a string quartet in an Amsterdam garden

Applause echoes through the vaulted outer ring of the ancient cloister as a string quartet ascends the stage. A hush falls over the eager listeners, then the pure, glorious notes of Haydn rise into the evening sky. 

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A smiling artist steps up to a gleaming harpsichord set in a corner of an antique shop, and introduces us to Mozart played on period instruments that mirror the prized armoires, settees and tables among which we sit. 

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Leaves rustle overhead in a tree-shaded garden as a talented trumpet player wows the audience with musical intricacies – who knew a trumpet could do that?

Happily-recalled scenes from Provence and Amsterdam last summer, these are just a few examples of the rich offerings of Europe’s classical music festivals, where the vigorous applause at the finale of each concert is perhaps as much in praise of place as of performance.

From baroque castles to world-class concert halls, from velvet-grassed meadows to historic vaulted cathedrals, the music flows out to audiences eager to enjoy the best of seasoned performers, as well as new talent.

Many events, such as England’s Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Austria’s Salzburg Festival or Germany’s Bayreuth Festival, are world-renowned and definitely discovered. But we delight in finding the undiscovered and rarer gems, such as Amsterdam’s summertime Grachtenfestival (Canal Festival), where we’ve been thrilled by world-class performers on intimate terraces perched above historic canal-side homes, in lush private gardens, and even on stages floating in the city’s himmering lanes of water.

The theme for this year’s Grachtenfestival, five days in late August packed with one hundred concerts, is “Blue Bloods” – the nobility or royalty of the music world – namely, prize winners of the latest major European music competitions. These rising stars, the cream of the latest crop, are mere months away from becoming household names among concert-going cognoscenti. Joining these stellar young performers, seasoned musicians also lend their talents to this captivating festival.

Last year, star violinist Gil Shatan delighted audiences with his musical pyrotechnics, and master players of the Royal Concertgebouw Brass played with several of their very talented pupils in the closing concert atop the Prinsengracht Canal on a floating stage.

In addition to the concerts, featuring both new talent and some established artists in venues opened only for this special event, guided walking tours are conducted during the festival along the cobbled lanes lining the canals where the musical events take place. These three canals, the Prinsengracht, Herengracht and Keizersgracht, comprise the sparkling, elegant heart of Amsterdam’s “Golden Necklace” of canals, where wealthy 16^th and 17^th-century spice merchants built their imposing homes during Holland’s gilded age. A world of gabled vertical facades and bowed bridges, bright geraniums tumbling from flower boxes, cozy cafés, and golden-tipped steeples awaits discovery.

Between concerts, it’s easy to fit in a museum or two – Amsterdam boasts more museums per square inch than anywhere else on the planet. The mother lode of Vincent Van Gogh’s work was donated by the wife of his brother, Theo, to the city, which displays them proudly in the Van Gogh Museum. And there are even Dutch Masters at Amsterdam’s Schipol airport to be viewed while waiting for a flight since the venerable Rijksmuseum has opened a small branch (with continually changing exhibits) there.

From early in the morning when the mist drifts above the water, to late at night when the twinkling lights rimming the hump-backed bridges shimmer in the dark canals, surprises such as a floating flower market, an enamel tiled steeple, a bicycle-built-for-four or a trendy restaurant serving Indonesian food lurk around every corner of this compact city.

Provence’s summer offerings

Piano duo La Roque d'Anthèron

In contrast to the tightly wrapped cityscape of Amsterdam, the vast and beautiful countryside of rural Provence is the backdrop for several summertime festivals. La Roque d’Anthèron’s annual International Piano Festival, in its 24th year, stages concerts in venues as varied as a cloister of a 12^th century Cistercian abbey and a deserted rock quarry.

The twitter of birds, the fragrance of lavender, the rustle of leaves, or the whir of the every-present cicada, a symbol of Provence, are soothing accompaniments to concerts ranging from jazz to baroque.

The 2004 festival will feature Schumann’s piano solo works, among other offerings,     with performers from Grigory Sokolov to Emmanuel Strosser delighting audiences in more than 90 concerts during the month-long festival.

Sharing a venue or two with La Roque d’Anthèron, the Lourmarin International String Quartet Festival, in it’s 29^th season, features outstanding artists from a variety of European locales, such as Spain, Belgium and the Czech Republic.

Last summer, the Psophos quartet, four gifted young French women as inspiring to watch as to hear, enthralled the eager audience in the hushed cloister of the Abbey of Silvacane, nestled in the countryside beside the Durance river. Their choice of program literature ranged from familiar Beethoven to intriguing Webern – this variety characterizes the festivals’ programs, whose organizers typically include lesser known works and composers along with perennial favorites.

Performances don’t begin until the evening, leaving daytime hours to be filled with explorations of the glorious countryside. Markets burst with sun-kissed produce, pungent lavender sachets, colorful fabrics and local cheeses. A seductive variety of olives, breads and honey are a daily delight, presenting endless variations on the picnic theme. Brilliant fields of golden sunflowers and hillsides of twisted olive trees bring to mind the canvases of Van Gogh and provide a cornucopia of inviting al fresco lunchtime spots.

From the green hills of the Luberon to the Calanques, the limestone inlets of Cassis, there’s a never-ending abundance of dazzling countryside to enjoy in Provence. We love to fill our days with market visits, discovery of delectable cuisine in local bistros and strolls in hilltop villages.

If you want to share the pride of neighborhoods in their own local festivals, these are ones you’ll love. The exhilaration of being carried to another place through fantastic music, combined with unforgettable locations, turns a week of concerts into a lifetime memory.