Today's DailyOM Offerings...
September 10, 2007
Songs From a Secret Garden
Secret Garden
1995
Secret Garden is the name for the neoclassical duo of composer-pianist Rolf Loveland of Norway and the Irish violinist Fionnula Sherry. With romantic sweep and mood to spare, the pair pours their instrumental hearts out over passionate string sections, vocalists, harpists, choirs, horns, and reeds-all delicate and calm one minute and building to operatic crescendos of emotion the next. With an overall sound that bridges the gap between orchestral pop (à la Josh Groban or Sarah Brightman), Celtic folk (à la Enya), and cinematic scoring (à la Lisa Gerard), this music is accessible and universal in appeal-the sort of thing a squabbling car full of old and young family members can all agree on, rediscovering their familial bonds as the music immerses them in the sweet remembrance of lost time and the beauty of the moment.
The bewitching “Nocturne” features a gently plunked harp, lush strings, and Sherry’s Asian-flavored violin working over a waltz-time melody that’s one part Nina Rota’s Godfather theme, one part Crouching Tiger, and 100 percent ideal for gazing out at the skyline from a high vantage point. When the guest harp whirls up the scale to a crescendo, you can feel a prestorm wind blowing your hair back in slow motion. (The song made Secret Garden a hit worldwide, propelling the album to million-plus sales.) A choir is brought in for the haunting “Sigma,” which offers gorgeous use of dynamics as a small prayerlike boy’s choir is slowly built up with strings, Sherry’s violin lead, a mournful tin whistle, and final surges of the Irish National chorus, creating the sensation that the perennially cloudy skies above the rolling green hills have just opened up to let brilliant orange-yellow lights suddenly shine through.
Moments stand out above the romantic longing, such as the jig-friendly pomp of “The Rap,” but there’s no doubt what the specialty of the house is here, and no better example than the final track, a heartbreaking and aptly titled work called “Ode to Simplicity.” It opens with Loveland reticently plunking out a solo melody on piano until Sherry’s violin comes in like a heartbroken lover looking to patch things up. With no need for flourish or grand statement, piano and violin pace around the room, great novels worth of feeling poured back and forth in musical dialogue. Such is the beauty of Secret Garden that the familiar elements of classical and Celtic music seem timeless here, familiar and comforting but still urgent as a late-night phone call, as eternal as a brewing storm over an ancient Irish castle.
September 10, 2007
Comprehension Without Fear
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
Your mature understanding of the world around you can be a boon to you today as you expand your awareness to include topics you heretofore ignored. Because you are likely in a supremely tolerant and curious state of mind, you may even feel a strong attraction to avenues of study that are controversial or eccentric. Provided you approach such explorations with an open mind, your experience in the arena of the unknown will likely be a satisfying and compelling one. Today can be a wonderful day to challenge yourself by conversing with those whose opinions and beliefs are quite different from your own.
We discover that many differing points of view are valuable when we open our minds to the possibility that our way of life is not the only valid way. It can be hard to accept that this is the case, however, as we have likely spent a great deal of our time and energy convincing ourselves that we are walking the right path. The more open-minded we are in our explorations, the more willing we are to entertain ideas and belief that are in opposition to our own. We will not come to embrace every foreign concept that we encounter, but those that we do integrate into our lives will inevitably help us grow as individuals. Understanding this is the key to setting doubt and fear aside as we strive to discover who we are. Your tolerant attitude will serve you well today, providing you with the strength you need to extend the reach of your comfort zone.
September 10, 2007
Useful Transformation
Make Change Work For You
Transformation is a universal constant that affects our lives from the moment we are born until we leave earthly existence behind. At the root of all growth, we find change. Occasionally, change and the circumstances leading up to it are a source of extraordinary joy, but more often than not they provoke feelings of discomfort, fear, or pain. Though many changes are unavoidable, we should not believe that we are subject to the whims of an unpredictable universe. It is our response to those circumstances that will dictate the nature of our experiences. At the heart of every transformation, no matter how chaotic, there is substance. When we no longer resist change and instead regard it as an opportunity to grow, we find that we are far from helpless in the face of it.
Our role as masters of our own destinies is cemented when we choose to make change work in our favor. Yet before we can truly internalize this power, we must accept that we cannot hide from the changes taking place all around us. Existence as we know it will come to an end at one or more points in our lives, making way for some new and perhaps unexpected mode of being. This transformation will take place whether or not we want it to, and so it is up to us to decide whether we will open our eyes to the blessings hidden amidst disorder or close ourselves off from opportunities hiding behind obstacles.
To make change work for you, look constructively at your situation and ask yourself how you can benefit from the transformation that has taken place. As threatening as change can seem, it is often a sign that a new era of your life has begun. If you reevaluate your plans and goals in the days or weeks following a major change, you will discover that you can adapt your ambition to the circumstances before you and even capitalize on these changes. Optimism, enthusiasm, and flexibility will aid you greatly here, as there is nothing to be gained by dwelling on what might have been. Change can hurt in the short term but, if you are willing to embrace it proactively, its lasting impact will nearly always be physically, spiritually, and intellectually transformative.
