the musician in the GARDEN OF THE WINTER PALACE IN ST. PETERSBURG
It was a beautiful sunny day in St.Petersburg and we decided to relax in the park in front of Catherine the Great´s Winter Palace. It is a beautiful park and people came from everywhere to enjoy the day. A quote came to mind:
Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~Berthold Auerbach
My eye caught movement in one corner of the garden. A couple of people were gathering and I was curious to see what was happening over there. I might get another photo opportunity, I thought to myself. I was right! I saw an elderly man dressed in a black coat. Silver locks of hair touched his collar.
He took out a shiny flute and held it up in the air. Without saying a word he introduced the audience to the flute. Opposite me a member of the audience took her seat. One quick look to make sure the little one was snugly tucked into the pram and then full attention to the musician on stage.
I did not have in full view and decided to move directly in front of him but respectfully keeping my distance. His lips barely touched the musical instrument as he started to play the sweetest melody. I had no idea what he was playing but I was mesmerized by the pure sounds that now filled the park.
The musician was lost in a melody-world of his own and didn´t notice when more people sat down to listen. I watched each movement carefully. He noticed that he was not playing from a music sheet.I was not the only one enjoying his music!
I wiggled my way through the people and now had full view of him. I noticed that underneath the black goat he was wearing a black suit and tie! He came dressed for the occasion.
Then all of a sudden his eyes opened and he looked directly at me. He started to perform for the camera and the magic was gone. I did not see the musician again and I wonder if he is still performing there.
Wonderful pictures. What a neat memory, definitely sounds like it was an enchanting moment. Music has a way of speaking to people at so many different levels. Loved the pics 🙂
Thank you Jessica! Yes I have seen that day how music brings people together. I have good memories of that day 🙂
Nelieta,Read like a fairytale. It would be interesting to know if the he is indeed performing inthe Great Winter Palace. Lovely story told ad only you can tell. I felt like I was standing right there next to you. Xoxo Jessica
Love the story about the force and the fragility of the magic of music. Bravo!
What a nice snapshot of a lovely St Petersburg Sunday morning.
Such an awesome thing to witness. Great photos and great story.
Thank you Sophie! It is such a magical city 🙂
Thank you AJ! Music bring people together 🙂
Thank you Jan! It was beautiful! I will always remember this man 🙂
Hi Jess, thank you so much for your lovely comment. Glad you could join me 🙂 They do have performances inside the palace so it would be interesting. Maybe I see him there again next year 🙂 xxxx
I love the way you make the ordinary things more interesting with the way you narrate and the images that accompany it.
Thank you so much for the lovely comment Claire! It is much appreciated. Sometimes the small things are life is what we remember most fondly 🙂
This is a beautiful experience Nelieta…I could hear the flute… I tried learning this instrument but I can't blow hard enough to make a melody, ahahaha…
It was a very memorable experience Melissa. I played the flute when I was younger but I have forgotten how to..it was just for fun and I never took it very serious. A nice musical instrument with a beautiful sound.