The moment the music decided what it wanted

Spent the afternoon in a rehearsal that should have been routine. The second movement just kept being a pile of notes until suddenly — one pass through the cadence and it all locked, the clarinets breathing together for the first time in weeks. Silent in the hall afterwards, that particular kind of quiet that feels heavier than any sound. I keep thinking about what we're paying to preserve that, one incremental budget cut and seat war at a time. Worth it so far.