One of the defining characteristics of Murakami’s writing is his references to various musical genres, including pop, jazz, rock, and classical. He often uses these references to create atmosphere, reflect the period in which each of the stories takes place, or provide commentary on the emotional landscape of his stories (for example, he references the song “It Never Rains in Southern California” in his opening line of South Bay Strut to illustrate the “dryness” of South Bay City).
However, within the classical music genre, he has listed no specific classical pieces in all the works we’ve read so far in class–until Norwegian Wood, when he mentioned Naoko’s favorite piece being Brahms’ Fourth Symphony. Until now, he had only referenced the names of other famous composers, like Bach and Mozart. Murakami could’ve simply said that Naoko regularly listens to this or that composer, but he made the intentional decision to mention specifically the Fourth Symphony.
So, when I read the line about the Fourth Symphony being Naoko’s favorite, the significance and history behind the piece made so much sense as to why she loves listening to it. It was the last symphony Brahms ever wrote, and also the last one performed publicly before his death. Some people (including me!) consider this symphony to be one of his greatest works ever in his musical career.
The piece presents itself as one continuous picture with a wide emotional range. Viewed as a whole, the symphony has underlying themes of pessimism and intensity. Yet it is hauntingly beautiful and well put-together. So, I thought it was very fitting that Naoko’s favorite piece was the Fourth Symphony because the entire symphony reflects her vulnerability and beauty. The Fourth Symphony perfectly expresses Naoko’s fragility and sensitivity. It’s hard to summarize 40 minutes of the symphony into words accurately, so I definitely recommend giving it a listen whenever possible.
Joline
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