Closed door; open window
Bookworm on Oct 02 2006 at 10:14 am | Filed under: Uplifting stories
This story, about Thomas Quasthoff, a world renowned bass-baritone is an amazing and wonderful one:
Thomas Quasthoff titled both his autobiography and a recent CD compilation “The Voice,” underscoring the bass-baritone vocal instrument that has made him an internationally acclaimed singer. But it is safe to say that the main thing an audience notices when Quasthoff takes the stage is the body in which that instrument is housed. He stands just over 4 feet 4 inches tall, on stumpy legs without knee joints or much thigh. His hands (missing two fingers on the left and one on the right) emerge from his shoulders like flippers. He lurches and sways his way to the front of the stage and up onto a wooden podium. And then, even before he utters a sound, he turns his head — normal size, it seems unusually large on his stunted body — and with a wide smile that is both beatific and earthy wins over the crowd in an instant.
And so triumphs the human spirit….
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6 Responses to “Closed door; open window”
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Is he a victim of Thalidomide? What a boundless spirit!
The Lord works in mysterious ways and creates wonder and awe.
Unlike humans, many of whom now might destroy an unborn Thomas in the name of normalcy, eugenics, cost-effectiveness or other assorted specious reasons–and they would feel a sense of humane duty in the murder.
Wouldn’t it be better to bind the spirit of the human race into something more productive and orderly?
Sometimes order, is not as good as it is cracked out to be. Chaos and individual expression, should not be shackled to the dictates of the philosophy of socialism or euthanasia, nor even compassion itself.
yes erp, the NYT did say that he was such a person.
Kinda makes our workaday gripes seem mighty petty.
Humans have the dubious benefit of always knowing that no matter how strong or powerfull someone is, there is always someone stronger around. Vice versa goes as well, no matter how miserable a person believes himself to be, the principle still stands that there will be someone, somewhere, in a worst situation.
Thank you for this. I missed the article and have always found him astonishing - on all levels. Thanks!!