Last night I performed in a multi-stake production of Handel's Messiah. The orchestra has been rehearsing the various numbers for about two months now, and overall I think it is safe to say that we felt pretty comfortable with the music. At least until the performance.
The orchestra alone starts the piece with an overture, then almost everything else is either vocal soloists or choral pieces. The overture last night began just fine, but about a quarter of the way through it, the first chair first violinist stopped playing. Others in her section continued, but it was not long before it was evident that they were not with the rest of the group. This in turn confused other players, and to make a long story short, I am not sure whether the orchestra or the audience was more relieved when the piece mercifully ended.
I have obviously thought quite a bit about this since it happened. The one idea that keeps occurring to me is how much we in an orchestra rely on each other. While it is true that we musicians should follow the director and count through the different measures of the music, I often find myself relying more on audible cues from other sections of the orchestra to know where I am supposed to be. The down side to that is that when other musicians become lost, then I do as well.
I think that the same thing can happen in the Church as well. We have a leader in President Monson who tries to direct us in the way we should go. Sometimes, however, I think that we place stock in the testimony of others, so when they get lost, we too wind up losing our way. I hope that we will look to the one individual who has been called and set apart to lead us today so that no matter what else goes on around us, we will still know where we should be.
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