Casa Stella Maris Caorle Italy
12.33.
Casa Stella Maris, Caorle, Italy.
Rising at 06.20 from a busy NightWorld with Director Nunez. Hernan was wrestling with a former Crafty, one of earlier years who is now in a difficult circumstance resulting from his own actions.
Well.
Morning Sitting in the ballroom at 07.15.
Breakfast at 08.00. Comments, reports, observations, noticings and Points Of Seeing invited in respect of yesterday evening’s performance at the Galeria A. Pizzinato, Pordenone.
Leg shaking taken c. 08.55, continuing on c. 10.00.
Many and various comments: on form, practicalities, limitations imposed by conditions.
A great idea suggested for future performances: all members of the Orchestra pull out cell-phones and check on Facebook to see how many likes the performance is getting from the audience.
Discussion of the change in last night’s set list: Asturias and The Whizz. This was controversial, with very different views and opinions being presented. The different formal-roles noted: conductor, orchestra leader, principal, orchestra manager. Who makes the call, with these four apparently-conflicting roles?
Silence visited more this morning than hitherto on this course; while attenuated, as if in a very high frequency range, not quite moving into the audible.
15.03 Three personal meetings between 12.45 and lunchtime.
Lunch at 14.00. Silence also visited more strongly than days other than today.
RF: From this morning’s various comments, there seems to have been two performances: the Dress Rehearsal, which was “better” than the public performance at the Galleria.
If we understood Performance, we would be able to “understand” the Creation. After all, God said: let’s put on a show! Even in the Perfect World, there were going to be some bum notes. This was allowed for, in theological terms, by the process of Redemption: “sin” (metaphorically, playing out of tune), contrition, confession, penance, forgiveness, absolution, atonement. Someone picks up the tab, and takes on the repercussions of our bad notes and poor timing.
As might conventionally be said, our public performance was in the real world. Actually, this is quite mistaken. Our manifestation in public was in the unreal world, and the Dress Rehearsal in the (relatively) Real World of a Franciscan Retreat House. The perfect world of the Dress Rehearsal didn’t go away when we moved into public: it went with us but was limited, conditioned and contained within the restrictions and restraints of the “imperfect world”.
For example:
the delivery of chairs was originally planned for when doors opened; ie The OCG would be setting up the space as audients entered;
building regulations did not support our ideal seating arrangements;
the space was not acoustically ideal;
The Ministry of Culture, the Gallery and the town’s Mayor all had their own interests, not all inevitably supportive of our performance.
Orchestra Manager Hernan had to deal these arisings and more, most of which were unseen by us.
Was it right for the Orchestra Leader to have called Asturias after The Whizz, or for The OCG to have left the auditorium, and perhaps returned for The Whizz?
Who makes the call: conductor, orchestra leader, principal, orchestra manager?
Both immediately-available calls were right IMO. No answer was available intellectually: the answer was only available in the moment, thinking on the feet while standing, in front of that particular audience, in that particular space, with those particular individuals comprising The OCG VIII. That moment of choice and making-the-call was part of the larger moment of the performance, part of the larger moment of the course, part of the larger moment in the life of The OCG, of which this is the eighth incarnation. There were other ways this might have gone, and last night they did not. (I do not believe this issue has yet been resolved).
One aspect / part of the performance is for us, the performers. Another aspect / part is for the audience: our performance was a manifestation. The Dress Rehearsal was our “perfect world”. We took a manifestation of this perfect world into the imperfect world, to present it to basically decent, ordinary people, who know the world is mad. In strange and uncertain times, such as we are living in, sometimes a reasonable person might despair. But Hope is unreasonable, and Love is greater even than this. Despite our limitations, there were moments in the performance when something was in the air – a presence. Perhaps, our reasonable despairing-audient-person might recognise that something-in-the-air, and gained hope from this.
Alan K’s comment on the performance: I might have done better. No! Alan did what he could. We all do what we can. And last night, that’s what we did.
Work for the afternoon called.
22.55 To the Chapel…
… for two meetings: The Wholeness Of Nature SSG at 17.00; Job Of The Day 17.30.
House of Guitars at 18.00 with 25 guitars in the Circle. A simple four-note figure, the pattern of which escaped most of those present.
Book Project meeting at 19.30: The Guitar Circle moves closer to completion and publication.
Dinner at 20.00.
Silence has been increasingly a feature of today, persisting through dinner.
Post-dinner meeting with Director Nunez. Much catching-up of news.
A meeting with Martin d’Ag.
To the Final Meeting of the course…
… at 22.30.
Several of the Team have left and are traveling. Thanks were given to all those who have made the course possible. I spoke for Bill Rieflin and ignored Tom Redmond. Probably all the comments that needed to be made have been made, so Hernan was invited to present an overview of future plans. There will be a practical meeting to immediately follow the Completion.
At 22.53 and 30 seconds The OCG VIII was declared completed.
Acknowledging the absence of several friends I…
II...
III...
IV...
V...
24.56 Dealing and addressing. Reflecting on three Points Of Seeing during this course:
1. How one “real” event nests within another, one more constrained and limited in possibilities. Most of the limitation is unnecessary, while inevitable.
2. Consciousness speaks to consciousness.
3. The nature of eating and being eaten: how we are “eaten” by a greater Intelligence.
