Van julle ken waarskynlik die storie van die twee verkoopsmanne wat in die 1900's Afrika besoek het. Hulle's gestuur om te kyk of daar geleentheid is om skoene te verkoop. Hulle stuur toe telegramme terug na Manchester toe. Die een skryf: "Situasie hopeloos. Stop. Hulle dra nie skoene nie." Die ander een skryf: "Uitstekende geleentheid. Hulle't nog nie skoene hier nie." (Gelag)
Probably a lot of you know the story of the two salesmen who went down to Africa in the 1900s. They were sent down to find if there was any opportunity for selling shoes, and they wrote telegrams back to Manchester. And one of them wrote, "Situation hopeless. Stop. They don't wear shoes." And the other one wrote, "Glorious opportunity. They don't have any shoes yet." (Laughter)
Daar's ’n soortgelyke situasie in die wêreld van klassieke musiek, want party mense dink dat klassieke musiek besig is om uit te sterf. En dan is daar van ons wat dink dis nog net die begin van veel groter dinge. Eerder as om statistiek en tendense aan te haal en julle te vertel van al die orkeste wat ontbind, en die platemaatskappye wat sluit, het ek gedink ons kan vanaand ’n eksperiment doen. Dis nie regtig ’n eksperiment nie, want ek weet wat die uitkoms is. (Gelag)
Now, there's a similar situation in the classical music world, because there are some people who think that classical music is dying. And there are some of us who think you ain't seen nothing yet. And rather than go into statistics and trends, and tell you about all the orchestras that are closing, and the record companies that are folding, I thought we should do an experiment tonight. Actually, it's not really an experiment, because I know the outcome. (Laughter)
Maar dis iets soos ’n eksperiment. Nou, voor ons -- (Gelag) -- voor ons begin, moet ek twee dinge doen. Die een is dat ek julle wil herinner hoe ’n sewejarige kind klink wanneer hy klavier speel. Miskien het julle so ’n kind by die huis. Hy klink omtrent so. (Musiek)
But it's like an experiment. Now, before we start -- (Laughter) Before we start, I need to do two things. One is I want to remind you of what a seven-year-old child sounds like when he plays the piano. Maybe you have this child at home. He sounds something like this. (Music)
Ek sien sommige van julle herken hierdie kind. As hy ’n jaar lank oefen en les neem, is hy nou agt en dan klink hy so. (Musiek) Dan oefen hy nog ’n jaar en neem les -- nou's hy nege.
(Music ends) I see some of you recognize this child. Now, if he practices for a year and takes lessons, he's now eight and he sounds like this. (Music) (Music ends)
(Musiek) Dan oefen hy nog ’n jaar en neem les -- nou's hy tien. (Musiek)
He practices for another year and takes lessons -- he's nine. (Music) (Music ends) Then he practices for another year and takes lessons -- now he's 10.
(Music)
Op daardie stadium gooi hulle gewoonlik tou op. (Gelag) (Applous) Maar as jy nog een jaar gewag het, sou jy dit gehoor het: (Musiek)
(Music ends) At that point, they usually give up. (Laughter) (Applause) Now, if you'd waited for one more year, you would have heard this. (Music)
(Music ends)
Wat gebeur het, is nie wat julle dalk dink nie, dat hy skielik passievol en betrokke geraak het, ’n nuwe onderwyser gekry het, puberteit bereik het, of wat ook al. Wat in werklikheid gebeur het, is dat die klemtone verminder is. Julle sien, die eerste keer het hy elke noot beklemtoon. (Musiek) En die tweede, met die klem op elke tweede noot. (Musiek) Julle kan dit sien deur na my kop te kyk. (Gelag) Die negejarige plaas die klem op elke vierde noot. (Musiek) En die tienjarige op elke agt note. (Musiek) En die 11-jarige, een klem op die hele frase. (Musiek)
Now, what happened was not maybe what you thought, which is, he suddenly became passionate, engaged, involved, got a new teacher, he hit puberty, or whatever it is. What actually happened was the impulses were reduced. You see, the first time, he was playing with an impulse on every note. (Music) And the second, with an impulse every other note. (Music) You can see it by looking at my head. (Laughter) The nine-year-old put an impulse on every four notes. (Music) The 10-year-old, on every eight notes. (Music) And the 11-year-old, one impulse on the whole phrase. (Music)
