‘If I abandon this project I would be a man without dreams
and I don’t want to live like that.’
— Werner Herzog, referring to “Fitzcarraldo�
A 1982 movie Werner Herzog wrote and directed, “Fitzcarraldo�, depicted the obsession of one man to build an opera house in a jungle in Peru, certainly not an ideal environment for such an activity. While Music Mountain founder Jacques Gordon didn’t face the same obstacles in realizing his dream as did the main character in Herzog’s movie, envisioning a concert hall atop the mountain in Falls Village during the Great Depression took no less faith in the power of dreams.
Music Mountain, the geographic entity, can still be a daunting climb, whether on foot or by vehicle, especially in any kind of challenging weather. When the concert hall and other buildings at the top of the mountain were in the process of being built before Music Mountain’s 1930 opening, as noted in the story in The Lakeville Journal (Aug. 28, 1930) describing the music hall’s debut concert and reprinted in last week’s issue of this newspaper: “In order to transport the building materials up the mountainside an old road out of Falls Village had to be almost entirely rebuilt.�
It was clearly a project that would only have been undertaken by the most dedicated of visionaries. The 120 acres of land which crowns the mountain became home to the annual music festival, which celebrated 80 years of music there this summer, because Gordon had a vision, and he persevered and overcame whatever obstacles stood in his way to realize it.
Current Music Mountain president, Jacques’ son Nick Gordon, has carried on the dream of his father with his own impassioned love for music and a true commitment to the communities surrounding the mountain. He opens the concert hall famous for its acoustics and the beautiful grounds annually for regional events such as area student concerts and community picnics, in addition to keeping the music festival alive, new and varied as the years have gone by.
In its 80 years, Music Mountain has been a fantastic resource for both those in the Northwest Corner and those in the world of music. It provides a place to play music which has stunning pastoral views and a peaceful quality that comes from being suspended above the outside world in a truly idyllic setting. Here, surely, musicians must find a special sort of inspiration.
Thanks go to the Gordons, the musicians and to all the many dedicated volunteers and supporters for keeping Music Mountain a vibrant cultural center in the region for the past 80 years. It’s an extraordinary and world-renowned venue, which should maintain the Gordons’ dream by remaining for 80 years more, and beyond.
