The Nutcracker

Merry Christmas-Eve! I must be getting older because I feel less and less excited and nervous today than I've felt in previous years, even as a teenager. However, I am starting to grasp just how amazing it is that God became one of us, died for my cruddiness, and rose again to prove His divinity. The grace that I experience from God amazes me daily.

I've been listening to Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Ballet with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for the better part of the day. Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite composers because he satisfies almost everything I look for in music: exciting rhythms, beautiful melodic lines, a variety of moods and tempos, a certain level of unpredictability, a diversity of instrumentation, and creative inspiration. The music speaks to a wide spectrum of emotions, leaving out only a few. Tchaikovsky stimulates my intellect, feelings, spirit, and creativity.

I love how he seems to value closure and resolution so much. Like Beethoven, we works hard to create suspense and tension, forcing the listener to greatly anticipate the resolution. When it comes, it is wonderfully satisfying. Even if the resolution is a minor chord, nothing is left open. I pray that I will experience the kind of closure in my life that I experience in this music. That would be fabulous. It would set my heart to rest.