After the rain (dedicated to John W. Coltrane 1926-1967)

A

n unusually warm day in April, leisurely wandering through Vienna’s beautiful parks.

I love Vienna, it’s one of my favourite European capitals. An unceasing juxtaposition of tradition and avant-garde, conservative and progressive, but all of this always ‘with style’.

While walking through the Stadtpark, the sky went dark and a heavy rain suddenly splashed the world wet, me included. Trying to keep my camera (and in second place, myself) as dry as possible, I spotted the gracious building of the Kursalon, made for its stairs, climbed the steps three at a time only to find out that all the doors were closed. Eventually, I took shelter under one of the big jutting arches of the monumental windows.

Having nothing better to do, I donned my Walkman (keep in mind these were the 80s…) with the tape marked “Ballads”. It took less than a minute to rewind it and then, just as the first bars of Coltrane’s After the rain filled the headphones, the downpour stopped, the setting sun started to peek through the clouds and the world became a magic place where everything fell together in one single beautiful moment.

Almost with tears in my eyes, I quickly took the camera out of its bag and shot the picture of that perfect moment when music, images and my inner self where in unequaled unison.

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