An Advent
Story
It was 10
years ago and I was enjoying an Adventmarkt in Vienna. There was
an exciting feeling of cold in the air, and the taste and smell of
hot spicy wine made everything advently perfect. But, it was the
choir that provided the spirit of the evening.
And, because
it was the thing to do at the time, the choir sang mainly in English.
And, as the evening went on the singing became better and better.
And, everyone was having a wonderful time. But, then, sadly, came
the very last song.
The
conductor turned to the audience, thanked them and wished them a very
happy Christmas and merry new year. And, then turning back to the
choir, closed his eyes, and started conducting the very last song.
And, being a
very well known American song, the audience joined in. And, then
with the very last verse came the fun.
As if
imitating a half dying swan, the conductor, with still
tightly closed eyes, raised his arms in an arch above his head, and
then flutteringly and dramatically brought them down and crossed them
for a well practised majestic conclusion. But, nothing happened!
The choir simply carried on singing!
The last
verse was not the last verse at all. And, the choir, because they
had all been too busily concentrating on their English texts, had
given the conductor no attention at all.
And, the
conductor, because of his tightly closed eyes, had had no idea that
he was being ignored.
But, all's
well that ends well, and with an embarrassing smile,
the conductor conducted hard to catch up, and, of course, brought the
concert to a triumphant conclusion.
And, after
such a brilliant performance, the choir was invited back to do
exactly the same the following year. And, I, too, promised myself
another great evening of wonderful Advent good fun.
And, what
could be better? Hot spicy wine, delicious Advent cakes, the first
colds of winter, the warmth of good company, and, of course, and it
goes without saying, the best of all singing!
Advent is a
wonderful time!
..
Vocabulary
attention - Aufmerksamkeit
conclusion - Schluss
embarrassing – peinlich
expectantly - erwartungsvoll
goes without saying – (go/went/has gone...)
selbstverständlich
imitating - nachahmen
spirit - Geist
