AMD 3

For this AMD I watched a production of Richard Wagner's Der Fliegender Holländer (The Flying Dutchman). The opera follows the tale of the Flying Dutchman and its capitan who are doomed to travel the sea for eternity except for once every seven years when they can dock on land. The only way to break this curse if for the Dutchman to find a wife to be true to him. One night the Dutchman comes aboard another ship and runs into its Captain, Daland. Daland has a daughter named Senta and the Dutchman immediately sets his sights on her. Problem is she already has a boyfriend.....The opera ends on a tragic yet epically Wagnerian as Senta runs into the sea profession her loved after the Dutchman sails away. The opera concludes with both of them ascending to heaven.

The music in this opera is unreal. Wagner is just such a genius. The way he is able to convey such a specific sense of setting and emotion through the music is unparalleled. I first was drawn to the music when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra played in Hill Auditorium in October. It is so easy to get swept up in the raw power of the music. I highly recommend it to anyone.

The production, however, was complete crap. It was such a shame. I couldn't even finish watching the third act it was so bad. I look forward to the day I can actually see it live!

Kultur 6

I think it's really nice to see how progressive Germany is in terms of recycling. Even having labels in four different languages on the recycling bins is very forward thinking. It really makes you put the recycling issue in the United States into perspective. I don't really know how the U.S. separates recycling, but the system in Germany seems highly efficient even though it is somewhat a task in discernment. 

I thought the article on knocking and entering was interesting yet not surprising. I am always in favor of keeping the door closed but I guess it is more efficient to just knock and enter. Those Germans and their efficiency!

Kultur 5

From the article, the frequency of physical contact with other pedestrians reminds me of my trips to NYC but a little more agressive. The more surprising portions of the article were those that described how people will just push through you or step on you without saying excuse me. I think residents in larger cities in America give victims at least that courtesy.

On the topic of sex shops, I believe this article has a larger connotation of what how Americans view sexuality. Even in the previous Kultur articles about public nudity in Germany it made me reflect on how conservative our culture is here in the U.S. on this topic. Talking about sex is such a crude and undignified thing to do here and I feel like Germans and Europeans in general embrace it.

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It is so interesting to compare transportation culture in Germany versus here in the United States.  Pedestrians obviously are lower on the transportation food chain in Germany where they have so many paths dedicated towards bikes. I think the deeper principal is that of order. Germans love order! Everything and everyone has their place so one shouldn't try think they are an exception. From the honesty system on the subways to crossing the street when cars are coming, there is a strict system to everything. I love how the articles mention that Germans have the sense of duty to correct those who seem to "forget" about the rules and regulations. One in particular is crossing the street in front of impressionable children.

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It was very nice to get more of an understanding of the food culture within Germany. The most interesting part of these reading was first reading the article about the many types of German fast food that seem to be prevalent around the country then reading the article about the growing obsession over organic foods. I guess this shows the two sides of the coin: the tourist side and the resident side. I assume that for those visitors looking for the "authentic" German experience, the fried sausage and stale bread route is the way to go. The Currywurst description is my favorite....

Currywurst

Don’t get your hopes up too much -- this is no Tikka Massala and it doesn’t taste anything like curry. Basically, it's a Bratwurst (see above) which has been sliced up in a special machine with a dollop of luke-warm so-called curry ketchup ladled over it, and if your lucky with a dusting of mild curry powder and the obligatory half slice of dried out white bread.

It is also cool to read about the different taste in humor across the country, yet with all these reading Berlin is starting to sound like a rather heavy city.

AMD 1

For AMD1 I stalked the Vienna State Opera and Vienna State Ballet to see what they are up to this season. The Vienna State Opera is like the Metropolitan Opera of Austria except it's far more enriched with tradition.

