In comparison to the twenty or so years that most of us have lived on this earth, four weeks is not a whole lot of time. These four weeks were so jam-packed with lessons, both in the classroom and out, that they have made a far greater impact upon us than the time would suggest.
I think that the one thing that I will always remember, though, years from now, will be the “Aaserenades”, the outdoor concerts of Beethoven’s nine symphonines, interpreted by the Munster Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra was amazing, and there is truly a world of difference between hearing a piece of music on a cd and hearing it live, where sight and sound come together to give the full experience of a piece. What was also amazing was the reaction of the audience to the music. The first night, after Beethoven’s 3rd “Eroica” Symphony, the audience clapped thunderously. The conductor and the orchestra bowed several times, but the audience wouldn’t stop. Finally, the conductor lifted up the score (the book with the music from which he conducts) as if to say, “it’s not I, but Beethoven who’s the master!” After that, the audience let them leave. Every night, through wind and rain, the steps were packed with people, young and old, who heard intently and expressed their appreciation at the end with their sustained applause. It was a moment of harmony in a world torn apart by petty international disputes, faithlessness, dishonorable politicians, and wars, and shows how music is ultimately very closely linked to the German soul, so that the works of the masters, like Beethoven, never fail to draw them in–even more than the spectacle of kicking balls around with our feet.