cozy comfort books
victorian classics
“I-have-time-to-read-a-Russian-novel”
mystery
If you listen to Shostakovich’s music, you’ll notice it’s got an extremely distinct and identifiable style. Atonal, grotesque, mocking, but also beautiful and grand and picturesque. Some of his most famous compositions are:
* Symphony No. 11 (“The Year 1905”)
(I’ve played the ones in bold)
Happy birthday to an amazing composer, pianist, one of the founders of modern classical music, and personally one of my favourite composers!
“Music is life.” - Ludvig van Beethoven
Thank you to The Hopeful Pen at With Joy For The Work for tagging me :)
The Rules:
1. pick ten songs/pieces that come on shuffle (the original rules say no skipping but must I really?)
2. write your favourite lyric from each song (seeing as how classical music is 99.9% of my listening repertoire, not sure how this is going to work)
3. tag some people (everyone reading this, consider yourself tagged)
—
1. Shostakovich Symphony No. 11 (The Year 1904)
I played this over the summer and it’s such an amazing piece of music. I highly encourage listening to it; not only is the music itself brilliant and impactful, but so is the storytelling.
2. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2; second movement
One of the most romantic pieces ever written. It’s beautiful.
3. Theme from “Schindler’s List”
Heartbreakingly beautiful.
4. Dvorak Symphony No. 8
I got to play this over the summer as well (as concertmaster; the solo is so beautiful!) and it’s just so playful and exuberant and joyful and I love it so much.
5. “The Last Goodbye” by Billy Boyd
“Many places I have been / Many sorrows I have seen / But I don’t regret / Nor will I forget / All who took that Road with me.”
So beautiful and so sad and so amazing.
6. Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8; second movement
According to sonata form most second movements are quiet, but this is definitely not. This piece is sooo fun to play and it’s crazy to boot. How exactly like Shostakovich.
7. “Give Me Jesus” by Bethel Music
“You can have all this world / Give me Jesus”
One of my favourite worship songs. It’s so powerful and beautiful.
8. Elgar “Enigma” Variations No. 9 (Nimrod)
I played the entire Enigma Variations two years ago and it’s just amazing. (Warning: will make you sob. I am not kidding.)
9. Sibelius Violin Concerto; 1st movement
This is the piece I’m playing for college auditions. It’s one of the most difficult concerti written for violin, but it’s also incredibly distinct, beautiful, and virtuosic.
10. Mahler Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection)
I highly recommend this. It’s long, but incredibly well-worth it.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Hannah
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
You, a coward.
I do not know who you are. The world does not know.
It doesn’t matter.
You may have some reason in your mind, some justification
for what you did.
It doesn’t matter.
You, a coward. You, a murderer.
How dare you?
Kill an innocent man, a man who speaks truth,
a good man, and you think it makes you a hero.
You fool.
You coward.
You murdered a man with children, a man with a wife,
a man who asks questions
and tells the truth.
You do not understand, perhaps,
that you
will never
win.
———
Yesterday, a man named Charlie Kirk was murdered. Why? Because he was speaking truth and goodness to people who didn’t want to hear it. He stood firm on the Word of God and someone thought it was okay to kill him because of it.
“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” John 3:19-21