Ahhh. This is more like it. Not even Van Morrison’s unique voice (also an acquired taste) could rattle me as I walked into the bagel-and-coffee restaurant this morning to purchase my usual Asiago bagel (toasted twice!) with plain cream cheese and a mug of Light Roast coffee. (It’s so usual that the person at the … [Read more…]
If I didn’t like these Asiago bagels (toasted twice!) with plain cream cheese and this bottomless Light Roast coffee so much, and if this particular eatery didn’t open at 6am, I’d pick another listening station for my daily adventure through the Fritz Reiner box set. Alas. Here I am again. What I don’t particularly care … [Read more…]
I was already familiar with at least three of this morning’s compositions before I popped in CD 33: Rossini Overtures: William Tell, The Barber of Seville, and La Gaza Ladra. The Barber of Seville was featured, quite hilariously, in an episode of Seinfeld. La Gaza Ladra was used to open shows by the English Progressive … [Read more…]
This morning’s listening fare is a composer of whom I’d never heard until now: Hovhaness, which I discovered to be Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000). His official web site can be found here. I wish I could contain my enthusiasm about Mysterious Mountain, Symphony No. 2, Op. 132, and save it for “The Subjective Stuff” section below. … [Read more…]
Although I’m sure this album of music by Spanish composers probably follows Iberia (Day 28), I’m generally not a fan of such compilations. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because, with rare exceptions, I would rather hear a country’s (or region’s) music in snippets – for example, Scottish reels or Irish jigs or American heartland … [Read more…]
As I might have mentioned before, I’m not really a fan of Brahms. I realize his one of the big B composers (Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms). But I’m not that fond of Bach, either. So there. For a Living Stereo recording, this sounds unusually flat. Maybe my ears are getting old (and why not? since … [Read more…]