"Undoubtedly I should have gone mad but for music. Music is indeed the most beautiful of all Heaven's gifts to humanity wandering in the darkness. Alone it calms, enlightens, and stills our souls. It is not the straw to which the drowning man clings; but a true friend, refuge, and comforter, for whose sake life is worth living."
--Peter Ilyich Thchaikovsky
Jessica has a Bucket List. Whether it's an actual list or a figurative list, I don't know, but she is always reminding me that to hear Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture live with real cannons is perched firmly on that list. One of the great joys of parenthood is helping your children mark things off their Bucket Lists. So I made a conscious effort to get some tickets to see the Utah Symphony perform the 1812 in Deer Valley the last weekend in June. This may come as a shock to many, but I have never been to a concert at Deer Valley. I seem to be all about seeking out cool towns and experiences in far away places while obliviously disregarding the ones in my own backyard. Why I haven't frequented that gem we call Park City, I just can't explain, but I plan to remedy the situation.
Thanks to Facebook, we got some great recommendations for eateries in Park City. We ended up at Main Street Pizza and Noodle. It was delicious! I love when they're for real about their pizza toppings. I ordered basil on my pizza and was delighted when I found more than one flake per slice. I'm pretty sure they sliced an entire green pepper and slathered it all over my yummy pizza.
Spencer is most happy when he is dishing himself up a nice healthy slice of pizza. Now that our tummies were full, it was time to head to the concert.
We were in the cheap seats, meaning on a blanket on the grass, which is exactly where we wanted to be. I actually pitied the poor people on chairs.
This was actually the last day of an abnormally hot week. We had been experiencing mid-July temps in June, and I was just a little grumpy about it. This made retreating to the mountains that much more appealing. But until the sun dipped behind the mountain, it was still HOT! I got this great shot of Jess before the usher kindly asked the people to put down their umbrella as the concert was about to start.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all about a stuffy concert in a formal hall, but there is something great about an outdoor concert. There's nothing like spreading your blanket out, kicking off your shoes, and enjoying some good ol' patriotic classics.
Jonah was able to demonstrate his regular concert etiquette this evening. He wallowed all over his parents, spoke in louder than a whisper, and insisted on playing Risk on the Ipad during the concert. Such behavior is usually frowned upon at the other concerts we drag him to, but tonight he just blended in with every other ten year old boy at Deer Valley and caused not a single distraction.
Even Neil, who usually attends these events to humor his wife and daughters, indulged in a little Hobbitcon.
Such gatherings are great for people-watching. There was a sweet little elderly couple enjoying a sandwich on the blanket kitty-corner from us, and a lady decked out in the perfect sundress for an outdoor concert complete with matching parasol. My personal favorite was the gentleman who gave a standing ovation after literally every piece. This was probably his tenth year in a row of attending the concert, and his enthusiasm showed little likelihood of waning. I want to be him when I grow up. There was the charming mother and daughter in front of us, the daughter in her 50's and mother in her 70's, who would discuss throughout the night what instruments were being featured.
"Is that a piccolo, I hear?"
"Yes, I think it is. How delightful!"
I couldn't help but hone in on this lovely bunch of ladies obviously enjoying a pleasant girls' night out. Since this was my first experience attending a Deer Valley concert, I wasn't sure whether outside food would be allowed into the event. Well, now I know that indeed it is, and now I know how it's done. This batch of ladies pulled out a full-on strawberry cream pie, cutting thick slices for one another, and indulging in large creamy bites, while laughing and conversing and washing it down with a nice glass of wine.
There we sat with our meager over-priced frozen yogurts that we had conjured up from the lodge, as these women were taking in pure decadence.
I try not to stalk people, but I'm a bonafide food-stalker, and I do little to hide it. I used my zoom lens to get a closer look at this lady's plate of strawberry goodness and found myself salivating slightly.
Next year, we'll do it right. We'll hit Gourmandise on our way up the canyon, and we'll fill our cooler with all sorts of confectionary delights, and we will pull them out at the concert and make others ridiculously jealous. Probably no one else will care. I'm probably the only one that covets food, but it sure will enhance our concert experience.
Just as the sun fell beneath the mountain, and the air began to cool, the concert got started. It began with an awesome Star-Spangled Banner as vintage airplanes flew over us. It would be the first of many goose bump experiences. I finally got cool enough to put on my jacket and was in absolute heaven as the symphony graced us with Susa, Bernstein, and finally the great Tchaikovsky. Interesting that a piece all about the war between Russia and France can brew such feelings of American patriotism. Jessica narrated the piece for us.
"Here comes Napoleon."
"And here is where the Russians begin to charge."
"And that's the sound of the French retreating."
"And wait for it. Wait for it."
"CANNONS!"
This appropriately dressed cannoneer had patiently waited his turn to dazzle the audience. And at just the right climactic moment in the overture, the valley boomed with cannon fire.
Our enthusiastic patron was no longer the only one on his feet. The whole park gave a resounding standing ovation and begged for more.
It was a perfect little corner of America to be nestled in and a perfect way to celebrate this great country. God Bless America!
No comments:
Post a Comment