In short, the past opera and ballet season has been forgettable. The only performance I could remember without checking the calendar was Jorma Uotinen's Black Water.

Obviously I still remember Die tote Stadt I saw yesterday, but I suspect I'll forget it soon enough. Which is a pity: it was an excellent performance, and the view of Bruges as if from a cargo bay of Starship Enterprise - doubtless unintentionally - was interesting and handy. Its Finnish premiere was this last November, and I had looked forward to seeing it, although hearing the music compared with Richard Strauss and Puccini is a mixed recommendation from my point of view... The performance yesterday was recorded for television, so I may have a chance of changing my opinion in the near future.

Altogether this autumn I've seen Aida, Uotinen, Blood Wedding & Scheherazade, and now Die tote Stadt. Does the fault lie with me or with the performances that they seem so uninspired and uninspiring, although everything appears to be fine?