So Let The Music Play!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

And the beat goes on. This evening we will get to hear The Emerson String Quartet in concert at the Palau. This will be our first opportunity to hear them live. At 18 Euros a ticket it becomes a possibility here in Valencia versus damn near possible in Los Angeles given the prices at the Disney Concert Hall.

Yesterday I slept in until 11:00. After breakfast I volunteered to do the shopping at the Central Market and at Mercadona. At Solaz I bought some ham and smoked turkey, as well as some Manchego. They had some homemade membrillo con nueces on the counter for patrons to sample and it was delicious. I told Cristina that and she gave me some to take home for Susan. Next stop was a visit with Amparo to pick up some fruit and vegetables. Here is what I bought: 5 tomatoes, 1 head of lettuce, 1 cucumber, 2 red peppers, 3 bananas, 2 navel oranges, 2 mandarins, 2 Fuji apples, 2 onions and 1 large baking potato. The total cost was 6.75 Euros. I unpacked the goods and headed to Mercadona to pick up some basics and there was one more stop at the corner grocery store to replenish our bottled water supply.

We had a late lunch at home. Susan put together an eye-appealing Nicoise salad and along with some bread and a Verdejo we had a very enjoyable meal. We read and rested in the afternoon and headed out again a little before 7:00 for last evening’s guitar concert.

We had a bit of surprise when we entered the auditorium of the Colegio Luis Vives – about 100 of the seats were already occupied. In the past we had no trouble finding seats in the first or second row. It was different last night. By the time the concert began the auditorium was just about filled to capacity. Part of the explanation might be that this cycle of concerts is going to feature Valencian guitarists and that means that more people will naturally turn out to see their native sons perform.

Last night’s artist was Albert Rodríguez who this past December won a competition for having played the best guitar interpretation among all the competitors. His program was quite varied and included the following: Dos Sugestions by Salvador Brotons, Junto al Generalife by Rodrigo, Sonata para guitarra by Antonio José, Elegía by Johann Kasper Mertz, Sonata Op. 61 by Turina, and Fantasís sobre motivos de La Traviata” by Tárrega. It was a most enjoyable concert and the audience was most appreciative. Rodríguez played one encore, which he dedicated to his first guitar teacher who was in the audience.

We headed back home a little after 9:00 in search of a little sustenance. Most of the restaurants we passed were quite full, so we decided that we would stop in at a little restaurant near the Central Market called, La Dehesa de María. We found a corner table for two and studied the menu. We ordered some patatas bravas, as well as a smoked salmon salad and a pork brochette. All three dishes were very tasty and the bill came to 23 Euros for the food and two beers and a glass of wine. We were back home a little before 11:00 and we read for a while before we turned in for the evening.