Death of a semester

In exactly two weeks, I will be done with finals, and hopefully it won't be the death of me!  I would much rather have the semester itself just die.  In the spirit of the imminent death of the semester, I wanted to share one of my favorite piano pieces with you.

I learned this piece, called "Danse Macabre" or "Dance of Death," in high school with my partner, Rachel (shout out to the incredible Rachel).  The imagery in the song is incredible.  You start out hearing a clock that strikes 12 midnight.  At this point, Death himself appears in a lonely graveyard, where he tunes his awful violin and begins to play a mesmerizing waltz.  As more dead join the party, their dance quickly grows more and more wild.  Just at the point where their party is totally out of control, the call of the rooster jolts the party with its abrupt, sweet sound; the revelers had partied all night without realizing it!  As dawn approaches, they murmur and fondly remember their waltz as they return to the grave.

This song is so incredibly fun to play.  The part I learned is played by the pianist on the left.  One of my all time favorite musical passages starts at 5:21.  I hope you enjoy it!