La Clemenza di Tito

In case you've been wondering what we've been up to, I'll tell you. We have for some time been wanting to see an opera live at the Met. When Joyce DiDonato and Matthew Polenzani were scheduled to sing Mozart's

La clemenza di Tito, we jumped at the opportunity. We loaded our smallest suitcase and headed to NYC for two nights...one to recover from the plane ride and one to see the opera.

Before the opera, we had several hours to kill so, being in a place where there is absolutely nothing to do 😉, we had some breakfast and headed out to Central Park for bit of people watching.

The carriages are painted in some pretty bold colors for the rides through the park. There are also cycle rickshaws plying their trade here, but there are expensive! We could see signs on them that stated rates of ~$4/minute. We just enjoyed sitting on a bench and watching.

Even a little way from the streets, we could feel the relaxation that all New Yorkers must feel when visiting the park.

As time marched on, we headed closer to Lincoln Center and our meet-up with Nicole and Antonio for dinner before the opera. It was good to again see our long-time good friends and have a great dinner and conversation.

On the way, we saw a few places that caught my eye. I like this view of the violin repair shop next to the restaurant.

Although you are not allowed to photograph the performance, I did get a few shots in before and after so you could see what the place is like inside (Oh! the efforts I make for my adoring audience.) the lights overhead are quite striking.

The stage is the centerpiece of the theater.

Before the music began, the curtain was opened so you could see the set. Very clever. The roman columns and a scrim covering the upstage area. This enabled the action to flow very quickly. The slowest scene changes were when a large table and chair were carried on or off the stage. All the rest were scrims or people coming or going.

Of course, Mozart's music was marvelous. The obbligato basset clarinet that accompanied Joyce DiDonato in Parto, parto, ma tu, ben mio was truly spectacular. I compare this to a sort of double concerto for voice and clarinet imbedded in the opera. I could carry on for a long time about the performance, but I'll just say...WOW! If you are, or think you might someday be, an opera lover, you have got to go to the Met. The whole experience is pretty amazing.

The next morning it was breakfast and then off to the airport to head west to Seattle.