Thursday, September 6, 2007

Make a soundtrack for a Rothko exhibition

There is a very important reason to see most of Mark Rothko's paintings in person. The canvases are large enough to fill your focused vision when you stand in front of them, and when they do, they have an impact you won't feel with a reproduction. Each Rothko possesses an emotional identity too complex to capture in a phrase, but you will feel that emotion if you stand there with it. Somewhere in the luminous wash, free of edges and even surface, is an inchoate essence of the human condition. If you don't believe me, go see for yourself. The biggest reason I would ever go to Houston would be to see the Rothko Chapel.

1. Peter Murphy - 'Marlene Dietrich's favourite poem'
2. Suzanne Vega - 'Language'
3. Mazzy Star - 'Into dust'
4. David Darling - 'Minor blue (Hearts Of Space version)'
5. Sade - 'Haunt me'
6. Smiths - 'Asleep'
7. Toni Childs - 'Where's the ocean'
8. Sundays - 'Folk song'
9. Eurythmics - 'Julia'
10. U2 - 'MLK'
11. Andrea Gabrieli - 'Communion: o sacrum convivium a 5'
12. Kristine W - 'Prairie day'
13. Graeme Revell - 'I'm alone on this'
14. This Mortal Coil - 'Ivy and neet'
15. Ofra Haza - 'Love song'
16. Cocteau Twins - 'Alice'
17. Stars - 'Tonight'
18. Antony & The Johnsons - 'Hope there's someone'
19. Oleta Adams - 'Wash, O God, our sons and daughters'