130606 / June 6th, 2013 - PR: Rautavaara, "Angel of Light"

On the 6th I visited a concert. I thought it would only be Rautavaara's 7th symphony, the "Angel of Light." In fact, the first half was another piece I didn't know. It certainly wasn't Rautavaara, whose style is unmistakeable in his later years. I later learned it had been Brahms' first piano concert.

I wasn't exactly thrilled by it, but when I closed my eyes in the 2nd movement, the piece seem to come back into balance. I entered a trance, and a rather deep one over time. I would appreciate the piece more, but since it wasn't the experience I had come for, I left into the break unsatisfied. Would the symphony be so much different from what I've expected? I had not listened to the 7th before. I didn't even know it was the break - people had applauded the solist so much (which I found a bit over the top, but well) I thought it was over.

Thank goodness it wasn't. The 7th was pretty much everything I had hoped for. Rautavaara weaves such a rich and wonderful texture, it got really intense. So intense that some people left in the last movement. I seriously wondered if the intensity of this music's inner message had pushed them out, no matter how they would rationalize it.

Afterwards I walked back to the train station, on a soft early summer's night. I carried with me the sensation that my chest had expanded and was bigger now. I felt that energetic shapes seemed to protrude from under my skin. In other words, I came to realise the wonderful music had expanded my heart chakra and pushed it wide open. The sensation lasted about 20 minutes after I left the concert hall, I guess. It was quite something.

"Angel of Light" - highly recommended.

I loved to read how you experienced the concert and that you allowed the music to do its work on you until the end.. It must have been quite something to feel your heart chakra opening so wide