… I wonders where the flowers is?

The change of seasons is a magical time. We humans are completely obsessed with it, and love to draw comparisons between the earth’s seasons and the seasons of our own lives. It should be no surprise, then, that there are tons of musical compositions celebrating Spring – way more than good old Vivaldi.

Here is a short movement from “The Seasons”, a ballet by Russian composer Alexander Glazunov. Born into a wealthy family in imperial times, Glazunov’s politics and style of music went out of fashion after the 1917 revolution. Glazunov loved his country, though, and stayed in Russia for another decade, to ensure that the St. Petersburg Conservatory (arguably the most important music school in Russia) didn’t collapse amid the turmoil. He eventually settled in Paris.

The video ends abruptly. The music wasn’t written to be segmented – if you listen to the whole ballet, Spring flows seamlessly into Summer.

… sort of.

Think about love and Romeo and Juliet always seem come to mind. The story is ancient, but still continues to speak to us; it continues to be remade and recycled even to this day. As we all know, it’s doesn’t end well for the lovers. So, if you’re making Valentine’s Day plans, better steer clear of wooing your partner with references to R. or J.

Instead of the play, you could put on this music by Tchaikovsky, which has become the unofficial music of passionate love, found in all sorts of cartoons, commercials, and other entertainment (the best example of this being, of course, Ren & Stimpy.)

And, if you’re single this weekend, you can still enjoy this music, knowing those blasted lovers don’t get to experience the happiest of endings.

If you ever want to lose your faith in humanity, just read the comment section of any YouTube video. However, once in a while, there is a comment of pure genius. The top comment of this video is perfect:

Pretty sure this {video} was a practical joke, in which the orchestra grabbed a drunk man off the streets, gave him a bouquet of flowers, and said, “Stand here and make vague waving gestures at the orchestra.”

Mikhail Glinka‘s opera Ruslan and Ludmila was never a hit, but the overture became an instant favorite among audiences. Even when played at a moderate tempo, it sounds like the strings have had about three cups of coffee too many. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I found a video where the strings have had too much coffee after overdosing on speed.