Under the hot light on the stage... The conductor raises his arms, baton in hand and the ensemble blooms into position.
An exhale, an inhale, then the first notes sound. This is the piece. He told his musicians to leave a part of themselves behind each time. We grew with the music; we felt each beat.
Only a few bars in, we watch the beautiful movement of his arms, we concentrate on the lyrics, we feel the energy. Breathing all together.
The high voices solo, the rest are quite. We close our eyes and listen, thanking Grainger for this masterpiece. I listen a row behind me, counting measures in my head: the quite tears of a saxophone player. She feels it, too. Each crescendo, each swell and the emotion builds more.
The lows enter again. We cling, we grasp each note. Every beat takes us closer to the end.
The final bars, I try to understand. I try to make the song mine. "Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy. I love you so." The poem's words are on in my head. A father & son, their go