classical music

last weekend i went to the philharmonic with friends. it was almost two hours of music, with a 10 minute intermission. a full orchestra (i think), with a french horn soloist for one piece. how marvelous. i have lots of friends and acquaintances from college (and other places) who play instruments or sing beautifully, so when i go to hear music like this, it often makes me miss those friends. and it also makes me want to play my own violin .. (we'll see about that .. )

so the crazy thing about classical music in romania is the price. my ticket cost:
- less than it would cost to go to the movies on a weekend here
- the same as a set of 10 bus tickets
- about the same as a novel
- slightly more than 2 liters of milk
- slightly more than 500 grams of nutella

and yet .. most romanians that i know cannot afford to go often or at all. one time i asked a friend who was rather low on funds, and her first response was 'how much does it cost? i still need to eat.' that's not something i have to think about. i have enough money to enjoy beautiful or fun things now and again. not everyday, but the material differences between the romanians i'm beginning to know and myself is often overwhelming. no matter what, though, i savored the music and my soul was refreshed.