Ek weet nie hoe ons hier beland het nie. (Gelag) Ek't nie gesê ek gaan my skouer oor beweeg, my lyf beweeg nie. Nee, die musiek het my omgestoot, dis hoekom ek dit een-boud-spel noem. (Musiek) Dit kan ook die ander boud wees. (Musiek) ’n Man het een keer na ’n aanbieding gekyk waar ek met ’n jong pianis gewerk het. Hy was die president van ’n maatskappy in Ohio. Ek't met die jong pianis gewerk en gesê: "Die moeilikheid met jou is, jy's ’n twee-boud-speler. Jy moet ’n een-boud-speler wees." Toe verskuif ek sy lyf so terwyl hy speel. En skielik het die musiek lewe gekry -- opgestyg. Die gehoor het na hul asems gesnak toe hulle die verskil hoor. Toe kry ek ’n brief van dié man. Hy skryf: "Ek was so geroer. Ek't teruggegaan en my hele firma omskep in ’n een-boud-maatskappy." (Gelag)
I don't know how we got into this position. (Laughter) I didn't say, "I'm going to move my shoulder over, move my body." No, the music pushed me over, which is why I call it one-buttock playing. (Music) It can be the other buttock. (Music) You know, a gentleman was once watching a presentation I was doing, when I was working with a young pianist. He was the president of a corporation in Ohio. I was working with this young pianist, and said, "The trouble with you is you're a two-buttock player. You should be a one-buttock player." I moved his body while he was playing. And suddenly, the music took off. It took flight. The audience gasped when they heard the difference. Then I got a letter from this gentleman. He said, "I was so moved. I went back and I transformed my entire company into a one-buttock company." (Laughter)
Die ander ding wat ek wou doen, is om julle oor julleself te vertel. Daar is 1600 mense hier. Ek skat dat 45 van julle waarskynlik ’n absolute passie vir klassieke musiek het. Julle is mal oor klassieke musiek. Jul radio's is altyd op klassiek ingestel. Julle't CD's in julle motors en julle woon simfoniekonserte by. Julle kinders speel instrumente. Julle kan nie jul lewens indink sonder klassieke musiek nie. Dis die eerste groep; ’n redelike klein een. Dan's daar ’n groter groep. Dis mense wat niks teen klassieke musiek het nie. (Gelag) Jy kom tuis na ’n lang dag en jy kry ’n glasie wyn en gaan sit gemaklik. ’n Bietjie Vivaldi in die agtergrond doen geen skade nie. Dis die tweede groep. Nou die derde groep. Dis mense wat nooit klassieke musiek luister nie. Dis eenvoudig nie deel van jou lewe nie. Jy tel dit dalk nes sekondêre rook by die lughawe op, maar -- (Gelag) -- en miskien ’n mars uit Aïda wanneer jy die saal instap. Maar andersins nooit nie. Dis waarskynlik die grootste groep.
Now, the other thing I wanted to do is to tell you about you. There are 1,600 people, I believe. My estimation is that probably 45 of you are absolutely passionate about classical music. You adore classical music. Your FM is always on that classical dial. You have CDs in your car, and you go to the symphony, your children are playing instruments. You can't imagine your life without classical music. That's the first group, quite small. Then there's another bigger group. The people who don't mind classical music. (Laughter) You know, you've come home from a long day, and you take a glass of wine, and you put your feet up. A little Vivaldi in the background doesn't do any harm. That's the second group. Now comes the third group: people who never listen to classical music. It's just simply not part of your life. You might hear it like second-hand smoke at the airport ... (Laughter) -- and maybe a little bit of a march from "Aida" when you come into the hall. But otherwise, you never hear it. That's probably the largest group.
En dan is daar ’n baie klein groepie. Dis mense wat dink dat hulle toondoof is. ’n Verbasende aantal mense dink hulle is. Ek hoor dikwels: "My man is toondoof." (Gelag) Die waarheid: Jy kan nie toondoof wees nie. Niemand is nie. As jy toondoof was, sou jy nie die ratte kon verwissel in jou motor met ’n handrat nie. Jy sou nie die verskil kon hoor tussen iemand van Texas en iemand van Rome nie. En die telefoon. Die telefoon. As jou ma op die elendige telefoon bel en sê: "Hallo," dan weet jy wie dit is én in watter bui sy is. Jy het ’n wonderlike oor. Almal het ’n wonderlike oor. So niemand is toondoof nie.
