I had noticed that my dog (Kuuta) was doing something sneakily on my Macbook, but I didn’t know that he was secretly writing a blog until I received an email from Prof.Peter Damm ! I looked at it and saw that he was writing about Peter Damm, who I admire.
Since he’s a dog, his writing is childish and just barks, “I love you, I love you!”. Still, the saying “dogs resemble their owners” seems to be true. He is making sure to get what I want to say across.
Kuuta is suffocated by sadness after learning about the cruel wars happening all over the world and the Noto Peninsula earthquake in Japan that occurred on January 1st of this year. Although I know it shouldn’t be compared, the news of the deaths of the former horn giant, Hermann Baumann and the great conductor Seiji Ozawa have made it difficult for him to write for a while.
However, I have received requests for him to resume writing, so this time I, his owner, will write the 7th installment on behalf of Kuuta. This time I would like to introduce “Meditation from Thais” composed by Jules Massenet.
Players and recording
Conductor: Silvio Varviso Violin：Peter Mirring
Orchestra: Staatskapelle Dresden Chor：Chors der Staatsoper Dresden
Date：November and December, 1983 Venue： Dresden
My favorite
Power of Music
Before introducing the highlights, please allow me to say a few words, as this is my first time to write this blog.
I have always loved music and have always thought of it as an essential part of life. However, there was only one time when music completely disappeared from my world. It was the 2011 earthquake and the days of anxiety that followed.
One day, I heard some music on the car radio during a break in the news, and I realized, “Oh, it’s music!”, and my tense heart suddenly relaxed. I don’t remember what song it was. It may have been light music or a popular song. Still, looking back now, I strongly believe that music really has the power to heal people.
When there are many tragic events, tragic songs may be too heavy. Instead, I decided to choose “Meditation from Thais,” which ends casually and simply. Peter Mirring plays the violin with a lustrous and penetrating tone.
Many people may wonder, “Is there even a place for the horn to shine in this music?” There is no such thing on the score. There is none. But my beloved Peter Damm still lets us hear it. After the violin finishes playing the first solo, the orchestra plays an interlude, and there is a sweet moment when Peter Damm, who is playing a long tone in the accompaniment, sings well and seems to take the lead role. I hope you will find it.
It’s a few bars that are neither intense nor virtuoso, but I love Peter Damm’s horn, which overflows with song even in such a small place. Oops, I ended up just roaring “I love you, I love you”. . I’ll ask Kuuta to write it again next time.
