Brahms
I’m sitting in my studio listening to a Brahms sextet in B-flat for strings, op. 18. Yehudi Menuhin is concert master and the recording is simply amazing. Adding to the romance, rain is pouring down outside, drumming off the roof and thick green leaves of the nearby oaks.
Watching the weather while listening to the music and speaking to a client on the phone, I neglect to notice that the beautiful rain pouring down on my terrace is also pouring into the kitchen through the open doors… is this a penalty for multi-tasking? But wading through the centimetres-deep water covering the stone floor to finally close the patio doors while listening to the thunder outside seems delightful and decadent.
Existing in the world’s most orderly host country, my normally very Swiss and tidy kitchen seems to relax into the warm summer rain. Tortillas and salsa sit happily and languidly on the marble countertop, urging someone to come and take a bite. All the while, violins soar higher and higher – it’s easy to imagine almost anything…
Would you take a recommendation to enrich your life today? Turn on some Brahms; almost any of it will take you away to another place completely when you really listen. Close your eyes, breathe deep and absorb the sound. No rain necessary – although it helps.