I would like to share some thoughts I had in the wonderful Spanish city of Segovia, where I played a concert in February 2019.
Beautiful castles and churches dating back to Roman times and a 30-meter-high aqueduct welcoming you to the old part of the city. Being in a place like this immediately makes your think about time and how we perceive it. We predict our future by understanding the past and we place ourselves in this imaginary line of time. To me the great thing about playing classical music is exploring the past and being able to jump around the timeline to see how things are changing. Some of the pieces I played in Segovia date back to the Baroque period (c.1600-1750), which I always feels is very old music. However, standing on the top of the ancient aqueduct kind of puts that all into perspective. We consider the end of the Baroque period with the death of Johann Sebastian Bach in 1750. The aqueduct was built around 1st century AD. This structure has been standing there observing the world for two millenniums and here I come in 2019 with my ‘old’ Baroque pieces. If you compare the aqueduct’s long life to an average human life, one reaches 67 before Baroque music is created and by the time you’re 80, one hears it again presented as old, ancient work. Baroque music is contemporary for Mr Aqueduct, who I had the pleasure of meeting in beautiful Segovia. Visit this city if you have a chance.
