Attended my first performance at the Sydney Opera House (above) Saturday night. Legendary Indian singer Asha Bhosle performed 'songs from R.D. Burman's Bollywood' with the Kronos Quartet. In a nutshell: Spectacular venue. Thrilling performances. Boorish crowd. Tickets were an anniversary gift for Mr & Mrs Sharma -- who both enjoyed the show -- but childish numbskulls who talked and clapped raucously during quiet moments of KQ's spine-chilling Act I were an embarrassment. Generations of South Asians grew up listening to the songbird voice of Bhosle, arguably the most famous Bollywood playback singer of all time, and 99% of the crowd wanted to hear HER, not the world's most acclaimed chamber orchestra. A shame, as KQ -- with the addition of Wu Man on pipa -- were mesmerizing.
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