Brrr!

Today we were offered a special treat: Pam and Romano invited us to an afternoon performance of Rossini's Stabat Mater at the Old Duomo in Brescia, about an hour from here via the Autostrada. We piled into their car and drove through rain and fog to the city, which is both an industrial center and an ancient town that dates back to Roman times.

The concert was in the Duomo Vecchio, a huge, round Romanesque pile that dates from the 11th century. The impression when you first walk in is spectacular.

  

We found seats under the soaring ceiling and waited for the concert to start. But we were instantly aware that this cavernous church was not heated. In fact, it felt downright refrigerated--at least 20 degrees colder than the temperature outside. 

After a contemporary two-piano work that sounded utterly muddled in the echoey space, it was time for the choir from the Parma conservatory, where Romano teaches singing, to take the stage. The soprano soloist, Kim Somi, was one of Romano's students, which is why he'd particularly wanted to attend the concert. We'd heard her sing last summer at a rehearsal of Cosi Fan Tutte, and we were excited to hear her again.

Rossini knew how to write for a cathedral, and the chorus was spectacular--perhaps the most beautiful choral sound I've ever heard. And when Kim's voice soared about the chorus, chills went up my spine--or would have, if my spine weren't already totally frozen. We were so cold and uncomfortable in the church's punishingly hard pews that anything less than a sensational performance would have been unbearable, but these singers made us forget momentarily how miserable we were.

After Romano and Pam went backstage to congratulate Kim and the others, the four of us repaired to a cafe across the way for hot chocolate con panna (with whipped cream) and a brioche. We figured we'd lost a dangerous amount of calories just keeping ourselves from freezing to death, so we'd better replenish. 

When we got home, even our chilly apartment felt relatively civilized, and once we turned our heater on the bedroom quickly became deliciously toasty. So today we had two more reasons to be grateful: beautiful music, beautifully sung, and not having to live in the Middle Ages.