I’ve been listening to a good bit of Sibelius and Griffes the past few days. The secret masters of search and code online must have thought I’d like Vaughn-Williams 5th symphony, which I do. So it popped up, like magic, on my list of “you may like this.” Smart, that.
I listened to all his symphonies some years ago, a few times. They were all adventures, as is this one. Tuesday, recovering from booster side effects, I caught the concert by the Oslo symphony. Today, BBC Proms here.
I’m not scared of dissonant or aggressive music. Neither am I bothered by what the commentators of this concert seemed to suggest as a backtracking by the English composer in the years of WW2. Sometimes, one wanders into the same place, but with a new perspective.
My listening this week reminded me of many of the works of Alan Hovhaness, a suggestion of a pilgrimage to a place on the periphery of the known world. Human beings are called and drawn to higher things. War is pitiful and filthy. The best we can sometimes do is to take someone’s hand, comfort them, and lead them into safety.
Any other listeners to this?
Catholic Sensibility 