A candlelit concert

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson in Mevasseret Zion, Israel

As I was on my way to yet another medical appointment, I had a call from one of my granddaughters. Like most of my grandchildren, she is a grown-up person with a career and a busy, independent life.

“Granny!” she said in a voice full of excitement. “There’s going to be a concert at the Jerusalem Theatre with Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons.’ I really love that music! Would you and Grandpa like to come with me?” Luckily, I wasn’t driving, so I could check my calendar. I was glad to see that on that date we did not have any other concert or appointment, so I would be free to join her. We gave her the go-ahead to get the tickets, though we had not been aware of that particular concert and, as we later discovered, there was no mention of it in the bi-monthly printed programme of events produced by the Jerusalem Theatre.

On the appointed date, we arrived at the theatre and found the foyer lit by what seemed like thousands of candles (which we later found were electronic, but looked very realistic), creating a quite magical effect. Upon entering the darkened auditorium, we were stunned to find the entire stage covered in candles. As is customary in concerts, we took our places and waited for the music to begin. The auditorium gradually filled up with an expectant audience, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that it consisted mainly of young people — very different from the usual rather elderly audience found at most concerts.

An announcement welcomed the audience and informed us that the aim of the Fever company, which organized this and other concerts, was to make more music accessible to a wider audience. Then four young musicians walked onto the stage, treading carefully between the electronic candles as they carried their instruments (cello, viola, and two violins). The young woman who played the cello introduced the music, explaining in simple terms what Vivaldi was trying to convey in the various segments depicting the different seasons of the year and the kinds of activities and experiences characteristic of each one. She also explained that ‘Four Seasons’ is usually performed as a concerto, with a violin soloist ‘competing’ with an orchestra. Still, in the present case, we would be hearing an arrangement of the music for a string quartet. In my opinion, this worked very well, and the four young musicians did a good job of bringing out the various aspects of the music.

As the musicians began to play the first segment, signifying Spring, I remembered the concerts for youngsters to which I had taken my grandchildren in that very same auditorium many years ago, and how we had all been encouraged to sing a little ditty to that music. I whispered to my granddaughter to remind her of that, and she whispered back, ‘Perhaps that’s why I like it so much.’

I felt really pleased that, despite all the competing influences on the minds of young people, somehow my efforts to pass on my love of classical music to the younger generation have not been completely in vain.

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson is an author and freelance writer based in the Jerusalem suburb of Mevasseret Zion, Israel.