Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Wednesday night culcha

I had never heard of the Salle Pleyel until Sion mentioned it yesterday. Out of curiosity, I popped over to their web site. I learned that it’s a modern auditorium that was once the most celebrated concert location in Paris. Stravinsky, Louis Armstrong and Jorge Bolet have all played there. I saw that the Paris Orchestra was performing tonight. I knew I’d be working nearby on the Champs-Élysées today. And that I could get a ticket for a measly 10 euro. With no plans on the agenda, I decided to add a little culcha to my Wednesday night.

I missed out on the 10 euro tickets, which ended up being a good thing. The next tier (22 euro) included seating behind the stage.

How often do you get to watch a conductor (Christoph von Dohnányi) at work, instead of just watching his backside shake?

6 comments:

  1. everytime I've sat on the stage I LOVED it!!!
    so much fun
    I've heard of Playel but did not know where it was...

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  2. Oh how we would love to be there !
    For a consolation prize, this Saturday we will see Zubin Mehta with a fabulous line up of music.. free. all day.

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  3. Carol, I agree - I am a convert! Such a unique view - it changes the whole experience.

    Candice, your Saturday line-up sounds pretty great, too. I'm sure you get a lot of the "Poor you, slumming it in BA" comments, right?!

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  4. It's close to the Métro stop Ternes, which is where Paul goes for work. I have seen the sign for two years now, and even last year walked past the Salle Pleyel itself, but always thought that concert tickets would be out of reach (Sting was there, for example, and his tickets were exorbitant). But hey! Ten to 20 € concerts?! That's in reach. I'm glad to know about this!

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  5. What a lovely bit of culcha (that made me laugh, btw). How fun to sit on stage! Were you wearing black to fit in?

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  6. Karin, definitely worth checking out. I bought my ticket the day of the concert, so not every show sells out.

    It's also worth noting that La Maison du Chocolat, Patrick Roger and Mariage des Freres are all a truffle's throw away, too.

    Ann, I was, in fact wearing a black leather jacket. But also a big American grin. So I don't think I was too inconspicuous!

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