My listening post today for two Mozart compositions is, actually, tonight. I didn’t get around to listening this morning because I just wanted to sit in a restaurant and eat, not eat while listening to music and writing. Sue me. As it turns out, it’s a good thing I didn’t decide to listen to the … [Read more…]
I cannot even begin to tell you how much I dislike the opening to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Whenever I hear it, I immediately think of hokey music sold on TV, or played – in an appropriately flamboyant manner, with exaggerated hand movements and the use of way too many notes – by third-rate … [Read more…]
Today’s listening fare is Beethoven’s Eroica (Symphony in E-Flat, Op. 55). Three years ago, I spent five and a half months (162 Days) listening to all nine of Beethoven’s symphonies, as interpreted by 17 different conductors (Herbert von Karajan appears twice) in 18 CD box sets. So I’m relatively familiar with Symphony No. 3. To … [Read more…]
Now, today’s listening fare is an interesting pairing: Rolf Liebermann’s Concerto for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra and Richard Strauss’ Don Juan. And what I find is a really big hoot is the copy on the back of the album. Headline (in big, bold letters): Long Hairs, Hepcats – Dig That Crazy Combo. Hepcats? Setting … [Read more…]
Full disclosure: I’m a huge fan of Arthur Rubinstein. More disclosure: I’m not a huge fan of Brahms. I could listen to Mr. Rubinstein all day long; and, in fact, I bought the Arthur Rubinstein Complete Album Collection box set in November of 2013. I paid a little over $100 for it. I just checked. … [Read more…]
This morning, my “office” is a nearby Panera, a restaurant known for its Asiago bagels, Light Roast coffee, loud-talking fellow diners, and truly awful piped-in music. The bagels require toasting twice (sometimes, they actually do that, too), the Light Roast requires that someone makes sure the urn is filled (sometimes, they actually do that, too), … [Read more…]
I love starting new projects, especially ones that involve listening to music. The potential for fascinating discoveries is quite high. Yet, so is the chance that I’ll hear a spellbinding performance from some musician, and find myself looking for more music from that person – which means these projects sometimes become even more expensive. Be … [Read more…]