The magic violin

May 25, 2006 at 11:56 AM

I am recovering from my fall and getting more mobility. Yesterday a friend came for a mercy visit and took me out to lunch and then to the grocery store. In my sorry, house-bound state, this seemed exciting. I was finally able to get to an orchestra rehearsal last night, a necessity if I am to play in our concert in a week and a half. It felt so good to be back! I have missed my friends and the challenges of playing orchestral music with my peers. From the very first note of the overture to The Magic Flute, I felt good. I could be happy playing Mozart every day of the year. We are also playing Bizet’s Carmen Suites 1 and 2 and excerpts from Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and Scottish Symphony. I’m not overly fond of the latter, and when we were just a few lines into the piece, I began to wonder whether I could sit this one out. Then I remembered some of Wynton Marsalis’s advice: Always play the best you can. So I did, and I enjoyed it more that way. I was on my feet for a relatively short time yesterday, but it was longer than I have been since my injury on May 1. I paid the price for it later. I was in so much pain that I got no sleep at all last night. I’m glad I went anyway.

Here is a reproduction of a painting by Chagall called Die Zauberflote. It looks warm and romantic to me.