The American writer and minister Frederick Buechner says that we need to pay close attention to those special moments in life when something brings a sudden tear to our eyes.He’s talking about those moments when, inexplicably, and sometimes embarrassingly, we find ourselves getting misty-eyed for reasons we don’t fully understand.
It could be something beautiful that does it; a sunset or a starry night, or the sight of a newborn child.
It could be something that stirs our souls – a piece of music we love, or a smell or sound or taste that fills us with nostalgia for a past we’d long forgotten.
It could be something we see or hear or read that awakens something within us – some nameless hope that we’re only faintly aware of in the back of our minds most of the time.
Buechner argues that when we find those sudden tears coming from nowhere, for no particular reason, God’s trying to tell us something.
Towards the end of last yearI taped the BBC Choir of the Year programme because Roo's piano teacher was conducting one of the choirs, and though I enjoyed their performance, two other choirs stood out for me.
The London Bulgarian Choir came out in traditional costumes and blew everybody away with their verve and incredible close harmonies. There's a plaintive element that tugs relentlessly at your heart strings, but the harmonies are sweet as honey. It's an intoxicating blend and on the strength of this performance alone I went and sourced a CD on the net so I could listen to more.
Chantage - the eventual winners - performed a remarkable piece called "Christ's Love Song", written by the composer Richard Allain. It's an incredibly complex piece, breaking into 13 parts at one point, but for me it's an aural picture of what it means to be held by the mystery of Christ's love.
Why the tears? Well, once again, it's the ability of music to point us beyond ourselves to the one who is the beginning and end of all things. The more meditative Bulgarian pieces, and Christ's Love Song, speak of the profound yearnings of the human soul, and the sweetness of our ultimate union with God.
And what's God saying?
Your heart is good, my son, and one day its longings will be fulfilled.
London Bulgarian Choir: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GEDbKe038o
Chantage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0QMkE8-B4M
4 comments:
I had the great privelege of being at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff for that performance.
what a day!
A lovely surprise to see it highlighted here.
You lucky so-and-so!
I was totally blown away by these two performances especially. Were you down with the Inverclyde Schools group, or just out of interest?
FBL
Hi FBL, My son is in the Inverclyde Schools group - so I "chaplained" the choir - jammy or what?
The London Bulgarian Choir have a new album available - you can hear it at http://www.londonbulgarianchoir.co.uk/listen.php
Disclaimer: I'm in the choir, and we're all really proud of it!
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