I have always loved music. When I was little, I loved pop music for its catchy hooks. Then when I was a teenager, I loved rock music for its cool riffs. As a young adult, I was into alternative before my love later deepened into jazz and classical music. I was a musician myself for a while (drummer) and worked as a music editor. So, I guess it’s no surprise that as I wrote my novel, I unconsciously included music in The Forgetting Flower. It appears on the first page and then several times throughout the narrative until the final paragraph.

I thought it’d be fun to take readers on a journey of the music of The Forgetting Flower. I love all of the pieces in the book and they reflect each of the characters and situations they are attached to. But after collecting the pieces, I realized I had about 10 to share, so here’s the first part of my two blog posts on The Classical Music of The Forgetting Flower.  

Alain’s Rachmaninoff Concerto

The main character, Renia, has a friend who was a classical violinist and became an event organizer. He’s a savvy, charming man who favors the Romantic period. He loves the stormy drama of the Russian composers, specifically Rachmaninoff. So as the book opens we hear Rachmaninoff’s famous Concerto No. 2 Op. 18.

I’ve queued the video to the mark where pianist Evgeny Kissin begins the dark, foreboding introduction that portends the entire piece before the violins swirl through their melody, creating a tense moody rapture. Whenever I listen, I imagine a spy running through Red Square in Moscow.

Of course, in The Forgetting Flower, a different dramatic event has happened. It’s specifically at about 35:00 mark that I imagine the concerto blasting from Alain’s apartment as Renia stares up at his balcony. This musical climax is so lush and bold, I can barely watch without shedding tears. You can hear where Gershwin might have been influenced, you can hear a melody that may be familiar. Check it out.

Here’s the YouTube clip:

If you want a CD/MP3 of the Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2 Op. 18, I recommend the Van Cliburn recording. His performance blew away the world when he was young and this is a later performance with better sound quality (photo above).

CD/MP3: Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2 Op. 18 Recording

Madame Palomer’s Music

Renia’s boss is an old-fashioned fancy lady. She and Alain had first met when he organized a classical music concert reception that she created the flower arrangements for. They were friends for years. Palomer, a woman who aspires to be wealthier than she is, has sophisticated, if sometimes rococo, tastes. There are a few scenes where she’s playing classical music in The Forgetting Flower. Her choices are always romantic and grand. Here are the three clips that reflect her.

She would love Berlioz. One, because he was French, and two, because he was frilly and dreamy. The Symphonie Fantastique was supposedly about an artist and his unrequited love.

Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique

For a good recording, check out this one by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Colin Davis.

CD/MP3: Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique

Schumann’s Piano Concerto would be a favorite because of its lamenting opening and sweeping piano rise. It’s also a timelessly popular piece with recognizable melodies. Palomer would be attracted to those familiar phrases and the light-on-its-feet quality. In this video, check out the kick ass Martha Argerich as she dives straight into the heart of it, then lightly dances on the keys. Soon, the violins rise up (1:25) in a brilliant passage that makes it hard to breathe for me. The crescendo rushes and drops into a very recognizable, descending piano line around the 2:30 mark.

Schumann Piano Concerto, in A minor, Op. 54

And here’s a recording of her playing it (with a different orchestra but of fine quality).

CD/MP3: Schumann Piano Concerto, in A minor, Op. 54

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite

Finally, at Christmas time, there’s no other piece that Madame Palomer would play than of course the classic Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite. How beautiful is this?

And a decent CD/MP3: Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite

Are you as exhausted as I am? Listening to music, especially music like this, always makes me emotional. I get so lost in it. And we haven’t even gotten to my favorite composer yet: Chopin. He’s one of Renia’s favorites too. In my next post, I’ll be talking about the music she plays, music both for herself and what she thinks is best for optimal shopping in Le Sanctuaire. Plus, a couple of pieces heard in her childhood home.