Today was the recording session for our 'Fiasco' pieces. Everybody did a smashing job, it was fun to see how much everybody has developed and grown over the last 10 months. Everybody has their own unique style of music and became better at it, really honed it.
It was a rush like I've never felt! Well, outside of the obvious moments, my wedding, the birth of my children. This was unique, it was special, a moment for me to shine for just me and the hard work, blood, sweat, and tears I've poured into the last 10 months. The orchestra sounded amazing!
Everybody got 25 minutes on the stand with the orchestra. They'd play through the music twice and then between the composer, the booth and the musicians themselves, they'd discuss and work through whatever performance issues there were. They might rehearse a section 'on the stick' which means to conduct freely with the baton but without the click track. Most everybody got 2-4 full run-throughs after rehearsing. I was fortunate in that my piece didn't require much rehearsing and the orchestra was on point! I got 5 full takes. I've spent the better part of the evening loading all the audio files into a Logic session to do my final mix, which is due to the program director by Thursday afternoon.
There are moments in peoples lies that must seem existential. Moments where you surpass your corporeal existence and live a state of wonderment, how do humans achieve this? A star athlete crossing the finish line .10 of a second faster than anybody else to win the gold metal. An EMT that saves a child from an burning car, that kind of stuff. Today, I had my moment. By the third take the orchestra were really nailing it, there were moments where the hair on the back of my neck stood straight up they sounded so good. Then, at the biggest part of the piece with every single musician playing, the cathedral hall filled with the magnificent sound of a symphony orchestra playing music I composed, playing my spirit, I wept while I was conducting, I couldn't stop. It was the most emotionally vulnerable I have ever been, the most fulfilled! For a 30 second span of time I was one with everything! I don't know how else to explain it.
I wish everybody could have that kind of experience. In all reality, there is a good chance that today is the only time I will ever have a professional orchestra playing music I composed, I hope it's not, but it could be. I'll never forget the sensation, the sound, the unity, so many individuals coming together in a way that only musicians can. It was breathtaking, memorable, beautiful.
Looking back at all my blog posts, the good, the bad and the ugly, it's a path I never dreamed I would get to travel. I laughed, cried, swore, and more than once wanted to just quit so I could sleep.
The rest of the week is set aside for exit interviews. Basically a dissertation defense, we sit 1-1 with the director with scores and video files that contain all the important cues we recorded this year. Friday we set up for graduation, we rented out a theater in Seattle for the ceremony. On Saturday. there will be recordings of todays music playing in the lobby. We'll screen a few of the short films we scored this year. A placeholder diploma handoff and, that's it, 40 weeks comes to a close.
Off into the world with you little bird, fly away, be free.
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