Forgive the corny pun ....
Well, it has been quite a while since regular postings! At long last, though, I am finally at that amazing point of being between the time when all the heavy assignments are due and the time to begin intense exam review ... in short, the eye of the storm. What better time to catch up on a few posts?
Hmm, what to write about?
Last week, in stark contrast to this week, was brutal - 16 hours a day jammed with homework, classes, preparation for Sunday, and work ... but there was one amazingly bright oasis, on Thursday night.
Thursday night, I went to Roy Thompson Hall (for the first time ever) to hear the TSO (for the first time ever) and Hermuth Rilling (Bach choral conductor extraordinaire) perform J.S. Bach's "St. John Passion" (which I heard for the first time ever) ... a stunning night.
First off, Roy Thompson Hall is incredible. An incredible mix of glass and silver and marble, it beautifully mixes a sense of the classic and romantic with sleek ultramodern. The ushers wear tuxedos. The water "bottles" are made of glass crystal. The "refreshment stand" (which in a Cineplex would sell popcorn and overpriced flat Coke), sold fancy snacks and wine. To be honest, I felt a bit out of place, but it was very cool nonetheless.
The Passion itself was excellent. It mixes a recitative narrative singing from the actual text in John's Gospel of Jesus' death with quiet instrumental music, every now and then breaking out into arias that provided meditations on what the text was saying. Bach also added verses from German hymns that he knew his hearers would be familiar with.
I love Bach's music, but I have to say it was his arrangement of the hymns that captivated me. Hearing a hundred voices in absolute four-part harmony singing through beautiful melodies and profound words ... there were a couple of hymns that brought tears to my eyes.
I also got to see a viola de gamba, which was pretty cool. My knowledge of instruments stinks, but to the best of my knowledge I think the viola de gamba is the earlier version of the cello - this one seemed more simple than the cellos. It had a fantastic sound, though, clear and crisp, similar to the cello yet different.
The soloists were very, very good ... there was one soprano that sang especially beautifully, probably because she was smiling as she sang. It made me think about how much it makes a difference if you do not just play or sing something - what is your attitude? your thoughts? who are you singing for? what are your emotions?
That was the fantastic part of the concert. It was musically extremely skillful, and beautifully composed and arranged, but these things were only ever what Bach intended them to be - a frame from which to display the words and message of the Gospel of John about the death of Jesus, and what that meant for the listeners. It was worship music, in a sense, written by a committed Christian, and performed (mostly) by people who don't believe a word of what they sing and play. Regardless, though, God used the St. John Passion to draw my gaze back to the cross, and encourage me through a tough week.
It made for a great Thursday night!
