As a classical musician, I must admit shame now because when I first heard this song, it wasn't in school or listening to great music, but at the end of the 2015 Syfy miniseries based on Arthur C Clarke's Childhood's End.

This piece was chosen as a "momento" for Earth's culture at the end of the series finale, and it gave me chills.

It was so beautiful and haunting at the same time. I immediately bought a copy featuring Hugh Bean on violin.

I think it will become one of your favorites.

KUSC:

Poetry. It’s simple, concise, and beautiful. And it has managed to inspire composers throughout history. Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending is a perennial favorite, deriving emotion and inspiration from an old verse. It’s based on a lovely British poem from the 1880s that describes an English skylark in flight.

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Why is this work such a perennial favorite? The answer lies in sitting there and letting the violin envelop you. This is music that takes your breath away, giving the listener goosebumps and somehow managing to stop time.

Tonight, throw in some of your violin favs and open thread away