Sweet Seventeen

You may remember that we had to cancel a concert visit to Montpellier two weeks ago , because of serious flood alerts. This time, determined not be thwarted , we set off for Montpellier on Friday evening, to enjoy a much heralded concert of music by Mozart and Mendelssohn. Thank goodness...although the skies were cloudy... there had not been a drop of rain for days. But as we joined the motorway, a large panel overhead screamed a warning. It carried an Orange Weather alert. Once more our region was about to experience severe rainfall and flooding. With thoughts of the recent disaster in Valencia in mind, I wondered aloud whether we should we go back. After rapidly consulting the forecast on my phone , I ascertained that the storm was predicted to break at about midnight. If all went well, we could enjoy our concert, and be safely home before the rains arrived. The sense of relief was enormous.

The concert that we planned to see was remarkable in that both composers had written these works at the age of seventeen. The first was to be the overture to one of my all time favourites:"Le Songe d'Une Nuit( A Midsummer Night's Dream) by Mendelssohn. He loved Shakespeare's plays, and I think this beautiful piece shows that in reams. The second piece that evening was written by a seventeen year old Mozart, and entitled 'Exsultate Jubilate.' As you might expect his music was sublime. It was played by the Montpellier National Orchestre under the baton of Samy Rachid. What made it all the more wonderful was the voice of young soprano Marie Lombard. I had to ask myself what I had achieved by the age of seventeen. Alas, very little!

When we arrived at Place de la Comédie, we found that there was a large queue waiting outside to enter our beautiful Opera House. As always, this Montpellier audience was diverse ,counting both young and old amongst its ardent classical music fans. What's more, no-one need worry about dressing up. Unlike my experiences at the opera house in Hanover, Germany, where people 'parade ' in the interval in all their finery, at Montpellier, jeans and trainers are quite acceptable. What's important is the music, after all.

Once we had passed the obligatory security, the experience began. For this is not just about the music. Whilst our opera house may not be the most comfortable venue around (I suspect it was built with smaller people in mind, ) it is certainly amongst the most stunning. Every time I visit I am entranced by its sweeping marble staircases, the ornate decorations, chandeliers, frescoes, and so much more.

As we returned by tram to pick up our car , the evening was warm and calm. But by the time we set off for home , it was well after 23.00h. Would we avoid the rain? As we approached our village it had started to belt down, and rain and thunderstorms continued all night. We hadn't left a moment too soon. But what about the donkey? Well it was there sure enough. Mendelssohn must have loved one particular character in Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' so much, that he allotted him his own separate notes. Bottom the weaver was there for all to hear. We could imagine him trying to impress Titania, dressed in his donkey's head, and braying with all his might . This was conveyed by a lovely drone bass, a fitting counterpoint to all those flutes and fairies.

Hee...Haw!