The first sonorous caress that flows from the trumpet at the opening of this exquisite piece elevates heart, mind, and soul toward the heavens—tickling the senses, stirring the intellect, and penetrating the depths of spirit. The sound of the music then envelops me whole, encompassing my being as both serene comfort and nourishing balm.
Over the years, I have found the greatest pleasure in musical compositions that awaken what I have come to think of as the aural trinity—heart, mind, and soul—music that refuses to address only one dimension of human experience. There is the tickling of the senses, that physical, almost tactile delight in pure sound; the stirring of the intellect, where architectural beauty and mathematical precision reveal themselves; and the penetration of the spirit, that ineffable movement beyond analysis into pure being.
And if, by chance, anyone should wonder at my musical inclinations, I can offer no clearer explanation than the thoughts above. Yet I hasten to add that the genres and traditions encompassed within this aural trinity are far greater and more varied than one might suppose—and surely different for every individual.
Northcoast Antiquarian 