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Ag eisteacht leis an Séú Siansach ó Mahler

Chuaigh muid go Halla Dhisneaigh ar lár ina chroí gCathair na hÁingeal ar an Dé Domhnaigh seo caite. Bhí muid a do tráthnóna ansin. D'imigh Layne agus mise leathair tar éis a h-aon go bhaile againn, ach bhualimid trácht go leor ar an bóthair timpeall Bhaile Shíneach mar sin Athbhlian Síneach. Chruinnigh muid lenár clann nua, Áine agus Gearóid ar an choirm shiansach.

Ní thosaigh é go luath. Chonaic muid ceoltóirí eagsula. D'fhan ceolfhoireann ag éirí gluaiseachtaí difrúila go foighne. Tá An Seachtú is faide. Bhí sé tamall ag imirt. Ceapaim go raibh sé daichead noimead agus ceann uair, gan sos. Ní scríobh Mahler piosái leis gléasaí cheoil de gach uile shórt go bhfuil inneamh ag dhéanamh intinn air. Thig liom cloisteáil contra-basún adhmadaid mahagaine go aoibhinn, dhá clairseach óir, cornái órgaí, agus chaith fidléirí go dubh.

Ach, ní fhan an fear go ard leis na cnaguirlisí air. Níl sé ag fanacht ansin. D'éirigh ann a sheasamh ceithre uair! Shúil sé go doras ceithre uair. Bhain de go ardáin ceithre uair. Ní chreidimh muid féin go raibh ag tharla seo é. Is cuma leis, is dócha. Níor mhaith linn sin é. Is cuma dó. Tháinig sé ar áis. Beir air casúr is ord. Mheáim sé cuig bpunt is fiche. Bhuail sé bósca go mór leis cásur dhá uair. Faoí dhó, chuala muid fuaim go dona. Chríochnaigh sé go cumhachtach. Dhún sé An Seactú go laidir, muise. (Is mian liom foclóir uainn anois!)

Listening to Mahler's Sixth Symphony

We went to Disney Hall downtown in the heart of Los Angeles this past Sunday. We were there at two in the afternoon. Layne and myself left at half-past one from our house, but we hit lots of traffic on the road around Chinatown since it was Chinese New Year. We gathered with our new family, Anna and Jerry at the symphony concert.

It did not start early. We saw various musicians. The orchestra stayed patiently during different movements. The Sixth is very long. It takes a while to play. I think it's an hour and forty minutes, without intermission. Mahler wrote pieces with musical instruments of every kind that he was able to make up in his mind. I could hear a contra-bassoon of delightful mahagony wood, two harps of gold, golden horns, and fiddlers were dressed darkly.

But, the tall man with the percussion instruments didn't want to stay. He would not wait there. He got up to stand four times. He walked to the door four times. He took off from the stage four times. We could not believe this was happening. He didn't care, probably. We didn't like that. It didn't matter to him. He came back. He bore the heaviest hammer. It weighed five and twenty pounds. He hit a large box with the hammer two times. Twice, we heard a terrible sound. It finished it powerfully. It closed the Sixth Symphony energetically, to be sure. (I needed a dictionary today!)

P.S. Caption to this 1907 cartoon of Mahler: "Dear God, I've forgotten the motor horn. Now I'll have to write another symphony."www.salomon.org.uk/2007_02.htm