Met Opera

Good evening all,

Our outing to the Metropolitan Opera production on Saturday of Boris Godunov in HD at a local movie theater was another milestone for Bernice. Our experience of seeing operas in this fashion last year prompted us to arrive early to get satisfactory seats. The program was scheduled to begin at noon and we arrived just before 11:00. I purchase the senior tickets online at $22 each, print these at home, and this allows us to bypass the regular box office line and get in a line where the bar code is scanned. This saves only a little time because almost everyone else also does the same thing. I let Bernice off at the curb and took out her wheelie from the car trunk. She is walking longer distances with her cane everyday but her wheelie serves her better when there are crowds and she has further to travel. While I parked the car, Bernice made her way to the auditorium hoping to secure one of the handicap seats. I soon arrived and saw the theater was about 80% filled already and every handicap seat was already occupied. There is a gradual upward ramp into the auditorium and each handicap seat is on the level at which the ramp levels out so no steps are needed to reach these seats. There are only about ten such seats. Things worked out, however. The seating is steeply raked (stadium seating they call it there) and we spotted a row of seats in about row seven with a wider space in front of its seats. I headed down the side steps with Bernice who used her cane — something she has been practicing for a couple of weeks. We chose a seat in the center of the row and I carried her wheelie down and placed it in front of her in the wide aisle. We had brought two pillows for her comfort: one on her seat and the other on the wheelie seat so she could keep her legs elevated. This elevation is needed to defer pain in her ankles and legs. Being in the center of our row avoided the problem of people wanting to pass by. All of this fuss over seating and equivalent considerations is now an important part of going out anywhere. What freedom to be able to merely stroll into such a setting without paraphernalia and just find a seat and sit down.

Anyway, we had brought along some little snacks and I got Bernice some coffee and myself a hot chocolate to have with my buttered bagel to soften the hour wait. The auditorium continued to fill until there were only a scattering of empty seats ahead of us. Prior to the start of the actual opera, the camera pans around the audience at the Met, focusing in on interesting and beautiful people just being seated, talking, or reading their programs. I told Bernice that I suspected that something like a 20 second delay is employed and a few cameras are used so someone can select just the right shots to convey to us. The shots are just too good to be in real time.

Bernice has a special association with this Russian opera by Mussorgsky for her parents, both from the Ukraine with Russian among their languages, listened to the opera each Saturday and had a record of this opera which was often played in their home. As with most Met operas, the singing, sets, and cast were spectacular. The HD version is like sitting in row seven with added closeups and with very clear titles. There were two intermissions with the end of the opera scheduled at 4:15. This is real time so during our intermission some of the actual opera goers at the Met had a chance to sip their champagne and make clever conversation. Our crowd made their way to the rest rooms and I got Bernice some popcorn. During this interval there are interesting interviews with the principals of the opera and some roving camera views of what is happening back stage in preparation for the next act All the leading roles are Russian speakers but Boris is sung by the German Bass René Pape. These are all very big people with the men looking like they would be comfortable on the football field. The leading woman's role is taken by a woman with a very pretty face and a hefty carriage. Bernice's stamina had run out and we left after three hours of opera at the second intermission.

We deemed the outing enjoyable and a success. There is a special spectacle to any Met opera but I would not rank this one among my favorites. Bernice used the word ponderous. The voices are amazing but there are not the melodic duets or trios of a Mozart or the stirring music of Verdi.

Today was quieter. Margherita made the house spic and span, Bill the PT person came and walked outside with Bernice as part of her exercise program, and I caught up (or tried to) on house chores. Bernice tries to keep cheerful but there is back pain and that intolerable itching that is part of her blood condition, to contend with and endure. Late in the day we went down to the beach where Bernice walked with me to about the fourth bench where she sat while I continued my brisk walk.

Good night all,
Merwin