Vivaldi on plaza Signoria
November 15th 2008 04:08
Plaza Signoria seems to be a hub of events and performances in Florence. One of the nights I was there stage was set up for a concert of Vivaldi's concertos. To my surprise when I got there in the evening the square was jammed with crowds, and people patiently stood close next to each other waiting for the beginning of the concert. I was guessing most people were local, the way they were so quiet and calm and almost seemed to be doing their daily routine standing there in the summer night. A small group of people in the middle of the crowds sat down on the ground and started shouting out in choir: "SE TUTTE" which apparently meant "sit down"--they wanted everyone to sit down especially people in the front. The small campaign however failed when nobody else wanted to se tutte and the group stood back up. A tourist girl next to me was pointing her video camera to the stage. "Why am I filming this..." she said meaning why she was shooting before anything started. A girl was squeezing her way by and lectured flatly with heavy accent, "You're filming before Vivaldi is one of the greatest composer ever!" "What?" The camera girl looked like she couldn't believe her ears.
I don't remember the music any more but it went on and on for about three hours. The pianist captured a lot of attention with his animated stances and movements. The audience? They just stood and listened, again, as if it was their daily routine. In the middle of the concert a bit commotion started in one spot of the crowd, and it turned out a man fainted. People around made room, some were helping, some police and medical people soon came and evacuated him away, and the music was never interrupted.
And it wasn't easy to mistake it for just any summer night outdoor concert: Palazzo Vecchio is by one side like a fortress, guarded by the imitation David and Hercules and Cacus; the stage itself was in front of the ancient Loggia dei Lanzi gallery, with Perseus With the Head of Medusa on one side and The Rape of the Sabine Women on the other, with the outspreading arms. And the quiet people who seemed to be used to standing for more than three hours at night for Vivaldi. The concert ended with a bit of firework. One block away, along the quiet and mirror like Arno river, the bars were crowded and people were having a good time.
I don't remember the music any more but it went on and on for about three hours. The pianist captured a lot of attention with his animated stances and movements. The audience? They just stood and listened, again, as if it was their daily routine. In the middle of the concert a bit commotion started in one spot of the crowd, and it turned out a man fainted. People around made room, some were helping, some police and medical people soon came and evacuated him away, and the music was never interrupted.
And it wasn't easy to mistake it for just any summer night outdoor concert: Palazzo Vecchio is by one side like a fortress, guarded by the imitation David and Hercules and Cacus; the stage itself was in front of the ancient Loggia dei Lanzi gallery, with Perseus With the Head of Medusa on one side and The Rape of the Sabine Women on the other, with the outspreading arms. And the quiet people who seemed to be used to standing for more than three hours at night for Vivaldi. The concert ended with a bit of firework. One block away, along the quiet and mirror like Arno river, the bars were crowded and people were having a good time.
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Comment by katyzzz
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Incidentally, I've put on a couple of Vivaldi videos on my posts quite recently, so I was immediately drawn to this post of yours.