The Essen Opera House-Behind the Scenes

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We were given the chance to go on a behind the scenes tour of the Essen Opera House with our Tante Gisela, Uncle Soto and our cousin Sophia.  It is a beautiful building designed by Alvar Aalto.

The Lobby

In the lobby we learned that Alvar Aalto designed the building to represent waves and nature.  It is all done with white Italian marble.  There is no art on the walls because Aalto wanted the people to be the artwork.  What I like is that there is only one entrance for all people so the rich and the poor would be forced to mingle.

The Auditorium

In the auditorium, we learned that in total, there are 1125 seats and you can not have a bad seat.  Aalto designed the inside so if a tall person sits in front of a child, the child can still see.  What I thought was interesting was the material on the seats.  The material absorbs the sound the same way as a human would so the sound is the same if the actors are performing onstage.

The Stage

The stage is the 6th biggest in Europe.  What I thought was unique was the different parts of the stage spun, rose and lowered to make the scene look real.

The Orchestra

The orchestra pit is in the shape of a mouth.  It represents the mouth of the orchestra and their version of singing.  For safety, there is a fire wall that will shoot up from the orchestra pit behind the conductor and protect the people in the audience if there is a fire on the stage.

Costumes

The costumes are beautiful.  They are all covered in sparkles, have small details and beautiful designs.  They are reused as much as possible because the costumes are expensive to make.  They are kept for ten years before they are sold.  The Essen Opera house also shares costumes with other opera houses.

Make Up

In the makeup room the artists use the cosmetics to turn the actors into their characters.  They also have to make it really thick so it can last for three hours.  In dance we have to wear a lot of thick makeup but not as much as these actors have to wear.

 

Wigs

The wigs are probably one of the most time consuming props.  They are made with real hair.  The hair is threaded through a hair net one at a time by hand which takes about forty hours per wig. I think it was really interesting to learn how much work goes into threading each hair through the hair net.

The Props and Sets

The props and sets are all stored underground and are almost stacked to the ceiling.  As a dancer what I thought was interesting was that there are different floors for different ballets.  The stage team can stick on the ballet floors onto the stage to keep the dancers from slipping.

My Overall Opinion

My opinion is the Essen Opera House is beautiful with a well thought out design.  The theater has many important things that I would not have noticed if I was not on a behind the scenes tour.

Special Thanks

Thanks to my aunt and uncle for taking us on this wonderful opera experience.  Now we have a better understanding of how much talent, expertise and hard work goes on behind the scenes of these amazing operas.


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Comments

8 responses to “The Essen Opera House-Behind the Scenes”

  1. My goodness, not only are you and your family so very lucky with all of these very special events a and tours that you have experienced while in Europe, but so are we, the readers of your Blog. Reading about these places and people has been so interesting , and even hearing the musicians sing and seeing the dancers ….you have really shared the experience beautifully .

    1. Hi!

      It is great to know people are enjoying and coming along with us on our trip. We have been having such an amazing time travelling and bringing our friends and family along with us.

  2. Harriet Johnston Avatar
    Harriet Johnston

    Hi Zoe,
    Oh wow what a great opportunity – what a talented family you have – how fortunate to have got to see that wonderful opera house. Again I’m blown away by all of the great experiences you and your family are having during this journey. I love reading your stories about your adventures and you describe things so well. Thanks again for sharing your trip with us.
    Harriet

    1. Hi!

      I am so glad you are enjoying our blog! 🙂

      You are right, we are so lucky to be able to experience some amazing things.

      Thanks for commenting! 🙂

  3. This is certainly a very informative blog! I enjoyed all the areas you covered. I was wondering when you mentioned the material on the chairs absorbed the sound would this mean that the singers would not need to use any type of microphone? Perhaps they would be able to project their voices further. Do you know?

    Imagine how tedious it would be to make those wigs! Isn’t wonderful to see how many different occupations are involved in a production! Thank you very much for sharing! Thanks to Tante Gisela and Uncle Soto for providing such a wonderful experience!

    1. Hi!

      No, the actors don’t use microphones. Their voices need to be loud enough so everybody can hear them, but they also need to be clear so everyone can understand them. 🙂

      Those wigs do seem very time consuming… You also need a lot of concentration. 🙂

  4. Aunt Mary Avatar

    Zoe, you covered everything! I will truly appreciate opera more; now that I know how much work goes on behind the scenes. How wonderful it is that you have been able to spend some time, again, with Uncle Soto, Aunt Gisela and family! By the way, they look terrific!

    Through your blogs, we have been able to be a part of your global journey.

    1. Hi!

      I also appreciate opera much more now that I have seen what goes into these performances. The costumes, makeup and wigs really amaze me! 🙂 What amazes you?