It was my birthday this week and Kathryn had booked seats for us both at the Opera House to see a performance of The Barber of Seville. It was quite magical to walk up the stairs to the main entrance with the lights of the harbour reflecting in the water and the Harbour Bridge soaring away to my left.
It is quite difficult to put into words my feelings on my return to Sydney. I can't say there was an instant feeling of familiarity after all these years, or that I recognised places - things have changed a great deal since I was last here before Kathryn was born - but I found, as I did then, that it was a place in which I could relax. Kathryn has settled in well, as I knew she would, and loves Sydney, as I also knew she would and I am very proud to see the way she treats her surroundings with familiarity and comfort. She knows her way around, is full of advice and knows what is what, and it seems as if she has been here always .
So, to attend the opera with her was wonderful and it would have been a great evening even if the production and singing had been lousy, but in fact it was not. A simply delightful and witty performance of the Barber, updated to the 1920s, with a gorgeous set, well sung and just so damn funny. Took me a little while for my ears to tune into the sound in the house which is different from other places I have attended. For a start, it is not a huge venue (the concert hall is much bigger), but well suited to operas of this scale and the orchestra pit is also fairly small with an orchestra to match. The last time I saw Barber was at the ROH with a massive orchestra and sound but it soon became clear that this little orchestra was plaing with delightful agility, lightness and speed and it was sheer delight from start to finish.Very enthusiastic audience, house packed and lots of whistling and cheering at the end.
And then to come out, not into a busy London street, but the beautifully lit harbour which enchants all over again. This was a birthday I won't be forgetting in a hurry.....
