This morning I found myself nearly in Spain, eating breakfast in a hotel before a long drive home. I was out of town to play an opera—always slightly ironic for me, since I quit an opera orchestra job some years ago, after a 25-year stint. It was a repeat performance, so relatively relaxed and fun.
Bracing myself with a second coffee “for the road”, I sat with the tenor, MJA, and caught up on this and that. We are teaching colleagues, and I have been a fan since hearing him sing some 23 years ago: a memorable Albert Herring in Britten’s opera of the same name.
He said something simple that caught my…ear:
“I believe in the importance of giving things time.”
Driving home, I pondered his statement. Indeed, while the messages surrounding us tell us to be “productive” and “get sh— done efficiently” and basically, to finish the thing yesterday…serious creative work often takes its own time. Often, that is a lot of time. Years, decades.
During the performance—where we instrumentalists were happily onstage and not in a pit under the stage, see photo—I contemplated all the elements that must come together to put on an opera, to “create” an opera. In Portuguese, the word criar, to create, is used to refer to putting a new work together for the first time. I think that is spot on.
This particular opera—a relatively simple affair, as opera goes—required: a story, a libretto, a composer, a stage director, lighting, costumes, makeup, stagehands, a venue, publicity people, ticket-takers, ushers, and naturally: singers, instrumentalists, a conductor. Most of these jobs take years of training. If you add it all up, it is a lot of time across a lot of time.
Other “time-takers” crossed my path this week, as well:
— a composer friend needing a pair of extra eyes to proofread her score. (After she tweaked in my suggestions, she found a few more tweaks worth making.)
— My brother B, who is cutting out and assembling the pieces of a sailboat to his original design. Piece by piece, methodically, patiently, a sailboat emerges in his garage.
— My friend SK, who is amassing a body of extremely original and beautiful artwork, piece by piece. Each one takes the time it takes.
— Tomorrow I’ll have a Patreon session with my dear friend PA, who has spent decades developing his way of seeing and creating (books, music, art, a healthy lifestyle). What a privilege to listen and exchange ideas. Ideas that took plenty of time.
In a culture of everything-instantly-at-the-push-of-a-button, playing the long game is an act of rebellion. Let’s roll! (Patiently)