A City of Great Music!

We have so enjoyed attending several productions of the Metropolitan Opera, which was founded in 1883 and is currently in its 129th season. The present opera house opened in 1966 at Lincoln Center and is a jewel of red velvet, grand white staircases, and crystal chandeliers.The auditorium seats 3,800 and more than 200 operas are staged here each year.  The large stage is highly mechanized, allowing for elaborate sets and stunning stage effects. The gold-damask front stage curtain is the largest in the world; the entire ceiling is gilded.  The wonderful music we enjoyed here was worthy of this fabulous setting!

Most of the operas presented here are sung in a language other than English, so translations of the libretto appear on individual screens mounted on the back of each row of seats.  Opera-goers can choose to see English, Spanish or German translations of what is being sung on stage.

Last week we also attended another, very different, concert, this time held in the small Catholic
church of  Notre Dame, "The Grotto," on the Upper West Side. The Renaissance choral music
  filled and resonated beautifully in this setting.