Kat Eye Studio

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A Night at La Scala (An iPhoneographic Essay)

A warm summer evening. A ticket to see the orchestra in Milan. A last item checked off of the “To Do” list.

Last night, I made my second visit to Teatro all Scala, the world famous opera house, to listen to the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra. Conducted by Nicola Luisotti, they performed Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1 in B flat min. Op. 23 with Alexander Toradze on piano, and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 in B flat maj. Op. 100.
I stressed a bit about what to wear, even though I know people show up in everything from jeans to floor length formal gowns. I settled on a skirt, digging out some nylons and my spikiest of heels. It is Milan, after all.
I found my seat on the main floor, fifth row, on the right.
I watched the boxes slowly fill, and captured some of the details of this historic opera house.
As the orchestra took the stage, I watched as they chatted and warmed up. But when the conductor and the soloist arrived, that’s when I put my camera away and closed my eyes.
I traveled with the music, letting it take me where it willed. From colored ribbons of music that dance together to images of something real, I felt the music resonate in my body and let it guide my imagery. I saw a sunrise, a stormy sea, a stream dancing through a beautiful glade. I soared to great heights over a landscape, and watched dancers swirling around at a fancy ball. This is how I experience music. When my eyes are open, I get easily distracted with watching and thinking. When my eyes are closed, I am fully in the moment. The amazing experience of live orchestral music, and how I respond, is something I have discovered during my time in Italy. One more beautiful thing to take home with me.
The orchestra completed, and after much applause, the patrons spilled out into the warm summer night. I looked around, trying to take it all in. Already a beautiful memory, the evening for me at La Scala. 
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I’m linking in to Creative Every Day, The Creative Exchange and Phoneography this week. Thanks for coming by!
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Comments

  1. Best foot forward it seems:-)
    Lovely music in such an outstanding venue. Thank you for taking us along.
    Thank you for saying hello on my days' bloglet.

  2. Ah, La Scala. Beautiful indeed. One of the best musical experiences to think of. You can almost see people wonder around in hoop dresses after they came from their carriage, can't you? 🙂

  6. What a fitting farewell performance. Love those high kicking heels–and the crowd pouring out into the night.

  7. Another spectacular memory for you! Thanks for taking us along with your words and imagery!!! Bravo.

  11. Amazing opera hall!! I used to do a unit on "Barber of Seville" with my 5th graders as an intro to opera. I took minds from "a fat lady singing" to more appreciation an at least a more open mind.
    You do know "in the day" it was all about what you were wearing, who was there with who, etc in addition to what was happening on stage or resounding in the accoustic space.
    I'm jealous of your experience; and bet it was amazing. I miss the opportunity to just close my eyes and drink it in….but I remember how it feels.
    Thanks for sharing your evening. Happy day.

  12. Such beauty and grandeur! You can feel a live orchestra to your bones. And eyes closed…now that sounds perfect! You have so many great memories to take home with you. 🙂

  13. This sounds like it was such a wonderful evening Kat! You describe your feelings of being there so wonderfully.

    Thank you so much for taking us along with you today at The Creative Exchange.

    Have a wonderful evening!

    lisa.

  14. What a wonderful memory for you to have, and thank you for taking me along on the journey through your words and photographs!

  16. One more addition added to your wonderful collection of memories of Italy! Wonderful post!

  18. Kat, you captured the best way of soaking art! I am done with my postcards and ready to mail next week! 😉

  19. Oh, what fun! I have yet to see Ls Scala — it is on my list. I love old theaters and your photos gave a glimpse into the magnificent old building. Thanks for taking us with you!

  20. Thank you for taking me to the symphony with you, Iphoneographically love it.!! Terah

  21. Meravigliosa! You are one lucky woman—and thank you so much for sharing your good fortune so charmingly.

  22. oh my gosh, what a fabulous experience! thanks for bringing us all along! wow.
    my postcards are being printed, i'm so excited!

  24. Wow, what a magical memory and experience. I love how you took something so classy and documented it with your phone…may be the classiest link we've had yet! HA! So happy you joined up this round, really enjoyed your post, photos, and memory.

    "colored ribbons of music…let it guide my imagery." I love that line.

  27. Historic opera and theatre houses are always lovely on the inside. So much detail and rich architecture. They just don't make buildings like these anymore. You are fortunate to have had an experience like this one. Live music on this level is magical.

  28. Sounds like a beautiful evening! So glad you were able to enjoy such a wonderful night while you were there. Memories!

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