The sky blushed, orange and red, shy perhaps from the way silky white clouds caressed its face gently. Music, pianos, harp and chello seranading in the air, in perfect harmony, while the voice of the choir sang in celebrated low and high tones to perform Rossini's 'Petite Messe Solonelle'. The wavy image of the ancient parliament buildings wavered in the water.
There's something magically romantic about an open-air classical music concert, especially when set against old buildings which slowly donned on their night orangy glow and accentuated shadows as the flood-lights came. In the distance, the Hofvijver fountain sprayed, silently spewing white water into the air, only to fall and echo the way the music silently and dramaticall rose and fell. It made me sigh inside.
Next to the Hofvijver I stood, mesmerised by the combination of the beauty of the sky, music and water flowing and flying around me. A crowd had gathered around me,standing still to admire the music and the beautiful setting. It was part of the Festival Classique series of concerts that started off today, and actually it was a paying performance. Those who did pay got seats in front of a floating stage where the Residentie Kamerkoor (Hague Chamberchoir) performed their art. The rest, free-riders like me, stood around the stage, but could still pretty much see and enjoy the whole performance. Which makes you wonder why pay. A mother duck and her duckling swam around, their movements sending out ripples across the water surface, seemingly matching the ripples that musical notes made in the evening air. Perhaps mother and duckling were the only ones that weren't really enjoying the evening, for they were trapped by the stage.
But that did not stop the moving music. Or the ever-changing display of lights and palette across the dusk sky.
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