Vigil of the Transfiguration (last night)

Last night some friends invited us to go to the last concert of the Vermont Mozart Festival summer concert series that the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra puts on. The event took place on a meadow at the Trapp Family Lodge property, tucked up against the Mount Mansfield ridge. It was my first time going to one of these concerts and it was lots of fun, a perfect way to spend the Vigil of the Feast of the Transfiguration.

Looking out across the way is the Worcester Range, where I go hiking up Hunger Mountain (the bump in the middle of the ridge). I have looked over to this little notch many times without realising what it was.

It was a gorgeous summer night, clear, dry and no rain in the forecast. The four of us bon vivants had a good meal of lamb, tobuli, marinated artichokes, fresh tomato, Spanish wine and fresh cherries.

As it was the last concert for the summer, a ton of people showed up. It was fascinating to see what everyone brought in their picnic baskets but a staple seemed to be a bottle of wine.

By the time the orchestra started to play, the lawn was completely full.

The concert was great, too: Mozart's Overture to the Magic Flute, K. 620, Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, Op. 68 (at the point at which the flute goes back and forth on a second-interval, a real bird was twittering in the background), and Mozart's Concertante in E-flat Major for four winds and orchestra, K. 297b.

Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony has long been a favourite (having had to read André Gide's La Symphonie Pastorale, which is based in part on this opus, in 11th grade French class and then sophomore year in college writing a paper on its first movement) so I was delighted to hear it vivo.

By the time the orchestra started the concertante, the sun was beginning to go down behind the notch.

At concert's end, there were fireworks (twice in one weekend!). I took a bunch of photos but it is much harder without my good-old Canon AE1.




All in all, it was a delightful evening with some friends, good food, wine, and music. It was also wonderful to be a 'real person' for a change, going out and doing something not at all connected with the church.