I have very little musical experience, but my cousin Scott Chamberlain sings choir with the Minnesota Chorale and the Minnesota Orchestra. They recently traveled to South Africa, but during prep Scott was working with a visiting South African musician and had a chance to witness …. this:
I kept on eye on my guy, trying to discretely provide key bits of information—we in the Chorale have done this work dozens of times and it’s in our blood, but I can only imagine how bizarre the whole thing must seem to someone who is coming to it for the first time.
And it was at the very end, after the final chord finally stopped reverberating from the walls that that great Moment finally came.
I turned to my neighbor, and saw his face.
It was a look you only get from performing Beethoven’s Ninth for the first time.
It was look that was one part goofy delirium, one part radiant joy, one part Divine Inspiration, and one part… Holy —-, did we just —ing seriously do that??!!?!
I laughed, and laughed hard. “So, what did you think of–“
He hugged me. And then with a smile wider than the 35W construction zone, he gave hug-handshakes to everyone around us.
And then he just sat down, laughed, and spoke in unfinished sentences.
“That was. They were so. Just a rehearsal? I can’t even.” And he rounded it off by kissing his fingertips and blowing a kiss to the orchestra.
It’s a good post and Scott contributes to MinnPost, so we know he’s a good writer. It’s worth reading his stuff, particularly if you’re a musician who like orchestral work.
