This time the alarm was painful. Very quickly we were ready. Travel to the city centre lasted only 16 minutes. 16 minutes at 4 am. At that time someone was called by a crying child... someone had to get up to help someone... and the Impossible Orchestra played already 11 hours.
Finally we reached Melbourne Concert Hall..
We were warmly welcomed by the staff.
This was IT - The Impossible Orchestra - 24 hours musical marathon organised by CareAware.
We proceeded to the auditorium. Orchestra played interval music - Mozart's divertimento.
The clock showed running time, next session will start in 54 seconds...
It started with an overture to Ruslan and Ludmiła. There were some thirty people in the auditorium and full scale symphonic orchestra on the stage. My idea to listen to Impossible Orchestra at Impossible Time was fully justified. Brett Kelly - the conductor - welcomed us and invited to come closer. Closer to the stage, closer to each other. That was a good move, caring move.
In an interview on ABC Classic Brett Kelly promised energetic music and there it was - Tchaikovsky, Johann Strauss, even John Sousa. Why not?
Young man sitting nearby admitted this was his first ever encounter with symphonic orchestra. How familiar.. One of the first pieces of live music I heard some 60 years ago was Franz von Suppe's Light Cavalry Overture. And here it was - breaking time and age barriers.
There were some gentle and slow pieces of music, such as Asa Song by Edward Grieg used as a background for a story of Aboriginal father about his love to his daughter suffering Down syndrome. Music from cold Norwegian fjords brought to the Australian bush. Connecting hands and hearts of performers and public, young and old. We were connected to outside world by twitter messages.
The concert ended with music from Bizet's Carmen - Torreador Song - the piece, which switched on my interest with classical music. Start and end - connected.
We left the Concert Hall at 8 am. Swanston St. was still asleep, as was Yarra . We called for a breakfast to nearby Hilton Hotel. Only there I felt excitement leaving my body and soul. I felt tired and sad. We drove home in silence. Someone was taking kids for a walk... someone was helping his disabled mother in morning toilet... someone looked with love in absent eyes of his or her life partner... someone extended strong hand to trembling hand of his or her parent. And the Impossible Orchestra played on and on...
Click above to see more photos.