And then there's a very small group. These are the people who think they're tone-deaf. Amazing number of people think they're tone-deaf. Actually, I hear a lot, "My husband is tone-deaf." (Laughter) Actually, you cannot be tone-deaf. Nobody is tone-deaf. If you were tone-deaf, you couldn't change the gears on your car, in a stick shift car. You couldn't tell the difference between somebody from Texas and somebody from Rome. And the telephone. The telephone. If your mother calls on the miserable telephone, she calls and says, "Hello," you not only know who it is, you know what mood she's in. You have a fantastic ear. Everybody has a fantastic ear. So nobody is tone-deaf.
Maar ek sê julle wat. Dit help nie ek gaan voort met die ding, met so ’n groot gaping tussen dié wat verstaan, en wat passievol en lief vir klassieke musiek is, en diegene wat glad geen aanklank daarmee het nie. Die toondoof mense is nie meer hier nie. Maar selfs tussen daai drie kategorieë is die gaping te groot. Ek gaan dus nie voortgaan totdat elkeen in hierdie vertrek, op die onderste vloer en in Aspen, en almal wat hierna kyk, geleer het om klassieke musiek lief te hê en te verstaan nie. So dis wat ons gaan doen.
But I tell you what. It doesn't work for me to go on with this thing, with such a wide gulf between those who understand, love and are passionate about classical music, and those who have no relationship to it at all. The tone-deaf people, they're no longer here. But even between those three categories, it's too wide a gulf. So I'm not going to go on until every single person in this room, downstairs and in Aspen, and everybody else looking, will come to love and understand classical music. So that's what we're going to do.
Julle sien dat ek nie die geringste twyfel het dat dit gaan werk nie, as julle na my gesig kyk, nè? Dis een van die eienskappe van ’n leier: Hy het geen twyfel aan die mense wat hy lei se vermoë om dit te bereik waaroor hy droom nie. Dink net, as Martin Luther King gesê het: "Ek het ’n droom. Maar ek's nie seker of hulle kans sien nie." (Gelag)
Now, you notice that there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that this is going to work, if you look at my face, right? It's one of the characteristics of a leader that he not doubt for one moment the capacity of the people he's leading to realize whatever he's dreaming. Imagine if Martin Luther King had said, "I have a dream. Of course, I'm not sure they'll be up to it." (Laughter)
Goed. Ek gaan ’n stuk van Chopin gebruik. Dis ’n pragtige prelude van Chopin. Van julle sal dit ken. (Musiek) Weet julle wat dink ek het waarskynlik nou gebeur? Toe ek begin het, het julle gedink: "Dit klink so pragtig." (Musiek) "Ek dink nie ons moet vir die volgende somervakansie na dieselfde plek toe gaan nie." (Gelag) Dis snaaks, nè? Dis snaaks hoe sulke dinge in ons gedagtes insluip. (Applous)
All right. So I'm going to take a piece of Chopin. This is a beautiful prelude by Chopin. Some of you will know it. (Music) Do you know what I think probably happened here? When I started, you thought, "How beautiful that sounds." (Music) "I don't think we should go to the same place for our summer holidays next year." (Laughter) It's funny, isn't it? It's funny how those thoughts kind of waft into your head. And of course --
As die stuk lank is en jy't ’n lang dag gehad, mag jy selfs insluimer. Dan pomp jou metgesel jou in die ribbes en sê: "Word wakker! Dis kultuur!" En dan voel jy nog slegter. (Gelag)
(Applause) Of course, if the piece is long and you've had a long day, you might actually drift off. Then your companion will dig you in the ribs and say, "Wake up! It's culture!" And then you feel even worse. (Laughter)
Maar het dit al ooit by jou opgekom dat die rede waarom jy vaak word met klassieke musiek nie jou skuld is nie, maar ons s'n? Het iemand gedink, terwyl ek gespeel het: "Waarom gebruik hy soveel klemtone?" As ek dit met my kop gedoen het, sou julle beslis so gedink het. (Musiek) En vir die res van julle lewens sal julle altyd bewus wees van die klemtone wanneer julle na klassieke musiek luister.
But has it ever occurred to you that the reason you feel sleepy in classical music is not because of you, but because of us? Did anybody think while I was playing, "Why is he using so many impulses?" If I'd done this with my head you certainly would have thought it. (Music) (Music ends) And for the rest of your life, every time you hear classical music, you'll always be able to know if you hear those impulses.
