Summertime in Menton - the Festival of Music

Each summer - in August - Menton holds its famous Festival of Music. This year is the 59th year. Seating, as we see, is in the square outside the Basilica. The columns of the Basilica are on our left and you can see another photograph of this facade by clicking in the link.

Ahead of us is the Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs - you saw the inside of this beautiful building the other day. The majority of the Old Town is to our right. Behind us is the sea and so those sitting facing us, have a wondrous view. Actually I think we do too, don't you?

In the photograph, the pianist and artisitic director of the Festival, Jean-Bernard Pommier, is addressing the audience. He is also the conductor of the orchestra: the Martinova-Kazakov Menton Saint-Peterburg Orchestra.

They played works by Mozart, Haydn and Saint Saëns. My favourite was the beautiful clarinet of Andrey Kazakov - the soloist in Mozart's Concerto for clarinet and orchestra KV622. Unfortunately I couldn't get a photograph of him as he was masked by the conductor, who because of the wind had to conduct with one hand only and with the other, he held on to the soloist's music - to prevent it blowing away in the wind. Someone needed to have brought a peg onstage!

I want to thank Chuckeroon of Richmond upon Thames Daily Photo. If I printed out and counted the number of emails, Chuckeroon has written - helping me, advising me, answering endless questions on night photography, I think I'd fill the Basilica with them. Chuckeroon, thank you so much for your patience with me. A long way to go yet, but I'm slowly learning and today go to buy a 'proper' tripod. I took this photograh with a Gorillapod, which had been suggested by Don, a regular visitor to Menton and to this blog. It stood happily on the low wall in front of where I sat. Thanks, Don.

Tomorrow - the pianist and the cellos.