Seeing live music can be a transcendent mind-body experience, akin to getting a tattoo underwater or making out during an eclipse. Transcend boredom with today's Groupon: for $18, you get one general-admission ticket to see Orchestra Sinfonica dell’Europa Unita perform classical Italian music in Notte Tricolore at Symphony Hall on Friday, April 8 at 8 p.m. (a $35 value).

Orchestra Sinfonica dell'Europa Unita, helmed by maestro and artistic director Rossana Tomassi Golkar, explores Italy's history and culture through symphonic soundscapes brought to life by the string-striking virtuosity of its accomplished musicians. In commemoration of the Italian Republic's 150th anniversary of unification, the orchestra will perform Notte Tricolore, a showcase of Italy's best classical music. The performance, not unlike chariot races and concession-stand pizza, was inaugurated in Rome before debuting in the United States. Be the first of your friends and classical bon vivants to lubricate cochlear passageways with the world premiere of Norma—Libera Fantasia e Variazioni per Pianoforte e Orchestra, a piece composed by the illustrious Luis Bacalov, who won an Academy Award in 1996 for best dramatic score for the film Il Postino (The Postman). The evening of tuneful transcendence also features The Force of Destiny by Verdi, The Leopard Suite (II Gattopardo) by Nino Rota, and a new orchestral arrangement of Mameli's Hymn of Italy composed by renowned conductor Renato Serio.

Music connoisseurs and building buffs regard Symphony Hall as one of the finest concert halls in the world. Sixteen replicas of Greek and Roman statues line the walls, and its airy space lends a majestic resonance to each string pluck and unexpected sneeze. Opened in 1900, Symphony Hall was the first auditorium designed in accordance with scientifically derived acoustic principle, sloping inward to help focus the sound of the orchestra's stirring string renditions and epic on-stage bow fights.