Beauty for the end of the world

“Life is not about the things that happen to you, it is about how you interpret them”. This was one of the most powerful things my therapist ever said to me. And in these days, where the world is dramatically changing, the quote not only remains impactful -it is rather meaningful.

My first night of confinement was occupied by the nervousness, the incertitude, the fear of what would happen in my short future. However, there was one silver lining: I went to Twitter and found out that the Berlin Philharmonic offered its entire Digital Catalog for free.

It was the only good news among the frenzy everybody seemed to be getting into. Was I then going to be able to experience the greatest orchestra for a few weeks? I just couldn’t believe it, so I waited for their first streamed concert: a live performance of Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, the orchestra’s former conductor.

The first impression was disconcerting: the hall was empty, there was no audience, the silence was omnipresent. When Rattle entered the room, you could only listen to some buzz among the musicians. This was extraordinary, indeed. And I don’t mean that as a good thing.

However, my expectations were high, I was excited, my heart was pumping. I was looking forward to hearing this. And I have to say that, at the end of the piece, I was beyond satisfied. I was truly blown away by what I just listened to. The Berlin Philharmonic thrived in this 20th century masterpiece.

Rattle was a proficient manager of dynamics, the musicians showed off their musicianship (specially in the last movement), and the overall sound was nothing but delightful. 

At the end there was no applause. The silence confirmed the uniqueness of the whole experience.


I ended up feeling immensely grateful for the opportunity. I was simply bathed by a marvelous sound through my headphones. I was in awe of the excellence of the Germans and by the mastery of its British conductor.

The world may be ending, we do not know it yet. However, while we wait to find that out, we might as well admire the beauty of all that art that is now being offered to us.