My Musical Life Partner
Phew... I've reached the end of a very busy period of work. Lots of travelling, organising, and the usual performances. Actually, the performances are the easiest part of it all! Anyway, my last concert (well, I have a lull of two weeks...) of this crazy month and a half was a really nice one in which I performed with my wife at a community event. Pretty low key, and we donated our time and services... but the audience was quite full and very appreciative! Its always really quite pleasant to do these things, and we like to do them well as well... and seeing as we lack other sorts of proper skills, this is the way that we are able to give back to the community.
Anyway, everything was prepared at a bit of short notice... we had less than two days to prepare a completely new program due to a misunderstanding with the person that was organising the event... and then we managed to squeeze in the rehearsal at home in between preparing for other projects. Anyway... a bit of a tight squeeze, but we made it work. Plus, between the two of us... we have more than enough repertoire that we can bring up to standard in a relatively short amount of time...
... and also, it is so easy and fun to perform and play music with my wife. She is an excellent musician... so easy and flexible to play with, and we tend to play well together (at least, I think so...). In fact, in the past, I have thought that it was a bit of a dangerous thing for her to take that for granted and to perform more with me than with other people... as a violinist, you end up just playing with lots and lots of other people as a matter of course... but as a pianist, you tend to play with far fewer people. And I was concerned that every time that she played a concert with me, was a concert that she wasn't showing off her skills and abilities to a different person!
Anyway, now that we are back in Australia... we are doing much more together. Something that we haven't done so much since we were students... and we are both really quite enjoying it. There is something really quite special about doing the things that you love, with the person that you love... how cheesy is that! BLEAH...
But, seeing as I was near exhaustion at the end of my crazy month and a bit of driving between cities with too little sleep... well, I was a touch more emotional than I cared to admit. I am much more sentimental than my outward public persona would show...
... anyway, in one earlier concert, I was talking to a student who likely only has a few months left of life... it is a real pleasure to teach them... but in the concert, I was playing a piece.. and I saw them in the front, and it sort of hit me a bit hard for half a minute before I got hold of myself. Sigh... soppy me.
... and then the other day, with my wife playing a solo before I joined in later... well, I was just thinking about how much I enjoy doing this with her, and how we have shared our lives through pretty much all of our adult and professional lives... and that, perhaps at some point, it will come to an end. A moment of unforced emotion there as well!
Sigh... anyway, I should focus on what we have at the moment and count myself lucky. And not fret about what I will lose in the future... probably this is my way of telling the universe that I know that I'm lucky... and some time, I will find myself brave enough to tell her.
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Are you a singer?
No, just a violinist!
Wow, you had only two days to prepare a whole new program? That’s great that you pulled it off, and also awesome that you and your wife play so well together and take the time to give back to the community.
I know what mean about being emotional and sentimental. I always have been, but it gets worse with time and age. I realize how precious life is, how much there is to live for, and how fortunate I am to be alive and healthy and have great people in my life.
Seeing people face their mortality bravely is one of the things that hits me hard. The Netflix series I’m watching right now is a hospital drama. In a recent episode, a doctor had to tell a little girl that hee cancer is terminal. She did so with such grace, and the little girl was so sweet and so brave. I couldn’t stop crying! Physicians have to face these things all the time.
Your post is lovely, @bengy. A real tribute to the appreciation of all that is good in your life.
Yeah, two days is a pretty quick turnaround, but we do have a bit of repertoire from our long history of playing to draw upon at short notice.
Wow, I can't even think about how much of an emotional wreck I would be if there was actually something mortal that was incoming! My brother and mother work in the medical fields... I often wonder how they manage to segment their work and daily life... it must be quite draining.
It's hard to face the fact that we or those we love won't be here forever, but it's better to think about what we have today and enjoy it. But sometimes it's inevitable that we get sentimental, isn't it?
You are lucky to be able to enjoy with your wife something that you both love so much and that is such a central part of your life as music. It's great that you are good at playing together.
I hope you now have a few days to rest after a busy period of work.
Have a great weekend:)
Ah yep, it is nice to be sappy occasionally! I have been pretty fortunate to have this to be able to do with my wife... there are other things where being two freelance musicians is more difficult than a "normal" life... but I don't think I would change it for anything else!
What a stressful experience that must have been to jump through hoops to prepare for that program. Way to make it work though.
Ah well.. it is our job, and that is what we do to make it work!