Tuesday I listened to a broadcast of a performance of a Beethoven string quartet by a group that is considered a rising star among classical musicians. It seemed that they got all the notes but none of the music. Intonation, phrasing, melody, were all missing. It sounded as abstract as a piece by a post modernist.
That evening I went to a concert given by Opus One, a chamber orchestra comprised mostly of students from U MAss Amherst. Their performance of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 lacked the extreme precision of professionals but it was still the best, most exciting, and satisfying performance of this piece I've ever heard. They caught the melody, the structure, the implied phrasing, perfectly. One could see how focused they were and feel the enthusiasm they felt for the music.
Thinking about this a bit, I realized it was a perfect metaphor for the way many of us live at least part of the time. We are so busy getting the details perfect while missing out on the spirit of the things we do. Make sure you live the melody, not just the notes.
