Saturday Night Soup for the Soul (12)

s disjointed and incongruous was last week’s soup, this week’s pot is organically integrated and emotionally centered. I shall not overtly describe anything personal this week, instead letting the music speak for me. It says everything and so much more, for those so attuned to hearing such things. I can still hear the sounds of those Methodist bells, I'd taken the cure and had just gotten through, Staying up for days in the Chelsea Hotel, Writing "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" for you. his past week brought a series of birthdays. Tony's was this past Tuesday, as was that of fellow blogger and major flyboy Lewis. Sunday brings us that of the late and great 20th century luminary George Harrison. His most recent incarnation will be 64 years old. Later this week brings the birthday of Prince Andrew (not the royal family love child -- this beautiful boy is but five years of age) and on the same day, is yours truly. We both came in like a lion (that is a hint). God God God You are the wisdom that we seek God God God The lover that we miss God God God Your nature is eternity God God God You are Existence, Knowledge, Bliss I am hungry; I hope you are too. Soup’s ready, so let us break bread together, and eat. 1. Marwa Blues is such a heavenly composition. This has the sound of someone sailing off to their rendezvous with eternity. This evokes the same emotion in me as the opening of Mahler’s ninth symphony. Joy for those taking the journey and sorrow for what is left behind. This comes from George Harrison’s parting gift: Brainwashed. Listening to this can be a tear jerker should you have something bottled up to cry over. 2. Shostakovich Symphony No. 11 in G minor, op. 103 (1957). -- This opening movement of symphony 11 is one of the most sustainingly beautiful and hopeful things that dear Dmitri ever wrote. Galaxy class hope and humility, expansively stretching across the universe. Shostakovich is hands down the greatest artist of all the 20th century in any medium. He has it all: unparalleled genius, guts and nerve, a cunning and subversive nature which spoke truth to power, an uncorrupted sense humanity, and personal suffering. This piece had a programmic title “The Year 1905” and is superficially about the events surrounding an abortive Russian peasant uprising against the Czar in 1905. But Shostakovich is never what he superficially seems – especially when he tells you anything about the supposed program behind the piece (which he rarely did). Here is the climax of the second (of four) movement There is something so much darker and truly horrifying hiding in the guts of this score (after you finish your soup, watch the above performance to hear a taste of what is lurking inside the opening movement of the symphony). Incidentally the compositional style he adopted in this period of his life strikes me as “film without the movie”. There is a striking visual quality to his works from this unbelievably productive period of his artistic career. One see’s the sound. "Desire" (Neon borrowed from wonderful Thomas Hawk) 3. Sara -- From Bob Dylan’s 1975 "Desire" LP, this track is the ultimate love song written to his later to become ex-wife. Dylan is famously guarded about his private life. Nevertheless I do not think that he ever wrote a more out int he open personal song. I understand his intensity and depth of love. 5. Brainwashed – The title song and closer to Beatle George's body of work. Happy Birthday, baby boy! I still remember sharing your birthday in 1967. Namah Parvarti Pataye Hare Hare Mahadev Namah Parvarti Pataye Hare Hare Namah Parvarti Pataye Hare Hare Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva Hare Hare Hare Hare Mahadeva Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva Namah Parvarti Pataya Hare Hare Namah Parvarti Pataye Hare Hare Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva All of this makes it's way into this week's soup. You can get your 22.4 Mb bowl of Saturday Night Soup for the Soul by clicking the jukebox.