Based upon the number of looks that his attire is receiving he has indeed been noticed. The two front rows appear to be filled with the current aristocracy of Paris. The 45-piece orchestra head out from the side of the stage and begin to take their places. The string sections begins to warm up.
He says, "They wrote about me a little when I first arrived, but after that I became old news. I'm not all that flashy, although more so than either of my cousins, plus neither of them have the last name of Stuart. People around here do still remember when the family hosted Queen Victoria, even though that was ages ago."
He replies, "I do, and I met Jacques Offenbach three years ago, when his final opera, Tales of Hoffman, was performed here. He was quite popular in this city and is deeply missed. They initially did a multi-day tribute performance for him last year, each night featuring different operettas and ballets. Tonight's performance is actually a sampling of his full range of work, including some of his earlier cello compositions. He began his career as a concert cellist."
"The operetta, a short-form opera, was practically invented by him. He was an interesting man. He totally opposed the notion that musicians should also study magic, feeling that bards were essentially cheaters, using spells to supplement deficiencies in their musical ability. He felt that a true artist would be able to stand on their own without needing to tap into the energies of ley-lines of the world. That meant he was not a friend of those wizards we met in Egypt, which also makes it safe for us to be here tonight without fear that the Empress and her new husband will see us here."
