A Sudden Burst Of Magic

It is dark, and cold, and January continues its endless tread into obscurity. Across the Atlantic, a right wing lunatic has taken office while here a different brand of similar right wing maniacs prevail. The world continues on, and we hope that somehow the balance will shift back to something nicer. Hatred is not a motivation for good policies of good governing, nor is it an acceptable way of life.

It is dark, and wet, and life continues. Swimming practice continues too, as does cycling to students and walking just for the sheer fun of it all. Only one thing is absent: music. Music, the Achilles Heel of the Quirky Muffin. Then, suddenly, the digital radio is turned on, via the magical impulse of a whim, and something magical happens. I have never heard of Respighi before, but Venice Classic Radio is playing his (?) concerto 'all'antica' and it works magnificently. This happened once before, this sudden perfection of music, with a now lost work by Glinka. If only that title had been noted, it would have played a hundred times since then,

It is dark, and somehow magical. Classical music is back, and all is well. Orchestral music must originate from some other plane of existence, where worldly concerns no longer persist and people can close their eyes and be romantic. Concertos seem to the most beguiling of all, especially for piano or violin; panaceas for nerves long frayed or sensibilities dulled by the tensions of daily life. As long as there is no singing, classical music is the king of them all. (With singing, it becomes a hideous cacophonous racket, but that can be for another day.)

It is dark, but also somehow light. Suddenly, almost an entire post has blown by. It has been a good week, despite many cancellations and bouts of lurgy ravaging the flock of students. An enforced mini-vacation usually ends up being a good idea, in any case. Levels of numeracy seem to be appalling out there at the moment, but the violin is still going, and we can forget about it all for a little longer.

Ah, magic...

O.