No soaps, just opera

About twice a year, we treat ourselves to the opera, and find ourselves in the comforting company of other middle-aged (I'm being generous) people.  Sometimes, there might be a few under 40s in the  audience, but always heavily outnumbered by the grey and balding.

So it was a bit of a surprise to reach the auditorium of the glorious Marinsky Theatre in St Petersburg (my 60th birthday treat) and find ourselves surrounded by younger people. 

It had nothing to do with it being a modern opera, as it was tried-and-tested Verdi -  Un Ballo in Maschera.   Enjoying the experience were a large number of well-dressed young Russian men and women, out for an evening of cultural indulgence.

The couple front of us, who looked to be in their early 20s, seemed to have great difficulty keeping their hands off each other. But even they disengaged and gave rapt attention once the curtain went up.

Clearly, operas in St Petersburg attract a much younger crowd that in the UK.  But why?  Are Russian young people more culturally sophisticated? (There’s a value-judgment.)  Or is there a deep seated fear of doing things differently from previous generations (I’m thinking of the appalling treatment of  Pussy Riot)? 

Whatever it is, the future of classical music seems a bit healthier than the UK.