The Zurich Film Festival is also during my stay, but I have not seen any celebrities. There are tents set up along the promenade with the occasional carpet leading inside. But it's green, not red.
The Zurich Opera House reminded me a little bit of La Feniche in Venice. It's very ornate. We were not allowed to take photos during the ballet, but here's the program:
All three ballets were all very well done and very unusual, especially Snowblind which was based on the novel, Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton. Because they had no printed English programs, I did not know what each ballet was about until the end. As I was leaving, I picked up a program booklet for the Opera House's 23-24 season which did have sections in English.
"Glass Pieces" with music by Phillip Glass (I have heard of his music, but I'm not should I've heard it) featured elaborate drumming which enhanced the performance.
I was seated on the tier above the first floor. The picture below shows the tier and my seat was in the center. I had an excellent view of the stage.
After each ballet, there was a 25-30 minute intermission with drinks and food available in the lobby of each level:
I think one reason for the lengthy intermissions was the energy the dancers needed to perform. Perhaps they needed a rest. Also, smoking is very, very common in Switzerland and maybe the extended breaks were to allow people to go outside to smoke.
There were two terraces on my level. I chose the one overlooking the lake with a beautiful night scene of Zurich.
Here's the fountain I saw during the boat ride:
These marble statues were above the terrace:
Ethan Frome is one of my all time favorite books. I would love to see Snowblind! I wonder how the story was interpreted.
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