“May it be an evening star shines down upon you” – a starry night playlist

Last night, I shared this rather grainy, but to me very beautiful, image taken from our front room looking west over Edinburgh’s Corstorphine Hill towards the setting sun.  On a clear day, we can see right across to the (usually) snowy peak of Ben Lomond, which we think is about 50miles away as the crow flies.  But on this occasion the view was dominated by the beauty of the planet Venus (known sometimes as the evening star) and the crescent moon.

In response, my lovely friend Mandy, from the other side of the world in her New Zealand home, asked me what the most suitable music would be to go with the picture.  What a great question, and one, as it turns out, with many answers.

Perhaps the most obvious starting point would be Venus from Gustav Holst’s The Planets, which gently accompanies us as we stand looking in awe at the universe:

 

In contrast, perhaps we might like to soar up into the sky to join these celestial bodies.  What a party that would be….:

 

….swinging and toe-tapping all the way:

 

Or we could go a lil’ bit country:

 

And I can’t resist adding this pop classic:

 

But of all the many other tracks I could choose about the moon and stars, this last one is the most fitting.  One track to rule them all, you might say.  It is from The Two Towers, part of the Lord of the Rings soundtrack which, of course, was mostly filmed in New Zealand, thus taking us right back to Mandy’s front door.  And have a listen to the lyrics, which seem perfect for the moment right now. 😀