Quote of the Week #1
“Truth emerges more readily from error than from confusion.” – Francis Bacon
The Dandy in the Details – A queer reading of Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe
Between the nervous biting of nails and the somber décor, imagine my relief when I heard the familiar rhapsodic arching string line of the Daybreak from Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé emanating from tinny laptop speakers behind me. Some friends were watching Karajan conduct it on Youtube. “This is possibly the most beautiful piece ever,” one of them commented. I couldn’t have agreed more. Thus began my journey towards discovering Ravel’s queer identity. Of course, I didn’t know that at the time, so I must start this argument at a point somewhat distant from my goal by posing the question, “What makes Ravel’s music so beautiful?”