The first time this Adagio truly moved me was after watching the movie Amadeus in my early twenties. I bought the cassette tape and played it in my small student dormitory. As I looked out at the bleak London winter, tears began to flow. I wept, unsure if it was out of sadness for Mozart’s tragic life or a deep yearning for my home in Malaysia.
Perhaps it was both. At 23 years old, I felt like an ordinary mortal, far from his genius. Yet, I realized that even if I possessed such a gift, the cruel vicissitudes of this world would have crushed me just the same. That's why Milos Forman's comedic biopic was more tragic than inspiring.
This piece, especially played by the outstanding Hélène Grimaud, stills moves me today. Someone wrote that Mozart composed for the angels but Bach wrote for God. I prefer to say that Mozart's eyes were on the stars that fell to earth while Bach remained in awe of the constellations.
