Classical Music, and the Reason and Will to Live

Is “caregivee” a word?  Well, if not, it should be!

As I’ve mentioned before, my father presents a classical music demonstration in his community every other week.  He does so by creating a YouTube playlist of performances around a certain theme, then writing up a short blurb that is edited by my brother or me and printed/copied by the community’s Activities Director (the soon to be world-famous Andrea), and then streaming them over wireless to an AppleTV box attached to the flat screen in the common activities room.  Very 18th century meets 21st century.

Anyway, this is his favorite project and the thing that he lives for.  If you are a caregiver, you know how important it is that your loved one have an organizing principle in their lives beyond taking medication and watching old movies.  This is his.

The “reason to live” is the slightly younger twin brother of the “will to live”, which is something we all pray for regularly, whether consciously or not.  They are inseparable.  In Judaism, I believe that this is what “Refuah Shlema” refers to.

Below is an excerpt of my dad’s latest presentation, done Wednesday.  It is his 2nd pass at Mozart, whose Eine Kleine Nachtmusik was the soundtrack to many of my childhood family road trips in my dad’s faux-wood station wagon(s).  If you don’t like classical music, enjoy instead the depth of the curating effort of a man armed with an iPad, a YouTube search bar, and a reason to live.

The Classical Music Hour

with

Andrea and Steve

Wednesday, March 5, 2 PM

MOZART REVISITED

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART is perhaps the most popular classical music composer. He produced over 600 works, including 6 major operas, 41 symphonies, 28 piano and 5 violin concertos, many of them acknowledged as masterpieces in their categories.

Although a few samples of his work were introduced during the past classical music hours, a more detailed, more comprehensive examination seems to be justified.

The next 45 minutes, you will watch a great variety of Mozart’s masterworks, such as:

OVERTURE of the ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO, Vienna Symphony Orch. – Fabio Luisi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrFbiw77_90

MADAMINA Arie from DON GIOVANNI, sang by F. Furlanetto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INF9r5jju0A

CHAMPAGNE Arie from DON GIOVANNI, performed by I. Kovacs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW_L6Fo7Fjk

THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT Arie from the MAGIC FLUTE performed by E. Miklosa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_xfC9RXicU

OZMIN’S Arie, THE ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO, sang  by  Jozsef Gregor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvDZ9Ikvc7U

THE FAMOUS PIANO PIECE, TURKISH MARCH, played by pianist R. Brautigam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMjQygwPI1c

PIANO CONCERTO #20 – Romanze, played and conducted by Mitsuko Uchida

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhNITXBguSs

VIOLIN CONCERTO #4, performed by Julia Fischer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hqyxy9u4W8

SYMPHONY #40, first movement, Berlin Philharmonic, conducted  by T. Pinnock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIsMmuf9Q3Y

SYMPHONY #41 “JUPITER” – Chamber Orchestra of Europe, conducted by T. Harmoncourt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK5295yEQMQ

TURKISH FINALE from the ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw84smtNE1Q