top of page
Dec 20, 20243 min read
Clean Nest, Happy Nester
After I had my home's windows replaced with fine new vinyl jobbers, the family-owned window company sent over their dad (the company...
Dec 19, 20245 min read
Crabby Old Bags
The other night I awoke abruptly after a particularly awful dream that had percolated up from who knows where in my subconscious. It was...
Dec 17, 20245 min read
It's Just a Record
I make absolutely no secret of being a wildly enthusiastic record collector. Some might call it an addiction. But they just don't know a...
Dec 15, 20244 min read
The Greatest Hall of Them All
Recording venues aren't famous as a rule. Even Abbey Road Studios is familiar not so much for itself, but for the famed Beatles album....
Dec 15, 20246 min read
Martinet
When I took over the chairmanship of the music theory/musicianship department, I inherited a problematic young teacher who had been a...
Dec 15, 20244 min read
On the Shoulders, In the Shadows
You gotta admire the sheer cheek of conductors Riccardo Chailly, Daniel Barenboim, Christian Thielemann, and Osmo Vänskä. They’ve done...
Dec 14, 20244 min read
Hog Heaven, Viennese-Style
The Vienna Philharmonic isn’t just an orchestra. It’s the music world’s ultimate insiders club. You can’t get in merely by playing an...
Dec 14, 20244 min read
Ansermet Redux
Fascinated by recordings at an early age, but saddled with a kid’s limited budget and even more limited accessibility from my perch in a...
Dec 14, 20244 min read
Perfection at 39
Certain pieces make me happier like no others, and Mozart Symphony No. 39 ranks high on that list. I'm particularly potty about the slow...
Dec 13, 20243 min read
Years and Years
I'm at the end of another semester. Fall 2024 is pretty much a done deal, although I still have a certain amount of scribbling and...
Dec 12, 20242 min read
Toes and No Toes
In the wacky and arcane world of audiophilia, there is a little something known as "toe-in." Even if that sounds like some kind of nifty...
Dec 12, 20243 min read
Sirènes that Entice
For whatever reason, of late I've been listening to a lot of Debussy orchestral music in various recordings, ranging from the 1930s to...
bottom of page