Saturday with Carmen

Recently I saw Bizet’s Carmen Live in HD from the Met with my friend, yoga teacher and Ayurveda instructor, Patricia Wickman. We left early as it was an hour and half drive to the Marcus Cinema in Oakdale Minnesota. We had two planned stops on the way. First stop was Trader Joe’s. This is a wonderful shop that carrys Kerrygold butter, imported cheeses and organic produce. I walked the aisles ohhing and awwwing like an excited child, tossing goodies into my basket. With bags bulging it was time for our second stop.

Stop two was a favorite Indian restaurant of Patricia's. I was looking forward to this. I hadn't eaten Indian cuisine since I was home in Ireland last summer. There aren't any Indian restaurants in Eau Claire. As Patricia had promised the food was delicious. We were pressed for time and were unable to savor the food to the degree it deserved and had to pass up desert. This was a blessing in disguise for me, considering the extra lbs that have come to visit, refuse to leave and have overstayed their welcome.

We arrived at the cinema about ten minutes before the performance was to begin. Now I have been to a few of these HD Live performances and they have always drawn nice crowd. However this performance packed the house. The only seats left were in the two front rows. I didn't realize Carmen was such a popular opera, in the Midwest. We sat in the center of the second row. Necks crammed forcing one to scoot down so far in the seats, your backside was hitting the floor. Not a pretty site!

The music started,the curtain rose and within five minutes all discomfort was forgotten. The opera swept you away. It was breathtaking. Soprano Elina Garanca’s portrayal of the seductress Carmen was as skilled as it was believable and that voice. Her voice was liquid gold and velvet all wrapped up in a beautiful multi talented package.

At intermission, both Patricia and I sat in silenced awe for a few seconds, before turning to one another asking in unison, "Are you enjoying it." Smiles spread across our faces answering "Yes, Yes isn't she wonderful!" We then agreed that this was one amazing way to spend a cold winter’s afternoon.