Friday, February 20, 2015

TGIF

We've returned from a short trip to Monterey with my parents, to celebrate dad's 83rd birthday.  The highlight was our time at the aquarium.  It usually is. 


This is a photo of an exhibit to illustrate the trash the we put into our seas.  A horrible fact, but a strangely beautiful display.  Just look at that parfait glass.  You have heard, no doubt, of the giant islands of plastic in the Pacific Ocean.  We carelessly toss our garbage without a care in the world.  We pollute the planet we are dependent on for our lives. 

At the same time, there is terrible beauty made from our detritus. 

Contrast terrible man with exquisite man: same as it ever was.  On the one hand you have ocean garbage, on the other, you have, well, one hand.  Maurice Ravel was commissed to write a piano concerto for the left hand, by the Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein.

He lost his right arm in World War I.  And out of this terrible tragedy, comes this (wait for the piano...there is a marvelous build up):




And so, once again dear friends, we hold opposites in our trembling hands. If this old world is getting you down, in addition to going up on the roof (not for jumping purposes, mind you) you need only to listen to a masterpiece of human creativity, and have your soul restored.

3 comments:

  1. Such an interesting photo, Tara. I love the art, but the way we are trashing the planet is mind-boggling and outrageous. The music is beautiful too. I wonder what a right-handed piece would sound like.

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  2. Thank you for the Ravel----his piano pieces are exquisite.

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  3. this photo of trash, above, is why I go CRAZY when someone doesn't recycle. We can use this stuff AGAIN, folks, and not dump it into the sea! A waste of resources and a scourge on marine life.

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