A Change Of Heart

Classical music...

Prissy, snobby? Maybe… That's what I used to think anyway. Classical music was always inaccessible to me, but then, I was never particularly interested. But a recent (and rather fantastic) trip to London gave me reason to look a little deeper.

Now, I'd never been to the Albert Hall (or should I maybe give its full title? The Royal Albert Hall). But it's safe to say that the towering dome, scrawled with Latin and effigies of times long since past, left me awestruck. Then suddenly. I was terrified. Here I was queuing for a promenade, a musical tradition that stretches back to 1895! And Me, standing in line as tiny and insignificant as a grain of uncooked rice, I know nothing!

As I panic away to myself, two fantastic musicians (albeit dear friends) discuss the brilliance of Bach, and Shostakovich's symphonies. All the while I stand and wondered what in Gods name I’m getting myself into. I feel like a very small fish, in a very, very, large pond filled with grandeur, and instruments.

After paying for a ticket (surprisingly only £5) my friends informed me that the conductor and his orchestra are world renowned. A man, who in my classical music infancy, I had yet to hear of or learn about, Daniel Barenboim. Now those of you who are seasoned classical music fans may gasp in pure horror at my lack of knowledge. But admittedly that concert shot me into the universe of that gorgeous genre of music that is classical music. And, although I am still learning, I am sure that I will never forget that shiver that accompanied swell of Ravel's Bolero as it all came crashing together in one fantastic finale, neither will I forget how the sounds reverberated through me, chasing themselves around the domed ceiling before following me into my sleep to become the soundtrack for that nights dream.

It's safe to say that classical music has grown on me since then, it’s an ever expanding universe full of subtlety and beauty. One, I personally, can't wait to become better acquainted with. The more I learn, the more I want to learn, it has rekindled my love for my poor, slightly neglected piano, and made me slightly guilty for being so close minded about the world of classical music.

My dearest classical genre, can you ever forgive me?