We had some really nice weather here in Calgary, until Sunday November the 9th. We woke up to a few centimeters of snow covering everything. We had planned on going to visit our daughter in Edmonton, but decided it likely was not safe to travel on the busy Highway QE2. We heard from someone later that their friends had come into Calgary from Red Deer, normally an hour and a half drive, and it took them 5 hours, as they had to take a long detour because Highway #2 was closed. That made me quite relieved that I had stayed home.
Our friends had tickets to a guitar duet event on Mount Royal University campus Sunday night, but weren’t able to go, so they offered their tickets to us. My wife and I were able to walk to the concert, just a little over 5 minutes away, so we didn’t have to drive on the slick streets to get there. We were so glad we were able to attend.
The tickets read that they were Row A, seats 1 and 2, but we didn’t really know what that would mean, haven’t never been in the theatre before. Well, they were the best seats in the house! We were only a few feet from the two performers, and could easily witness their finger movements, their facial expressions and their body and head movements. It was a sensational concert.
The performers were the Assad brothers, Sergio and Odair, born in Brazil, of Lebanese, Italian and Portuguese descent. They were fantastic! They performed classical guitar compositions, one after the other, and continued after a short intermission. They performed a dissonant composition by a recent Argentine artist. They finished the evening with a piece that another person had composed especially for them. After a standing ovation, they performed an encore, and then came out for one last curtain call. Odair kept clapping for the audience, a gesture I have seen many times with international soccer players.
It was so soothing to listen to these talented artists, both around 60 years old. It was also so cool to see their exciting finger work, sometimes tapping on the guitars with hands, fingers, knuckles and finger tips. They would occasionally glance at the other’s fingers, as if they were feeding off each other’s energy. I had never heard of these performers before, but they are world renowned classical guitarists. They have traveled extensively internationally. Sergio is on faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, while Odair is based in Brussels, Belgium where he teaches at Ecole Supérieure des Arts. Sergio is also a composer, providing arrangements for Yo-Yo Ma, and many others.
Following the concert, we were served with delightful mushroom caps, asparagus wraps, veggies and dip, and fresh fruit. That was so cool to relax and munch, and rave about the wonderful concert. Then, the brothers, all packed up to leave for their next venue, were walking through the crowd in the foyer. Some people stopped them to talk, and I managed to sneak in, shake the hand of each performer, and tell them how very much I enjoyed the concert. They both really appreciated the gratitude, and Odair started chuckling to me, that it was really great to see someone in the front row who was enjoying their concert so much. That made me chuckle also, that I was actually noticed during the performance.
My wife and I raved about the concert all the way home, and for quite some time afterwards, back in our house. It was such a nice change from sitting at home and watching television. It was just an amazing experience for me that I will remember for a long time.
