Only in France are there such surprises

At classical music concerts in small but beautiful venues in France I am aware of being absorbed by sound, especially if I can watch the hands of the pianist or player.  It is a form of meditation - concentrating, listening to melodies, support melodies, harmonies, rhythms, phrases, rarely counting or trying to analyse musical form, which I have forgotten entirely. The black sequined culottes  twinkled! One pianist played with facial gymnastics. Was she talking, breathing, or in ecstasy, subsumed in the music, whilst fingers, hands, arms, body and even her foot not touching the sostenuto pedal were dancing in delight as sounds composed sounded on stage! I watched her most of the time as I was on her side of the theatre. She was lovely! They were in raptures. They had no idea of the history of the theatre, spoke English but not French, so I helped out ... a bit!  I'd heard and watched Marina Friedman and Gaby Talroze play four-hand duets before at Bonneuil-Matours.  Russian, yet had emigrated to Israel when teenagers. 

Theatre Blossac Ticket price17e. Programme 2e. Seat number: C6.
The programme included:
Brahms: Variation on a theme of Haydn
Ravel:     Mother Goose Suite
Schubert-Liszt: Soiree de Vienne
Rachmaninov: Suite no.2
They replayed part of Rachmaninov, part of Brahms, then some Bach, (I didn't hear the title) as a wonderful and generous encore.

Afterwards the audience was invited on stage to look at the magnificent double piano by Pleyel - a rare instrument. I have never seen one before!  Only about 30 were made and only about 12 remain. This one resides in the house of its owner in Chatellerault as part of his instrument collection. He was there, explaining a technical aspect of the piano to the pianists who had no idea that it did that! It weighs 700kg and flooring had to be protected as well as re-inforced and made perfectly horizontal as a stage falls to an audience!

Only in France are there such surprises! Lights upstairs, so when I saw those who were sitting next to me ascending, I followed. A long yellow clothed table was presented with plastic glasses filled with red wine, white wine and non-alcoholic drinks, a tray of white sandwich bread adorned with charcuterie and another laden with salmon, oeufs de lompe et tuna. The fresh salmon ones were so delicious that I enjoyed three! Discerning others did too!

 Only in France are there such surprises! A further pièce de resistance was a local biscuit, called a Broyé du Poitou which means ground or crushed. It is delicious and I have had them before. In fact I buy them in the winter to sustain my coffee break but only eat half each day as they are about 10cm in diameter! The steward lady told me that it is a local tradition to break the biscuit with a fist. The pianists and the mayor of their town had such fun! Look how large this one is!

Perhaps symbolic of the breaking of the bread for the Lord's Supper!

 This video will explain in French about the company Goulibeur

It was lovely to be out and about with people and at an Autumn musical concert, to take a promenade around the town beforehand and drive home late at night. Once arriving at the fields of France,vehicles were few at thirty minutes before midnight!
What joy when a window of opportunity opens! Only in France are there such surprises!

This custom is lost, but the ground remains synonymous with conviviality and celebration. Indeed, after the feast (marriage and communion), it was convenient to share in his pocket to snack later and also relate to those who could not come to the meeting, children, ancestors committed; each was entitled to his share of dry cake.