Umbrella for the Oboist

Umbrella for the Oboist
July 1, 2008

Once or twice a week we have what’s known as a hub day. These are days when all the volunteers travel from our four satellite towns to the larger Brasov for training sessions of general interest. Friday was hub day and one of the volunteers came up with an idea of staying in town after training to hear the opera.

Nancy and I had often noticed announcements for cultural events in Brasov but had failed to follow through and actually attend any, so when we were asked if we’d like to join the group, we agreed. Altogether, six of us stayed in town, had a Romanian pizza and walked to the final performance of the season of the Brasov Opera.

The concert was a collection of the top hits of the season and included works by Bizet, Gounod, Strauss, Verdi, Puccini, Lerner & Lowe, Gershwin and Louie Armstrong. It was free and held in a most unusual setting. Old Brasov is surrounded by the remains of the walls built in the 1400’s to protect the city from various invaders. Every so often along the walls is what’s known as a bastion. Each section of wall and bastion was constructed by members of the various trades of the city. The weaver’s bastion is the best preserved of the turrets and the site of the concert.

Imagine a picture of the interior of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater and you have a pretty good vision of the setting for the performance. The 40 or so members of the orchestra were seated on one side of the open air yard of the place facing a seated audience of perhaps one hundred and then another hundred and fifty or so of us standing under various levels of the protected walls of the amphitheatre. There were three tiers of floors from which the city defenders held off the attackers. We stood on the first of these, while the chorus occupied half of the second. I’m not sure that anyone was allowed up to the third level as the wood flooring didn’t appear that strong.

The talent of the orchestra and singers was extraordinary, but what made the evening memorable was the venue and the weather. We’ve had rain showers frequently and unexpectedly throughout the summer, so even though the day started out warm and sunny we had our umbrella. Good thing, too, for shortly after the start of the music it began to sprinkle. While we were protected beneath the overhang from the walls, most of the crowd and all the performers were not. The rain was not enough to bother the crowd as it was a light sprinkle, but the musicians were out in the wet as well. After about a third of the concert, the M.C. indicated that we’d take a break, hoping that the weather would clear.

It did. The storm looked as if it had passed and so the concert resumed about twenty minutes later. Of course, as soon as it resumed, the sprinkles began again. Individuals from the audience then got up and stood with their umbrellas over the members of the orchestra. Each player had his or her own personal rain protection and all were covered except the conductor. The solo singers did not have protection either but as each came out only for a single piece, then disappeared side stage, the concert continued.

Nancy and I had to smile when Freddy from My Fair Lady, sang “On the Strada Where You Live” in Romanian, but laughed out loud when we were caught off guard by a vigorous rendition of “I Got Plenty of ‘Nothing” in the same language. With the rain coming down quite steadily a wonderful bass sang “Old Man River”. I wanted to interrupt with the real words, but his intensity and delivery would have moved the crowd in any language. The finale with all hands on deck, was “To Dream the Impossible Dream”… in Romanian.

An evening well worth the long wait in the drizzle for the last bus to Rasnov.