End of the working week ....

.... and we meet up at Prezzo's at the Quays, before heading to the Lowry for a bit of culture - Opera North and La Traviata.

We found ourselves sitting in the front row, so could see the orchestra in the pit as well as the goings on on stage. It's always fascinating watching the players (I started to worry that a trumpet player and a flautist had both fallen asleep, fortunately they were just "resting" and opened their eyes in time for their parts).

This is only the second Verdi I've seen, and is apparently the most performed opera around the world. As seems to be usual there is a big death scene at the end where the heroine suddenly goes into full vocal throttle before keeping over. That must be a symptom of TB.
I like Opera North - we've seen some terrific things over the years.

The Quays always looks fantastic at night. The scaffolding on the Plaza across the water is holding up the big screen used for the ~Virtual Fireworks display this evening.