Here Comes The Sun

...doo doo doo doo... here comes the sun, and I say, "It's all right."

Because it is all right. It really, truly is. A few nights ago, we had a guest pianist on campus for our Broman Concert Series. His name is Benjamin Moser, and he is an internationally reknowned artist. We were VASTLY lucky to get him before he gets really famous. In any case, I had been on the fence about attending the concert, since I was a bit tired and also rather sickish. But, I was down on that side of campus anyway, so I decided to go. My friend R. and I sat in the front, because whenever I'm at a piano concert, I really do like to see their fingers and the way that they handle the keys.

(I'm a geek, yes.)

The program was.... earth-shattering. It was immense. I was in tears for half of it, because the music was so beautiful and indescribable and... just, wow. By the end, I was trembling with the enormity of it all. Now, anybody who really knows me also knows that music rarely (if ever!) touches me this way. That's one of the reasons why I don't study music full-time - I simply don't feel it in me the way other people do. Not only did it move me to tears (especially the piece Ondine by Ravel), but he was especially moved by Le Gibet, also by Ravel. It was astounding to me to see an instrumentalist so absolutely into his own music. I had never seen that before and it was very, very refreshing.

After the concert, I couldn't even move. I could barely breathe. I managed to stumble out into the hallway outside the concert hall to sit on the couch, but that was pretty much it. Dr. A. came out to talk to me about it and after noting my shellshocked state, he suggested that I speak to the artist himself, as everyone else in the audience was doing. I stammered about how I just couldn't, because I was babbling anyway and I would babble more if I spoke to him.

A little while later, I was still trying to will my limbs into movement, and Dr. A. led Benjamin Moser out to talk to me. We spoke for a while, and he was very nice, then he mentioned that he would be playing at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and if I would accept his email address, then I could just email him to let him know whether or not I would like a free ticket.

To make a long story short, Dr. A. managed (through his various connections) to get a few other students tickets so it's not just me making the drive to DC, and we'll be heading up on Monday to see him. Benjamin and I have been in fairly constant communication since he left Staunton, and we'll be attending the reception after the concert and then going out for coffee afterwards.

Me? Excited? Nah. I'm on Cloud-fucking-NINE.

Because, did I mention? Benjamin is only 26 years old. :-D