by Léo Delibes (1883)
It would be difficult, I imagine, to explain to Léo Delibes what’s become of his Flower Duet, possibly the most beautiful piece of music ever written.
I would explain that it was just far too beautiful for the modern world to handle without being tempered by violence.
Honestly, can anyone listen to this and not envision some violent scene? Whether it’s Walken and Hopper in True Romance (which makes me wonder – is it as awesome as the teenage me thought? I’m remembering Gary Oldman as a rastafarian drug dealer and thinking, yes) or the latest shoot em up video game trailer, or it’s surely memorable inclusion in Garfield: Tale of Two Kitties?
Joking aside, this is the kind of music that makes your heart and soul soar.