On Tuesday evening, my music teacher sister invited her sisters to attend a fundraising concert being held by a tiny but very talented contingent of child musicians who will be participating in the Canadian Music Competitions in Toronto in July. The 9 performers ranged in age from 7 to 14 years old, and they knocked our socks off!! My sister teaches music in school to one of the grade two girls, and when the concert was over, she turned to me, shaking her head. "What must A. think of school music classes?" she laughed. "She was clapping ti-ti-tahs when she was three! What I teach is so far in her past, it's unbelievable!"
The final performer of the evening was a young woman from the school my daughters attend. L. played Beethoven's Concerto 3, Opus 37, First Movement. Her grace and elegance were visible as she played... and the music, inspiring. All the young people who took the stage had poise and talent far beyond anything I'll ever possess... and the music they played was incredible. I had goosebumps several times as little hands flew up and down the piano, playing trills and arpeggios whose complexity I will never understand or hope to mimic. Then there were the kids who played guitar, violin and cello. Whoa. Their accomplishments were mind-blowing. And it's amazing to think that there are hundreds like them from all over the country, with a passion for playing classical music, and playing it well. I wish them all the best, and I'd love to be a fly on the wall in their concert halls in Toronto!
Tuesday evening also reminded me of something I've been neglecting lately... my appreciation for classical music. Any hack can do what I do with a guitar, but hearing the young guitarist play Handel on Tuesday night made me vow to come home and listen to people who really know the nuances of music. As my other sister remarked, listening to classical music offers us a good reminder of how far human beings have evolved over the centuries... and, I would add, of how deep the human soul can be. Perhaps that's why it's so soothing... it reaches our souls.
Today is laundry day, and I need to bake cookies, so I think that I'll put Beethoven's Symphonies on the stereo and perhaps curl up with a good book. It's been a very dizzy week, so why not? Maybe I'll find my equilibrium in good music.
In case you're in the mood to join me, here's a bit of the piece that L. played -- unfortunately, it quits before it reaches the really amazing part about 15 minutes along in the full version, which can be found
here. I tried to find a video with a young person playing, but didn't succeed. So you'll just have to imagine a lovely 14-year-old girl at the piano instead, fingers skipping along with the same sort of certainty. Wow!
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