One for "Symphony of A Thousand," please...

Today on my 2.5-hour drive from Birmingham to Atlanta, I finally listened to Gustav Mahler's 8th Symphony (Symphony of A Thousand) as directed by Leonard Bernstein from start to finish all the way through.

For 20 years since first hearing it, I've only been able to get through the first movement, and then I skip to the last 10 minutes. I mean, it's so damned long.

But my absolute most favorite musical moment in the world has always been this thing right before the final part where this piccolo flute and clarinet combine to play a quiet move from a major third down to an extended major second (for the non-music folks, just go along with it), right before softening out to the entire chorus singing the root chord position that starts the very last movement.

It always reminds me of that intense moment full of pent-up energy right before the sun breaks the horizon for a sunrise, the gasp someone makes when they have the biggest aha moment of their life, or maybe even the very last breath someone may take before going on to a better world.

It's the musical expression of a change moment, so subtle but so powerful, and now I realize that listening to the entire symphonic work leading up to that moment makes it that much more intense.

To all my music lovers out there, you know what I mean.

Just jump to 1:17:23 here to catch that glimpse I'm talking about. To get the full effect, listen to the entire 1 hour and 16 minutes of lead-up beforehand...