Working working

Hi again. I hope you´re not too disappointed that I´m not updating the blog every Sunday. I intend to do so when the summer is over and I move to Banff. Because I got the confirmation now. I WILL go to Banff in Canada for 6 months and surround it with tours in the US. It´s certainly nice to know that for a fact now. In the meantime I´m working like crazy to earn some money. I´ve spend July playing a couple of gigs with the gypsy music orchestra Trio Troika. I also did a spanish concert with two sopranos at the Norwegian Opera (the new magnificent building you know..) and for the past days I´ve been working with the opera the Magic Flute in Stjørdal. I´m in the busiest period now with the singing master class right around the corner. There are 16 singers, and I have to be prepared to play with all of them. What a pile of music... And I´m going to play 10am-0615pm every day. But I kinda look forward to it. I think it will be nice. 

The good thing about doing so many things during a summer is that you are forced not to worry. What I mean is that the only thing you can do is let go when the project is finished and proceed to the next one. And then you have a pile of music in front of you. And you know that you HAVE to know this by a certain time (just a few days ahead maybe). The quickest and best way of doing that is just doing it without worrying about it. If you only have 1 big concert for a period of time, you start building up expectations, nerves, and potential problems for yourself. Trying too hard is actually a hindrance! And the concept of trying is an action of the mind/ego in itself. But if you´re in the Zone, meaning being in tune with your true Self (meditative state) the effort will be less, the comfort will be higher and the result will be better. You just trust, do it and let go afterwards. I keep saying that performing music is compressed spirituality. And I think that´s a truth in many levels. Because the same thing can be said about performing a piece. If you start thinking and judging during the performance, you´re doomed! Trusting, accepting and letting go is the way. If you think, you can´t be centered on your heart. And if you don´t play from your heart, there won´t be any art coming out of it. 

Another interesting thing about performers and the audience: you will attract what you project. Again, this is a universal truth applied to arts. For example, if you are a very intellectual musician playing with your head, you will attract people who are head-based intellectuals. If you play from your heart (by heart I mean Self/Soul/Zone...), you will touch something else in people. They will be attracted to the performance without knowing exactly why. Die-hard intellectuals will probably not understand what all the fuss is about and find things that should be different or bettered according to the score or tradition or something. I read a review from a concert the other day. It was a performance from a highly respected Norwegian pianist. It was a great great review. I´ve never been crazy about this artist to be honest because I think he´s too intellectual in his approach. But the guy who wrote the review was amazed by the performance. When I read it I noticed that one of the best compliments he gave was "amazing sound production in the middle register of the piano..." I expected something like "touched the souls and hearts etc etc." But no. Then it struck me: the guy who wrote the review must have been highly intellectual in his approach. So he was of course amazed about all the intellectual things the artist did with the instrument and music. 

Anyway.. Paramahamsa Nithyananda says that music will bring the listener to where it comes from. Which is the same thing as I tried to explain. So if the performer is deeply rooted in his Self, maybe even a spiritually enlightened being, the performances will rise people´s consciousness. This is why true art is much more important than people can imagine. Scriabin stated all his life that music (his music) could transform people and rise the consciousness towards Unity. In that case, music is directly related to spirituality and the essence of life on earth. By the way, the word Yoga means Unity. So I guess my quest then is to become enlightened myself. It would be the most important thing I would ever do for myself. And music would be my tool to channel it to whoever is listening. I think this is the true nature and purpose of music. The classical music from India is made on these premises. The old eastern philosophies are build around Enlightenment. To them, the only true meaning of life is to reach the ultimate state of consciousness, Enlightenment. And music is of course connected to this. 

Alright.. it´s time for me to sleep now! Enjoy the rest of your summer!