power

She wiped away tears from her eyes, using both of her hands to brush away the liquid emotion.

His face was utterly peaceful, his eyes closed.

Jonathan Crow had just finished the epically beautiful violin concerto by Mr. Felix Mendelssohn, in E minor.

We had performed the Eroica symphony by Ludwig.

Ludwig van Beethoven.

I had been watching his face intermittently throughout the entire symphony – as much as I could while keeping with the music. Some might argue that I wasn’t paying enough attention – but his face was so inspiring, and the emotional feedback I got from him sent a desperate desire to give as much as I could to him while I could.

He was an older East Indian gentleman. His eyes remained closed for most of the performance. His foot sometimes tapped during a livelier part of the piece – during the Scherzo to be sure. His face was so expressive. He was clearly deriving a great amount of pleasure, and joy from the music.

As a performer, it can often be the case that we focus only on the notes, the right techniques, and making a crescendo in just the right place. We notice all the detail.

And we forget to see the big picture. We forget about the power of the music – all the techniques, crescendos, subito pianos, and details become our only focus.

But he hears the big picture. He is not distracted by the detail. He hears the message.

I may be the performer. He may be the listener.

But we need each other. Without the performer there would be no music. Without the listener there would be no performance.

Without the inspiration of his enjoyment, I would have performed a different concert. Maybe not as alive. Perhaps even boring.

But his delight inspired my performance. My inspiration fed his delight even more.

A cycle had begun.

Together, we discovered a powerful camaraderie. A sense of community.

All through the power of music.