We’re back!
Last year more than 130,000 people around the world joined us to stream our concerts. And now with a brand new season and a brand new streaming platform, we’re ready to get your plans underway for making the most out of your watching from home!
This weekend’s concert is all about celebrating the return to having the full SSO on stage; the performance is jam-packed with bubbly exciting music…so obviously its time for a champagne watch party.
Here’s the deal – bubbles come in all sorts of ways, not just champagne…so we’re going to give our tips on what to look for.
If you’re wanting to go economical, we highly recommend a prosecco. Italy’s answer to sparkling wine, prosecco is fruity, flavourful, and affordable (for the most part!). So those who want to spend a little bit more, a good champagne goes a long way – take a look at Veuve Clicquot! It’s more money, but its worth it if you want to treat yourself to something special!
Since our concert features Bizet’s Carmen, we highly recommend taking a leap and trying Cava. Cava is a sparkling wine from Spain that comes in either blanco (white) or rosado (rosé) – and it’s incredibly delicious! Just like all wines, when it comes to sparkling its all about the grapes. Cava wines have that sunny Spanish grape flavour, and will bring a little taste of Spain to the palette.
Not a bubbles person? Ok, fair! Since Carmen is a big part of the concert, why not try a Carmenere red wine (typically from France or Chile, but Carmenere grapes are now grown around the globe!). Or if you want to enjoy the warm weather we’re having, grab some fruit and make a sangria!
And since we’re taking on a Spanish flare, we think the ideal plan for your watch party is tapas.
In pre-19th-century Spain tapas were served by posadas, albergues or bodegas, offering meals and rooms for travelers. Since few innkeepers could write and few travellers read, inns offered their guests a sample of the dishes available, on a “tapa” (the word for pot cover in Spanish).
According to The Joy of Cooking, the original tapas were thin slices of bread or meat which sherry drinkers in Andalusian taverns used to cover their glasses between sips. This was a practical measure meant to prevent fruit flies from hovering over the sweet sherry. The meat used to cover the sherry was normally ham or chorizo, which are both very salty and activate thirst. Because of this, bartenders and restaurant owners created a variety of snacks to serve with sherry, thus increasing their alcohol sales. The tapas eventually became as important as the sherry.
In some bars and restaurants in Spain and across the globe, tapas have evolved into a more sophisticated cuisine. Tapas can be combined to make a full meal.
For suggestions on ingredients, making, and enjoying Tapas we turn to Food & Wine for their Best Tapas Recipes
However you enjoy the Opening Night Celebration from home, we just want you to make sure its a celebration. Orchestras often get to play joyous music, but this time the joy is the fact that we get to make it together again!