Another day, another show..

Today was a little later start than other days. Olga picked me up from my hotel about 1pm and we walked several blocks to a little cafe where we had lunch 

Philharmonic Hall, second level seating behind orchestra

It was a short lunch because we had tickets to the Philharmonic. Once upon a time, long ago, when it was built (in 1839) it was an Assembly Hall of the Noble. If I understood correctly it was not only a place for music but also for events like dances and social galas. But now, it is just used for the Philharmonic. There are two orchestras, the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Academic Philharmonic Orchestra. I'm not sure why the 2nd one is called "academic" because it does not have any students in it. Of course, many things over here have interesting names...

Second half of concert from just to the side of the orchestra

The music was all from the Strauss family performed by the Academic Orchestra (Olga's friend Sveta plays the Harp in that one). Polkas, Waltzes, and Marches galor! Some of the pieces sounded a little familiar but I could not recall their names (we didn't pick up a program). The only piece I knew the title of was "The Blue Danube." But the music was pretty good. Of course, we are seeing the same concert tomorrow night as part of our New Year's Eve celebrations so I get to hear it all again!

Salmon snack at the theatre

After the concert we had a quick coffee with Sveta before dashing off to the Aurora Palace Theatre where Olga was playing that evening for a ballet performance. While she was in getting set up, I sat in the lobby and enjoyed some typical Russian theatre food. They sometimes have some sweets (rarely anything like an American candy bar) but mostly stuff like Salmon, caviar, or some sort of meat on a slice of buttered bread with a few garnishes. I chose the salmon... and a bottle water.

Lobby of the Aurora Palace Theatre

The Aurora Palace Theatre is one of the theatres that Olga plays at regularly with the Russian Ballet (the Hermitage Theatre and Musical Comedy Theatre being the other two). This theatre is more similar to something you might find in America. Maybe that is because it was built in the mid-1900's (could not find a specific date).  It is a very modern style amphitheater.

Inside the Aurora Palace Theatre

The performance consisted of selections for one or two dancers from various ballets by different composers. There were pieces by Tchaikovsky (Swan Lake, Nutcracker), Chopin, and Saint-Saens to name a few... The dancers did a wonderful job. The only problem was that they tried 'mic'ing the musicians and it was not pretty. Several times there was major feedback issues and inconsistant mixing. Thankfully, for the second half, they didn't use the sound system and the orchestra sounded great!!

Dancers on the stage!

Tomorrow is the Nutcracker! Hard to imagine my trip is almost over...