Some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard

Anybody who knows me knows how passionate I am about music.
I grew up loving Brahms, and he is always great. But these pieces
by Strauss, now called "Four Last Songs" may be the most beautiful
orchestral pieces I can think of.

I'm going to try to describe these pieces, but I'd love some in-put from friends
and others who may know this music. I'll also come back to it
because it'll take more than one try to get to a satisfactory description.
Please listen to it if you haven't yet. This features Renee Fleming
singing one of those four songs, so you're in for a treat!





I've listened to these so often that it may take a while to recall how I felt when I first heard it. I was in grad school, and the piece was introduced to me by an acquaintance who was getting his degree in political science. It blew me away.

The thing that strikes me now is the ease and confidence that Strauss must have had about his musical abilities at this late stage in his life. There is this air of completeness, of letting each moment strike us with a full, languorous beauty. A fast-paced life often ignores or overlooks this kind of beauty. And for those who have never slowed down, this beauty remains invisible. (Henry James was eloquent about this.) But for those who look forward to savoring a relaxed moment in time in which small nuances--in the sky, in our outlook, in the people around us--can bring great satisfaction, this music brings us to the quiet spaces in our selves. This music might be called a healing. That's how I feel when I hear it. Strauss has gone beyond Brahms' lullaby here. This is a meditation for those with their eyes wide open--open to experience our natural (but often forgotten) harmony with the world around us.