Kom ons kyk wat regtig hier aangaan. Ons het ’n B. Dis ’n B. Die volgende noot is ’n C. En die C se taak is om die B treurig te maak. En dit werk, of hoe? (Gelag) Komponiste weet dit. As hulle treurige musiek wil hê, speel hulle net dié twee note. (Musiek) Maar basies is dit net ’n B, met vier treuriges. (Gelag) Nou gaan dit af na A. Nou na G. En dan na F. So ons het B, A, G, F. En as ons B, A, G, F het, wat verwag ons volgende? (Musiek) O, dit was seker toeval. Kom ons probeer weer. (Musiek) (Gehoor sing) O, die TED-koor. (Gelag) En julle let op dat niemand toondoof is nie, ne? Niemand nie. Julle weet, elke dorpie in Bangladesh en elke gehuggie in Sjina -- almal weet: da, da, da, da -- da. Almal weet om ’n E daar te verwag.
So let's see what's really going on here. We have a B. This is a B. The next note is a C. And the job of the C is to make the B sad. And it does, doesn't it? (Laughter) Composers know that. If they want sad music, they just play those two notes. (Music) But basically, it's just a B, with four sads. (Laughter) Now, it goes down to A. Now to G. And then to F. So we have B, A, G, F. And if we have B, A, G, F, what do we expect next? (Music) That might have been a fluke. Let's try it again. (Music) Oh, the TED choir. (Laughter) And you notice nobody is tone-deaf, right? Nobody is. You know, every village in Bangladesh and every hamlet in China -- everybody knows: da, da, da, da -- da. Everybody knows, who's expecting that E.
Chopin wou nie daar by die E uitgekom het nie, want wat sou gebeur het? Dit sou verby wees, soos Hamlet, nè? Eerste bedryf, derde toneel: hy vind uit dat sy oom sy pa vermoor het. Hy hou aan om sy oom te nader en hom amper dood te maak. Dan tree hy terug, nader hom weer en maak hom amper dood. En die kritici daar in die agterste ry, hulle moet ’n opinie hê, so hulle sê: "Hamlet sloer." Of hulle sê: "Hamlet het ’n Oedipus-kompleks." Nee, anders sou die opvoering verby gewees het, simpel! (Gelag) Dis waarom Shakespeare al daai goed in het -- Ophelia wat mal word, die storie in die storie, en Yorick se kopbeen, en die grafgrawers. Dis om uit te stel -- tot die vyfde bedryf, dan kan hy hom doodmaak.
Chopin didn't want to reach the E there, because what will have happened? It will be over, like Hamlet. Do you remember? Act One, scene three, he finds out his uncle killed his father. He keeps on going up to his uncle and almost killing him. And then he backs away, he goes up to him again, almost kills him. The critics sitting in the back row there, they have to have an opinion, so they say, "Hamlet is a procrastinator." Or they say, "Hamlet has an Oedipus complex." No, otherwise the play would be over, stupid. (Laughter) That's why Shakespeare puts all that stuff in Hamlet -- Ophelia going mad, the play within the play, and Yorick's skull, and the gravediggers. That's in order to delay -- until Act Five, he can kill him.
Dieselfde geld vir Chopin. Hy wil net-net E bereik, en hy sê: "Oeps, ek moet liewer terug gaan en dit weer doen." Dan doen hy dit weer. Nou raak hy opgewonde. (Musiek) Dis opgewondenheid, moenie bekommer nie. Nou kom hy by F-kruis uit en uiteindelik gaan hy af tot by E, maar dis die verkeerde sleutel -- want die sleutel waarna hy soek is dié een en in plaas daarvan doen hy ... Nou, ons noem dit misleidende intonasie, want dit mislei ons. Ek sê altyd vir my studente: "By misleidende intonasie, lig julle wenkbroue, dan weet almal." (Gelag) (Applous) Goed. Hy kom by E uit, maar dis die verkeerde sleutel. Hy probeer E weer. Daai sleutel werk nie. Nou probeer hy die E weer. Die sleutel werk nie. Nou probeer hy E weer, en dit werk nie. En dan, uiteindelik ... Daar is ’n man in die voorste ry wat so "Hmf" sug. (Gelag) Dis dieselfde ding wat hy doen wanneer hy na ’n lang dag by die huis kom, sy motor afskakel en sê: "A, ek is tuis." Want ons weet almal wanneer ons tuis voel.
