Obbligato

We braved yesterday’s gloomy weather to rehearse the St. Matthew Passion obbligato arias, which abound in this masterpiece. It was like creating our own musical sunshine, and the grey energy of the day was kept at bay. Together, we channeled our inner chamber musicians, weaving the musical threads that Bach left for us, and I was reminded of sunny days from last summer in Marlboro. Part way through our rehearsal, as we listened to yet another stunning aria being rehearsed, I turned to one of my colleagues and said, “There is no shortage of beautiful music in this piece, is there?” She chuckled as she said, “Indeed, no truer words have been spoken.”