Sidetracked by Beethoven on an Early Spring Day
Sometimes, a poet gets busy. Sounds oxymoronic, but it's true. But sometimes getting sidetracked can be the best thing in your day.
My millenium rolled in like a bulldozer pushing one project aside to make room for another. All the while, more projects arrived, and the stress began to confound me. One afternoon, as I plowed through paperwork, my younger daughter asked me if I'd like to go on her next field trip.
"I went on the last one," I said, "and I enjoyed it. But I'm so far behind with my work. Could I make it up to you? Where are you going?"
She said the one word she knew would sink me. "Beethoven. It's a play about him." And she smiled the smile that all mothers recognize. If that smile could talk, it would say, "Gotcha!"
She knew I'd go. Beethoven has always been my favorite composer. I can listen to him, or play him on the piano, admittedly poorly, myself. When the children were little, and they'd spat, I'd plug him, or Mozart in, and I always believed it had a calming effect. Only after the children were bigger did they confide they'd shut up just so I'd cut the music off. Those were the days when Raffi was one of their most common choices in tapes.
At other times, particularly if my words weren't flowing well, I could turn to Beethoven for comfort. My relationship with him was solid.
We arrived at the church where the program, Something to Talk About, was to be performed. The day was one that southerners recognize as faux spring. Although it was the end of February, the sun was shining brightly with a temperature in the low seventies. Red tailed hawks circled above with hopes of finding a convenient lunch. We took our seats, and a young man dressed in black pants and a white shirt with full sleeves greeted us. He had on a wig that recalled a period in history when men could wear such wigs and not be viewed with suspicion. David Edwards would play the part of Mozart in this account of Beethoven's life and music.
A young man named Steve Eager portrayed Beethoven. Eager's energy and enthusiasm, not to mention a multitude of talents, brought the world's most beloved composer to life with a well-written script, a touch of humor, and what can only be called brilliant execution on the piano. From the moment he struck the first note, I sat spellbound. I didn't want anyone in the audience to make a sound.
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