It's 3 am and I'm in bed listening to Norah Jones. And as usual I can't seem to be able to fall asleep...
So as my mind was drifting away to many places a question popped into my head (yet again). Some time ago, a friend asked me this: "Is love ever enough?". I gave it some thought, but couldn't really decide on an answer. And I don't have a proper one tonight. But maybe it can be. Why? Because everyday something happens which makes me sad and believing in things like this make me smile. I'm well aware that most of the time love isn't enough, whether it's because of people being miles apart, someone having a moment of doubt or whatever. But once in a while it seems to be possible. Somehow, somewhere, love is enough. All I can say is that I want to believe it is.
A while ago I decided to treat myself with a long bubbly bath, a glass (or two) of red wine and some classical music. That was probably the most relaxing evening I've had this whole year. And it was mostly due to the music. So now I want to share my favourite pieces of relaxing classical music with you. Enjoy!
1. Canon in D - Johann Pachelbel (Academy of St. Martin in the Fields)
2. Suite No. 3 In D Major, BWV 1068: Air - Johann Sebastian Bach (Academy of St. Martin in the Fields)
3. Peer Gynt: Prelude (Morning) - Edvard Grieg (Academy of St. Martin in the Fields)
4. Sheep May Safely Graze from Cantata No. 208 (Arr. Marriner) - Johann Sebastian Bach (Academy of St. Martin in the Fields)
5. Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: II Adagio Sostenuto - Sergei Rachmaninov (Cecile Ousset)
6. Rhapsody On a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XVIII - Sergei Rachmaninov (City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra)
7. Gabriel's Oboe - Ennio Morricone
8. Concierto de Aranjuez: Adagio - Opening - Joaquín Rodrigo (Julian Bream)
9. Variations On an Original Theme, 'Enigma', Op. 36: IX. Nimrod - Edward Elgar (London Symphony Orchestra & Sir Adrian Boult)
10. Cavatina - Stanley Myers (Manuel Barrueco & Steve Morse)
11. Piano Concerto No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 11: II. Romance: Larghetto - Frédéric Franciszek Chopin (Martha Argerich)
12. Piano Sonata No. 14 In C-Sharp Minor 'Moonlight', Op. 27, No. 2: I. Adagio Sostenuto - Ludwig van Beethoven (Moura Lympany)
13. Suite Bergamasque: Clair de Lune - Claude Debussy (Moura Lympany)
14. Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana - Pietro Mascagni (Philharmonia Orchestra)
15. Cinema Paradiso Love Theme - Ennio Morricone (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)
16. Romance from the Gadfly - Dmitri Shostakovich (Tasmin Little)
17. Double Violin Concerto In D Minor, BWV 1043: II. Largo Ma non Tanto (Opening) - Johann Sebastian Bach (Yehudi Menuhin)
18. Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 26: II. Adagio (Opening) - Max Bruch (Yehudi Menuhin)
19. Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude - Johann Sebastian Bach (Yo Yo Ma)
20. Brahms: Waltz In A Flat, Op. 39/15 - Johannes Brahms (Katia & Marielle Labèque)
There's no particular order to the list, but I do have a favourite! Unfortunately it's not the same version as the one in the list, but there you go. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Pink Floyd were an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their psychedelic and progressive rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful rock music groups of all time. It is estimated that they have sold over 200 million albums worldwide.
The band originally consisted of university students Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Richard Wright and Syd Barrett. Founded in 1965, they first became popular playing in London's underground music scene in the late 1960s. Guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour joined Pink Floyd several months prior to Barrett's departure from the group due to deteriorating mental health in 1968. Following the loss of their principal songwriter, Pink Floyd bassist and vocalist Roger Waters became the band's lyricist and conceptual leader, with Gilmour assuming lead guitar and sharing lead vocals. With this lineup Pink Floyd achieved worldwide critical and commercial success with The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall.
