Cusco, “The Old Incan Empire”,is not only a city full of ancient culture; to this day there are a lot of cultural events going on in the city – for example at the “Teatro Municipal” of Cusco.

In the completely renovated theatre, reopened on 2013 after being closed for years due to adevastating fire, you can not only see plays, but all kinds of cultural events. You can listen to music of all eras of the last and recent century, witness traditional dances and – as a very recommendable add on – hear the symphony orchestra of Cusco. They are giving regularly concerts, not only at the Cusco Theater, but in concert places all over the region. And it’s definitely worth going – even if you are usually not a fan of classical music.

Last Friday, the symphony orchestra of Cusco gave a special concert at the Teatro Municipal de Cusco. They played Prokófiev´s famous opera “Peter and the Wolf”, as well as the “Carnival of the Animals”, both well known around the globe and often played – especially for children.
But not only children were flooding the theatre on that evening, also parents, grandparents and a lot of Cusqueños, who just stepped by the theatre and decided to join (the entrance is usually free). And it turned out that it was definitely worth it. Due to the amazing performance of two professional cusquenian actors, accompanied by the symphony orchestra, I could not only see the fascinated faces of the children around me, but I myself was not able to take my eyes off the stage. I felt like travelling back in time to my own childhood, where this music, especially that of the Carnival of the Animals had guided me through a time without worries.

I laughed heartily when the donkeys entered the arena without dressing up, because they did not understand the event, I felt the magic when the beautiful swan was swimming his laps underneath the beautiful moon and my breath got caught when the wolf turned to eat the helpless duck – all situations narrated vividly by the actors and accompanied by the well known melodies.

At the end of the day, everyone was happy to have joined the concert and I made my way back home – still feeling the spirit of what I had heard and the moral that was told to me: “No matter how good you dress up, in the end it is always best to be yourself”!