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CAVE OF THE DRUMS: For The New Year!
Clos Pegase, translated as "walled vineyard of Pegasus", celebrates the winged horse of ancient Greek mythology, whose hoofprints upon Mount Helicon, dwelling place of the Muses, caused the magical spring Hippocrene to flow. The spring's intoxicating waters conferred poetic inspiration upon those who drank them. A glorious painting of the fabled steed by artist Odilon Redon is the winery's emblem. Here the worlds of ancient and modern art converge: the labels of the "Hommage" wines are by contemporary masters; monumental abstract sculptures dot the grounds; timeless works honor Bacchus, god of wine. The building, a majestic, neo-Mediterranean temple to wine and art designed by renowned architect Michael Graves, opens into the caves and a dramatic cave theatre, with stunning acoustics and classical sculptures in illuminated niches. The cave theatre has a built-in elevated stage and soft, warm lighting, and is reached at the end of a grand promenade past 20,000 square feet of deep caves full of reposing barrels of aging wine. The acoustics are resplendent with rich reverberation, owing to the spacious room's high ceiling. Here the playful statues, whose eternally youthful spirits laugh at their antiquity, have witnessed many a Cave Music show. Clos Pegase is unique, a paean to art and culture. It's a place populated by spirits that spring forth from the distant past, calling to mind the mythic roots of wine and the world of dreams.
Photo courtesy of Windsor Green About Cave Of The Drums: The welcoming of the New Year with celebratory percussion is a hallowed custom in many lands. It sends the old year packing, wards off evil spirits, summons beneficent powers... and nothing beats a cave when it comes to enjoying drums. The Improvisator's worldwide sounds include: Africa's atompan, odondo, hausa, tumba, ngara, djembe and delicate kalimba (thumb-piano); bells and xylophones of Asia; steel pans of the Caribbean; unique water instruments... and for balance, snatches of Auld Lang Syne on Native American flutes, mountain dulcimers, nostalgic concertina... Then there comes the striking of the great gong. We feel that we're alive and the New Year is awakened!
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