My Own Golden Record

  1. The Nutcracker, “Sugar Plum pas de deux: Adagio”

This piece was written by Tchaikovsky, and is part of “The Nutcracker” ballet score. The piece begins in piano, and peaks into a beautiful forte, where all the instruments swell. It is eventually brought down into a quieter dynamic in some parts and throughout the whole piece there is beautiful phrasing, which the dancers portray through their graceful poses. I feel as though my soul is carried with the music, and I feel it evokes many different emotions within me. The different sections of the piece each take the listener through the story, swelling at more dramatic moments and becoming quieter and softer to create magical moments of quiet music. The “Sugar Plum Dance” holds tremendous value to me. I place great value on this piece because it is so deeply engrained in my memory of me watching the Nutcracker ballet. Every year, since I was 2 years old, my grandmother would take my cousins and I to see the Nutcracker Ballet. This was always a monumental moment as it meant that Holiday festivities were finally beginning, hurray! “The Sugar Plum Dance” has always been my favourite piece in the ballet, and I feel such joy when listening to it. This music holds a special place in my heart as it is tied to many joyful and happy memories. This piece in particular (“Sugar Plum pas de deus: Adagio) is one of the most magical pieces of the ballet…perhaps it’s the beautiful portrayal of man and woman dancing across the stage in sparkles, or the musical sounds which emulate twinkling lights and falling snow. Ballet, arts, performing and music are such a great part of my heart; they have brought me such joy. If I had my own Golden Record to share with someone from a distant land, I could never neglect to share such a part of my heart, as this piece is.

2. Sounds of the English Forest

This clip contains sounds of different birdsong, rusting of leaves from animals, and normal forest sounds. There is no instrumental music in it, but simply the “music” of nature, which is arguably some of the most peaceful music. It reminds me of the sounds I hear in nature when I go for walks; I find such peace and comfort in these noises.

The forest is the place I go to find solace and peace. It is somewhere I go when I am sad, happy or want to get away from the rest of the world; it is a place that is greatly apart of my life. I grew up going to Elk Lake a few times a week as it is 2 minutes away from my home, so it became extremely familiar to me. I found Elk Lake a place of peace especially during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as I would walk there everyday. Being out in Nature has been engrained in my life, as as a child my Mum would take me to the park daily; perhaps that’s why I like it so much! The forest/nature accurately represents the way this world was created before buildings and technology existed, and to me it represents the way the world is naturally supposed to be. I would include the clip of nature sounds in my personal golden record because to my ears, it truly depicts the peace and beauty of earth in its raw form.

3. “This is Amazing Grace,” by Phil Wickham

The words in this song portray the Gospel message of Christianity in that God sent His one and only son Jesus Christ to earth to pay for the sins of man through His sacrificial death on the cross. This sacrifice means that we are free from death and promised life eternal with Christ in heaven if we believe in Him. Phil Wickham sings 4 choruses with just his solo voice and guitar in an acoustic version of the song.

My faith in Christ is the most important thing to me. Jesus has set me free, and I want others to know about the freedom that comes through Christ. I often listen to this song as a reminder of what Jesus has done for me and it brings me great peace and thankfulness. I would share this song in my Golden record because it shares the story of the Gospel through such beautiful music. As a Christian, I have experienced such peace through my faith, and I want others to have that same experience. I can’t think of something I would want to share more with others than my faith!