The News About

The news buzzing throughout the blogosphere and on the all the media outlets is the outcome of yesterday's election. Well, most everyone knows by now that a runoff will be held in two weeks' time as none of the candidates won an absolute majority. Komorowski garnered the most votes with a little over 40% of the vote.

Yesterday, however, I slept until past noon, so I wasn't really on top of the election madness. I, instead, went to see the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra at the Opera Narodowa. What a thrilling show! It's lead by fro-headed conductor, Gustavo Dudamel. The orchestra is made up of poor youths, who have been granted a way out of their poor social backgrounds through music.

Anyway, it was an amazing show (they played three encores.) Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring was played in the second half, while the first half was made up of Margariteña by Inocente Carreño and several dances from Estancia by Alberto Ginastera. For the encores, they played some Hungarian waltz, and some mambo. They completed the effect with the last two songs by twirling their instruments; standing up and moving about; and swinging to-and-fro with the music. Dudamel even switched roles with a violinist, playing violin whilst the lad began conducting. It was a pretty impressive performance all and all.

They take in the rightfully-earned applause.