'A Charm to Sadness'

Music…gives wings to the mind, a soul to the universe, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, a life to everything.
Plato

I'm excited to say that we will soon be returning to Leeds Town Hall for some orchestral music concerts. It's been a very long time since we have been able to attend, and although I listen to music every day at home, there is nothing quite like watching and listening to a live orchestra, especially when you're only a few feet behind the brass section!

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Brass & Percussion will kick things off, post-pandemic, with a programme including Mussorgsky, Shostakovich and Rimsky-Korsakov; I can't wait. 

Writing prompt:

• Look at the quote from Plato above. Do you agree that 'music gives wings to the mind'? Explore this idea in your writing for a few minutes.
• Click here and listen to Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Scheherazade.' Write about where it takes your imagination.
  
• Make a list of pieces of music that bring feelings of joy. Choose one, and write about it. Why does it arouse this emotion? Where did you first hear it? Who were you with? Was it a recording, or live? 
• Make a list of pieces of music that make you feel sad, then repeat the exercise above. Set a timer for seven minutes.
• Classical, Motown, Rock, Folk, Country, Jazz, Hip Hop - what's you're passion? Write about it.  
• Click here to listen to some breathtaking Beethoven (play it loud), and describe how you feel at the end.