Today was all about slowing down and coming back to center.
Last night’s Oratorio was the kind of deep and powerful experience that needs time to integrate and reflect on in order to fully comprehend it.
Somehow the process made me think of a mandala, because the bits and pieces of the experience — the initial vision, the challenges, the hopes, the compromises, the highs, the lows, the people stuff, the music itself, the thrill of performance — all have their perfect place in the intricate complexity of the whole.
A much needed day of resting and doing a whole lot of nothing was a good start to the process.
It was the first time i sat through the entire Oratorio, live, at a stretch.
And, my oh my!
When i got over the initial dramatic captivation of the vivid colour, the note perfect music, the beautiful voices in perfect harmony…. I settled into absorbing the ‘feels’.
I cried with the “Who dreamed of the tragedy..”…. I sang out”Hosanna!”… and – visualising Swamiji encouraging the audience to join in”Thy light within us shining”, I piped in.
Having mostly heard you, Bhagavati, in Alto, it was such a joy to hear your rich, mellifluous solos with some really tricky note combos.
Satyana was lovely as always, Ramesha perfection itself, and Prasad in Bass and solo was so deep and powerful.
The cello, harp and violin were professional level…. And a very special shout out to Nayaswami Krishna who had us jump to our feet with that amazing Trumpet herald!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, choir angels, each one!
Happy Easter!
Your performance was so deep and so beautiful, Bhagavati 💕