Friday, June 25, 2010

A Beautiful Concert at Night

Just like the one The Washerwoman attended, we had a concert of local talent on Wednesday night. It was a great night for it, one of the first really warm ones of this delayed summer. The event was organised by the wonderful Marlene, who sings, runs the choir and teaches piano, and her fiancé David, who is our boys' piano teacher, and also the technical wizard of the local music scene.
We got started at 9pm (ish), as usual. The swifts were flying low down around the Mairie, but we knew they'd quickly be replaced by bats.
The view of the church changed from this,
to this.The moon rose.The younger children had finished playing their pieces (on the theme of 'Music from the Movies'), but were still there, cuddling up to their parents or running around the boulodrome behind us. Finally, just before 11pm, the bigger piano pupils began to play their film music. Son 1 played the Raiders March, from the Indiana Jones films. It went down well! David had organised some special features on the keyboard, which made the piece sound very orchestral.
A few pianists later, Son 1 was on, and played his 'Comptine d'un autre été : l'après-midi', a very atmospheric piece from a French film. It was his 13th birthday - he enjoyed the concert as a great end to a big day!
A really special night was had by all. Most of the pianists were not perfect by any means, and there were some technical hitches for the singers, but the atmosphere was supportive and tolerant of errors, appreciating the effort and wanting to encourage the musicians.
j
So what a great week we're having! My interviews went well, by the way, and I have also had some thrifty luck of a very practical nature. In addition we have great news on the education front - Son 2 will be allowed to stay down a year at school (he was a year ahead of his English peers up until now) which should really help him to relax and enjoy his secondary school life. This has been a difficult year for him and us, but now we can all breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the summer.
j
I hope we can share it with you!

15 comments:

Elizabethd said...

What a great evening, and perfect weather too.
Glad things are going well.

Tina said...

That looks like a great evening!!
xx

Unknown said...

ooh I wish I could have been there Floss, it sounds o good, and I love the lit up church photo, and the moon one too! I am so pleased that you interviews went well! Have a slendid weekend! Suzie xxx

Justine said...

Hi floss, that sounds like a great evening! The photos are gorgeous. Justine xx

Sarah - Red Gingham said...

What a lovely sounding evening. And a late one for the children too. Glad your boys played well and enjoyed performing. Happy belated 13th birthday No.1!! Enjoy your teenage years.

Jackie said...

Floss ~ what a lovely evening, it sounds a perfect way to spend some time outside listening to music. Love the photos of the church all lit up and the one of the moon through the trees too. Hope you all have a very lovely weekend :O) xx

A Bun Can Dance said...

Hi there Floss
It looks like a beautiful evening - so special and so full of summer! I can imagine being there, from your description...
I see I've missed your birthday - so here's wishing you a belated Very Happy Birthday and may the year ahead bring you much joy and contentment.
Happy days to you,
Denise x

Michela said...

How cute are your boys! Happy Birthday son no.1! Hope you all have a great summer! xxx

Lola Nova said...

Congratulations to your boys, they seem so well rounded in their accomplishments. I love a summer concert, we have them here in various parks. Such a nice thing for families and the community to gather together to enjoy the evenings with song.

Sherri B. said...

What a lovely evening. Happy Birthday to son #1. The church is breathtaking. Have a great weekend.

Lululiz said...

Beautiful photographs of a very lovely evening. So glad about all your personal news as well.

VintageVicki said...

Looks like a great evening. Well done to your boys for playing :)

Happy Birthday Son1 - a teenager at last :)

Jen Walshaw said...

What wonderful news about school and the interviews being over. We have had a fab couple of days too, celebrating mini's birthday. I am looking forward to the boys learning an instrument

Serenata said...

Gosh was it a year ago you posted about the last concert your boys played in? Lovely photos portraying a beautiful evening.
A very happy birthday to the teenager :-).

We kept our OS back a year as well for similar reasons, was the best thing we did.

The Curious Cat said...

Ah, what a nice entry! I liked the peacefulness and beauty of this...the photos are great at capturing the mood! Glad you had such a nice time! xxx