Concert de Chorales

One of the many things that has impressed me about France, is its support of the arts. Not only do they seem to be well funded, but they are also very well attended by people of all ages and all walks of life. Last night was no exception. When we had been on the guided tour of Villefranche last week-end, we noticed this poster on one of the walls in the Citadel. 

The concert was free, and we thought it might just be another opportunity to learn a little more about the culture and listen to some music sung in French. It began at 6 p.m. so Dania and I walked down to the Citadel shortly after school ended. The concert was held in a huge room with an elevated stage for the choirs. By the time the program began, there wasn't an empty seat in the place. It reminded me a bit of families and friends coming to watch a Christmas school concert.  

It began with a few words from the Emcee and the Mayor of Villefranche. This is the second time that I have heard the Mayor speak at a public event here. He then proceeded to stay on stage and join in rousing chorus of a French song that most of the audience knew. Unfortunately, we did not. 

Here is the Mayor with one of the choirs in the background.

Below is a picture of our favourite choir (at least from the ones we saw) "Chorale Branche D'Or Nice". It was a fairly large group that sang a couple of songs by Obsipo that were real crowd pleasers. My favourite song of the evening however, was sung by another choir. It was La Mer, an old song sung by Maurice Chevalier. I am still humming it today.

The choirs consisted of local groups from communities along the Cote d'Azur such as Antibes and Nice. As you can see, the program was fairly lengthy so we didn't stay for the entire concert. At about 8:30, we made an unobtrusive exit because our stomachs were growling. It really was an enjoyable few hours and we were both glad that we went.

Upon leaving the Citadel, I mentioned to Dania how romantic the coast looked particularly when it is lit up at night. Unfortunately, we had to climb the blessed hill to get home. That's the unromantic part!