Songs From a Secret Garden
Secret Garden
1995
Secret Garden is the name for the neoclassical duo of composer-pianist Rolf Loveland of Norway and the Irish violinist Fionnula Sherry. With romantic sweep and mood to spare, the pair pours their instrumental hearts out over passionate string sections, vocalists, harpists, choirs, horns, and reeds-all delicate and calm one minute and building to operatic crescendos of emotion the next. With an overall sound that bridges the gap between orchestral pop (à la Josh Groban or Sarah Brightman), Celtic folk (à la Enya), and cinematic scoring (à la Lisa Gerard), this music is accessible and universal in appeal-the sort of thing a squabbling car full of old and young family members can all agree on, rediscovering their familial bonds as the music immerses them in the sweet remembrance of lost time and the beauty of the moment.
The bewitching “Nocturne” features a gently plunked harp, lush strings, and Sherry’s Asian-flavored violin working over a waltz-time melody that’s one part Nina Rota’s Godfather theme, one part Crouching Tiger, and 100 percent ideal for gazing out at the skyline from a high vantage point. When the guest harp whirls up the scale to a crescendo, you can feel a prestorm wind blowing your hair back in slow motion. (The song made Secret Garden a hit worldwide, propelling the album to million-plus sales.) A choir is brought in for the haunting “Sigma,” which offers gorgeous use of dynamics as a small prayerlike boy’s choir is slowly built up with strings, Sherry’s violin lead, a mournful tin whistle, and final surges of the Irish National chorus, creating the sensation that the perennially cloudy skies above the rolling green hills have just opened up to let brilliant orange-yellow lights suddenly shine through.
Moments stand out above the romantic longing, such as the jig-friendly pomp of “The Rap,” but there’s no doubt what the specialty of the house is here, and no better example than the final track, a heartbreaking and aptly titled work called “Ode to Simplicity.” It opens with Loveland reticently plunking out a solo melody on piano until Sherry’s violin comes in like a heartbroken lover looking to patch things up. With no need for flourish or grand statement, piano and violin pace around the room, great novels worth of feeling poured back and forth in musical dialogue. Such is the beauty of Secret Garden that the familiar elements of classical and Celtic music seem timeless here, familiar and comforting but still urgent as a late-night phone call, as eternal as a brewing storm over an ancient Irish castle.
September 10, 2007
Comprehension Without Fear
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
Your mature understanding of the world around you can be a boon to you today as you expand your awareness to include topics you heretofore ignored. Because you are likely in a supremely tolerant and curious state of mind, you may even feel a strong attraction to avenues of study that are controversial or eccentric. Provided you approach such explorations with an open mind, your experience in the arena of the unknown will likely be a satisfying and compelling one. Today can be a wonderful day to challenge yourself by conversing with those whose opinions and beliefs are quite different from your own.
We discover that many differing points of view are valuable when we open our minds to the possibility that our way of life is not the only valid way. It can be hard to accept that this is the case, however, as we have likely spent a great deal of our time and energy convincing ourselves that we are walking the right path. The more open-minded we are in our explorations, the more willing we are to entertain ideas and belief that are in opposition to our own. We will not come to embrace every foreign concept that we encounter, but those that we do integrate into our lives will inevitably help us grow as individuals. Understanding this is the key to setting doubt and fear aside as we strive to discover who we are. Your tolerant attitude will serve you well today, providing you with the strength you need to extend the reach of your comfort zone.
September 10, 2007
Useful Transformation
Make Change Work For You
Transformation is a universal constant that affects our lives from the moment we are born until we leave earthly existence behind. At the root of all growth, we find change. Occasionally, change and the circumstances leading up to it are a source of extraordinary joy, but more often than not they provoke feelings of discomfort, fear, or pain. Though many changes are unavoidable, we should not believe that we are subject to the whims of an unpredictable universe. It is our response to those circumstances that will dictate the nature of our experiences. At the heart of every transformation, no matter how chaotic, there is substance. When we no longer resist change and instead regard it as an opportunity to grow, we find that we are far from helpless in the face of it.
Our role as masters of our own destinies is cemented when we choose to make change work in our favor. Yet before we can truly internalize this power, we must accept that we cannot hide from the changes taking place all around us. Existence as we know it will come to an end at one or more points in our lives, making way for some new and perhaps unexpected mode of being. This transformation will take place whether or not we want it to, and so it is up to us to decide whether we will open our eyes to the blessings hidden amidst disorder or close ourselves off from opportunities hiding behind obstacles.
To make change work for you, look constructively at your situation and ask yourself how you can benefit from the transformation that has taken place. As threatening as change can seem, it is often a sign that a new era of your life has begun. If you reevaluate your plans and goals in the days or weeks following a major change, you will discover that you can adapt your ambition to the circumstances before you and even capitalize on these changes. Optimism, enthusiasm, and flexibility will aid you greatly here, as there is nothing to be gained by dwelling on what might have been. Change can hurt in the short term but, if you are willing to embrace it proactively, its lasting impact will nearly always be physically, spiritually, and intellectually transformative.