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.

Q: What’s the definition of musical snobbery?
A: Hearing the “William Tell Overture” without thinking of the Lone Ranger.

This is one of those pieces that everybody just knows. You can’t avoid it – it’s in cartoons, commercials, video games. Gioachino Rossini knows how to write ’em; everything is clear and easy to follow – no tricks or games. It begins with a gentle melody that blows up about 2:45.

And go ahead … think of the Lone Ranger, and ride a pretend horse around your house, the office, or even around town. If anybody turns up their nose at you, just “neigh” at them and move on.

listen to this amazing overture to Richard Wagner’s opera Parsifal.

It has nothing to do with winter or snow, but it’s such a great piece, and perfect for watching the weather and contemplating your existence. No other composer can successfully write music that has essentially one chord for five minutes, and then twist you around an amazingly complex harmonic progression that rips your heart right out of your chest. And the horns … so many horns … no, not horns on a Viking helmet, I’m talking about the instrument he invented, the Wagner tuba.