Yesterday evening, I enjoyed a wonderful intermission from the heralding beat of foreclosures, price reductions and low offers, when I went to hear The National Philharmonic of Russia perform at the Opelika Center for Performing Arts, sponsored by the Arts Association of East Alabama. It was an opportunity that affirmed, for me, that MUSIC is a natural "way of understanding" for all mankind. The National Philharmonic of Russia artistic director and principal conductor, Vladimir Spivakov, was brilliant in his remarkable interpretation of pieces by Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, and Prokofiev. A young, Japanese violinist, Mayuko Kamio, starred in the performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major. As if the content, form, beauty and skill were not enough of a bigger-than-life portrayal this piece, Mayuko's delivery of artistic genius was unbelieveable. After her final, most highly pitched note was bowed, like a fragile, fading whisper being carried off in a delicate breeze, you could hear a pin drop in the packed auditorium... a pause of complete awe, followed by a roaring, standing ovation.
Sitting back in the balcony, my thoughts diverted, at one point, to the real estate / banking mess. I've often sought wisdom from the principles of music, and for a moment last night, observed the success of a perfect presentation, as each section of the orchestra adhered to the score at the direction of the conductor. There truly are many illustrations for teamwork, synchronization of systems, and achievement of excellence that can be drawn from or modeled from the design and performance art of an orchestra.
As a Realtor, practicing real estate, I can aspire to this model for conducting business, appreciating the counterpoint and precision of reliable services, knowing how to read and interpret the score, keeping harmony in check, paying attention, striving for the best presentation of skills and knowledge that comes from practice, learning, applying, practice, learning more and more practice, presenting my best for the teamwork that fine tunes every transaction.
It's good to get away from the fast tempo that easily becomes a daily rhythm. Stopping to rest, appreciating beauty-in nature, in music, in art---uplifts our sights and offers perspective for our own practice and performance. The Arts Association of East Alabama has a word for this practice: "UNPLUG."
For more information on East Alabama Arts and upcoming exhibits and performances, you can visit their website here.
© Copyright 2009 - This posting and the contents written here, except where noted, are the copyrighted property of Mara Hawks, All Rights Reserved.
Active in Alabama, Mara Hawks, REALTOR with FIRST REALTY of Auburn, AL, #1 Real Estate Team in Lee County, THE LEADER in professional real estate services in Auburn, Opelika & Lee County for over 3 decades! Committed to INTEGRITY, KNOWLEDGE & SERVICE.
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Disclaimer: All information provided by this author is strictly an opinion, is not guaranteed, may be based on information collected from several sources, which may or may not be deemed reliable at the time of researching this article and may be time sensitive.
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Mara, I'm glad you took some time off and got to go to such a nice event. I will be doing so shortly...things I want to catch up on that I've missed all winter.
Music is an amazing tool. It can certainly motivate you to do many things by changing a mood or feeling.
Carole - hoping the springtime will get you making more appearances at the cultural events around your town. We have to remember it's food for the soul---and I was starving! :-)
Bill - I agree. And I read about all these babies listening to Mozart, supposedly good for brain development. Maybe we should send a few CD's to the AIG.
Mara, I sense from your descriptive words, that this concert provided you a little piece of harmony in your life vs. dissonance. Music can do that for us and for sure lift our spirits. Glad you caught a break from your normal routine. Opelika has quite the culture doesn't it? That would probably surprise a lot of people not from eastern Alabama.
Excellent Localism Post and I have to tell you that when I post about the Arts or music in Texas, some people still cannot imagine that we are actually civilized! Have a good week! I seee that gary was also a bit surprised about your area too! LOL!
Gary - Very true, Gary! I tend to stay working until someone pulls me away. I need to take more initiative on my own. There is a lot of culture in some of these small towns. This philharmonic truly was a surprise!
Russell - Thank you! It was fun to write about, too. I always love musical events. Funny about Texas, too! Localism can be so educational about our small towns. Let's keep surprising them. :-)