EL CONCIERTO

Last night we, Irma and her family and I, went to a concert in Teatro Alcala. From what I understand, the musicians were from different places and this concert was the first time they had played together. The conductor was from Israel and was quite young. We got there an hour ahead of time to get good seats, so we were all sitting in the 5th row.

In Mexico, the government subsidizes arts and culture so that most people have access to this kind of performance. The tickets were 20 pesos (about $1.50), and the seats were not reserved, so what seats you get depends on how early you get there to wait in line. Last week we went to a performance of Rigoletto (in Italian with Spanish subtitles). The tickets were a bit more expensive.... I think about $15.00.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It made a big difference to me being able to sit close to the stage which I've never been able to do at the Flynn. The cellist had two solos (accompanied by the symphony) and he was brilliant. I don't go often to symphony performances -- this experience changed my attitude toward them. The audience was wildly enthusiastic about the performance -- the energy was contagious.