The underpinning of Buddhism is a word called dukkha, which is a Pali word often translated as suffering, anxiety, dissatisfaction, un-ease. It is found in the Four Noble Truths – in fact, it is the first of the Four.
The second of the Four Noble Truths tells us where dukkha comes from — ourselves. We crave. Or, another way to describe it is we grasp. Essentially, we want things to be different from how they are.
That has to be the reason why I think differently about today’s Haydn CD from how I did about yesterday’s.
It’s, essentially, the same music. The same performers. The same musicians.
Yet, today, I like it. I don’t mind the near-contralto range of soprano Lorna Anderson, or the lower-range of tenor Jamie MacDougall. For some reason, I actually like today’s selection of songs.
Obviously, there are two possible explanations: (1) The song selections are different, and/or (2) I am different.
Frankly, I think it’s the latter. Maybe I just needed a little time to get used to what I was hearing.
Track 9 (“Hey tutti taiti”), for example. A really fun little ditty.
And Track 16 (“The wish”).
What I’ve noticed about today’s CD is: Continue reading