Snowbirds Living in the Philippines : Celebration of Life: Macrine J.Katague via her Favorite Music (Orchestral)-Part 2

Saturday, October 10, 2020

Celebration of Life: Macrine J.Katague via her Favorite Music (Orchestral)-Part 2

This is Part 2 of a Series of 14 on Celebration of Life of Macrine J. Katague via her favorite music. It seems that a few of my readers are enjoying also Macrine's favorite music!

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2, Movement #3, popularly known as Full Moon and Empty Arms. The Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, is a concerto for piano and orchestra composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff between the autumn of 1900 and April 1901 The second and third movements were first performed with the composer as soloist on 2 December 1900. The complete work was premiered, again with the composer as soloist, on 27 October 1901, with his cousin Alexander Siloti conducting.

This piece is one of Rachmaninoff's most popular pieces, and established his fame as a concerto composer. The second movement (adagio sostenuto theme) appears in Eric Carmen's 1975 ballad "All by Myself". The 3rd movement (allegro scherzando) which is featured in this video provides the basis for Frank Sinatra's 1945 "Full Moon and Empty Arms".

The soundtrack of the 1945 classic movie "Brief Encounter", which centers on the lives of two happily married man and woman who fall in love with each other after a chance encounter at a train station, features a musical score based on this Piano Concerto. Here's the lyrics:

Full moon and empty arms
The moon is there for us to share
But where are you?

A night like this
Could weave a memory
And every kiss
Could start a dream for two

Full moon and empty arms
Tonight I'll use the magic moon to wish upon
And next full moon
If my one wish comes true
My empty arms will be filled with you

Meanwhile while I was searching for best arrangement of the above piece, I found DJ Lava Best Music Relax as follows:

Another Orchestral and Piano Music that Macrine like is Somewhere in Time

With its emotional themes, aching nostalgia, and sensual scoring, John Barry's score for the 1979 time-travel love story Somewhere in Time embodies the movie's longing and romanticism in music that is both memorable and well matched to the screen. Although not nominated for Best Score when it was released, the music for Somewhere in Time has the same kind of unforgettable qualities as his better known scores for Born Free and The Lion in Winter.

Excerpts from My top Ten Piano Concertos

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Joys of Retirement

I have been retired from USFDA since 2002. At first, I feel I have lost my identity as an individual or have lost my contribution to society. However, within a few weeks all these feelings were gone. It started when my wife and I started baby sitting one of our grandchildren. As some economics professor states: "Your children are your capital investments, but your grandchildren are your profits. That is why you love your grandchildren more than your children". I really agree with the statement. Retirement also gives you lots of time to do things you like to do, such as your hobbies and of course travel. In my case, I turned my hobby of gardening and landscaping into a small business in the Philippines. This endeavor was planned about five years before 2002. That year my wife and I started construction of our retirement home in Boac, Marinduque , Philippines. The next year we built a beach house, followed by a Conference Hall two years later. Needless to say, planning and executing the landscaping was a challenge and very enjoyable. With the help of local labor, I not only enjoy the time gardening and landscaping, but also help improved the economic situation of the province by providing work and jobs to the local residents. With plenty of time, I have engaged into two specific activities as follows: First, I created a website for my small business. By trial and error, I created and design the website, www.chateaudumer.com I have never been a computer nerd or expert. But with plenty of time and patience, the fruits of my labor could be enjoyed if you visit the website above. The second activity, I have not done before was to utilize on-line activities, such as shopping, paying bills ( save you stamps) and playing computer games in the Internet. I really enjoyed playing duplicate bridge on line. You play with players all over the world and can chat in between games. But be careful, you are not spending too much time in the computer. It is very addictive. With a lots of time, my wife and I devoted more time on our favorite humanitarian project. For the last 15 years, we have been involved with medical mission to the province of Marinduque. For details please visit the website: www.marinduqueinternational.org As a summary, the joy one gets on retirement is very specific for an individual. Some enjoy their free time by learning new activities, getting involved with humanitarian projects or spending more time with their grandchildren. Others hate it, since they missed their former jobs and co-workers. Others with no children still enjoy retirement by traveling, turning their hobbies into business or more community involvement. Of course those that retire and hate it, is believe to die earlier than those that enjoy their retirement years. So, plan your retirement as early as you can. The happier you are on retirement, the longer you will live.