We are among 21 montecarlesi at a sublime evening of masterful music

Featuring guest author Lucy Spadoni
Did you ever hear the story about a violinist playing in a subway? People would pass by, a few staying to listen for a while before busily moving on. The violinist is revealed to be a world-famous musician with an equally great violin, a master that people would pay hundreds of dollars to hear? Well….

It was a Sunday night in Montecarlo. We were tired from our day’s excursions, and Paul was suffering from pollen allergies. But we had put on our calendar that there was a free concert nearby, in the old church—really just a large room now—down the street. Maybe we could leave if we got tired. Paul worried he might drift off, as he is famous for doing this during concerts and movies. But we grabbed our books and went to get early seats.

There were only about 25 chairs set up—a fact that surprised me. Only one other person was there so far. In front there was alone a small, old piano-like instrument (a clavicembalo in Italian, harpsichord in English). I ventured up to look at it and take pictures. It had fewer metal wires compared to a piano, wooden keys, and it was painted with pale green and gold paint. Soon a man came in and started tuning it, using his phone app to check the tones. He is Gabriele Micheli, the harpsichord player, a handsome man with an expressive face.

People started coming in and almost filled the chairs. Violinist David Monti, who specializes in baroque (barocco) music. The evening is called Il Mio Viaggio in Musica—My Journey in Music. Maestro Monti introduced the concept of the evening and asked (in Italian) if anyone needed a translator. Paul and I can get by, so we kept silent, though Paul said afterwards that he wondered how anyone who didn’t speak Italian could have understood the question.

The free evening was sponsored by the comune of Montecarlo, which desires to bring diverse European music to its citizens. That night was music from 1645 to 1720 with composers Uccellini, Corelli, Francoeur and J.S. Bach. (At this point I was sorry my Italian couldn’t keep up). The Italian magazine Il Cittadino has described Monti as “capable of combining energy and talent resulting in natural expressiveness. Davide Monti is an all-round artist: director, soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. Critics recognize his ‘incredible freshness’ where ‘everything appears extraordinarily spontaneous and organic.’ ”

Then, for the next one and a half hours, we were taken back in time to what it was like long before electronics, where this room would have been packed with people, where kings down to peasants and civilians and soldiers would have stood quietly to hear these virtuoso musicians flawlessly and with emotion bring to them such music. The violinist did all by memory. Sometimes the violin sounded like many violins, wonderful in this old church’s acoustics. By his eyes and body movements he would coordinate with the harpsichordist the music’s pace and intent. He would rise on his toes, sway, and both men expressed the music also through their eyes and facial expressions. It all was astounding!

After and during, there was clapping and more clapping, standing ovations, and three encores. The 21 people, including Paul, were all amazed that these men had honored them by sharing their lives and their music.

I myself cried, not just for the music but for knowing these men had prepared all their lives for this moment in a bare room, with a small audience—the years of practice, memorizing, concerts, dances, holidays, sharing music with their families. Truly they were demonstrating their life journeys with music woven throughout. Someday they will be gone, as will we, but for that one evening these men gave their hearts to play and play for 21 people. We were so very grateful.