Listening and Hearing

"Art is a major path to knowledge" Leonardo da Vinci

I attended a wonderful concert last week held at the Actors' Church in Covent Garden in aid of the Serbian Academy of Science and Art.  I didn't understand a word that was sung and have since thought about what made the evening so special.  I think it may be related to the fact that the Arts have the power to cross boundaries that language lacks.  The Church was full of individuals from all over the world, who shared a passion - music.  In their attentiveness, it felt as though we, the audience, were elevated beyond the divides of culture, religion and I was captivated by this sense of moving beyond their expression through language.  I sat alongside people who have witnessed atrocities I have only seen glimpses of on news coverage, and was able, through the medium before us, to perhaps gain a better sense of their experience.  It was a truly magnificent evening, and whilst the surroundings made an impression, it was the felt sense encountered as part of a diverse collective that I will never forget.