Life is Not a Constant Stream of Cocktail Parties and Soirées...

... however, every so often a pretty sweet invitation manages to drop itself in the mailbox. Yesterday's invitation was for a piano and violin recital by two young Italians held in the Teatro Santa Isabel in the historic centre of town. For someone who strongly believes that the location of an event is as crucial an element of success as the event itself, the opportunity to head to Santa Isabel was an outing in itself. Built in a neoclassical style and originally opened in 1850 after ten years of constuction, the theatre was all but destroyed in a fire in 1869. It reopened in 1876 after massive renovations/reconstruction. It's most recent "reopening" was a mere three years ago after a further seven years of renovations. Santa Isabel has been named one of Brazil's fourteen theatre-monuments recognized as part of the country's culture and artistic heritage. Overall, the theatre is a delight. Smaller (811 seats) than many others, Santa Isabel has incredible elegant yet simple lines, dominated by red velvet, white plaster, and gold trim. It was a joy to sit in the plush seats (hurray for the most recent renos!) and listen to a bit of Mozart, Brahms, and Schumann. Now that I know how terrific the theatre is, I'll be sure to keep my eyes open for its ongoing programming.