Our First Live Concert

The bare walls of the hospital seemed to hit me like icy daggers....the paleness of the marble floor was oppressive. Suddenly, flashes of images of children dressed in elegant colours of Christmas, in striking contrast to the dullness around me, shot through my mind's eyes. And the thunderous applause of the audience reverberating in my ears also broke through the eerie silence of the night. Compare the brightness and richness of a concert hall (satin-draped chairs, smiling faces and bright lights) to the starkness of a hospital at night.

Life is full of contrasts and how! Just the day before my mother's sudden hospitalisation, my students' first live concert was held in Theme Piano World. The grace and poise of the four and five- year olds took us all by surprise. I could not help wondering whether I was half as confident as them as a four year old! While waiting for the lift, the incredible melody line of Neefe's Canzonet momentarily made me forget where I was. The fluency of James Hook's Allegro in D Major and the brilliant dynamic changes in Ukranian Bells (a traditional folk song) sounded marvallous. A Pleasant Morning By Streabogg made the Sunday morning even more beautiful, and I could hardly get over the hauntingly mellifluous A Little Song by Kabalevsky.

A few blemishes here and there only made the performance all the more spontaneous. What made me proud was that the children continued playing with confidence. No slip of fingers, no hesitations could stop them from performing with elan and style! They were on a roll! The MC (a dear friend of mine) put the children and audience at ease with warmth and humour in her voice, and contributed to a large extent towards the effortless performance of the little ones. The sight of all the children singing joyously and passionately with the twins playing We Wish You A Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year on the piano was easily the high point of the concert. Perhaps, we can consider this as a small but significant step in the life of these budding pianists, an event they can look back with pride and gratification.

Just like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, the beautifully decorated Christmas tree on stage filled me with hope and optimism. It was like a magic wand cutting through the dark night and promising "good tidings to you and your kin".