This year I have watched a lot of documentaries. The first half of the year I watched documentaries on famous people: musicians, actors, basketball players and public figures. These were interesting, insightful and in some cases shocking. In some cases, they made me remember my childhood and my teens. Then I started watching true crime documentaries. I like the investigation process of how these crimes are uncovered. These are unbelievable horror stories and it sadness me to know they are not fiction. We really need to be careful of who we trust.
A Reason for Living || Tim Keller [Genesis 3:1-15] This sermon makes sense of why lawlessness will cover the earth bc ppl will become increasingly hopeless and unfulfilled in their pursuit of happiness. If we see a few more pandemics & lock downs, that will expedite the general sense of meaninglessness as years of hard work become suddenly awash in debt & innovation renders IP's arcane.. my only issue w/ this biography is the volume was too soft, too many ads.
[43:11] Some people have said that the brooding melancholic nature of some of his music reflected his austere personality, and that his frequent use of The Dies irae (Day of Wrath) theme was because he had thantoobia, a form of anxiety characterized by fear of death.
Thanatophobia is an intense and persistent fear of death or the dying process. It's also known as death anxiety, and while it's normal to have some anxiety about death, thanatophobia becomes a problem when it significantly interferes with daily life. This fear can manifest in various ways, including physical symptoms like nausea and panic attacks, and emotional symptoms like avoidance and persistent worry.
The Dies irae is a medieval Latin poem that first appeared as a somber Gregorian chant in the 13th century. It has been used by many composers over the years in settings of the requiem mass. This is Mozart's version. And this is Verdi's magnificently operatic version, it has been described as an ominous tune that carries with it a feeling of dread and despair, and it is always associated with death and divine judgment. Rachmaninoff incorporated it in over a third of his 45 works. The motif first appears in Prince Rostislav, a symphonic poem he composed while studying at the Moscow Conservatory. It is extensively used in the bells composed in 1913 and towards the end of his life in his Paganini rhapsody.
It would be fascinating to know what Rakmanov's thoughts were about this piece and why he was drawn to the work of Niccolò Paganini, an 18th century virtuo violinist who legend has it was in league with the devil. Did he see parallels with himself? Or was it just the music that attracted him?
Sadly, we'll never know as he rarely discussed his music or his thoughts on any topic, even with his family, remaining throughout his life an intensely private man.
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 || Georgii Cherkin
Verdi’s Requiem: “Dies irae” || Metropolitan Opera
Mozart: Requiem Dies irae, Herreweghe || margotlorena2
always thought heart & stroke were the same thing.. like here is the organ & this is its killer. But now that it's clear we are what we eat, I was wondering if December would be the peak occasion for these diseases since ppl tend to be saddened by memories during the holiday season & drown themselves in too much alcohol? Nothing definitive. Still I've felt it strange to celebrate anything since COVID, am I the only one, all these things we do seem so out of place given the state of the world. It might have something to do with the close-up reminders of three women, though unrelated, had dramatic declines in their physical & mental vitality over the course of 6mo.
Two were victims of late stage cancer & a third OD'd on her meds.
What Happened to Judy Garland? | Biographical Documentary
Zelda Fitzgerald: Talented Writer & Artist | Documentary
What Really Happened to Marilyn Monroe? | Documentary