Numerous artists have been influenced by Pink Floyd's work. David Bowie has called Syd Barrett a major inspiration. A teenage The Edge (of U2 fame) bought his first delay pedal after hearing the opening to Animals, and the Pet Shop Boys paid homage to The Wall during a performance in Boston. Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery has cited Wish You Were Here as a major inspiration. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 17 January 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame on 16 November 2005. (Wikipedia)
There's a hell of a lot more to say about them, but you can google that yourself. In the mean time, here's a suggestion. Instead of wasting your evening on Facebook or watching random TV download 'Dark Side of the Moon', turn the lights off and listen to the album from beginning to end. It's really worth it. And it's my all time favourite album.
'Comfortably Numb' is actually a track from Pink Floyd's album 'The Wall'. I thought I'd post it as it has the best guitar solo I've ever heard. And you should listen to the whole of 'Dark Side of the Moon', not just one track. Otherwise, it just ruins the experience.
It's winter in London. And it's cold. But it's the kind of cold that makes me want to go out for a walk. So I did just that and discovered that London looks like it's been taken out of a fairytale around the holidays.
Anyway, as I was walking towards Oxford Circus on my way home I overheard a short conversation:
She said: "It's cold. Can I put my hand in your pocket?"
He replied: "Of course dear."
For some reason this stuck with me. I found it really sweet and it made me smile when I heard it. I love winter, because there's always an 'excuse' to get closer. "It's cold!" :)
'The Book of Love" is Peter Gabriel's cover of The Magnetic Fields' song. It was also a song from the movie "Shall We Dance?" and from the TV series "Scrubs". Peter Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, musician and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist, flautist and founding member of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, he went on to have a very successful solo career. Gabriel was also awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2009 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.
It’s passion for something you love so much. It’s dedication to seeing it through to the end. It’s waiting for it a whole year and being truly sad when it ends. But then, it’s something that never ends. It’s getting so annoyed sometimes you just want to give up. Yet you never do. It’s having the best day and the worst day of your life all at once. It’s about making new friends and rediscovering old ones. It’s waking up after half an hours sleep. It’s being full of energy even though you’re exhausted. It’s what makes you cry when it’s over. It’s having coffee day and night. It’s running around until you forget you have to sit down. It’s going our for a cigarette at 4 a.m. It’s talking on the phone so much that you have to recharge it twice a day. It’s hearing someone thank you sincerely. It’s having a bottle of red wine when you should be working in Photoshop. It’s Diddy. It’s having endless meetings that seem to go nowhere. It’s the thrill of seeing everyone standing at the closing ceremony. It’s about wishing it doesn’t end. It’s about train stations. It’s having that one night off where you go wild. It’s writing DVD’s throughout the closing ceremony because there’s never enough time. It’s ‘somewhere only we know’. It’s something that gets better each year with your help. It’s hearing people say they can’t wait to come back. It’s hugging someone, wishing they didn’t have to leave. It’s drama and visual arts. It’s theatre for teenagers. It’s manifesting yourself. It’s this and much, much more. And it’s part of us…
There's a thought that's been nagging me the whole day. Sometimes, we ask ourselves or other people questions we don't want to be answered. Or do we want to know? Say for example,"Do you still love me?". Sure, logic dictates that we should know the answer in order to figure out our next move. We want to know, we need to know. The insecurity drives us up the walls.
But if you think about it, do you really want to know? Whatever the question may be, there's always the possibility that the answer is not the one we want. You think that after the question has been asked and the answer given, you'll be able to deal with it. Because now you know. I beg to differ. It's not the wait we fear the most, the helpless state of not knowing. It's the answer. And the reason for this is quite simple. When you have such a question that eats away at you, chances are you already know the answer to it. It's been there all the time. You just chose to ignore it.
So instead of sleepless nights and endless conversations with yourself, just ask. Ask that question, whatever it may be. And with a little luck, you might get the answer you're looking for.
The song came to my mind while I was writing. It may not have much to do with what I wrote, but it felt right. Carla Bruni released her debut album in 2002 called "Quelqu'un m'a dit". It had success in Europe and sold 1.2 million copies in France.