It's the same with the Chopin. He's just about to reach the E, and he says, "Oops, better go back up and do it again." So he does it again. Now, he gets excited. (Music) That's excitement, don't worry about it. Now, he gets to F-sharp, and finally he goes down to E, but it's the wrong chord -- because the chord he's looking for is this one, and instead he does ... Now, we call that a deceptive cadence, because it deceives us. I tell my students, "If you have a deceptive cadence, raise your eyebrows, and everybody will know." (Laughter) (Applause) Right. He gets to E, but it's the wrong chord. Now, he tries E again. That chord doesn't work. Now, he tries the E again. That chord doesn't work. Now, he tries E again, and that doesn't work. And then finally ... There was a gentleman in the front row who went, "Mmm." (Laughter) It's the same gesture he makes when he comes home after a long day, turns off the key in his car and says, "Aah, I'm home." Because we all know where home is.
Dis dus 'n stuk wat van weggaan af weer tuiskom. Ek gaan dit regdeur speel en julle gaan volg. B, C, B, C, B, C, B -- af na A, af na G, af na F. Amper tot by E, maar dan sou die opvoering verby wees. Terug op B toe, raak baie opgewonde. Na F-kruis toe. E toe. Dis die verkeerde akkoord. En uiteindelik na E, en dis tuis. En wat julle gaan sien, is een-boud-spel. (Gelag) Want vir my, om die B en die E te verbind, moet ek ophou dink aan elke enkele noot op hierdie roete en begin dink aan die lang, lang lyn van B tot E.
So this is a piece which goes from away to home. I'm going to play it all the way through and you're going to follow. B, C, B, C, B, C, B -- down to A, down to G, down to F. Almost goes to E, but otherwise the play would be over. He goes back up to B, he gets very excited. Goes to F-sharp. Goes to E. It's the wrong chord. It's the wrong chord. And finally goes to E, and it's home. And what you're going to see is one-buttock playing. (Laughter) Because for me, to join the B to the E, I have to stop thinking about every single note along the way, and start thinking about the long, long line from B to E.
Julle weet, ons was pas in Suid-Afrika, en jy kan nie Suid-Afrika toe gaan sonder om aan Mandela wat 27 jaar lank in die tronk was te dink nie. Waaraan het hy gedink? Middagete? Nee, hy't gedink aan die visie vir Suid-Afrika en ’n visie vir die mensdom. Dit gaan oor visie. Dit gaan oor die lang lyn. Soos die voël wat oor die veld vlieg en geen aandag gee aan die heinings daar onder nie, nè? Nou gaan julle die lyn al die pad volg, van B tot E. Ek't een finale versoek voor ek die stuk regdeur speel. Dink aan iemand wat jy baie liefhet, wat nie meer daar is nie? ’n Geliefde ouma, ’n beminde -- iemand in jou lewe wat jy met jou hele hart liefhet, maar die persoon is nie meer by jou nie. Dink aan daai persoon en volg terselftertyd die lyn al die pad van B na E, en jy sal alles hoor wat Chopin te sê gehad het. (Musiek)
You know, we were just in South Africa, and you can't go to South Africa without thinking of Mandela in jail for 27 years. What was he thinking about? Lunch? No, he was thinking about the vision for South Africa and for human beings. This is about vision. This is about the long line. Like the bird who flies over the field and doesn't care about the fences underneath, all right? So now, you're going to follow the line all the way from B to E. And I've one last request before I play this piece all the way through. Would you think of somebody who you adore, who's no longer there? A beloved grandmother, a lover -- somebody in your life who you love with all your heart, but that person is no longer with you. Bring that person into your mind, and at the same time, follow the line all the way from B to E, and you'll hear everything that Chopin had to say. (Music)
(Applous)
(Music ends) (Applause)
Julle wonder dalk nou -- (Applous)
Now, you may be wondering -- (Applause)
Julle wonder dalk hoekom ek saam klap. Ek't dit by ’n skool in Boston gedoen met omtrent 70 graad sewes -- 12-jariges. Ek't presies dieselfde met hulle gedoen, en die hele ding verduidelik. En aan die einde het hulle soos besetenes geklap. Ek't geklap. Hulle't geklap. Tot ek gevra het: "Waarom klap ek?" En een van die kleintjies sê: "Want ons het geluister." (Gelag) Dink daaraan. 1600 mense, besige mense, wat by allerhande dinge betrokke is, aan't luister, verstaan en geraak word deur ’n stuk van Chopin. Dit is merkwaardig. Is ek seker dat elkeen dit gevolg en verstaan het en daardeur geraak is? Natuurlik nie. Maar ek vertel julle wat met my in Ierland gebeur het,
(Applause ends) You may be wondering why I'm clapping. Well, I did this at a school in Boston with about 70 seventh graders, 12-year-olds. I did exactly what I did with you, and I explained the whole thing. At the end, they went crazy, clapping. I was clapping. They were clapping. Finally, I said, "Why am I clapping?" And one of them said, "Because we were listening." (Laughter) Think of it. 1,600 people, busy people, involved in all sorts of different things, listening, understanding and being moved by a piece by Chopin. Now, that is something. Am I sure that every single person followed that, understood it, was moved by it? Of course, I can't be sure. But I'll tell you what happened to me in Ireland
tydens hulle moeilikhede, 10 jaar gelede.
