Back to this fascinating piece: the Concert by Ernest Chausson. It’s now time to listen to the edit and make “corrections”. Beside the obvious technical small mistakes, I find the process extremely interesting and delicate. The idea is of course to improve the final result, but how surprising is it to see that sometimes the after correction (officially “better” ) doesn’t catch us as much as an imperfect take? How to navigate through this, and be mindful about what is the most important? Music. Always music. We want something impeccable, but is our art supposed to be that way? Is Life impeccable ? Certainly not, and I would even say; thankfully not. I always want my music to reflect Life and its emotions. This recording happened at a very challenging and dark moment in my personal life, now listening to that third movement, I feel captured again by its obscureness, hopelessness and desolation; but the heart still beats, and its vibrancy is poignant.
This reminds me of that poem, by Charles Baudelaire. Meditation
“Be wise, O my Sorrow, be calmer.
You implored the evening, it falls, here it is:
A dusky air envelopes the town, bringing peace to some, worry to others.
Whilst the worthless crowd of humanity,
Lashed by Pleasure, that merciless torturer,
Go to gather remorse in slavish rejoicing,
Give me your hand, my Sorrow, come with me,
Far from them. See the dead years leaning, In worn-out clothing, on the balconies of the skies;
See how Regret, grinning, rises from the deep waters;
The dying sun goes to sleep in an archway, and, like a long shroud dragging from the East,
Hear, O my dear one, hear the soft night treading.”