Catch 'em Young

Have you ever taken very young children to an orchestral concert, or been to such an event when there were young children in attendance? We have done both, and I can say with some degree of conviction, that it does not always go too well. On Sunday we attended a concert of sacred music in Lodève Cathedral , sung by our wonderful National Choir of Montpellier. It was a lovely occasion, and well attended. Amongst the audience I spotted a number of very young children, many of them in the care of their fathers. How did this go?

The first part of the Programme consisted of extracts from Mozart's Requiem, and Fauré's Requiem. While the music and the setting were both wonderful, I felt that the acoustics did not do justice to the Mozart. The quieter passages of Fauré however , were sublime. The choir is led by Noelle Gény, who has been in charge for the twenty years we have been attending concerts here.

During the interval we wandered into the cloisters for a breath of fresh air. There we met the youngest member of the audience. We had been unaware of his presence until then, as he had been so quiet.

We moved away from religious music at that point, and were treated to excerpts from Carmen , Puccini's Turandot, and finally the moving Slaves' Chorus from Verdi's Nabucco. Somewhere in the middle of these proceedings, our little friend from the cloisters must have become restless. But he didn't utter a peep as his father lifted him onto his shoulders and silently slipped away. Meanwhile, a little girl sitting on her father's lap in the choir stalls in front of us, began to get carried away. She stood on the rail in front of her, and began to wave her arms in motion to the music , as if she were the conductor. At the end, when everyone applauded, she probably clapped louder than anyone. It was a pleasure to see such an appreciative concert goer. I am convinced that a prestigious musical career lies ahead of her.

Not one of the younger audience members seemed out of place. Indeed, those of us taking photographs with our mobile phones were probably more disturbing. This was a joyful community event and enjoyed by all. However, I do think there are many concerts that are held in the city of Montpellier which would not be appropriate for young children. But never fear, our brilliant director of music has thought of everything. Musical events specifically for very young children are held at the Opéra Comédie throughout the season. Some , called 'Petit Parcours,'( short course) are for 0-5 year olds. One recently featured Mozart's 'Enchanted Flute,' and another the pianist Alexander Tharaud. The admission price of 10€ includes one parent and one child. There are concerts for age six plus too, for example 'La Grenouille au Grande bouche' (The frog with the large mouth)which combines music with sounds and audience participation. All of this sounds tremendous fun , and goes a lot further than my childhood favourite, 'Peter and the Wolf.' But what happens to all this musical talent that is fostered? Well, I suspect that many of the children who attend, subsequently become members of Montpellier's prestigious children's choirs, for example l'Opéra Junior, or maybe they even begin a career in music by attending the conservatoire. Sadly, I believe the arts in general are being neglected in schools nowadays. So, let's feed the soul, and encourage musical development wherever we can. Bravo Montpellier!