That photograph shows my literal view when we went to Meistersinger. I could see only those tny bits at the extreme left and right of the stage. Things were no better for the OH,as the man in front of him had a head just as big and with ears that stuck out at 90 degrees. After the first two acts, with two hours of a non-visible opera to go we decided to cut our losses and leave.
It wasn't just the size of the heads, although they were huge. The seats in the stalls at the Staatsoper are not offset but arranged directly behind one another, and there is no rake to speak of. So if you are sitting behind people with elaborate headgear or large heads then it's just tough luck.
What we saw was nice but it's limiting not being able to see the centre of the stage were the action is taking place, especially in a piece as long as Meistersinger. The singing (certainly in the first half) was very good and as far as we could see it was an light bright production. Although the centre of the stage might have been plunged in gloom I suppose.
Overall our experiences at the Staatsoper could best be described as underwhelmng I think - which is a shame since it was the major reason for the trip. As a 'world class opera house' Vienna fell woefully short.
Very bad design!
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