In an attempt to make the strings of the orchestra understand the way Messiaen composed and to re-create the feelings he wanted to evoke in his listeners, Jim took some of the string section out into the meadows to find the inner calm and control required to play this haunting work of art....and it would seem by the way it was played at the concert last Friday night, we would all agree it worked!
As we followed Jim through the meadow, instruments in hand, a general feeling of confusion sets in; what could being attacked by the wildlife in a forest teach us about playing a difficult, dissonant section of Messiaen?
We stopped in a thicket of grass and wildflowers up to our knees, and set up our music. Blackbirds sang, definitely not in time with the Messiaen who, Jim reminded us, used to go and spend each spring notating birdsong and incorporating it into his compositions. We stand still and listen, suddenly the cluster harmonies and complex melody make more musical sense. We play, and without a resonant acoustic our instruments sound different like a song carried on the wind. There are a few false starts where falling music and the insects interfere with our playing. Jim stops conducting and we struggle to navigate the complex time signatures without a guide. We try again.
No one speaks. The stillness gives us a sense of calm concentration and this time we play together. Messiaen wanted to write music that would stop time; as the last harmonies fade, it seems he has succeeded.
On the way back to the rehearsal hall, we talk in hushed voices. The chatter and noise of the rest of the orchestra is suddenly irritating, as it interrupts our total focus on the music. Jim silences the orchestra and we try to re-create the quiet and focus.
Our rehearsal goes well and then: from stillness, the best music is played.
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