I just returned from the ballet, Barbora Radvilaitė. Great dancing, music and costumes. I have a friend who is friends with the conductor, so I am getting excellent seats to performances for free. The ballet is the story of a Lithuanian prince who is supposed to marry a girl that his mother has chosen for him, but instead falls in love with Barbora. A true historical Lithuanian love story. In the end Barbora gets sick and dies.

Over the years, I have noticed changes. When I went to performances at the opera house years ago, at intermission, people in the audience would walk in a procession, in a circle on the mezzanine of the hall. Now, it is just the older generation that does that. That tradition is slowly dying out, although there were still quite a few people, including myself and my friend, walking in the circle. But the tradition of clapping in unison at the end of the performance is still alive. It is nice to hear how from a cacophony of clapping, suddenly a rhythm develops and the whole audience claps together in unison.  Going to a performance here seems somehow different than going to a ballet in the USA or else Western Europe.  I don’t know how to explain it, but it seems more understated here.  As if it is a right of the people to have these performances, and the individuals in the audience are not making a statement by going to a ballet.  No over the top enthusiasm either.  Perhaps these are remnants of the socialist days.

I have some photos of the Neris river, and some of the more modern parts of Vilnius. The city is changing quickly, with new skyscrapers, and shopping malls popping up everywhere. I take the bus 1G every morning to get to the Nature Research Centre. We are having lovely warm weather. It probably won’t last much longer. Tomorrow I will hear an opera.