during the Troubles, 10 years ago,
Ek't met 'n klompie Katolieke en Protestantse kinders gewerk oor konflikoplossing. Toe doen ek dit met hulle -- ’n gewaagde ding, want hulle was straatkinders. En een van hulle kom die volgende oggend na my toe en hy sê: "Jy weet, ek het nog nooit na klassieke musiek geluister nie, maar toe jy daai 'shopping' stuk speel ..." (Gelag) Hy sê: "My broer is laas jaar geskiet en ek't nie oor hom gehuil nie. Maar gisteraand toe jy daai stuk speel, was hy die een waaraan ek gedink het. En ek't gevoel hoe trane oor my gesig stroom. En dit het regtig goed gevoel om oor my broer te huil." Op daardie oomblik het ek besluit dat klassieke musiek aan almal behoort. Almal.
and I was working with some Catholic and Protestant kids on conflict resolution. And I did this with them -- a risky thing to do, because they were street kids. And one of them came to me the next morning and he said, "You know, I've never listened to classical music in my life, but when you played that shopping piece ..." (Laughter) He said, "My brother was shot last year and I didn't cry for him. But last night, when you played that piece, he was the one I was thinking about. And I felt the tears streaming down my face. And it felt really good to cry for my brother." So I made up my mind at that moment that classical music is for everybody. Everybody.
Nou, hoe sou julle loop -- my professie, die musiekprofessie sien dit nie so nie. Hulle sê 3% van die bevolking hou van klassieke musiek. As ons dit maar net kon opstoot na 4% sou ons probleme opgelos wees. (Gelag) Hoe sou jy loop? Hoe sou jy praat? Hoe sou jy wees as jy gedink het 3% hou van klassieke musiek? As ons dit maar net kon opstoot na 4%. Hoe sou jy loop of praat? Hoe sou jy wees as jy gedink het almal is lief is vir klassieke musiek -- hulle't dit nog net nie ontdek nie. Sien, dis totaal verskillende wêrelde.
Now, how would you walk -- my profession, the music profession doesn't see it that way. They say three percent of the population likes classical music. If only we could move it to four percent, our problems would be over. (Laughter) How would you walk? How would you talk? How would you be? If you thought, "Three percent of the population likes classical music, if only we could move it to four percent." How would you walk or talk? How would you be? If you thought, "Everybody loves classical music -- they just haven't found out about it yet." See, these are totally different worlds.
Ek't ’n wonderlike ervaring gehad -- ek was 45 jaar oud. Ek dirigeer toe al 20 jaar lank, en skielik het ek iets besef. Die dirigent van ’n orkes maak nie ’n geluid nie. My foto verskyn voor op die CD -- (Gelag) Maar die dirigent maak nie ’n geluid nie. Vir hom om mag te hê, is hy afhanklik van sy vermoë om ander mense te bemagtig. En dit het alles vir my verander. Dit was ’n totale lewensomkeer. Mense in my orkes het gesê: "Ben, wat het gebeur?." Dis wat gebeur het: Ek't besef dat my taak is om moontlikheid in andere te wek. Natuurlik wou ek weet of ek dit doen. En weet julle hoe mens dit bepaal? Jy kyk na hulle oë. As hulle oë blink, dan weet jy dat jy daarin slaag. Jy kan ’n dorpie van lig voorsien met hierdie man se oë. (Gelag) So as die oë blink, weet jy dat jy slaag. As die oë nie blink nie, moet jy ’n vraag vra. En die vraag is: Wie is ek besig om te wees, dat my spelers se oë nie blink nie? Ons kan dit met ons kinders ook doen. Wie is ek besig om te wees, dat my kinders se oë nie blink nie? Dis ’n totaal ander wêreld.
