My
favorite radio station, Classical 89, has a weekly "Friday Favorites"
program so listeners can choose their favorite music for everyone to hear. One man recently described an experience
hearing his choice: Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor. "I have experienced a few times when a
piece of music 'stops me cold', and this is one of those."
I
can relate; except with me, those times literally "stop me warm". Take Grieg's Piano Concerto (1868), for
example, aired 6:23 AM yesterday. I knew
it shouldn't stop me from working, but like other times, I was overcome by that feeling … like warm sunshine streaming through the window on a cold winter's day.
Without
fail, when Symphony No. 3 in C minor ("the Organ Symphony", 1886)
nears the end, I am compelled to stop and feel the full impact of "...
arguably Saint-Saëns's greatest single composition." – theguardian.com/music
A piano piece by Chopin that my young daughter played is gone, but the memory is still warm in a melancholy way. And how can I forget piano concertos by Sergei Rachmaninoff? Why does such moving music stop me! Words in this fast-language format cannot do them justice, but the Spirit can whisper volumes.
Too
often the warmth is gone, but for me it's never lost. I beg every day, “Bring
back that lovin' feelin’ …” (song first recorded by the Righteous Brothers in 1964)
Cannon Family piano dated 1873, warmed by winter sun in 2017
Kay & younger daughter with piano played by both in East Mill Creek antique room
