Day 5 - Violins

Did the requisite 5 minutes of exercise. Really wasn't too bad, although I wasn't feeling inclined to do it. I just started, because all I had to do was five minutes, and it ended up being around 8 or 9 minutes total. The (weak) force of habit got me from my beginning stretches to 50 jumping jacks and a slightly elevated heart rate. I realized, too, that having walked around in the Museum of Fine Arts for a few hours yesterday probably tired me out a bit.

Yay!

Also yesterday, my cousin had tickets for the Boston Symphony. I was surprised to find that there's a new player in the violins - no names - but I had a crush on him when we were both high schoolers at Tanglewood. Unbelievable. Both, the crush and that I saw him at the BSO. Anyway, he's married now, and it's exciting to see him attain this milestone in his career. And of course, there's the other violinist I've long held great affection for, H.M. >sigh<

The soloist played the Elgar B minor violin concerto, very Elgar-y. He played the ex-Kreisler Guarneri del Jesu violin. Sweet Jesu, I say. That is one gorgeous sounding violin. (This is what I'm grateful for today.) If you've spent a lot of time listening to violin players in various places and levels, you realize that to achieve the level of sound this violin produces...well, it's one of the miracles of the world. From the first note, there was a reverberance, a clear richness, a layered sonority you don't get from most violins. The articulation was supreme, the response was amazing. The tone was absolutely thrilling - and I don't say these things lightly. There was only one vague flaw in the lower register, an odd buzz or growling sound which could have been the violinist bearing down a bit harder than he needed to, or perhaps the bow. Not a big deal, because the rest of the notes were divine and gorgeous.

I am, having been a violinist for 20 or 30 years depending on how you want to count, rather critical of most violin soloists, unless I know them personally. (Perhaps this is a little knowledge being a bad thing, but this is my blog.) The guy, N. Znaider, is really good, and obviously, deserving to play the instrument. But the instrument, you hear it, and you realize any number of great players could be made to sound supreme if they had this violin. Even I might sound kick ass. Perhaps. I would love to have a chance to try.

There's something else rather important about the violin for me. Hearing it gave me that all-over body tingle. Just for a moment, there was a sense of some perfect alignment in the universe, and I was witness to it. You can't help but be grateful for those opportunities to witness perfection. The body takes in the experience, relaxes, feels the perfect good of it, and is lifted. These moments of perfect alignment are uplifting. Encouraging, heartening. May we all have them, and often. And when we are not having them, let us remember the times we did.