"To win one's joy through struggle is better than to yield to melancholy." - Andre Gide
Photo by unknown - taken from the internet.
I came acorss that tonight as I was reading Julia Cameron's latest book, Finding Water. The timing was apt, as I had my first rehearsal with the St. Louis Symphony tonight (ah, synchronicity...). The Bartok piece that we are performing this week - his Cantata Profana - is one of the most difficult pieces I have ever encountered. I've sweat blood and tears prerparing for this piece these past few months. It is fairly thick in orchestration, quite extreme in range, harmonically difficult, and - to add insult to injury, so to speak - in Hungarian. It is also incredibly beautiful music and a profound and moving story.
Our rehearsal went decently well, despite my sheer terror as we read through it with the orchestra and the chorus for the first time today. It's an incredible group (I am so grateful to be singing with them), and as my intimidation gives way to my admiration for the piece, I think we will have a lovely weekend of music-making ahead of us.
Our rehearsal went decently well, despite my sheer terror as we read through it with the orchestra and the chorus for the first time today. It's an incredible group (I am so grateful to be singing with them), and as my intimidation gives way to my admiration for the piece, I think we will have a lovely weekend of music-making ahead of us.
