Saturday, June 13, 2009

Fiddler on the sidewalk...


Look what I found near the Palais Royal. A nice little chamber orchestra playing for the passers by. FYI, you need a written authorization to play music in the streets of Paris, otherwise the police may ask you to stop, "bail" your instruments or fine you... Have a nice Saturday everyone, I'm off to bed after a pretty long week (imagine, 5 days of work!)

25 comments:

  1. Great depth of field on this one Eric! I didn't know that about playing music on the streets of Paris, but it's a very interesting thing to know!

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  2. Beautiful composition, Eric. Not a bad looking neck, either!

    I do hope that law is fairly liberal. I've never heard any music on the streets of Paris that I wanted stopped.

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  3. except for the Fete de la Musique (Music Day ?) that will be very soon, next week end on Sunday 21th !

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  4. I was at another fiddler's show tonight:
    Didier Lockwood was at the Jazzin' Cheverny Festival tonight. Outside, in front of the Castle of Cheverny, that was great ;-)

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  5. Another great (though not the famous) angle, Eric.
    Congrats, Justine, our GF!
    Thib -- lucky you!

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  6. Yes, Alexa, I'm lucky, I know ;-)
    The festival goes on 'til Sunday.
    I'll try to post a few photos tomorrow.

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  7. Love the photo Eric. 5 days of work.......ha. mutter, mutter...lol.

    I can't imagine a city which allows graffiti to be written around the place but fines you if you play music in the streets! Doesn't add up to me.

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  8. The Castle of Cheverny in the Loire Valley looks like a fine venue for a concert. As is anywhere near the Palais Royal. I feel as if I can hear it now. It makes me smile in the most subtle way.

    Must agree with Eiffel Tower Suzy about the quality of music heard on the streets of Paris. I assumed there were auditions necessary as rigorous as those for entrance to Juilliard or other such professional institution. Or that public taste was particularly discerning, especially in the case of inept musicians: “Excuse me. Could you please stop playing that music? You are hurting my ears.”

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  9. Very interesting, Eric.
    Your post reminds me of the fantastic bands playing classical music in London's parks daily in the afternoons, many years ago; I don't know if they are still playing in the parks nowadays. :-)

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  10. Eric...two necks involved in playing that fiddle. (Probably something philosophical in that photo, but it escapes me at the moment). Interesting about busking laws in Paris. Doesn't surprise me.

    Thib...jazzin at the Castle--sounds golden man. Transport me there.

    I'm still recovering, so that's about all I got tonight. Gotta gig myself tomorrow night so must try to rest. No fiddlin' tonight, just blowing high Cs into my Kleenex. :-(

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  11. Wonderful shot!
    And, Coltrane, get well soon...

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  12. Coltrane! High C's, that's a hoot. Literally.

    Love the picture, Eric. Ah, Paris!

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  13. Thib! We came back from a tour of the Loire valley Friday, and Cheverny was our last stop! We saw them setting up for the Jazz festival. Lucky you to live in such a beautiful area.
    BTW, it took the bus 2:45 to get back to Paris from there. I see why you took an apt in Paris to cut down on your commute.

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  14. How lovely to stroll upon a scene such as this. Eric, you have the ability to make me feel as though I am strolling the streets of Paris with you. Bless you for that.

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  15. Tall Gary: yes, the Castle of Cheverny is idyllic for a concert. We used to have Operas a few years ago. Now it's jazz. Quite different, but always great !

    PHX: you should have called me, I was at home on Friday... would have been nice to have a drink elsewhere than in Paris ;-)

    Coltrane: photos of the concert on my blog in a few minutes...

    And then I'm leaving to an "apero-jazz" in the sunshine ;-)

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  16. Thib, if you want to see and hear Didier Lockwood again, just come to Seine et Marne.
    He has had his own concert called "Violons croisés" for 10 years. The idea is to show the width of use of violon, through ages and coutries. It is always an amazing concert.
    I still remember the one when he played with his "mster" Stéphane Grapelli ! Everybody was crying during the standing ovation !!!
    This year :
    http://www.musiquesdumonde.fr/Violons-Croises-2009-Carte-Blanche,2145

    Have a nice sunny weekend everyone !!

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  17. Even the street musicians are more "classy" in Paris - it's just a fact !

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  18. These outdoor concerts are wonderful opportunities to listen to live music.
    There is a bad expression in French using the word violin associated to another word (more exactly a verb) that I don't like or understand how it could exist! French audience here will probably get it. For others, that's not really worth knowing it. Beside i don't know how to translate it...

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  19. I'm surprised as well about the tough 'busking' laws in Paris. That is a lovely neck.

    I remember thinking that full-time violinists must have spent a lot of time pashing because they always sported love bites on their necks ... until I found out they were actually violin pressure marks from hours of daily practice. I was very disappointed.

    Coltrane ~ I hope you can stop wasting High Cs on Kleenex very soon.

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  20. Love the idea. Thank you Eric.
    This neck invites to a sweet kiss, isn't it?
    Bisou.

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  21. eric - i hope you get some good rest this weekend.

    tall gary - i love your new photo - "the mona gary" "the tall lisa" "the giogary"?

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  22. I saw this group last summer. They're quite good. I even bought one of their CDs.

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  23. Good photo composition Eric, I generally enjoy a lot those street players.

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  24. I once called my violin playing and teaching niece, Emily's violin a fiddle. She gave me a hard stare and rolled her eyes. Apparently serious violinists never refer to their instrument as a "fiddle". Hee, hee.

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