With the Penny Marshall film Big playing in the background, I’m drinking a kombucha, eating a Caesar salad, and listening to… Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink (1929- ), the London Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor. I’ve encountered Maestro Haitink eight times previous to this evening, on… Day 8. Rating:”Meh!” Day 26. … [Read more…]
My listening post this morning is with the classic 1954 holiday movie White Christmas (the first movie filmed in VistaVision) in the background, this year’s Christmas tree (as yet undecorated) on my right, a fresh sliced avocado on the table beside me on my right, a cup of fresh-brewed coffee on my left, and German … [Read more…]
I love getting up early. In fact, the earlier the better. I have a specific morning ritual that goes like this: I wake up at 5:01 (I always set my alarm for the :01 after whatever time; I like the specific-ness of it). I sit in meditation for 20-30 minutes. I make and imbibe 2-3 … [Read more…]
My listening post today is overlooking the lake on a bleak, cold, snowy early November. The temperature is 28° (that’s -2°C to all my overseas friends). It may not be the coldest November in Michigan history. But it ranks right up there. This winter is going to be a bitch. Thankfully, it’s the perfect day … [Read more…]
This afternoon, I have the pleasure (or maybe not; time will tell) of listening to Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink (1929- ), the London Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major. I’m going to get right down to it. I’ve encountered Maestro Haitink five times previously, on… Day 8. Rating:”Meh!” Day 26. Rating:”Huzzah!” … [Read more…]
This morning, sitting on the porch sans flowers (they’ve been ripped out and the pots made ready for winter storage), I listen to Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink (1929- ), the London Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor. October is my favorite month. It’s the most colorful (at least, here in Michigan), … [Read more…]
My office this morning is inside looking out. It’s too windy to be outside. Plus, it’s been raining for two days. So it’s humid on top of that. So, here I sit eating a bowl of Heartland cereal with rice milk on it, listening to German conductor Eugen Jochum (1902-1987) and the London Symphony Orchestra … [Read more…]
My office today is a nearby Barnes & Noble, a place I haven’t spent much time in lately because they don’t have what I like to buy: CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, and books that aren’t the latest NY Times Bestseller pablum. I used to love going to B&N when it was in its old location. Parking … [Read more…]
In this Beethoven project, I first encountered Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink (1929- ) on Day 8, and then again on Day 26. On those two days – as it will be for the next six times I hear Haitink conduct – the orchestra is the London Symphony Orchestra. The back of the liner notes tells … [Read more…]
My “office” this morning is a D&W grocery store with a Starbucks inside. I’m in the dining area. A Coke machine taunts me, albeit in vain, from the opposite wall. I don’t drink soda (or pop as we call it) all that often. When I do, it doesn’t come from a machine in a grocery … [Read more…]