Being typical Capetonians, we arrived a little late. We took a lazy drive down the M3 and headed towards Kirstenbosch. Walking through them is always magical. The weakening sun was slowly but surely beginning to take a bow behind the shadowy Devil's Peak as we meandered our way through families, groups of friends and young and retired couples picnicking on the grass. Walking around a corner of trees, we were greeted by the sight of the stage occupied by the orchestra, which was in full swing. The amphitheatre was near capacity as we picked out our spot on the shoulder.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not entirely clued up when it comes to the classical music genre - but the concertmaster really did a good job by explaining the story and associated emotions behind each timeless masterpiece that they performed. The song I enjoyed the most was Funiculì, Funiculà, by Italian composer Luigi Denza. Special mention has to go out to the entire orchestra - they were sublime.
It was such a completely different environment to what I'm used to, and I think that's why I enjoyed the concert so much. I was outside, surrounded by absolute natural beauty and listening to some of the finest music written in history.
Article previously published on www.citylifer.co.za
