11-17-23
Last night I went to a strings concert. My dad came with me because he wanted to see why I like them so much, and he didn't want me to be alone.
It was nice to see that he enjoyed it, but oh my god. He was so aggravating.
Every minute he would have a different question that he couldn't wait to ask and discuss. "What if the bow was shorter?" "Why is the player facing that way?" He at first tried to ask these very quietly during the pieces, but his voice doesn't allow that. So we came up with the method of passing my phone back and forth between us. He would type a question, and I would type an answer. Then I would retype the answer because the first one wouldn't satisfy. This system worked, but it was annoying. Sometimes when he would grab the phone from me, I would still keep my grip on it, hoping he would get the message that I was done playing these games. He also moved around a lot, making different gestures if he thought something was cool. This was quite bothersome because he was wearing a windbreaker. It was like sitting next to a pile of dry leaves constantly being rustled.
Can't he just chill? He can't just sit there and silently wonder how their pinkies can reach that far up the string? Or how they can memorize ten minutes of music? How long does it take for that to become muscle memory? Please be quiet, and just notice the communication that goes on between the player and accompanist. They breathe together. Or notice how the fellow strings players in the audience seem to know the piece just as well as the performer, based on their occasional head nodding to the music. Or just get sidetracked. Accidentally get lost in your thoughts for five minutes, and then come back to reality and realize the first movement is still being played.
Finally, the last performer walked onto the stage. I was looking forward to this specific violinist. I have seen lots of these performances before, and his playing always sticks with me. I looked at the program and noticed that I had seen him perform the same music a week ago at a different recital. However, he played it differently this time. When he walked out on stage, he brought something with him. He played with much more emotion. This must have had an effect on my dad, because he sat still the whole time. He was focused.
Even though I was irritated at times, I enjoyed bringing my dad with me. He had never seen something like that before, so I understand why his mind was at 100 mph during the recital. It was also nice to have someone to talk to after. Usually when I leave the concert hall, I sit outside alone for ten minutes and reflect on what I witnessed. But now, I could share my thoughts with someone else, and they would understand.
He told me he wants to go to the next one with me, which is fine. I'm glad he wants to go again. But we're gonna have to sit in the back or something cause he's too ADHD.
