Give it A Tchaikovsky Finale
By Nana Dadzie Ghansah
I am claustrophobic, so getting an MRI is not a pleasant experience. If my head and upper body have to be in the tube, I need general anesthesia. I have coping mechanisms if the scan is of the lower body and my head does not have to be in the tube. I cover my eyes with a towel that I fashion into a sleep mask and listen to classical music through the headphones each MRI suite seems to have.
I recently needed an MRI study that allowed my head to stay out of the tube. Once I was strapped down with my eyes covered and the headphones on, the tech turned on a classical station. Classical music always takes me to a calm place, and the sleep mask creates the perception of sleep and relaxation. Moreover, it takes the view of the tube away.
The third tune from the station I was listening to was the “Final Waltz and Apotheosis” from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. As I soaked in the power that emanates from a Tchaikovsky piece, it occurred to me that all of the finales to Tchaikovsky’s compositions are emotive, full of verve, and climactic. As he is my favorite composer, I know several of his pieces, and from memory, all those I could remember ended on compelling notes. The only exception I could think of then was the finale to his 6th symphony. It did not have that vigorous ending, but rather its anticlimactic ending is heart-wrenching…
