Music Speaks to the Soul

I am having a crazy-busy week. It might not seem so compared to the lives of some of you, but it does to me. I am working on a number of things, and I don't seem to multitask well any longer.

This makes me feel like I am fragmenting into many pieces, and flying in several directions under centrifugal force. I am not sure I am getting anywhere in a linear sense, but I am getting somewhere in an energetic sense.

Taxes. Financial aid paperwork. Financial planning. Volunteer applications. Writing. Guild work. Sewing. Travel planning. Laundry. Cleaning. Telephone follow-up. Email follow-up. Mail follow-up. Paying bills. Brainstorming. Resource-gathering. Praying. Reading. Listening. Setting appointments. Attending appointments. Haircut.

The one thing that is calm right now is music.

Last night, Gregg, David and I went to hear Itzhak Perlman perform with, and conduct, the Seattle Symphony orchestra. The evening was "Mainly Mozart," which is a series offered by the Symphony each year. We bought tickets to 3 concerts, and in doing so, we saved money. We also got to customize our series. It's fun to do, because we sit together with the catalog and ask one another what music and performers we most want to hear in the coming season; then we put our own package together. We allowed David to choose for us this year.

Last year, we signed up for 3 concerts, and on one of the occasions, a performer had to substitute for the headliner. Fortunately, the sub was SUPERB. I mean, he moved us deeply with his mastery of the violin...and he was playing a Stradivarius!

As we listened to the gifted Mr. Perlman last night, I was struck by the differences between his playing and the young artist we heard on the violin last year. I thought, Perhaps this is what would be the difference between making love with a man in his 20s and a man in his 60s. The young man played with strength and sensitivity, passion and energy. His performance was kinetic and breathtaking; it was awe-inspiring. By contrast, Mr. Perlman played with such innate knowledge and experience as to make his performance look nearly effortless, like an extension of his breathing and his being. So deep is his awareness and understanding of the music - and the instrument - that he appeared to be one with them both. He seemed to be participating in the music, rather than creating sounds. The word "maestro" comes to mind, in a full and complete sense.

As I was listening to the music, I recalled a clip that I saw last week of the Gospel singer Wintley Phipps, speaking about music as a universal language, and about God's work in his life. Mr. Phipps was speaking on the set of the upcoming movie, "Letters to God," which will be released in April. Please, if you have a few minutes, watch this clip and hear his voice. And if you are ready to be moved, watch the trailer for the movie. I have shed tears over both of these clips. There are several others on the movie's site under the tab, "On-Set Devos" that are inspiring and worth watching. I hope to have more news for you about the movie's premiere soon.

Music is a gift in our lives. I am so thankful that there are artists who are willing to work to create such beauty and inspiration, and to share it with others (like our friend Linda Watson, who is an opera singer). And I am thankful for the privilege of hearing Mr. Perlman last night, and sharing it with David and Gregg.