Today, I went on a drive. As I was driving, I found myself listening to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on Georgia Public Broadcasting. The evening's theme was the works of Johannes Brahms. Now, I will readily admit that I am not an avid listener of classical music nor am I able to distinguish between the minute intricacies that dictate whether or not a performance of a particular piece is good or bad. All I know is that there are moments when I find myself settling in and listening to classical music; tonight was one of those moments. Anyway, to get to the point of this post, as I was driving and listening, I recalled the host of the program describing Brahms' Alto Rhapsody and explaining its story--a story that involves an unrequited love and Brahms' reaction to the news of his love's engagement to another man.
Of course, being an individual involved in many similar situations myself, I felt a connection to this classical composer and in particular, to this piece and while I will once again admit that I am clueless as to what is actually being sung throughout the piece; I felt what the host was describing about the piece. Ultimately, I found myself contemplating about my own ineptitude because when Brahms was slighted by the news of his object of affection's engagement to a man that was not Brahms himself; he composed an orchestra. As for me, what could I do? Sure, I can write about my affections, but it seems to lack the flair of drafting an actual orchestra piece.
Anyway, here is a performance of the piece:
