Little sour brown, lots of bubbles and jokes and fines fly off. Ball for the first 5150 in ORF.
“People are coming out of their holes, which you don't usually see. You won't believe how beautiful they are,” says Dr. Like, these are comedy brothers Paulus and “Benji,” from an interview with Mirjam Weichelbrun. They both used the 66th Vienna Opera Ball as a “great social study” for their cabaret work, while the Bed Ball-goer was again allowed to use it more shamelessly for personal pleasure. From a distance, the top 5150's box hopping was again a lot of fun. Up close, things get weird at times, especially when bragging about strong assets to the camera: “Hmmmm a budget, honey? Hahaha.” And then opera star and watch collector Piotr Peksala misplaced his Patek Philippe completely untimely. Nothing could have been worse.
For State Opera director Bogdan Rosick, few — except Peksala, who could certainly return — but then went too wild. He closed the ball with the threat of a stricter door policy for the coming year: “Some people are disturbed by actions like Karanka's when he was drinking.” Also: “Just because you can buy a ticket or a box, you're not allowed here. Allow everything.” Good behavior is needed again, Ioan Hollender sends his best regards.
Richard Lugner (91) and Priscilla Presley (78) on the dance floor ABA (Eva Manhardt)
Mirjam Weicselbraun always behaves well in her work for ORF, but in the 66th edition you had to look for the good angel of the opera ball, and she was not as usual. Moderator Andy Knoll was moving a lot in his second job. It still applies to him. Unlike her debut colleague Marion Benda, she retains her charm and perspective. Christoph Wagner-Trenkwitz and Carl Hohenlohe voiced the 22nd time (as Dracula with the flowing cape). Recent humiliation: fined for saying “ball of balls”. With the earnings they can buy a sausage or two at the end of the job.
The presence of women at the ball also paid off. For the first time, “Barcarolle” had an all-female duet with Karanka and Spanish soprano Serena Sanz. Two pairs of women participated in the opening group. Priscilla Presley brought her host Richard Luchner (already over 90 years old) to his old tired knees (“I'm already in the sand”). DJ Ötzi showered his Lisa-Marie with roses and was genuinely happy “to have such a great daughter”. Alessandra Meyer-Wölden kept her ex-husband Oliver Bocher in check, and everyone else was happy about it. Heino would never forget his Hannalore, and the most beautiful opera ball opening could not distract him from it. And Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas was amused that Chancellor Karl Nehammer was scheduled to speak that evening about Europe's last motherland, the Baltic Sea island of Kihnu: “He's a little scared.”
