voices of the violin

On this special day, I loved listening to this interview about a collection of violins from the Holocaust concentration camps.

"We are trying to show people the story of the Holocaust from an easy point of view. Because music is making everything a little bit softer, it is easier for us to understand."
I think that is true of most things that are difficult to understand...

"Those people who had the violin in their hand could dream for 5 minutes they are playing in a concert hall. And to have these 5 minutes of dream in a most horrible world, that is the most valuable thing you could have in your lifetime. We cannot understand."
What would you or I do if perchance to dream in that world? Would you be open to what was in your hands? Reminds me of one of my favorite movie scenes ever, where Roberto Benini in Life is Beautiful turns on the opera aria over the loudspeaker as an unspoken love letter to his wife.

"In the minute that you hear the sound of the violin, you hear everything around it. It is horrible in one case, and wonderful in another case."
Listening to music makes us aware of the world around us, giving us a sense of wonder, empathy and sorrow... how is it that we do not always take advantage of that?


{CNN}