All day long from the sunrise strings prelude to the cymbal crash of sunset, a symphony of beautiful light played over Bora Bora and the seas around her. Themes of light on land and blue water merged and intertwined, point and counterpoint into the single brilliant composition of the day. The opening notes, clear golden tones from flutes and violas, glowed on the deep green forest on the vertical sides of the island’s towering central peak, dappled by occasional shadows from little clusters of puffy cumulus, like rising comments from the cellos and kettle drums. Above the clouds, the sky was bright blue, a shining cerulean voiced by trumpets and french horns, made all the more intense by being set among the masses of dazzling white in the high registers of the piccolos and violins. Blazing through all of this, the sunshine would have become quite hot if it were not for the gentle breeze, a sweet mood from the oboes and clarinets, playing across the island from the ocean beyond. Today we experienced the tropics of our imagination, a craggy verdant island rising above the waves into a perfect day, awash in notes of light.
Beneath the sea, the light was everywhere clear blue, as the early themes from the sky were subtly reworked into a third movement, more playful and full of surprise. We swam out from a little motu island among rounded heads of coral spangled with arpeggios of golden highlights and surrounded by brassy little fleets of bright fish. Kayaks and beach chairs gave us front row seats to relax (or nap) in, and intermission featured delicious chorizo sausages and cold beers, served in the shady palm tree lobby. At last, beginning with swelling pink and orange notes in the clouds, the entire orchestra built into a tremendous sunset finale. Golden sand glowed in golden light as the brilliant orb of the sun sank into the western sea. Highlights and shadows in the forest grew to a pinnacle of contrast and then merged into the deepening dusk, leaving the auditorium darkened and hushed as we rode the Zodiacs back to the bright lights and good cheer of our ship.
Beneath the sea, the light was everywhere clear blue, as the early themes from the sky were subtly reworked into a third movement, more playful and full of surprise. We swam out from a little motu island among rounded heads of coral spangled with arpeggios of golden highlights and surrounded by brassy little fleets of bright fish. Kayaks and beach chairs gave us front row seats to relax (or nap) in, and intermission featured delicious chorizo sausages and cold beers, served in the shady palm tree lobby. At last, beginning with swelling pink and orange notes in the clouds, the entire orchestra built into a tremendous sunset finale. Golden sand glowed in golden light as the brilliant orb of the sun sank into the western sea. Highlights and shadows in the forest grew to a pinnacle of contrast and then merged into the deepening dusk, leaving the auditorium darkened and hushed as we rode the Zodiacs back to the bright lights and good cheer of our ship.
