My listening post this morning is Tim Horton’s, the Canadian-based fast-food chain with the unique food and coffee. The only thing Tim Horton’s lacks is peameal bacon, which I had for breakfast near Toronto once and loved it. I’m tempted to re-enter Canada just so that I can get more peameal bacon. So, as I … [Read more…]
This morning, the morning after setting the clocks back an hour for Daylight Savings Time, I thought I’d brew up my own coffee, pop in a Blu-ray of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and listen to Gunter Wand (1912-2002), the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major (the … [Read more…]
In all honesty, I am not looking forward to today’s performance. Why? Because I’ve encountered Maestro Rattle five times previous to this afternoon, on… Day 15. Rating: “Meh!” Day 33. Rating: “Meh!” Day 51. Rating: “Meh!” Day 69. Rating: “Meh!” Day 87. Rating: “Meh!” And the results are a perfect score of “Meh!” ratings. And … [Read more…]
My listening post today is the same as it was yesterday. Same lake view. Same gray skies. Same cat tower, only – this time – sans chat. There’s one major difference: The conductor and the orchestra. Today, I find myself listening to French-American conductor Pierre Monteux (1875-1964), the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. … [Read more…]
A milestone! Today marks 100 days of listening to Beethoven and writing about it. That’s over three months to you and me. So here I sit in a Tim Horton’s restaurant (Tim Horton’s is a Canadian-based restaurant chain that recently ventured into Michigan) sipping their chicory-laced coffee and listening to Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan … [Read more…]
My office this morning is at the Restaurant-Chain-That-Must-Not-Be-Named, sipping a Light Roast coffee, and munching on an Asiago bagel (toasted twice) with plain cream cheese. I love bagels. Back when I was doing one of these projects (I think it was all of Mozart’s compositions from the famed Philips Complete Mozart Edition box set, a … [Read more…]
My listening post today is my home office, a bottle of Smart Water to my right and a half-eaten bag of Ghost Pepper Potato Chips from Trader Joe’s to my left. In the background, turned down low as if I’m in a restaurant for breakfast, is R.E.O. Speedwagon’s first album, simply titled R.E.O. Fantastic guitar-driven … [Read more…]
My office this morning is my office this morning. I’m sipping coffee from Bagel Beanery, munching on roasted almonds, listening to David Zinman (1936- ), Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor. Today is the last time I hear to Beethoven’s Fifth in this 162-day project of mine. Tomorrow, I return … [Read more…]
Today is gorgeous. The temperature is 57 degrees (Fahrenheit), under blue skies, with just a slight 9-mile-per-hour breeze out of the South. So I wasted no time setting up my makeshift desk and got to work listening to English conductor Sir Simon Rattle (1955- ), The Wiener Philharmoniker, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C … [Read more…]
My listening post this evening is in my recliner in front of the TV, with the classic movie The Dirty Dozen playing in the background. In the foreground is French conductor Pierre Monteux (1875-1964), the Boston Symphony, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor. It’s an interesting juxtaposition, I can assure you. In my … [Read more…]