An Incredible Find: Walking mit Wagner
Liner notes translated from German:
Walking (= brisk walking) is the ultimate sporting discovery of the new millennium. There are many different variations depending on the walker’s preferences and fitness level: whether comfortable or fast, meditative and relaxing, with power or poles. Above all, walking is about enjoyment, fitness, health, and individuality. At the center is the harmonious balance between one’s own performance and personally set goals. Walking belongs to endurance sports and has a demonstrably strong influence on health, fitness, as well as physical and emotional well-being. With walking, a balanced and wholesome diet, and active relaxation, people can maintain or even improve their performance capacity throughout their lives. Walking is considered an especially gentle endurance sport that, compared with other athletic activities, can be practiced with less effort, strain, and risk of injury. For this reason, music and walking can be wonderfully combined. Those who listen to music while walking generally cover a significantly greater distance than those who walk without headphones. A study published in 2002 by Ohio State University found that lung patients who listened to music while walking were able to cover an average of 19 miles per week — 4 miles more than a comparable group of patients who exercised without musical accompaniment. This apparently confirms what many people have long discovaered for themselves: music helps distract from the exertion of athletic activity and thereby makes endurance exercise a much more pleasant experience.
Classical music in particular has an enormously positive effect on people’s mental and physical performance. It possesses a demonstrably therapeutic effect and has a beneficial influence on body, mind, and soul. Tests on animals have even proven this. For example, dairy cows exposed to classical music are said to produce significantly more and better milk.
The wonderful pieces on this CD come from the works of the brilliant composer Richard Wagner (1813–1883). Anyone who listens to the invigorating and soothing sounds while walking in the open air will be amazed at how lightly their feet touch the ground and how quickly the route passes by almost in rhythm alone. With this small piece of musical luxury, all walking enthusiasts will return from their walking tour with greater energy, a stronger sense of happiness, and a generous portion of satisfaction.
