Part two of what I’m now calling my Dang Julia July.
My second artist date was to take myself to a matinee of “Moonrise Kingdom,” which I loved. It’s not for everyone. It’s quirky and apocalyptic and innocent and sexual and supernatural, and I loved the soundtrack. So I bought it.
I quickly added it to my “Writing” playlist. This is what I like to work to. It began as an all-instrumental conglomeration, then morphed into “music that makes me smile.” Here are a few reasons why I like the songs from “Moonrise Kingdom”:
* I love the “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34, Themes A-F” by Benjamin Britten. Don’t you love the themes, indexed to grades? Plus, I can’t tell you how often I listened to my “Peter and the Wolf” record as a girl.
* I love the “Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe” (parts 1-7) by Alexandre Desplant. Great title! I love that we cannot control the weather and must often rise to the occasion to meet its destructive conditions.
* I love the “Camp Ivanhoe Cadence Medley” because it’s percussion, and it’s just a tad off. Also, my daughter is a percussionist, getting ready for marching season, also known as football season.
* I love the French music, although I don’t speak French. My parents used to listen to Mexican and Chilean music that I didn’t have to understand to enjoy.
* I love the Hank Williams songs because my parents also played those albums, and shame on me for not owning any Hank until now.
* And I love the “Noye’s Fludde” by Benjamin Britten because it was written for amateur church productions, it uses music to tell the story, and it feels other-worldly.
P.S. My current writing playlist includes two George Winston albums, the “When Harry Met Sally” soundtrack, the “Dan In Real Life” soundtrack, the “Oceans 11” soundtrack, lots of Vince Guaraldi, Mango Moon’s “Cafe Carnivale,” and “Two Men with the Blues” featuring Wynton Marsalis and Willie Nelson.