I’d usually write about my New Year experience in one post but this time was persuaded to break it into two parts, so here’s the second instalment.
New Year’s Day became ‘special’ for me 20 years ago when, then living in the student hostel of the high school in which I was a volunteer English teacher, I was invited to spend New Year’s Eve with the family of a history teacher, urged on by her younger sister. Having followed the Romanian tradition of a ‘midnight feast’ I was invited to stay the night rather than return to my chilly hostel room 7km away. Little did anyone know, least of all me, to what that would lead, or did I? Two years later that history teacher became my wife and a tradition for us was set.
Romanian traditions and Vienna New Year concert
The following morning was spent with a background of New Year dance and traditions on the tv, something I was well versed in having spent a few years in the Romanian Bucovina, one of the regions where traditions are best preserved. Then in common with tv stations throughout the world the Romanian station switched to covering the Vienna New Year concert. Petronela and I have followed that every year since, the following year at a mutual friend/colleague’s home where a month or so later on that friend’s birthday you might say that the romance was perhaps recognised as ‘serious’.
So, back to this year. The kitchen had been left a ‘disaster’ as we fell into bed at 2am, bubbly consumed with the background of Nile Rodgers (see yesterday’s post) then Jools Holland with truly amazing artists like Ruby Turner and Mavis Staples (and I’d better mention Ed Sheeran who doesn’t have such a bad voice 😜).
As I said, the ‘kitchen’ was left a disaster but in fact we don’t have a kitchen as such, the sitting room area and kitchen being ‘open plan’, separated by just a counter, next to which we have our dining table – a beautiful mahogany drop-leaf amalgamation of a modern top in classical style and a base from the mid 18th century. You can see it with one leaf up in yesterday’s post. First to be cleared in the ‘disaster’ zone was the table; I just ate what remained on it from ‘the feast’ for breakfast 😂).
Eclectic musical taste?
But to return to the Vienna New Year concert (you get the idea I have a somewhat eclectic taste in music? Though ‘classical’ is top for me). The tv on which we watch and listen to the New Year concert is in what I term our ‘musical corner’; you might see two Romanian nai (panpipes) in some pictures, one tourist and one for a musician, as well as a harmonica; under that, unseen, is a piano, ‘hifi’ and a large collection of LPs, orchestral and opera. CDs are next to it.
One of the things I love about the Vienna concert is the ballet sequences; I’ve been an avid follower of ballet since my Grandmother took me to my first, Swan Lake, when I was seven years old (so you can imagine how pleased I was that Darcey Bussell was made a ‘Dame’ in the New Year Honours). The grace and beauty of ballet I saw in gymnastics when the Romanian team was preeminent so gymnastics are now the only sport I’m really interested in. You might say that ballet is now my second favourite art form, the first being music itself, whether instrumental or sung.
An innovation this year was an informative trip through Vienna with a young lady on a bicycle, calling at many of the most notable venues in this wonderful cradle of music. I enjoyed that.
This year’s conductor of the New Year concert was Ricardo Muti, not who conducted the first one Petronela and I saw together in 1998 but he who conducted the concert in the year of our marriage – 2000.
January 3, 2018 at 12:12 pm
Don’t say anything bad about Ed Sheeran!! You will break my heart 🙂
January 3, 2018 at 12:42 pm
Didn’t, so heart can remain unbroken. 😃
January 3, 2018 at 12:44 pm
Just he doesn’t need me to say anything, the whole female world is in love with him!
January 2, 2018 at 7:57 pm
I absolutely agree, I too love classical music, gymnastics and classical music, I started ballet dancing at the age of two, pre-primary school and continued until I was 18, at the conservatoire after three year break I took an advanced ballet module and worked like a devil to get fit enough to pass with a top grade 👯♀️. I saw 42nd Street in London last week the most brilliant tap dancing, you would love the completely brilliant feel good show.
Thanks for sharing your New Year memories and a happy New Year to you 😊
January 2, 2018 at 11:20 pm
Thank you Charlotte. I had no idea about the ballet. I hope 2018 might bring your lovely voice to Leeds or somewhere near. We have some pretty good dancers in our village, trained by my friend Stephanie Clements of Bradford Theatre Arts, including tap dancers.
January 3, 2018 at 11:56 am
I had brilliant dance teachers
Helen Bates Ballet and Tap
Zoe Buckley Stage, Tap and lyric
Amanda Kirby ballroom and Latin with my family and Lisa Scott at High School Contemporary Dance to A level.
If I’m ever in the Leeds area I’ll let you know, I sang in the Leeds Lieder festival a couple of years ago 😊.
January 3, 2018 at 2:16 pm
I missed you at the Lieder festival – around the time I was in and out of hospital and not going anywhere. Any chance this April?
January 3, 2018 at 3:06 pm
No invite to sing sadly, it’s a fabulous festival, lots going on.
January 2, 2018 at 4:30 pm
Beautiful second instalment! Your payments in words are enchanting 🙂
At my parents’ house we had the same tradition of watching the Vienna New Year concert and the “midnight feast”. Now, a little older :))), I have altered it a bit.
January 3, 2018 at 2:19 pm
Older? In years maybe but not in heart. So what is “a bit”?
January 4, 2018 at 9:40 am
A bit is a bit more in years, of course 🙂 I always laugh at my immaturities, this is who I am 🙂