I Found My People!

A free public concert, in one of Florence's biggest churches, San Lorenzo, 9 pm, 50 person choir, Chamber Orchestra, and 3,000 people line-up ahead of time to attend. 3,000 people! For classical music! At 9 pm on a Saturday night. They fill the seating, stand in the aisles, sit on the side altar-steps, grandparents, babies in strollers, young people! It was glorious.

We were 2 of them. Here I am #1,000, closest to the greenery, stupidly excited, and the line-up behind goes on for 2 blocks! My people!

On the program, all-Mozart for an hour. Trying to figure out the popularity of this event, I had come across this plaque early in our wanderings.  Turns out, Mozart (1756-1791) first performed in Florence when he was 14. 

The plaque reads (roughly): 

"Here at the Black Eagle Hotel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 14 years old, stopped on the first of his 3 trips to Italy revealing to the city of Florence his musical genius." 

...and every year on the anniversary of his death, December 5, the city hosts a free public concert. And 3,000 people show up!

Icing on the cake: There are A MILLION Classical pieces called Ave Verum. On the program, it lists this piece as the first piece. I can't tell you how much I love a certain Ave Verum, so much, that I want it sung at my funeral. 

Lo and behold, it's the one. Live! With an orchestra and choir. This is bucket list material, people! I hear the first 2 notes and my eyes well up with tears. It was an amazing moment in my life.  I've even had Leonard Bernstein's version on this blog since 2007. It was a magical moment, and Marc shared it with me! A perfect night. 

I've loved Leonard Bernstein's version.  At under 4 minutes, you can listen to it here. Enjoy!