April 26, 2015
(This is part
of a 365 project during my 70th year where I write and illustrate a blog on
each day's gift.)
 |
| The power of the music comes from more than just the hands. |
My pianist friend Guity Adjoodani played Esfahan
Rhapsodie by J. Marufi and Sonata in C Major by Beethoven. In
other solos, Jeremiah Baker played the
alto sax, Robert Ford played the accordion and Vladimir Fridman played guitar. They
all were part of a concert presented by the Unique Foundation, a non-profit
organization benefiting cancer programs.
Their performance at The Lyceum Historical
Museum in Alexandria, Virginia, was not the only thing the musicians had in
common. As I found my body responding to what I heard, I thought about the
power their playing had on the audience and why. I think the answer is that each
of them leaned into their music, physically and emotionally. I watched how
Guity moved her body and how it became one with the movement of her hands. I
watched how Jeremiah rose on tiptoes during some phrasing of his piece. I
noticed how Robert leaned his head toward his accordion like a duo dancing, and
how both he and Vladimir closed their eyes and expressed such emotion in their
faces.
It occurs to me that if you are going to move your
audience as they listen to your music, you cannot play with only your hands, or
voice or breath. Music must travel throughout the musician’s entire body. This journey
is what gives power and emotion to their music. If this does not happen, then
the music is “flat” and lacks life. Each performer tonight created music that
was alive and that lived inside each of us in the audience as we listened.
This concept applies to areas outside of music too.
It is the “leaning into” that gives power and breathes life into everything we
say and do. Tonight I leaned into the music I heard and it made all the
difference. Whether I am writing or creating images or having a conversation, I hope I lean into and that it will make a difference too.
My
gift today is a leaning into.
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