Surrendering is about being at peace with the things we cannot change. . . . that sad but easeful core of peace that is the reward when all is renounced. [Maestro Benjamin Zander commenting on the solo cello statement near the end of the final movement of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony] Control and surrender have to be kept in balance. [Brian…
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Value for Sunday of Week 42 in the season of Assessing
Living with Vitality
Emergence into spirituality is an awakening. When that happens, the world seems new, and we experience life as never before.
- Spirituality: the art of keeping your internal fire alive. [Maxime Lagacé]
- You cannot set art off in a corner and hope for it to have vitality, reality, and substance. [Henry Bellamann]
- Sometimes people get the mistaken notion that spirituality is a separate department of life, the penthouse of our existence. But rightly understood, it is a vital awareness that pervades all realms of our being. Someone will say, “I come alive when I listen to music,” or “I come to life when I garden,” or “I come alive when I play golf.” Wherever we come alive, that is the area in which we are spiritual. [attributed to David Steindl-Rast]
Many of us live as though we were half asleep. Spiritual vitality is the opposite of that. It is the creative component of spirituality, its strength.
Vitality can be defined as “a sense of aliveness, energy, and motivation”, and seen as an aspect of flourishing. Vitality draws us out of ourselves, as is seen in studies such as one of Ghanaian teenagers, in which “health and wellbeing was largely construed as ‘ability to perform daily functions,’ such as ability to take critical decisions and a general sense of vitality and mental strength.”
“Vitality is measured by the level to which an individual is approaching life with excitement and energy; feeling vigorous and enthused; living life as an adventure; feeling alive and activated; and maintaining a zest for life.” A study of athletes revealed that a “spiritual vitality training program has a significant effect on reducing the fear of failure (ie, decreased self-esteem, fear of having an unknown future, fear of upsetting important people, fear of experiencing shame and fear of losing . . .” A sense of vitality can arise amid nature.
Vitality is a component of well-being – flourishing. “. . . levels of energy or ‘vitality’ . . . appear to be a unique measure of mental and physical well-being. Measurements of vitality, which emerged from the well-being literature, consider both negative (absence of fatigue) and positive (presence of energy) states. There is evidence that vitality is a key determinant of health, happiness, positive relationships, and life satisfaction.”
“Religious/spiritual (R-S) well-being is associated with greater vitality and lower depression scores.” Vitality “has been found to be appropriately related to other measures of (mental health) such as self esteem, self-actualization, and inversely related to (mental illness) . . .”. “Greater (spiritual well-being) is associated with greater vitality . . .”
When the world suddenly seems new, or we see everything as a miracle, we come more fully alive. With all that energy, and that view of everything, we are pumped!
Real
True Narratives
- David Michaelis, Eleanor (Simon & Schuster, 2020): “Her energy level always seemed to be someplace between prodigious and terrifying.”
Technical and Analytical Readings
- Daniel N. Stern, Forms of Vitality: Exploring Dynamic Experience in Psychology, the Arts, Psychotherapy and Development (Oxford University Press, 2010).
- Thomas Cleary, Vitality, Energy, Spirit: A Taoist Sourcebook (Shambhala, 2009).
Photographs
Documentary and Educational Films
Imaginary
Fictional Narratives
Poetry
Music: Composers, artists, and major works
Annie Fischer was a classical pianist whose playing was characterized by several aspects of vitality: passion, expressiveness, technical brilliance, and a strong interpretive sense. “Grove's Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians describes pianist Annie Fischer's style as 'marked by intense spiritual concentration and interior feeling altogether free from showmanship.'” She “played with an intensity of concentration and focus that seemed at odds with the poetry and impetuousness of her interpretive style.” “. . . her performances had a larger- than-life vitality and a prismatic sense of color that was often thrilling.” Here is a link to her playlists.
Jean Sibelius’ intent for his Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105 (1924) (approx. 20-26’) (list of recorded performances), was to compose a work expressing the “Joy of life and vitality”. “Cast in one movement, it eschews the traditional four-movement structure used in most symphonies since the late 18th century. Despite its unique structure, it grows organically from the first few measures to become one of the most original and profound symphonic works in the repertoire.” “The music commentator Donald Francis Tovey compared the experience of listening to Sibelius’s Seventh to the sensation of flying in an aircraft. 'An aeronaut carried with the wind . . . has no sense of movement at all. . . . He moves in the air and can change his pace without breaking his movement.'” “It’s tribute to the huge emotional power of Sibelius’s music that it produces . . . wildly divergent interpretations . . .” Top recorded performances were conducted by Beecham in 1942, Mravinsky in 1965, Karajan in 1968, Rattle in 1985, Bernstein in 1988, Berglund in 1997, Järvi in 2005, Davis in 2016, Vänskä in 2016, Mäkelä in 2021, and Woods in 2025. Here are links to live performances conducted by Bernstein and Elder.
