Sometime around 1998, I was dispatched to Uzbekistan to see if we could include it as a stop on a private jet trip. Working for a luxury tour operator, it was my job to see if it would be okay/safe for us.
So I winged in via Frankfurt and a local tour operator had been found and my guide, the lovely Irina, was waiting for me in the dawn I had started in JFK when she had been eating her lunch yesterday, so was very out of hours and just needed sleep. She knew this and took me to the hotel and said I will see you at 4pm. Good I said.
And she was there, A recent graduate in English from the university, she was keener to discuss Jane Austen than downtown Tashkent. I broke the ice by saying if JA was here, what you want her to see ?? She got it and off we went.
One stop was in front of the traditionally styled opera house. As I am a classical music and opera person, we came to a screeching halt. Is the opera playing right now ? I don’t know. While she went to look, I examined the cyrillic posters outside and worked out that Tosca was on that night. Did she like opera? I don’t know – I have never been. It is too expensive. Would you like to go ? OH YES. We went running back to the box office and tickets were available and I flashed out a whole wad of Uzbek som and we had our places booked. Nothing but the best for us. Tickets in the orchestra USD10 each. I know how to take a girl out in style.
We continued our sightseeing and in a cafe, I gave her some info on going to the opera. I was praying it would not be a disaster. I ran through the plot, almost to the end. I wanted her to have a big surprise.
Later she and the driver collected me and we are in our seats. I can see that she is in her best outfit, all made up and is totally wired. The place is big and has some nice faded gentility to it. Just old red plush.
I spent the next couple of hours just watching her, sideways. She is on the edge of her seat and I was reliving my early opera experience through her. At the end, when Tosca jumped, she gasped. You didn’t tell me that was going to happen! No I says, I wanted you to experience that moment.
She was overwhelmed and swore she would save to come back for another one. Over a glass of wine, I told her the true story from a Metropolitan Opera production, when the soprano jumped off the battlements. The only problem was the landing was just too bouncy and poor Tosca shot back up in to view. Irina just howled with laughter at the thought.
Next day, she told me she had been in touch with all her friends and now they all wanted to go to the opera. I hope they did.
timothyvalentinestravels 