Beautiful music for a Sunday

On Thursday morning, I happened to be at home when CBC radio played an amazing program about the 1992 siege of Sarajevo, and how the artistic community of that city continued performances in the midst of sniper fire and shelling to raise peoples' spirits. One musician told how an orchestra was giving a concert in a cathedral when it was hit by mortar fire, and the explosion blew their musical scores all over the place. They picked up the sheet music and continued the concert because they believed that the spirituality of the arts was the only thing that would keep them alive through the siege.

Albinioni's Adagio in G minor was mentioned as a very important piece of music for the people of Sarajevo because of its melancholy -- and its power. Hearing it, along with the sounds of gunfire and explosion, imagining citizens of Sarajevo, eyes closed, enjoying this music in defiance of the enemy and death, nearly brought me to tears. It's a gorgeous piece. See and hear for yourself.