The classical cure.

I sat down to write today’s blog not knowing what I would be writing about.  I write at a desk in my bedroom, so the bed is nearby.  As I sat down to determine what this blog entry would be about, I heard music coming from nearby.  My wife has been ill the last few days and has taken to listening to classical music to help her sleep.  My attention is easily hijacked by music, so instead of blogging about something geeky or related to STAR POWER, I’m going to dwell on classical music.

Heavy metal, jazz, hip-hop, classic rock, dance, and even bluegrass can get my blood pumping and my feet tapping, but none of those genres of music have ever brought me to tears.  No other genre but classical music can affect the emotions of my heart to such a degree that I become physically stunned by its majesty and beauty.  There are two pieces of classical music in particular that have this profound effect on me.

A live performance of Johannes Brahms’ “Ein Deutsches Requiem” by the Boston Symphony Orchestra moved me to tears in Boston’s Symphony Hall.  This is a powerful, resonant piece of music however you hear it.

“Joyful Light (Kiev Chant)” of Sergei Rachmaninov’s “Vespers,” performed by the USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir, makes my heart flutter every single time I listen to it.

I meant to speak at length about these pieces of music and the nature of their beauty, but as I reflect upon them I find myself at a loss for words.  It is as though they inspire emotions that cannot be put to words, and feelings that are so beautiful they are without description.  No other genre of music comes close to having this effect on me, no matter how much I enjoy it.  Classical music is enduring because, at its very best, it speaks to the very music in your soul.

If you do not think classical music can have this effect on you, you simply have not heard the right song yet.  The genre spans hundreds of years and countless composers, so there is no shortage of material to search through.  It may be a long search, but when you find the song that sings to you, you will be forever enriched.