Huck: Music night

Gonzalo from the ward sent out a mass text. There was a free concert coming up on Friday for the school of music at the National University of Rosario. We let him know we wanted to go.

We got off the bus at the plaza and bought a couple of slices of torta from a bakery. After I ate mine I decided I'd stick to empanadas. We got to the front doors of the building and found Gonzalo sipping mate.

The concert was in a room that was half-library, half-lecture hall. The bookshelves were cut off from view. I looked up to see the ceiling came to a gothic-arch peak in the middle. I was immediately jealous that none of the lecture halls at BYU made me feel like I was at Hogwarts.

Oboe and viola player talking it out in the background before the show

There were about 30 people there for the concert. Students, professors, friends, and a photographer that wove in and out of the chairs taking pictures of the musicians and the audience. People wore jeans, tennis shoes, and scarves.

Please note photo bomb by pianist over my right shoulder

Augusto Norese was the first to perform. He played classical guitar. Right in the middle of the Fandanguillo of the Suite Castellana, something small and black fell from the loft above and glided toward the bookshelves in the back. It then came back to circle the heads of the audience. It stopped for a rest on the column next to the window and I got a better look: it was a bat.

Augusto's face-melting guitar solo

People started to realize what it was. Augusto played on. I shoved my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. A student opened a window, probably trying to convince it to leave. I think it preferred classical guitar.

Nothing can stop these guys

Next up was Pablo Galimberti and Joaquin Arbelo, a violinist and a pianist (who stole the show, by the way). The pianist offered a history of the piece, thanked the professors, audience, and bat for attending, and sat at the electric keyboard. He would not be distracted by the swooping animal during the performance. The audience, however, was not as composed. We ducked each time it flew toward us.

Please note the ducking guitarist and the black streak that is a quickly moving bat

There was a short break during which the bat clung to a rotating fan bolted to the wall, people drank wine, and I ate half a cookie.

Look closely to the right of the pillar on the ledge

It stayed for the oboe, violin, viola, and cello quartet. They played a couple of sonatas. The performance was nice. The bat squeaked and we applauded at the end.