It's almost two years since we've heard a concert at Benaroya Hall. Music was such a taken for granted part of our lives-- until it stopped. All those Sunday afternoons, sitting next to Betsy, chatting at intermission and watching wonderful performances. Our seats were 4 rows back from the stage and the musicians were like familiar friends. Seems like a different lifetime.
We've had season tickets to the Seattle Symphony since the 90's, back when they performed at the Seattle Center Opera House. After a long commute and work at Microsoft and Boeing, I can't believe we had the energy to go downtown for the Tuesday evening series. Of course, it was much easier getting around. Now a drive to the Center could take over an hour. South Lake Union (headquarters of Amazon) is unrecognizable.
Closer to home, we were invited to a neighborhood block concert on Alki Beach, and listened to a group work their way through Mendelssohn's String Octet. It's a complicated and lively piece (the boy genius composed it when he was only 16.) Anyway, a brave choice for an amateur ensemble. It lasted an hour instead of the usual 35 minutes, so we got our money's worth!
Later that same afternoon (culture vultures) we walked a few blocks to hear a free piano recital at the Episcopal church. The excellent young pianist played Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Chopin. When those first notes rang out in that silent space, it reminded me how much we've been missing. There's just no substitute for live performances.
John renewed our fall-winter Seattle Symphony season, but we haven't received the tickets yet. Also, no guarantee we'll have our usual old seats next to our friends. Everything will be different. The first concert is in late September and you must show proof of vaccination to enter the hall.
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