“We die with the dying.
See, they depart, and we go with them.
We are born with the dead!
See, they return, and bring us with them.“
-T.S. Eliot
This tradition has seen two pandemics and its share of war.
This tradition has also lived to see 300 beautiful original works, much of the surface of the planet Earth, and two different centuries.
In a world of infinite possibilities there was always going to be only one path taken, that being the collective result of the path that each and every one of us chooses.
The decision to stand up in the presence of challenges, be it pioneering a difficult new piece of music, or be it even the presence of the pure evil of this- and to come out smiling- this is also a choice…and it is the very stuff of fairy tales and legends, as depicted in the compositions we all enjoy.
Remember one week ago on the 16th when we told you that our yellow brick road would take us from Tschaikowsky‘s sublime “Morning Prayer“ to another prayer?
At its premiere, after the final note of the “Amen“ of Lera Auerbach‘s “72 Angels“ sounded and made its fade into the history books, conductor Peter Dijkstra‘s hands remained raised to indicate that we and the Netherlands Chamber Choir hold the atmosphere close to our chests.
We did this for at least over one minute, and the entire hall was completely silent, all hearts beating as one,
and 1+1+1+1=1.
