Exactly six weeks ago, I sat in a concert and had one of the strongest realizations of recent times. On the program were clarinet quintets with the Gerhard Quartet and the clarinetist Victor de la Rosa, in a small but fine festival near Barcelona, ​​where my parents live. Today, it's all about commitment.

In advance, I had learned that the Quartet rehearse for six days a week for four hours daily, and that they also practice a few hours per day individually, and have been doing this for eight years. That is a statement. Quartet playing is often referred to as "marriage of four", and not without reason.

A strong realization

And although the acoustics in the church did not allow to hear the fine nuances that they had worked out, there was an indescribable magic in this concert. It opened up a new world in me. I had to close my eyes, because not the sound, but something in the sound of this quartet enchanted, touched me.

It was the clear "yes" to one other that I could experience in the sound and their common play, for me personally a whole new level of resonance. This level goes beyond sound quality and emotion in the sound, and resides where words are not enough. And maybe it was good that the acoustics could not reproduce the sound quality, which undoubtedly forms part of the spectrum of these artists. Because it was about the "yes".

Beyond artistic quality

It was this open "yes" that I experienced in this sound: Yes to these three other young people; Yes to devoting my life to this project and not dividing my attention and resources; Yes to having a long breath and to working with joy, patience, courage and commitment on one of the most difficult art forms; Yes to walking side by side, to growing together, to holding each other. Something opened in me while I was listening, in me it said also "yes" to them. The commitment of these musicians touched me.

When I think about it, there are many thoughts in me of how I experience or have experienced commitment in my life and my profession. I'm sure that's the the same for you too. And it's important for me to say: There is no right or wrong answer, only the one that appears in you right now. Because the only commitment that counts in the end?

Is the commitment you have made to yourself.