Chapter 62: Sarah

We’ve already played each piece at some point this season, but it’s been a while since we did this one. It’s a fairly tricky one, and I have to play solo. My mind is already on what is to come as I walk into the hall. It is only later that I realise the lack of greetings. I find my seat and flip through the music on the stand, scanning the pencil notes that scatter the margins. It’s Roberto’s own arrangement of the Sonata, and he’s given us a lot of input that goes beyond what’s printed on the pages. Charlotte gives me a sideways look as she sits next to me at our stand, then turns her head away quickly and starts tuning her violin.

We’re still working on the first movement, coming up to the first of my solos, when I’m struck by a moment of light-headedness. The concert hall spins about me. I feel as if I am falling off my chair. My playing falters, and I completely miss my cue.

Roberto signals the orchestra to sile