All tagged Munich

Conducting the Pause. Arriving at the Threshold to Easter

Almut Furchert
Passion Week

When singing the St. Matthew Passion with the Munich Bach choir one moment stood out: silence. The silence entered when our conductor intentionally held onto the rest after Jesus bowed his head and died. He stood still, with his arms in suspension, cradling the time. It was as though the whole audience sighed together, like our hearts stood still for a moment, pausing in unison. Since then I have known that conducting the pause is as important as conducting the whole Passion...

Thin places in time

Thin places in time

Chuck Huff
pilgrimage

How looking beyond the present makes a walk more meaningful

One can stand in a place and feel the presence of other times, of momentous and of ordinary events.  Every place one stands is old beyond reckoning.  But some seem more likely to call you into the past – or perhaps the past lingers here like a ghost or a kind spirit...

Hallowing All Saints' Day in Munich

Chuck Huff

Many years ago, I volunteered to be the caretaker at a small cemetery near a church in the country.  It was done in part in pity because I saw how run down the place was. It had suffered the same fate as many cemeteries in the USA whose communities had fallen on hard times – the only flowers were wild, thorns were as numerous as the ivy, and many of the stones were leaning or falling. It was situated on a hill, around a corner, and had a lovely view of the valley.  It sported a forlorn and wild beauty.