Just when we thought things were going to slowly return to normal we have another spike here in Melbourne that could set us back even more with a return to live music. I haven’t played a gig since March and really miss it. I realised just how much last Friday.
Fortunately I have been able to pick up some work doing relief teaching at a local high school and on Friday morning my first lesson of the day was to supervise an ensemble rehearsal. The line up was euphonium, trombone, trumpet, cello and oboe. Their teacher was attempting to conduct the rehearsal remotely via WebEx and getting very frustrated with the drop outs and delays and poor audio quality.
The students got themselves organised and began to play an arrangement of Gabriel’s Oboe by Ennio Morriconne from the film The Mission. First run through was a bit rough and then after a few attempts they got it. This is when an overwhelming sense of emotion came over me and I struggled to hold it together. I could see the anguish and frustration on the face of their teacher on the screen as he struggled to hear what was going in. He was missing out on such a beautiful moment.
Then they started playing a Chorale that was slow and very beautiful and they played it well. This one really set me off and the tears came flooding in. At that moment I realised how much we are all missing out on by being cut off from live music and the sounds of live instruments working together in a space. It is such a magical experience for everyone involved.
I have been very grateful for the support I have received through the Facebook live sessions on Tuesdays evenings and can’t wait to present some ‘in the flesh’ live shows again. Until then, I hope you can join me again on Tuesday and stay safe. Simon
https://www.facebook.com/amanaskamusic/live/
