Day 2: Die Zauberfloete at the Karlsruhe Oper

...and so begins what I was most looking forward to in German opera.  The Queen is literally plugged in for this 20 year old (?) quirky and yet solid production by Ulrich Peters.  It's a battle of light versus dark where those grappling in between don wild neons and backpacks.  I could give a review, but I'd rather talk about how this opera and this house in particular defies a few of my biggest opera pet-peeves (let's call them opereves). 
#1- Being aware of people's entrances and exits.  I don't think I once saw someone just walk on to the stage.  They appeared in vertical blinds in the thrust, they came out of stairs in the pit.  They descended from the rafters.  I felt the world was endless beyond the curtains.
#2- Audience members getting up to leave while they are clapping.  Imagine this: they get up and walk, but it is meandering to the pit to give their appreciation.  An audience that sits still for four curtain calls is exactly, as Vanessa put it "respect".

Bravo to my old buddy Lucas Harbour for his low and powerful Sprecher.  And to Emily Hindrichs, who is literally flying back and forth from Boston for these performances.