A Little Night Music

Our Sunday morning and afternoon were wonderful, but Cordula and Rene had more in store for us. While the girls headed for the flat to play with Wally's toys, Laura and Scott returned to the hotel and got dressed. The four adults then headed for the Berlin Philharmonic--one of the greatest orchestras in the world. The program was Joseph Haydn's opera, Orlando Paladino, which was performed with orchestra and voices, but not a stage or props. It goes without saying that the music was unworldly in its quality, especially the soprano aria, "Non partir, mia bella face." Even those seated in the rafters must have enjoyed it, but we did considerably better than that. Our seats were amazing. Seated in a front-row box just above the orchestra, we could see and experience everything, including the teleprompters that simultaneously translated the opera from Italian to German. Fortunately, since neither Scott nor Laura speak German, the Philharmonic also provided a printed copy of the libretto in Italian which Laura could read and Scott could follow since Italian is close to his languages of Spanish and French. After the rousing final chorus, "Se volete esser felici" we adjourned to a nearby vinoteca (wine bar) where we enjoyed delicious Greek food, Italian wine , German beer and good conversation that kept us out until after midnight. Astonishingly, when we came home, the girls were still wide awake and happily playing.