On a beautiful late fall evening in May we experienced a concert at the world-famous Teatro Colón. Considered one of the top five accoustical venues in the world and having recently undergone a four-year, 100 million dollar renovation, this was to be one of the highlights of our stay in Buenos Aires.

One goal of the massive renovation was to match what existed on opening day 1908. There was the presidential balcony, where in the 1950s Juan Perón and his wife Eva would watch Maria Callas. From the stage, the room rises with six levels of boxes and seating to the seventh tier with standing room for another 1,000.

This top deck  aptly named paraiso (paradise) is the brain child of architect, Francesco Tamburini. Tickets can be had for a few pesos yet the sound is said to be the best in the house.

Concert No. 3

Matices Atrapantes(Captivating Nuances)
Conductor: Enrique Arturo Diemecke , Soloist: Sául Medina, marimba
Enrique Arturo Diemecke: Marimba Concerto (Latin American Premiere)

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 1 “Titan”
05.26.2011 | 8:30  PM

Arriving early that Thursday we were ushered to our center seats on the 4th tier of the theater to settle in for the performance. First up was Sául Medina who gave a dazzling performance on the marimba accompanied by the orchestra with conductor Enrique Arturo Diemecke. (If you are not sure about the marimba, that link is worth the read).

Here is a video clip of the performance:

Luciano Pavarotti once said it all: “The theatre’s acoustics (have) the greatest defect: its acoustics are perfect! Imagine what this signifies for the singer: if one sings something bad, one notices immediately.”

Hearing the triangle from the back of the orchestra made this comment ring true for us.

At the end of the symphony the crowd reacted enthusiastically to the performance with loud and sustained applause. Diemecke and the Orchestra responded just as enthusiastically.

If for some reason you aren’t able to attend a performance, there is a guided tour offered at a nominal price. The main Web site is here.