I am an avid fan of California’s KDFC radio. The station is currently conducting a listener poll for this year’s Classical California Ultimate 101 playlist. The first field of the ballot asks you to name the piece you’re voting for. The second field asks why. I submitted my vote yesterday for Brahms’ Intermezzo Op. 118 No. 2.
My why:
Brahm’s Intermezzo is the heartbreak and its healing in a soul-moving journey.
Yesterday, today and in the future, the notes of this timeless, beautiful music will remain the same. Yet, its grace and gentleness are new each time I hear it. Every time I listen to the Intermezzo, (often on repeat), it touches the deepest places of my experience—joy, sorrow and hope.
