My subscription to the Handel and Haydn Society bought me to Symphony Hall in Boston once more tonight for a performance of Orfeo (or, by its formal name, L'anima del filosofo, ossia Orfeo ed Euridice). The opera was not staged as such, but was presented as a concert. Sitting in the center of the third row, I had a terrific vantage point to enjoy the three talented soloists and the violin section in particular. Before the concert, I was invited to attend a reception with musicians and some of the H&H staff. It was quite evident those of us invited were there to be "cultivated," as my colleagues in the Choate development office would say, but it was a nice opportunity for some free wine and hors d'oeuvres in place of dinner!
