We had a beautiful day today in Paris. Much of the afternoon was spent at the Museum D'Orsay, a where there was a special exhibition of Edouard Manet that traced his evolving style from realism to Impressionism.
It was such a delightful pleasure coming face to face with paintings and sculptures that i know so well. I loved the rich subtleties of the Monets, the bold brushstrokes and brilliant colors of Van Gogh, the delicate figurine of a 14 year old dancer by Degas, the achingly beautiful sculptures of Paul Dubois and Rodin.
Notre Dam Cathedral
But, by far the most memorable part of the day was hearing Vivaldi's Four Seasons being played brilliantly in the 12th century, rarely publicly opened Upper Chapel in Saint Chappel, the private chapel of Louis IX.
La Sainte Chappel
The small chamber group (there were only six players) was led by Bertrand Cervera, a young and rather dashing violinist who played with virtuosity and a humorous irreverence. We were in the second row, resulting in an intimate experience with a work I have played myself many times over the years.To give you an idea of what it was like, here's a recording, with Bertrand Cervera playing with Jane Rutter, a virtuoso flute player, in this beautiful chapel:
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