A touch of heaven...

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Tonight I had the privilege to attend a classical music concert in the Sainte Chapelle, listening to the graceful notes of Mozart and Vivaldi while soaking in the breathtaking beauty of the world-famous chapel. It well deserves its reputation - gained in large part because of its fabulously intricate stained-glass windows - and the string players performed to the magnificence of the location. I was held absolutely spellbound by a quintet of National Opera orchestral players who gave voice to the musical masterpieces of the recent centuries in one of the most beautiful chapels in the world. I don't consider myself a religious person, but the beauty of the music combined with the splendor of the chapel made me realize why the Catholic clergy went to such expense to create ornate, even opulent chapels. If there is a god, I felt as though I were closer to him tonight, listening to that music.

I came across the concert completely by accident, having had no prior knowledge of it and deciding to attend completely spontaneously. I was walking through the Ile-de-la-cite on my way home from class today when I saw a flyer for this classical music concert...in the Sainte Chapelle herself! It was 16 euros (not cheap for a college student!) but I definitely got my money's worth tonight...and was richly rewarded for my (uncharacteristic) spontaneity. The concert started at 7pm and lasted until 8:10 or so, and we heard Vivaldi's Quatres Saisons, Pachelbel's Canon, and Mozart's Divertimento. The violin soloist was incredible, and the acoustics were amazing...throughout the concert I kept wishing I could freeze the moment and save it, to be brought to mind whenever life gets irritating. It was that kind of moment. I think I was not the only one to appreciate the splendor of the night, because I could see the musicians casting glances around the inside of the chapel as though they, too, couldn't believe their luck to be playing there...


Another souvenir from Paris to tuck away for later years...

P.S. Did you know that 'un souvenir' actually means 'a memory' in French? We owe a lot of our English language to our european heritage!

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