The Met

Yesterday, I went to the Met.

The Metropolitan Opera is broadcasting some of its productions live in HD at movie theaters around the world, and Beaumont is lucky enough to be on the list. For $22 ($20 for seniors, $15 for children 11 and under) you get to sit in a movie theater at Tinseltown with other opera nuts and experience some of the finest opera in the world. It is extraordinary.

The Met did this last year too, but Beaumont wasn't on the list and you had to drive to Houston for the performances, which were often sold out. Travelling even the short distance to Houston for a day trip is not realistic for me, so I wasn't able to go. But just before Christmas, I learned that the Met had come to Beaumont this season. What a Christmas present! I had missed the first one (Romeo & Juliet) but got to see Hansel & Gretel and Verdi's MacBeth.

I could wax lyrical at some length about how marvelous, how magnificent, how sublime it all is, but opera is one of those things that you either love or don't, so I will spare you of all the details; but I will say this: if you have never seen live opera, or if you have never seen a good one, you owe it to yourself to go just once. Check the links above to find out if there's a theater in your area showing the live HD theater broadcasts. It is so much better than watching it on PBS in your living room! It is like you are really there.

Afterwards I went out to eat with some others who were there to talk about the production and enjoy some good food and good company. I made four new friends and I'm really looking forward to the next show, which is in five weeks. Hopefully I will have progressed enough on the MP by then to be able to go!

On another musical note, today at mass my church choir premiered a new choral piece by our conductor. It was gorgeous. Spine tingling! And I can say that the day after going to the Met! We won't be singing but once for the next five Sundays, so I won't even have to miss singing. I have no idea how long it will be before I'm able to go back to church and sing, though I was hoping to be able to make limited excursions in about six weeks. We'll see.