Gingerly stepping, halting, stepping again
and again, cotillion-like, arm in arm
they carefully sway their way
up symphony hall,
then into the amphitheater.
White hair mostly,
clutching cane or walking stick,
nicely dressed for an afternoon outing.
They are the staunch brigade
that has waded through
two world wars, plagues and pandemics—
their youth and young adulthoods
ablated and effaced by carnage,
devastation, and a preponderance
of grief that lasts forever.
This afternoon they choose
to come out to play
before the sun sets,
they rush to wallow in dreams.
The orchestral din tuning up,
festered with tones clashing,
crashing with syncopated lurching,
then dropping out one by one
into quietude.
Jean Cassidy
Copyright: September 2023
Musical performance involves bringing a silent potential into existence. When an orchestra performs, this requires up to a hundred individuals to manifest their shared understanding of the sound. At the centre of this creation is the conductor; a musician who makes no sound themselves, but acts as a conduit for the vitality and meaning which the music has to offer. FOR MORE Beshara Magazine
