I abruptly woke during the night to the sound Jean Sibelius' Valse Triste drifting from the radio. This is, of course, one of the most depressing pieces of music ever written. I think my subconscious heard it as I slept, and immediately roused me from sleep so the thing wouldn't provide accompaniment to my dreams. That could have led to some pretty dark places.
But likely no darker than Bruno Bozzetto's interpretation of Sibelius' work from his film Allegro Non Troppo, an intermittently jokey tribute to Fantasia. It's very uneven, but the whole thing is beautifully animated, and the good stuff is very good indeed. And this segment...I mean, the music and the settings would be enough for a melancholy mood piece, but throw in a sad, big-eyed kitty and...Look, I'm gonna be over in the corner, sobbing uncontrollably.
