A Night at the Opera! Erm... Ballet!

We are seeing loads of beautiful visual art... Bernini's fountains and bridges, lovely architecture, and frescoes like you wouldn't believe. After long periods of absorbing, though, I was ready for something different, so when one of my new friends from California asked if I would accompany her to the ballet, I jumped at the opportunity! Three of us went to the Rome Opera House and saw the professional ballet of Romeo and Juliet. We couldn't take any photos during the performance, but here are some shots of the evening:

The paintings on the ceiling, which we had an excellent view of with our gallery seating. Climbing lots of stairs was totally worth only paying twelve euros for a professional ballet performance... We didn't mind, especially because we still had a clear view of the stage.

My lovely new friends! It's pretty amazing how quickly you can get to know someone when you live in a small community and experience such new and stretching things together.

Orchestra warming up... 

Pretty. I'm a fan of chandeliers. Also, light. 

The orchestra was fantastic... I forget how much I love classical music until moments like these, when experts perform with such beautiful artistry and feeling. 

...and so it begins. The screen with the painting of the weeping girl on it was actually really neat--it was semi-transparent, and the first dance was performed behind it. Seeing a ballet was a perfect performance to see in another country, because the message the dancers sent crossed all language barriers. It was also fascinating to see the choreography reflecting Shakespeare... they even had the introductory speech   interpreted into a dance (star-crossed lovers, two houses, etc...), and made you fall in love with the characters. They made it even more heart-breaking than Shakespeare, because (in typical ballet fashion) they prolonged Romeo's death so that Juliet woke up while he was still alive, and he had a terrible realization that she was alive. In fact, when he found her "dead," there was a slightly morbid but deeply touching dance in which he danced a duet with her limp body. The muscular control and athleticism required for the entire performance was stunning, but that dance was especially powerful.

Teatro Dell'Opera!!

Sarah and I. :) (photo credit: Heidi) It was a lovely evening... We're looking at tickets to an opera of Macbeth, the weekend before we leave. It looks affordable, and I hope we make it happen!