beauty ache

I've been listening to a CD of Schubert lieder by Barbara Bonney, the disc shown here. "Achingly beautiful" is one of those phrases you hear from time to time, but rarely does it apply so fittingly. Listening to these songs really does make me ache inside, in an altogether wonderful way.

I was listening on my headphones while walking to a rehearsal this morning. What with the lovely Charleston architecture
and Bonney's gorgeous "Ave Maria", I wasn't sure whether to smile or cry. Maybe it's something about Schubert's music too - it always seems to balance delicately between joy and despair, and dance along the boundary. When I reached the rehearsal space, it was still locked up, and a violinist already waiting there began venting her frustration. Having to wait an extra five minutes to warm up can be a tedious inconvenience, but I must have still been smiling, giving away a strange lack of impatience. She asked me why I seemed so unperturbed, and I could only offer her my headphones.