a wonderful evening out
Feb. 5th, 2023 08:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kareinaOn Friday evening we went out for a concert. My first in many years. Sometime before Christmas we got an email from Guldstalaget, the folk dance group we danced with last winter (we haven't managed a single Tuesday evening dance this autumn or winter because life is so busy), saying that as members of the group we could get a discount to a Folk Music concert happening at Sara Kulturhus, the really, really big, all wooden, building at the city center. So we bought tickets.
They were willing to accept cancellations and give refunds up to the day before, but, as luck would have it, it was the afternoon of that concert that I started to feel a bladder infection coming on, and wasn't willing to do the half hour drive in to town for it.
So I emailed the organiser with apologies for missing it, and getting sick too late to cancel, and assuring them that I was ok with them keeping the money. He replied saying that they had two concerts coming up after the first of the year, and did we want to attend either of them instead? One of them was the Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orchestra, which we had never heard of before, but only a short time listening to their offers on youtube convinced us that yes, we would like to attend that one.
I am glad that our past selves and fate conspired to get us there, since it was a really good concert. It begun with just the musicians stage for the first number, and it was clear from the first few seconds that they all really love what they are doing, do it well, with great energy and enthusiasm, but Ivan Kovačević, playing Double Bass, really puts his entire heart, soul, and body into playing, with an energy that is really infectious and fun to see. for the second number Margherita Abita joined them on stage, and begun to sing, and pretty much as soon as she opened her mouth and a chorus of angels poured out into the room, I turned to Keldor and said "I just fell in love!"
They played straight through in one long set, with songs from many (all?) of the Balkan countries, tossing the musical emphasis back and forth among them all, each one taking it in turn to carry the focus and energy, all of them smiling and happy and interacting with one another, and with the audience. I, of course, had a sewing project with me, and started the evening sitting and sewing, but I was glad that we had a seat on the end of the row, because I soon stood and danced, and kept sewing, the fabric fluttering behind me as I sewed for the rest of the evening. After the concert we bought one of their records (yes, in vinyl, as Keldor has a record player), and we got them to sign the album cover.
PS, if you play an instrument, check out their web page--they have music scores for much of the music they play!
They were willing to accept cancellations and give refunds up to the day before, but, as luck would have it, it was the afternoon of that concert that I started to feel a bladder infection coming on, and wasn't willing to do the half hour drive in to town for it.
So I emailed the organiser with apologies for missing it, and getting sick too late to cancel, and assuring them that I was ok with them keeping the money. He replied saying that they had two concerts coming up after the first of the year, and did we want to attend either of them instead? One of them was the Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orchestra, which we had never heard of before, but only a short time listening to their offers on youtube convinced us that yes, we would like to attend that one.
I am glad that our past selves and fate conspired to get us there, since it was a really good concert. It begun with just the musicians stage for the first number, and it was clear from the first few seconds that they all really love what they are doing, do it well, with great energy and enthusiasm, but Ivan Kovačević, playing Double Bass, really puts his entire heart, soul, and body into playing, with an energy that is really infectious and fun to see. for the second number Margherita Abita joined them on stage, and begun to sing, and pretty much as soon as she opened her mouth and a chorus of angels poured out into the room, I turned to Keldor and said "I just fell in love!"
They played straight through in one long set, with songs from many (all?) of the Balkan countries, tossing the musical emphasis back and forth among them all, each one taking it in turn to carry the focus and energy, all of them smiling and happy and interacting with one another, and with the audience. I, of course, had a sewing project with me, and started the evening sitting and sewing, but I was glad that we had a seat on the end of the row, because I soon stood and danced, and kept sewing, the fabric fluttering behind me as I sewed for the rest of the evening. After the concert we bought one of their records (yes, in vinyl, as Keldor has a record player), and we got them to sign the album cover.
PS, if you play an instrument, check out their web page--they have music scores for much of the music they play!
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Date: 2023-02-06 04:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-02-07 03:26 pm (UTC)