What Music Would You Bring to the Desert of Desolation?

György Ligeti has once said: "If I could take with me a single piece of music to an uninhabited island, it would be Koroliov's Bach [The Art of Fugue] recording, because I would listen to it in the midst of starvation and deadly thirst, until my final breath.", which is the following recording (I love it as well):

Maybe there's a few chance we would reach an uninhabited island nowadays if WWIII doesn't come, but I often reach a desert of desolation and depression, or when I am ill I have all kinds of negative thoughts. Facing these I would always bring the following track to my mind or play it through:

The recording always acts as my own music therapy. Every-time I listen to it I feel like myself cleansed and healed. There's a sense of religiosity, wisdom and serene in the beginning of the movement. In the middle section even though the minor variation appears "simple", the tragedy is so deep and always attracting my tears out. And the major variations after it are heaven. Nothing can describe it. After listening I always feel myself cleansed and I feel like I reach the eudaimonia. 

If you are gonna choose only one movement/short piece of music when you are facing your own desolate difficulties/unbearable circumstances to heal yourself, which one will you come up to your mind? I am very interested to ask this since it's great to know every one's root of their compositions and know where do they grow from. It's not only about musical taste, but vivacity of life itself.

All the Best,

Henry

I would bring Ernst von Dohnanyi's Variations on a Nursery Theme:  (it should start after the long and overblown introduction which I don't like LoL)

I don't think it should come as a surprise that I picked a variations piece - it has lots of variety that would keep me entertained for a long time!  These variations are mostly light-hearted and fun which would always cheer me up and bring new potential musical ideas into my mind.

As per our British programme "Desert Island Discs" I could easily choose 8 pieces but close to the top would be Honegger's "Pastorale d'été" and Barbers "Knoxville 1917".

Inner peace.

I don’t know if this counts, but I would bring the 24 preludes of Rachmaninov, each one of them depicts different feelings and has different moods, for example: the b flat Major, e Major and the d flat Major are full of energy and have triumphant mood; the E minor has some very interesting narrative feeling; the b minor and f sharp minor would describe the situation of being alone in a desert; the b flat minor and f Major could make me crazy with their repetitive rhythms; the bittersweet lyricism of the d Major and e flat Major; the lush harmonies of the a major, the a flat Major and middle section of the g minor; the spooky mood of the c minor, C sharp minor and e flat minor; the schizophrenic character of the f minor and g sharp minor; the tenderness of the B major, g Major, g flat Major, e flat Major and d Major…

And I could be listing forever, it would be difficult to get bored in the desolation desert.

I take this opportunity to say that the A Major is beautiful and quite underrated, it is worth listening.

I also take this opportunity to note two interesting “coincidences” on the numbering of the preludes: The first prelude was the C sharp minor op 3 No 2, and the other two sets of preludes published were op 23 and 32, curiously with the same numbers being used. And the other “coincidence” is that the first prelude was the C sharp minor and the last one is the D flat Major, its parallel enharmonic Major, and they share thematic material.

On 11/18/2023 at 7:53 PM, Quinn said:

As per our British programme "Desert Island Discs" I could easily choose 8 pieces but close to the top would be Honegger's "Pastorale d'été" and Barbers "Knoxville 1917".

Inner peace.

Wow, I listen to Honegger's piece for the first time and indeed it's very peaceful. Such a wonderful piece and thx your sharing @Quinn !! He really did find peace not just through the Alps but in his heart at that moment.

Henry

On 11/17/2023 at 9:43 AM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

I don't think it should come as a surprise that I picked a variations piece - it has lots of variety that would keep me entertained for a long time!  These variations are mostly light-hearted and fun which would always cheer me up and bring new potential musical ideas into my mind.

This is the first time I have heard of the piece and the opening is captivating! I should have finished it this week.