Robert Fripp's Diary

Friday 20 April 2012

The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists

07.05

The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists V –
Special Performance Project April 15th to 23rd, 2012 
Foresteria Sorelle Povere di S. Chiara
Monastero s. Maria Delle Grazie Corso Vittorio Emanuele III n. 68 01010 - Farnese (VT), Italy.

Rising from a night of adventures with Toyah. In the last of them my willingness to sit in with a well-known jazz guitarist’s band was declined. He had a young Russian guitarist who was putting on an extraordinary show. But, mainly a night with the Minx, who was being mischievous.

09.04 Morning Sitting at 07.15.

Breakfast at 08.00. Very good comments following the visit of Silence. The first comment offered was on the endless strumming that appeared in the second The OCG extemporisation yesterday evening, and had prompted the call of: Leave it! with further discussion on the subject of loud, endless strumming = death.

Another comment: one member of the Team did not pay attention to their first footfall across the liminal threshold into the ballroom; ie they had forgotten their intentional entry to the Circle. Perhaps this contributed?

The Whizz That Dare Not Speak Its Name: once its name had been spoken, rather than the instruction given to Move Faster Than The Speed Of Light, did this act of naming nail the Whizz to earth?

A comment on work in the kitchen, and a lack of intentionality there also. Taken together, what might this mean? Perhaps, that we are in The Great Divide, the middle stage of any and every process. This is where we're too far from the beginning to go back and too far from the end to go forwards. An unhappy place.

The words Remorse Of Conscience were used by one of the commentators. Remorse Of Consciences is exceptionally powerful, and can from itself open the door to the Real World. We can’t quite say – if our remorse is genuine, it opens the door – because if Remorse isn’t genuine, it’s not Remorse Of Conscience. But subjectively, the experience is awful. And remarkable and liberating.

How do we move through The Great Divide? Primarily, our commitment carries us across. Clearly, we have to be present. If we are not present, we are not. If we are not, we have no commitment, no connection to ourselves and our aspiration. So, we become present and collected, and we reconnect to our aim. When we are present, connected to our aim and committed to serve it, the future becomes able to reach back and pull us towards it. Easy words, but an established practice of developing personal presence brings the impossible within reach of the possible. The impossible may be beyond us; but developing a personal practice is possible and readily available.

Dr. Mike has called a kitchen meeting for 09.30. Hernan and the Preparation Team leave for the venue at 10.00, to organize the space. Several members of the Team are available for personal meetings, myself at 11.00.

One of the Team has gone mad. He has gone mad before. This is being addressed.

10.41 The Kitchen Meeting at 09.30 adopted an exercise for kitchen work and included a visit to the kitchen.

The member of the Team who went mad has now left, on good terms. This is a recurrent matter and can now be simply discussed. The intensity of courses can be disruptive for some with fragilities.

Promoter Nunez has gone to the venue and will return for lunch.

11.35 Personal meetings underway. Matters discussed included:
Feelings.
Wish
Will.
The Assumption of Virtue.
Chief Feature and its presence revealed in nicknames.

Lunch at 13.00 with a performance by The Guitar Circle Of Europe. Work for the afternoon was declared. The departure of our member was formally announced.

20.09 Tea at 16.00.

Personal meetings beginning at 16.30 including with Special Study Group Two.
T’ai Chi at 18.30.
Dinner at 19.00.

Lobby call for 20.30.

22.44 Punctual departure for the venue…

Two concentric Circles were set up and audience seating arranged.

Dress rehearsal. Practising walking in and out of the Circles, holding an overall shape of the set with The OCG and The GCE pieces (without actually playing them). Moving into place for The Magic Chord That Travels Faster Than The Speed Of Light, then leaving the space. Practising also a possible returning for an encore, should the audience demand this.

I…