‘Listening to music in lockdown helps me see the world in a deeper way, and reminds me of my adventure to the Isle of Staffa’
In lockdown, I’ve been traveling in a different way. I listen to music and close my eyes, revisiting songs that bring back memories. Listening to playlists and records is my way of remembering the different chapters of my life and what they have meant to me. I’ve grown up all over the world, moving countries every few years – from India to Hong Kong to Vietnam to the US. Now I’m living in Mumbai, waiting for my next visa. Through all the changes, music has been my constant, keeping me company through every move.
There are a few pieces that transport me every time, such as the Hebrides Overture by Felix Mendelssohn, which was one of my favourite works as a music history student in high school. The piece was inspired by Mendelssohn’s 1829 trip to Fingal’s Cave on the island of Staffa, off Scotland’s west coast, known for its puffins and the echoes of the cave. Mendelssohn wrote it to capture the Atlantic swell, the sound of the waves crashing into rocks and lapping against each other. I feel at home when I am by the water, so listening to it takes me to sea.
Continue reading…‘Listening to music in lockdown helps me see the world in a deeper way, and reminds me of my adventure to the Isle of Staffa’In lockdown, I’ve been traveling in a different way. I listen to music and close my eyes, revisiting songs that bring back memories. Listening to playlists and records is my way of remembering the different chapters of my life and what they have meant to me. I’ve grown up all over the world, moving countries every few years – from India to Hong Kong to Vietnam to the US. Now I’m living in Mumbai, waiting for my next visa. Through all the changes, music has been my constant, keeping me company through every move.There are a few pieces that transport me every time, such as the Hebrides Overture by Felix Mendelssohn, which was one of my favourite works as a music history student in high school. The piece was inspired by Mendelssohn’s 1829 trip to Fingal’s Cave on the island of Staffa, off Scotland’s west coast, known for its puffins and the echoes of the cave. Mendelssohn wrote it to capture the Atlantic swell, the sound of the waves crashing into rocks and lapping against each other. I feel at home when I am by the water, so listening to it takes me to sea. Continue reading…