I've been working on my click-bait headlines. How am I doing, UpWorthIt? Okay, emotional manipulation aside, there are many ways you could spend $31. You could buy this crow bar...this Himalayan Salt Lamp which is also an air-purifier (huh?)...two of these Runny Nose Shower Gel Dispensers, one for your shower and another for the kids' … Continue reading I just spent 31 of your hard-earned dollars and you will thank me for it later
12 Pieces of Classical Christmas Music in Case You’re Sick of Mariah Carey
For what it's worth, I actually like that Mariah Carey Christmas song. I know I'll take some heat for that, but whatever, I don't really care. It's a well-crafted pop song (if that's possible), which doesn't sound dated (it's nearly 20 years old) like most pop music does after like two weeks. Side note: Mariah … Continue reading 12 Pieces of Classical Christmas Music in Case You’re Sick of Mariah Carey
Got $86? Want Wagner?
With the Fiscal Cliff™ negotiations behind us and the payroll tax holiday officially over, households making $75,000 a year will see their taxes increase by about $70-$80 per month. As our dollars seem to get us less and less each year, we have to look for better and better bargains. Thankfully, for fans of the … Continue reading Got $86? Want Wagner?
Christmas Music That’s Actually Good
A while back I did a thing for the KUSC blog where I picked my Top 10 Classical Christmas Picks. (Actually, it ended up being a Top 12 list, but whatever.) Here's an updated version of that post. But you won't hear any of that music blaring over the loudspeakers at your favorite shopping mall. … Continue reading Christmas Music That’s Actually Good
The Haiku Reviews: An Anti-Beatle, Fifty Shades of Grieg, and Ubiquity
I liked it better back when Sir Paul was writing ballads, not ballets. Ildy has sung this role almost as many times as Don has had sex. Very important! Don't listen to this at work. (Sexual harassment.) What we really need are more "classical" covers … Continue reading The Haiku Reviews: An Anti-Beatle, Fifty Shades of Grieg, and Ubiquity
CD Review: David Greilsammer’s “Baroque Conversations”
At first, "conversations" seems like too hopeful of a moniker for this album. A bold juxtaposition of such disparate artists as Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Morton Feldman, Roy Lichtenstein, Arthur Rimbaud, and Gabriel García Márquez, "collision" might be a more apt description. But in the mind--and the hands--of Jerusalem-born pianist David Greilsammer, the worlds of Baroque … Continue reading CD Review: David Greilsammer’s “Baroque Conversations”
The Haiku Reviews: A 400-Year-Old Premiere, Some Beethoven, and Plucked-Up Bach
As I make my way through the piles of new CDs on my desk at work, from time to time I'll also share some rapid-fire reviews of said albums...in haiku form. Because: Sometimes the best way to quickly review CDs is to use haiku. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ Cantatas arranged as Brandenburg Concerti. Interesting, but why? … Continue reading The Haiku Reviews: A 400-Year-Old Premiere, Some Beethoven, and Plucked-Up Bach
Got 10 Bucks? Want Sibelius Symphonies?
Hat tip to Nico Muhly of all people for this one. The other day he tweeted: As a huge fan of the Osmo Vänskä cycle of Sibelius symphonies with the Lahti Symphony recorded in 1996-97, I checked the link. "Like free," turns out to be $9.99, but I see Muhly's point. Less than 10 bucks … Continue reading Got 10 Bucks? Want Sibelius Symphonies?
You Must Hear This: A Human-Ape Hybrid & Drowning Witches
Two very different recordings came out this week that I highly recommend. I previously wrote about both of them for The Music Issue of the very cool lit-quarterly The Aviary. More of my summer music picks are posted there, as well as those of such writerly folks as Amy Gerstler, Katy Henriksen, Mathias Svalina, and … Continue reading You Must Hear This: A Human-Ape Hybrid & Drowning Witches
Beethoven is not Enough…Apparently
Growing up, when my sister and I would fight, my mother would trot out the old adage, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." So when this bizarre and inexplicable recording of the Beethoven 9th Symphony + narration landed on my desk a couple of weeks ago, my first … Continue reading Beethoven is not Enough…Apparently
Brian Lauritzen 