A few minutes from the Gendarmenmarkt square, I reached the Deutsch Staatsoper Unter den Linden, "Berlin State Opera."

At 7:00 a.m., I returned to the Deutsch Staatsoper Unter den Linden, 30 minutes prior to the performance start time, and looked around this historical structure before more people came in. The State Opera was very beautiful and impressive.

The hall gradually filled up until the show started. I could tell that audiences were not just from berlin, but also from other parts of Germany, and even from outside Germany.

The main purpose of my visit to Berlin was actually to see Martha Argerich perform Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Daniel Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin, one of the oldest orchestras in the world.

Everyone was seated and ready, just waiting for Martha Argerich and the conductor, Daniel Barenboim to show up. I was rapturously elated, and my heart was racing so fast.

At 7:30 p.m., Argerich and Barenboim showed up on time and the program started with enthusiastic applause!

It was an amazing, extraordinary, and unforgettable performance! Martha Argerich never disappoints me, indeed!

After a long lasting thunderous applause and standing ovations by the audience, desperately demanding an encore, she appeared with Barenboim, almost forced by the audience, and sat together in front of the piano. Very quietly the two maestros started to play Bizet's Petit mari, petite femme, "Little husband, little wife" from Jeux d'enfants, "Children's Games," Op. 22, for piano four hands, which performance was so beautiful and adorable.

There was a 15-minute intermission and as I came back to my seat at close to 9:00 p.m., I noticed a lot of audiences had already left the concert. Obviously, for most of the audiences in this concert, Argerich's performance was the main reason why they came to this concert. And their "mission" had been accomplished, which was very understandable.

There was another piece on the program, Jörg Widmann's Babylon Suite for orchestra. Although I had never heard of this piece nor was it to be performed by Argerich, since it was part of the program, I sort of felt obliged to stay for this unfamiliar piece, but after a few minutes of the orchestra performance, more and more audiences started to leave for home. But I sensed that some had left to look for Martha Argerch backstage.

I tried to concentrate on the orchestra performing it, but I didn't really feel the value for it and would rather want to meet Martha Argerch in person who should still be somewhere in this hall, so I left the hall, too.

In the foyer, there were a few staff and I asked one of them where Martha Argerich might be so I could catch up and meet her in person. He kindly told me that there was a connecting building at the back of the State Opera. He also told me that the State Opera was connected to that building via underground pass where only artists and staff can use.

I wasn't even sure if I could possibly find the building he was talking about, but I went outside and made my steps to the back of the State Opera as advised anyway. It was so dark, cold, and quiet. Soon, I saw a white building lit up in dim light and approached it.

I gingerly pushed the door open and stepped inside. There were several people standing with a pen and paper in their hand, obviously waiting for Argerich to show up. But I asked some of them if they were waiting for her, just to confirm. And they said, "Yes."

I waited and waited with these rabid Argerich fans (some were from France, others from Italy) for her for well over an hour with a lot of hope and a smidgeon of skepticism, wondering if she would ever be coming in through that door.

And finally Martha Argerich finally showed up with her staff. She first looked me in the eyes! I exchanged some words with her and could take some photos with her. So thrilled was I that I felt like I was going to faint.

It was already 10:30pm when I exited the building. Back outside, I instantly felt as if I'd been thrown into the deep, dark, cold night. I started walking down quiet streets back to my hotel with no one in sight other than the occasional passing car.