Saturday 7 July 2012

A musical encore

Our last evening in Paris we trekked the length of the number 11 Metro line - again! -to the Ile de la Cite on the Seine. There, we queued with many other tourists for tickets to Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' in the beautiful Sainte Chapelle (King Louis IX's Holy Chapel, completed in 1248).

The concert featured an exuberant French violinist, Frederic Moreau. He conducted and played with two other violinists, two violas, two cellists and a harpsichord player. 

After a somewhat frustrating day trying to book tickets (involving queuing in different places around the city) it was just blissful to experience brilliant playing in exquisite, acoustically perfect surroundings. In a venue that just happens to contain pretty much the world's largest collection of C13th stained glass windows ....

The audience was  perhaps the only drawback; mostly (American?) tourists, they took numerous photos with flash ON during the performance - and even committed the concert-goers' cardinal sin of clapping between movements.

Paris, I'm missing you already...au revoir.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Challenging ourselves in China

I'm home, finally. And, I have to admit, a little reluctantly. Tour Leader has been back in his happy place for the past fortnight, plan...