One looking left towards Vigo centre: 
The other looking right towards A Guía:
Five minutes later that level of visibility had even further reduced.
All day the cloud has come and gone. It’s not actually rained much since then, just been rather grey.
On the other hand, it’s not at all cold. At 9.30 this morning the temperature gauge on the billboard down at the corner registered 15°. Maybe we’re turning tropical: rather warm and steamy. When we walked down to A Laxe shopping centre at the end of this afternoon we found that they had their heating turned up to winter levels still. We left fairly quickly and later took refuge in a cafe where everyone is excited watching football but apart from that the temperature is much more pleasant.
Last night we decided to get ourselves a bit of culture and went to a concert at the Centro Cultural Fundación Novacaixagalicia. We heard quite a lot of Haydn, a bit of Hindemith and a rather amusing piece by Charles Ives, which the orchestra seemed to take great delight in playing. The conductor Christoph König was one of those who jumps up and down and practically dances on the podium. It’s nice to see someone really enjoying his work! All this cost us €13 apiece. I find this amazing. To listen to a similar performance in Manchester would cost us at least £30!
The other thing that continues to surprise me is the fact that the venue has no bar. During the interval, people mill around and chat to friends. Some pop out for a drink in a nearby bar but that’s it. There’s a lovely big open area but no facilities for providing refreshments. Someone is missing an employment and moneymaking opportunity. At a similar venue in the UK you would be able to pre-order your interval drinks and in some cases have something to eat before or after the show. Another aspect of this is the fact that the lovely premises (and it is a fine building) is closed except for performances. The ticket office opens half an hour before the performance. Otherwise you have to buy tickets on line or have a season ticket.
I compare this with the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. The place is open all day while rehearsals take place. Or even when they don’t. People wander in and out, buying stuff in the theatre bookshop, the souvenir shop, the fancy handmade jewellery stall and so on, as well as booking tickets for performances. Friends and I often meet there for lunch, without any intention of going to the theatre. The same sort of thing goes on at the Bridgewater Hall.
Someone should whisper in the ear of the people who run the Centro Cultural Fundación Novacaixagalicia. There are development opportunities there.
No comments:
Post a Comment