Listening to Life...

"If we can't take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on Earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that, then what else are we missing?" - Gene Weingarten

I was reading the Sunday edition of the Ottawa Citizen and got pulled into an article entitled "maestro in the metro". Condensed from an article in Washington Post, it's about an experiment where Joshua Bell, an internationally acclaimed classical violinist, played his Stradivarius in the D.C. Metro station for 45 minutes - busking incognito. Turns out very few busy D.C. bureaucrats took the time to stop and listen... One of the highlights for me was the author's exploration of the value of beauty. "If a great musician plays great music but no one hears... was he really any good?"

Admittedly, I'm also intrigued by the effect of this experiment on Bell's ego. When given a stage, people will pay $100 and more to hear him; put him in a ball cap and jeans during morning rush hour and even a masterfully crafted 18th-century instrument isn't enough to get people to take notice. Except for the children, it seems... the article points out that "every time a child walked past, he or she tried to stop and watch. And every single time, a parent scooted the kid away."

This article seems to have generated quite a buzz in the blogosphere, from critics & fans alike. You can read a bit more about the author's intentions in this transcript of an online chat. And in case you are wondering, Bell made a whopping $32.17 (not including $20 from the lone commuter who actually recognized him). I'm sure he'll get over it. Just last week, he accepted the Avery Fisher Prize for outstanding achievement in classical music. It comes with a $75,000.00 cheque.

I don't know classical music that well and, until reading this article, had never heard of Joshua Bell. However, it seems I have, in fact, heard his music many times... He is the man behind the music of one of my favourite films, The Red Violin.

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
- from Leisure by W.H. Davies

PAX,