Henryk Gorecki - Words Are Not Necessary

Gorecki's Symphony of Sorrowful Songs is one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces of music that I have ever heard. I always seem to gravitate to the second of the three movements but the entire symphony is gorgeous. Instantly, I am transported to a place of pain and longing and I find it impossible to listen to this without crying. Gorecki has brilliantly written empathetically. When I heard this, I wondered immediately what the soprano was singing about as it is written in German. My gut reaction was that there was some sort of trauma because of the angst in the melody. I love when music requires no explanation to be understood. However, it was not at all surprising to discover that this movement was based on a inscription found on the wall of a Gestapo's prison cell written by an 18 year old female prisoner.

I believe the below video explains it all. The German has been translated for you. It is powerfully eerie. You may find it difficult to watch and if so, listen with your eyes closed. I am reminded how grateful I am for my life and opportunities.

Sorry Mr. Gorecki for not getting the accent over the "o" of your name. Not sure how to do that with the keyboard. I mean no disrespect.

Holly Sedgwick - Curtain of Denial

Holly is a Canadian born artist who spent a greater part of her life in the USA and now shares her time between Canada and the U.S. Holly is an artistic genius who blossomed at a very early age showing a tremendous gift for dance as well as choreography. I guess you could say that Holly's personal artistic endeavors were put on a hiatus as she spent a huge part of her life raising the most beautiful children but that would not be entirely true. In fact, her artistic passion has been clearly channeled, nurtured and encouraged through her children. Now that they themselves are venturing off into the world with much success and courage, she has had more time to focus on her own creative passions. In a short span of time, Holly has produced a prodigious amount of work. She has produced a CD, has a second one in the works, written poetry, her memoirs, children's books and has completed well over a hundred paintings.

I wanted to highlight one of her paintings specifically today called " Curtain of Denial." I guess this one resonates with me so strongly because of my own current path. I have reached that point in my life where I just want to be my most authentic self. I have come to know that everyone has a story, has darkness, maybe a trauma of some sort from their past but clinging to that simply keeps you stagnate. When we release the demons, anything is possible.

Thanks Holly for this beautiful painting. Thank you for everything you do. You are an amazing woman and I am proud to call you my friend.

To see more of Holly's work please visit: www.hollyart.me

Mr. A - Z......

Oh how I adore thee Jason Mraz! I saw him for the first time at Massey Hall in October, 2008 and was hooked. I had only known a couple of his tunes at that point but the ones I did know, I really loved and that little inner voice of mine was beckoning me to go. I am so glad I did. I was so impressed buy his live show. His voice is so pure, the band was really tight and he has such an engaging stage presence. For me, one of the marks of a really great musician is how they sound live. And let me tell you, he is even better live than he is on his CD's and his CD's are terrific. I went to see him again on a really beautiful hot night in August of this year under the stars at the Molson Amphitheatre and couldn't believe that he had topped himself. I couldn't sleep that night because I was so buzzed from the show.

Not only is J.M. a superb musician but he appears to be a remarkable human being. I do not know him personally but he strikes me as incredibly genuine in his blogs, interviews and most recently, his live chats. He is an advocate for health, the environment, education, art, and human rights. I have become addicted to his blog and cannot wait for his weekly entries. I have had nights when my eyes are burning from tiredness when an email notification comes in about a new blog entry and I can't go to bed without reading it. I go to bed then all warm and fuzzy. I love that he has a naughty side too! He sure is sexy and it is his mind that is the sexiest. He has given us so much already but I think there is much more is store for us where he is concerned. He is just getting started. You are a gift..........

For his blog go to:

http://www.blogger.com/profile/13967420336110755677

For his official website visit:

http://www.jasonmraz.com/

Melody Gardot...

I went to a friend's house one night this summer and within minutes he exclaimed he had a gift for me. Needless to say, I was immediately intrigued. Who doesn't like to receive a gift, especially when it is not expected? Those gifts are often the best ones much like adventures that are spontaneous. A bunch of us had gathered that night because a dear friend was visiting Toronto to get a second opinion on a recent diagnosis of breast cancer. You would think that the tone of the night would have been heavy but it was quite the opposite; we had great food, wine and music. We were celebrating being together. I had brought along a recent 80's playlist I had made and it was a big hit. All in attendance were teenagers in the 80's. Don't you just love how music transports you back to that moment in time? We danced and sang until the wee hours. It was at the end of the evening, as things were winding down, that my friend and host for the evening gave me a Melody Gardot CD. We listened to the title track "My One and Only Thrill" and I fell in love with her music instantly. I am not in love at the moment but when I listened to the CD in its entirety the next morning, I sure as hell wanted to be. It stirred up a whole lot of passion in me.

Ms. Gardot is a mere 23 years old and writes with the wisdom and romanticism of a much older soul. The music is stunningly orchestrated, beautifully produced and I think a gateway to some serious love making. She has risen above incredible odds: a terrible car accident at 19 that left her hospitalized for a year, dependent on a cane to walk, and with memory problems. Many of us would probably wallow in self-pity for a while, maybe she did, but despite the prevailing circumstances, she taught her self music and I believe will come to pen a few jazz standards. That is inspiring.....

http://www.myspace.com/melody

Arts Advocacy......

This was a video sent to me about a month ago that deeply moved and inspired me. Sir Ken Robinson, a creativity expert to put it mildly, succinctly confirmed my own theories on education. It is a very insightful speech on how schools kill creativity. Our approach to education is archaic and we really need to examine its systemic flaws and serve our children in ways that will meet the needs of this generation. I know I definitely want to read more of his material......

Why Art?

Although I love technology, I have been a little slow on the uptake. It has taken me a while to discover the joys of blogging. It is a terrific and immediate way to share anything with the world so I have decided to share my passion for art. What kind of a world would we be without it? I'll leave that for you to ponder. We are no longer limited to the world of the mainstream. We have unlimited access to everything and that is a beautiful thing. I love discovering a new artist and turning someone else on to them. It's exciting. It is quit probable that I will gravitate towards music on this blog as it the art form that I am most versed in.

For my first post, I thought I would introduce you to a performance of a song entitled "Art" by Canadian singer songwriter Tanya Davis. This is the perfect song to kick start this blog. I am so passionate about art and I strongly believe that we need to do much more to preserve and improve upon the delivery of the arts in schools and in our communities. We are hungry for it. Just have a listen, the song says it all............