Antonio Vivaldi composed several series of violin concerti, including his La Stravaganza (The Extravagance), Op. 4 (1716) (approx. 94-113’) (list of recorded performances), is an “enormously varied set of concertos, some fiery and propulsive, others notable for their ethereal slow movements or stark nobility.” “The title of La Stravaganza presents more problems now than it would have done in the early 18th century, when both composers and performers could be commended for their stravaganze, their skill at containing the unexpected and bizarre within an established etiquette.” Excellent recordings feature Huggett (Hogwood) in 1987, Standage (Pinnock) in 1991, Podger in 2002, and Biondi in 2017.
Other compositions:
- Samuel Barber, Symphony No. 1 in One Movement, Op. 9 (1936) (approx. 19-21’) (list of recorded performances), is modeled on Sibelius’ Symphony No. 7. “The opening of Samuel Barber’s First Symphony tells us everything we need to know about the piece that lies ahead. It hits us immediately with an almost overwhelming sense of bigness, as if a force of titanic strength has suddenly been released.”
- Joly Braga Santos, Symphonic Variations on a Popular Song from the Alentejo, Op. 18, (1951) (approx. 14-15’)
- Raga Natbhairav (Nat Bhairav), a Hindustani classical early morning raag. It “reflects the mood of slight pathos with heroic exuberance.” Performances are by Jitendra Abhisheki, Veena Sahasrabuddhe and Nikhil Banerjee.
Albums:
- In Tokyo on April 16, 1979, jazz pianist Keith Jarrett, saxophonist/flautist Jan Garbarek, double-bassist Palle Danielsson and drummer Jon Christensen performed an exceptionally vibrant set, now available as “Sleeper” (107’).
- Alexander von Schilppenbach, “Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra” (1990) (50’) “accentuates the breezy rhythm section and keeps the brass well separated. The band blows free and easy and tries its best to keep us out of the compositional rut with some freer gesticulations.”
- Reggie Quinerly, “New York Nowhere” (2020), on the vitality of New York city, and the leader-drummer’s experiences in it; he explains and interviews on the work.
- Johnathan Blake, “Trion” (2017) (113’): “Though Blake is the leader, the album has a strong collective vibe. Composing rights are equally spread, solos are long, and each musician showcases their virtuosity in full.”
- Barry Altschul’s 3Dom Factor, “Long Tall Sunshine” (2021) (46’) is “a record that easily swings between freer moments and straighter swing . . . The tunes all have a loose structure, but are easily broken open by improvisation.”
- Lauren Sevian, “Blueprint” (2008’) (66’) “opens with the band in deep swinging flow before Sevian’s throaty bari twists through a sinewy minor blues, making clear she has bags of energy and lots to say.” (Review is on page 60.)
- Trio Casals, “Moto Quarto” (2019) (60’): “. . . zestfully interpreting nine new American compositions – virtually all of them either tailor-made or arranged for the ensemble.”
- Dave Stryker Trio, “Prime” (2023) (58’): “. . . Stryker shows that, at age 65, he is as sharp and nimble- fingered as ever, skipping handily through the lightning-swift changes and setting the stage for vigorous statements by Gold and Hunter.”
- Raul Monsalve y los Forajidos, “Sol” (2025) (35’): “The album centers on themes of rebirth and perseverance, symbolized by the sun as a force of renewal and vitality. This imagery ties closely to the Afro-Venezuelan celebrations of Saint John the Baptist on June 24th, a coastal festival marking resilience and cultural unity.”
Music: songs and other short pieces
- Van Halen, "Jump" (lyrics)
- Kenny Loggins, "Footloose" (lyrics)
- Bruce Springsteen, "Born to Run" (lyrics)
Visual Arts
- Marc Chagall, The Circus (1964)
- Georgia O'Keeffe, Oriental Poppies II
- Wassily Kandinsky, Colourful Ensemble, (1938)
- Francis Picabia, Autumn Effect (1905)
Film and Stage
- Much Ado About Nothing (Branagh): a lively rendition of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, of which the Bard surely would approve, heartily
