Are you open to surprises? I must admit that I’m not as open as I could be. I do not like surprises and it could be a control thing. I like to know what’s happening. Last Saturday – September 29th – was Nuit Blanche in Toronto. All night there were free art events throughout the city. It’s a way to immerse yourself in Toronto’s culture.
David Fallis, Artistic Director of Toronto Consort, a chamber music group, applied to have the art installation “Forty-part Motet” by Janet Cardiff set up in the Trinity St. Paul’s Centre gymnasium to be part of Nuit Blanche 2012, and his application was approved.
I don’t know much about music, and didn’t have a clue what a “Forty-part Motet” was. I know David well, and I wanted to support him. It was also my intention to conduct some research before the event, but time got away from me, you know how it is? I assumed it had to do with music because of David Fallis’ involvement, and since it was an art installation, I assumed it also had something to do with art as well.
The Forty Part Motet, by Janet Cardiff, at Inhotim
If you cannot view the YouTube video The Forty Part Motet, click here.
Saturday night, with about 45 or so other people (only a few were allowed in at a time), I entered the gym, and all I saw were a lot of fancy speakers, which were grouped together probably in fives, I didn’t count because I was too stunned.
I thought, “What’s going here, where is the art?” Before I could come up with an answer, the most beautiful chamber music was coming through some of the speakers. Some group of speakers were silent until it was their turn to serenade us. And for 15 minutes, the groups of speakers were playing musical chairs, titillating our senses in the process.
A sense of peace came over me, and I felt goose bumps, the way you do when you hear music that touches your soul. A “Forty Part Motet” is eight choirs of five voices each. Had I not attended the event because I didn’t know what it was about, I would have missed the pleasant surprise that was awaiting me.
While I was returning home, someone called out to me from the Japan Foundation to see what they had in store for us for Nuit Blanche, and Japanese arts and crafts was there waiting for me.
After I left there, I stopped to watch ballroom dancing and some sort of Scottish dance on the sidewalk. There were lots more to see in Toronto, but I was happy with all that I already experienced that night and simply savour it. How open are you to fresh experiences? How open are you to surprises?
