As I approach my favorite season of the year, I celebrate this Christmastime with none other than my dear friend Charlie Brown. I love that he reminds us that Christmas is not about a big fancy tree. It certainly is not about getting yelled at by all your friends on what a nincompoop you are. But how many times […]
A Charlie Brown Christmas – Guaraldi Read More »
It has been three years since he lifted his pen to write. The sight of a blank sheet of manuscript paper caused his stomach to turn. The more he stared at the page, the longer his voice remained silent and the more impossible it became to compose. Since the disastrous debut of his First Symphony in 1897 (I
Piano Concerto No.2, 2nd mov. – Rachmaninov Read More »
I used to carry a big folder with a picture of Abraham Lincoln’s quote, “If I had nine hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first six sharpening my ax.” Now, it hangs on my wall. For many of us, we focus our energy on crossing the finish line, which oftentimes leads us to overlook the necessary steps to endure
Out Towards the Sea by Bræin Read More »
Oh, how I miss the cartoons of yore. I remember when I was in elementary school, I would get ready for school while watching the animated characters come to life in my living room. I do not have siblings so it took my parents about 15 minutes to prepare me for school. With all the time remaining,
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Liszt Read More »
Today, I’ll take a break from my usual posts about classical music and feature a violinist who has been working faithfully to stay a violinist — me! I got inspired to cover the song, “I Can’t Help Falling In Love,” after watching a gum commercial on television. I have always wanted to create my own
Can’t Help Falling In Love – violin cover Read More »
There’s an odor in the air. It’s spreading rapidly and with each breath, the world is changing. There is so much screaming in the streets and with each verbal strike, innocent people are being slaughtered like cows. Pandemonium keeps the world awake but silence is deafening. Dmitri Shostakovich was scared for his life. Watching the formation of Stalin’s
Largo from Symphony 5 by Shostakovich Read More »
I take regular strolls at a nearby park and I become captivated by the peaceful scenery of birds gliding through the sky. They have no inhibition about flying (or falling). This particular picture tugs at my heart because it reminds me of a promise that I received that one day I would fly around the
Intermezzo by Ponce Read More »
Having lived most her life as a courtesan, Thaïs had contemplated about her existence one evening after hearing a sermon by Athanaël, a Christian cenobite monk. The Méditation from the opera Thaïs, composed by Jules Massenet, depicts the precise moment when the leading lady, Thaïs, decides to leave her hedonistic past to begin a new
Méditation by Massenet Read More »
What does it look like when a genius is at work? For Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, there are endless voices and notes in his head that are waiting to be spilled out onto paper. This scene from Amadeus is the climactic element in the movie where he lies on his death bed dictating his musical ideas to
Confutatis and Lacrimosa by Mozart Read More »
“People usually complain that music is so ambiguous; that they are doubtful as to what they should think when they hear it, whereas everyone understands words. For me, it is just the reverse. It is the words that seem so ambiguous, so indefinite, so open to misunderstanding in comparison with real music, which fills one’s
Song Without Words by Mendelssohn Read More »