Andrea Bocelli

Marc and I were fortunate enough to hear the great and lovely Andrea Bocelli at the O2 this week. Marc's friend, who also works in finance, got us seats in his company's box (thank you Richard!). Many of the big companies in this country (including my former law firm) have boxes at the O2, where so many great artists perform when they are in London. Those boxes are intended for client entertainment, and Marc's firm is a client of Richard's firm, so we lucked out.

Andrea was magnificent, as one would expect. He sang with an exceptional soprano and an amazing flutist. The programs were £15 so we didn't buy one and I can't tell you their names, sadly, but they are so talented. It was such a privilege to hear such a beautiful concert. The energy was incredible. The orchestra, the choir, the momentum!

If you can imagine it, we were in a plush box, behind which was a room with sofas where we could chat, leave our things and enjoy good food and champagne. We could look onto the whole 02 arena, the beautiful symmetry of the rows and rows below and above us. Our view was, naturally, unobscured. We felt on top of the world.

And it occurred to me that it's such a shame that the people who are able to enjoy the privilege of experiencing this were those who worked in finance, an area so devoid of soul, of creativity (at least in my experience). It saddened me that money alone could afford this experience, which seems to me far away from that soul-less world. I wish everybody could have the opportunity to feel enriched by the music we heard.

Just a thought. We will certainly treasure our memories of this evening with Andrea!

PS: for those Sesame Street fans out there, check out this clip of Andrea singing with Elmo. I assure you that your heart will melt! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BDVvB7Xx1w