Last weekend, I came down with tonsilitis whilst away performing in Switzerland. Which I haven’t had in decades. So it took me a while to recognise the symptoms. And thank goodness for modern medicine, which enabled me to still perform, if dosed up to the eyeballs. And for the antibiotics I picked up on the way home. Our online GP system worked in my favour for once. I talked to a GP whilst at the airport and they were waiting for me (thanks to my partner) when I got home.
You’ll be unsurprised that I saw very little of Switzerland. I was either in bed resting, on the bus, or in the venue. I did see a few mountains from there though. Despite feeling terrible, I managed to enjoy performing. We were fortunate in a lovely conductor, Jerome Kuhn. And a merging of three very good choirs, two Swiss, and one student chorus from Prague. Luckily, the piece I also knew very well- JS Bach’s St John Passion.
It’s a piece I have mixed feelings about. I dislike it for its blatant antisemitism. It has a Lutheran emphasis on the blood libel, (that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus). Martin Luther has a lot of blood on his hands. Antisemitism was standard in the Christian world at this time in Europe. And yet, the music is extraordinary. The choruses are varied, matching the words beautifully. With a huge range of colours and textures despite only having strings and wind in the band. It has some of my favourite Bach soprano arias.
It makes me think about all these artists who have turned out to have a dark underbelly. With the question of whether we should still listen/read/look at their art. I confess I still sometimes listen to Michael Jackson, and read Roald Dahl. And appreciate the art of others who are most definitely less than perfect. It’s a question I don’t have a decisive answer for.
Which in turn, makes me think of one of my favourite Jewish proverbs. That when you marry, you have to accept all 70 faces of your beloved. They’re not all pretty! Of course, it’s about learning to love others, and accept their imperfections.
Most of us could do with improving that with regards to ourselves as well. We all have sides we’re happy to show. Others we’d like other people not to notice. We do need to find a way of folding them in, seeing all the faces in balance with each other. All 70 of them.
When we don’t, it shows up in unusual ways. Some of which are physical. The mind and body are part of the same system after all. Whilst we have different words for the two entities, they’re really one. I’ve talked about this with regards to our body, that one area can affect other areas too. We might feel the pain in one area, but the cause is elsewhere. It’s the same with our body and mind. It’s a good thing. It means we can widen our search for resources and solutions.
Transform how you move, feel and live 