Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau: Kindertotenlieder (Radio-Symphonie Berlin, Lorin Maazel, 1968) – YouTube

When I was less than six years old, Death stalked me and then whacked me directly and I died. My heart stopped when I was hit by a rather large lightning bolt. As a small child, I was intimately familiar with the Gates of Death and the Outer Darkness. The adult response to this matter was, in my childhood eyes, totally queer. They wanted me to disappear! I was troublesome. I asked questions about Life that they didn’t want to think about so they wanted me to vanish forever. My relationship with Eternity, Infinity, the dire goddesses that rule Nature, comes directly from this childhood experience. The world is a cruel place. And Nature is dangerous yet beautiful. And Death stalks all of us all the time, we are merely unaware of this living as if it doesn’t exist. Even as we love to be entertained by Death. But then, Death gets the last laugh, all of us die! Every one of us! Continue reading →