First I went through the Opera and Ballet season and they it should be a good one! The Vienna State Opera produces so many operas each year. With the excepetion of June and July you can basically go to a performance each night of the year. However, it doesn't look like they will be producing any new works this season. I assume this is because of the economy. It is a far greater risk to produce a new work rather than revamp a classic like Ariadne auf Naxos (the Opera Program at U-M will be doing this opera in March!).

The Ballet could be described as more forward thinking because they present the traditional works as well as  some very new and innovative pieces as well. One is a ballet version of Carmina Burana. This is usually a massive choral and orchestral piece, but companies sometimes create movement to go along with the text. (Michigan Opera Theatre did this last year with a Cirque du Soleil theme and a professor in the School of Music directed it. I heard it was amazing.)  Here is a link to the trailer for the Vienna State Ballet's version:

                                         Carmina Burana

One final thing that I think is so incredible is the Opernball that happens each year at the Vienna State Opera house. They create one massive dance floor by extending the stage all the way out into the audience. They ballet schools do a small presentation as well as the professional company. Then they give a small presentation with some notable opera singers. This event is definitely on my bucket list.

Kapitel 1 Kultur-texte

What an enlightening read!

I really appreciated the fact that they included the map of German immigrants across the United States in the article. I expected New York to have a large population of immigrants, but the real surprise are the large numbers of German immigrants in the Midwest, California, Washington, and Texas. One line that was particularly fascinating to me was the fact that Germans sometimes looked for land in America that resembled the land of Germany such as the forests of Wisconsin. Also, the German fascination with Native Americans was interesting to read. The article mentioned the many publications and clubs in Germany that resulted on account of the contact between Native Americans and German speaking immigrants, but I wish it had talked more about why this obsession came about.

The Turner movement around the country and especially in Milwaukee is a great example of how the German culture thrived and continues to thrive in American society. I have always been impressed with the fierce dedication of European countries, especially Germany, in their constant rethinking and innovation in terms of the way we look at ourselves and society.

Another highlight of this article was the brief explanation on the origins of Bambi. Prior to reading this article I had a little knowledge of Bambi even though I have never seen the Disney movie. It is very interesting how this story came from such a dark place yet was molded into something for children.

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#Deutschlandproblems

The article about German complaining was fascinating. It seems like Germany is pretty cushy yet the residents don't see it that way. I think Health insurance, great public transportation, and 4-8 weeks of paid vacation is pretty nice. Maybe Americans have lower standards....who knows.

I would be mortified/so creeped out if someone made it their business to stare at me for long periods of time. That kind of behavior would warrant some major backlash and confrontation in the U.S. I love the line "Smiling and winking, on the other hand, might get you a date. " Some people wish it was that easy.

Brutal honest would be a shock to the American system. Yet I love how we have this unwritten language of passive aggressiveness/rudeness. This line was particularly funny: "We're having a party, please do come," means "We feel rude not inviting you in front of these other people, but surely you'll have the grace not to show up." 

But really...who doesn't like Wagner?! I mean, rainbow bridges to Valhalla??? Yes, please!!!

Metropolitan Opera Ring Cycle

WATCH THIS VIDEO!!!

AMD2

Ich schaue um 20:00 Uhr Nachrichten auf tagesschau.de. Es ist sehr interessant. Sie sprechen um viel Welt Streitpunkt. (Now is English....)The news talked about some of the pressing news stories from around the world. They briefly talked about the updates in the Syria/Turkey conflict. A big topic on the news and across the website was the Presidential debate last night. They even had graphs of the swing states! I never knew Germans seem to be really interested in this election.

Another big topic of interest is the EU Stresstest fur Atomkraftwerke (Stress testing the Nuclear Plants). A Greenpeace made a brief appearance.

It is also raining in north and central Germany just in case you were wondering.

And apparently its the 50th Birthday of James Bond?! Alles Gute zum Guburtstag!

With all that heavy news we need to lighten it up with some Sesamstrasse. Sing, sing ein Lied...

Not even Mitt Romney can kill this joy!

Mein Lieblingswort ist wonniglich.