Now, I had an amazing experience. I was 45 years old, I'd been conducting for 20 years, and I suddenly had a realization. The conductor of an orchestra doesn't make a sound. My picture appears on the front of the CD -- (Laughter) But the conductor doesn't make a sound. He depends, for his power, on his ability to make other people powerful. And that changed everything for me. It was totally life-changing. People in my orchestra said, "Ben, what happened?" That's what happened. I realized my job was to awaken possibility in other people. And of course, I wanted to know whether I was doing that. How do you find out? You look at their eyes. If their eyes are shining, you know you're doing it. You could light up a village with this guy's eyes. (Laughter) Right. So if the eyes are shining, you know you're doing it. If the eyes are not shining, you get to ask a question. And this is the question: who am I being that my players' eyes are not shining? We can do that with our children, too. Who am I being, that my children's eyes are not shining? That's a totally different world.
Nou, ons moet amper hierdie magiese, op-die-berg week beëindig, en ons gaan terug na die wêreld. En ek sê dis gepas dat ons die vraag vra: Wie is ons besig om te wees wanneer ons teruggaan na die wêreld toe? En weet julle, ek't ’n definisie van sukses. Dis baie eenvoudig. Dit gaan nie oor rykdom, roem of mag nie. Dit gaan oor hoeveel blink oë ek om my het.
Now, we're all about to end this magical, on-the-mountain week, we're going back into the world. And I say, it's appropriate for us to ask the question, who are we being as we go back out into the world? And you know, I have a definition of success. For me, it's very simple. It's not about wealth and fame and power. It's about how many shining eyes I have around me.
En nou het ek een laaste gedagte, en dis dat dit regtig ’n verskil maak wat ons sê -- die woorde wat uit ons mond kom. Ek't dit geleer van ’n vrou wat Auschwitz oorleef het, een van die min oorlewendes. Sy is Auschwitz toe op 15. En ... haar broer was agt, en hulle ouers was verlore. En sy't vir my gesê: "Ons was in die trein op pad Auschwitz toe en ek't afgekyk en gesien dat my boetie se skoene weg was. Toe sê ek: "Hoekom is jy so simpel, kan jy nie jou goed bymekaar hou nie, om hemelsnaam!" Soos ’n ouer suster dalk met haar jonger broer sou praat. Ongelukkig was dit die laaste ding wat sy ooit vir hom gesê het, want sy't hom nooit weer gesien nie. Hy't nie oorleef nie. Toe sy uit Auschwitz kom, het sy ’n eed geneem. Sy't my vertel. Sy't gesê: "Ek't uit Auschwitz die lewe ingeloop en ek't myself iets belowe. Die belofte was: "Ek sal nooit iets sê wat nie aanvaarbaar as my laaste woorde is nie." Kan ons dit doen? Nee. Ons sal misluk en ander ook. Maar dis ’n ideaal om na te streef. Dankie. (Applous) Blink oë!
So now, I have one last thought, which is that it really makes a difference what we say -- the words that come out of our mouth. I learned this from a woman who survived Auschwitz, one of the rare survivors. She went to Auschwitz when she was 15 years old. And ... And her brother was eight, and the parents were lost. And she told me this, she said, "We were in the train going to Auschwitz, and I looked down and saw my brother's shoes were missing. I said, 'Why are you so stupid, can't you keep your things together for goodness' sake?'" The way an elder sister might speak to a younger brother. Unfortunately, it was the last thing she ever said to him, because she never saw him again. He did not survive. And so when she came out of Auschwitz, she made a vow. She told me this. She said, "I walked out of Auschwitz into life and I made a vow. And the vow was, "I will never say anything that couldn't stand as the last thing I ever say." Now, can we do that? No. And we'll make ourselves wrong and others wrong. But it is a possibility to live into. Thank you. (Applause) Shining eyes.
Blink oë! (Applous) Dankie, dankie. (Applous)
(Applause) Shining eyes. (Applause) Thank you, thank you.