November 12, 2024
I've noticed a shift in my music-listening habits lately. With the transition to digital, music has become an "out of sight, out of mind" experience for me. The tangible connection I once had with my CDs and vinyl records has faded, making it easy to forget the joy and comfort music brings.
In this digital age, I have to make a conscious effort to reconnect to music I love by setting aside time to revisit old favorites. I am also trying to make room for serendipity by checking out new stations on Sirius XM or Amazon Music. This week I discovered a new-to-me ensemble that I enthusiastically recommend below.
Serendipity happens when we put ourselves in a situation to experience it. One of the foundations of The Garden of My Delights is to make connections among dissimilar concepts to spark creativity. The way to start is to "get in the way" of new concepts such as a new style of music, a new food, a columnist you haven't read before, or the work of a photographer with a different perspective from what you're used to. (Speaking of a different perspective, check out a painting I first saw on my Facebook feed this morning, Salvador Dalí's "Christ of St. John of the Cross".)
Hear a Little Song
This week I want to tell you about a classical musical ensemble like no other called Janoska. Comprising three brothers from Bratislava, Slovakia on two violins and piano along with a brother-in-law from Konstanz, Germany on double bass, this ensemble takes well-known classical compositions and transforms them into a lively experience that will compel you to smile.
I know. I heard them on Sirius XM's Symphony Hall station last week when I was feeling very glum. Their arrangement of the overture to Mozart's opera "The Marriage of Figaro" takes wild diversions into mid-century jazz, the Marseillaise, and klezmer styles before returning to Mozart.
This is the version I heard on the radio. This version allows you to see them playing.
They aren't touring in the US any time soon, but I may download all of their albums in the meantime - unless I can convince my husband to see them in Paris on New Year's Eve.
...Or Two
I recently stumbled across a beloved song, The Piano Guys' stirring mashup of Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" with "Amazing Grace". As a bonus it has bagpipes!
This song never fails to bring tears to my eyes and to give me the kick in the behind I need to keep on keeping on.
As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “…one ought every day at least to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.”
Credit: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, Book V, Chapter 1
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