has some subtle, fine acting scenes, maybe the Parkett seat could be better - but Katherine is right, there is almost no rake in the first rows, and in cases like this you're sure to have the tallest person in the auditorium sitting right in front of you.... So to be sure, take the balcony, there's a steep rake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 ...and some binoculars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruna S Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 Thank you, Angela. Sorry I missed toursenlair's query about Hamburg. Yes, I do have that ticket and it's in row 11 of the left Parkett, so it should be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aruna S Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 Update. My Balkon seat, in the fourth row of the first level, turned out to be very good indeed. I'm hoping to go back to Munich next year for Onegin and Romeo und Julia, and will try for the same area. Many thanks for the help in choosing my seat. The theatre is incredibly beautiful, the ceiling in the auditorium just blew me away. I really enjoyed the Dream, although if I hadn't known about Helena's spectacles and the confusion they cause in Puck I wouldn't have spotted them even with binoculars. Lucia Lacarra was a very lovely Hippolyta/Titania, although I heard that Polina Semionova had been expected to dance that night. Puck was danced by Illia Sarkisov who was simply brilliant. Munich certainly seems to have a very lively cultural scene. That evening there was an open-air concert with Lang Lang in the Opernsplatz, I was only able to watch the musicians rehearse since I had the ballet, but was able to admire the magnificent stone lions. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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