Book Review: PLAY IT AGAIN - AN AMATEUR AGAINST THE IMPOSSIBLE by Alan Brusbridger

Play It Again: An Amateur Against The Impossible by Alan Rusbridger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"The masterpieces of music are kept alive, not at the theatres and concert-halls, but at the pianofortes of lovers of music."

I made time to finish this book after what was two of the busiest weeks of my life!!

The start of every school year is always both a teacher's most happy and stressful time, with our deep joy at seeing the children balanced out by a heavier-than-usual work load. This historic year, with our school embarking on the hybrid method of teaching students both online and in campus AT THE SAME TIME, proved to be no different from previous years in this respect. Pile on some unexpected mini crises (professionally AND personally), and it's no wonder a co-teacher told me yesterday: "You look stressed." HAHAHAHA.

But how is my pandemic work experience different from that of any other adult in 2022?

Alan Rusbridger, former editor of THE GUARDIAN, was certainly no stranger to stress. His descriptions of 14-17 hour workdays, with 6 hours of the weekend spent just getting up to speed before the start of the next week, seemed familiar. But my own work woes seemed pathetically small compared to his, especially in 2010 when Rusbridger was juggling rescuing a kidnapped reporter from Libya during the Arab Spring, meeting the Royal Family at awards ceremonies, being summoned by Assange at the height of both the WikiLeaks and the NEWS OF THE WORLD hacking controversy... while squeezing in 20 minutes of piano a day and meeting up to four piano teachers for lessons. You see, Rusbridger had determined to play Chopin's (in)famous Ballade No. 1 in front of an audience within a year (it took him 16 months). This book is basically a diary-like account of his daily struggles to meet work obligations (championing the rights of democracy, ethics, and freedom of the press) with piano lessons, interviews with the likes of Daniel Barenboim and Condoleeza Rice, and the obligations of a father and a husband. It ends with a lovely reproduction of the Ballade's score, with annotations and commentary, so anyone with half a mind to try their hand at the Chopin piece could learn!

There is something in the book for everyone. Serious pianists and piano-teachers will appreciate the detailed and exhaustive accounts from his four piano teachers and pianists whom he took masterclasses with. Working adults will be inspired with his "pressure valve release" of 20 minutes of re-wiring his brain at the piano, something that I now see as essential and not a luxury in order to do one's job well, for much longer.

One of the things I loved best about the book was seeing detailed daily schedules on how to parcel out the 24 hours we all have, for maximum efficiency. It involves planning out how you'll spend every 15 minute chunk of time. I just spent one and half of those chunks typing out this review, which beats mindless scrolling through social media! :) And this book has inspired me to make time for music-making, something which I've done very little of these past few years.

I was also inspired by the lovely descriptions in the book of Hausmusik, which was always the part I loved best about my time as a music major! The lovely intimacy of making music with friends, not for profit, but for sheer pleasure... there's simply no equivalent for that kind of joy.

When the current Covid surge subsides, would anyone be up for some art song, Broadway, and kundiman jamming in the Southern part of Metro Manila? * wink wink * Let me know!!

In the meantime, I'm off to do more work. And hopefully squeeze in some piano-playing afterwards...not because I want to. But because I NEED to. It is in music that I found my deepest joy, before. And as this book reminds me, it is never too late, one is never too busy, to PLAY IT AGAIN. (Or in my case, to sing it again.)

View all my reviews