Finally the day came when I didn’t just walk by the beautiful Opera building, but actually got to go inside it and enjoy my first French Ballet. When a few of my friends came to visit from Luxenbourg and suggested we do something cultural I didn’t hesitate for one minute when they came up with Paris Opera. After all, I already was greatly impressed by the near by Opera inspired Cafe un de Paix and ever since having coffee there I have been eager to go to the real thing.
The ballet consisted of two separate parts. The first one was by Serge Lifar, scored by Georges Auric. Knowing that Lifar was the director or Paris Opera for 20 years, really raised the expectations for me. After all, over his time there he choreographed over 90 percent of the ballets and starred in most of them. I was pleased to see this particular one since he had incorporated many aspects of theater. It was as if watching a play, a story unfolding in front of you. The costumes were colorful and creative and really helped to tell the tale.
The second one was by Alexei Ratmansky, who was inspired by Cesar Franck. This one simply took my breath away. It was everything I knew great ballet to be. The costumes were soft and romantic. The story had love and heartbreak. The music made your soul shiver…
I must admit that our seats were within a writer’s, such as myself, budget. Therefore, they pretty much had the worse view. Or let me correct myself- no view at all. I did manage to sit in a way that allowed me to see the left side of the stage, as for the right side.. well, I used my imagination. Nonetheless, it was an amazing experience and I truly felt like I was in the legendary Paris Opera, and next time maybe I will get to see the right side too.
