Day 181: Jazz at the Semperoper

Tonight we went to a jazz concert at the Semperoper, one of Dresden’s architectural gems. The programme didn’t say who was performing, but there was no risk either way; it didn’t matter whether the group was good or bad, because we were going to get to see the Semperoper from the inside. And the truth is, it’s even more beautiful inside than outside (if that’s possible). It is full of gilding, marble columns and red carpets. Every corner pays tribute to a playwright (such as Calderón, Dorst, Schiller…) or a composer (such as Wagner, Mozart, Beethoven…). And next to the stage, great literary figures like Don Juan or Faust are represented.

Our tickets weren’t the best (we had got them through a student offer consisting of four tickets to different performances—ballet, opera, concerts…—for €15). We were seated in the second row of the second tier of the amphitheatre, though fairly central.

The group playing was Pino Minafra and the Sud Ensemble, an Italian experimental jazz group that last year won the awards “Italian group of the year” and “Best Italian record of the year” for their album Terronia. They played unusual instruments such as gongs, didgeridoos… and even used a megaphone to sing. The concert lasted two hours with a twenty-minute interval. It was so good that when it ended, and part of the audience had already left, the rest kept clapping, so the musicians came out again and played something totally improvised. Afterwards we went down and got an autograph.

The concert also confirmed something I had been thinking for a while about the Germans: First, they love everything that comes from southern Europe, whether it’s Bolognese sauce, Spanish tapas, or an Italian jazz band. They’re in love with Mediterranean culture. And second, they’re a bit stiff. At the concert no one moved. Pino Minafra was playing with a fantastic rhythm and nobody followed it, not even with a finger or a foot… The hard part was keeping still! (Of course, one shouldn’t generalise—there are surely Germans who don’t like the South, and surely someone I couldn’t see was tapping their foot). The second point is backed up by two more examples: the day we tried to start a Mexican wave at the basketball (and it didn’t even reach half the stands), or the day I went to a gig with three bands and noticed that people only danced to the one they had come to see; with the other two they stood motionless.

I managed to take a few photos inside, even though it was forbidden (I got told off twice, but I just played dumb).