This morning, I am listening to Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major (WAB 105), nicknamed “Pizzicato Symphony” or “Tragic,” interpreted by the legendary German conductor and composer Wilhelm Furtwangler (1886-1954). His orchestra is equally legendary, the Berliner Philharmoniker or – as it’s more commonly known – the Berlin Philharmonic. From the entry … [Read more…]
This morning, I am listening to Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major (WAB 105), nicknamed “Pizzicato Symphony” or “Tragic,” interpreted by the Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache (1912-1996). According to one web site, his name is pronounced: SER-zhoo Chay-lee-bee-DAH-ke. I’ll have to take their word for it. If you want to read the … [Read more…]
My “office” this morning is the cafeteria of the local grocery store. Not many people here at this hour. And that’s the way I like it. This morning, I am listening to Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major (WAB 105), nicknamed “Pizzicato Symphony” or “Tragic,” interpreted by Argentine-born pianist and conductor Daniel … [Read more…]
This morning, I am listening to Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major (WAB 105), nicknamed “Pizzicato Symphony” or “Tragic,” interpreted by Argentine-born pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim (1942-), whom I saw conduct the Staatskapelle Berlin in a performance of Bruckner’s Eighth at Carnegie Hall on January 28th of this year. NOTE: I … [Read more…]
My “office” this morning was a doctor’s office. Two of them, actually. So I don’t really have any pictures to show – other than the one I took of my ninja on the patient table. Ninja? You mean you haven’t heard the ninja story? It’s a fun one. I’ll share it sometime. In a nutshell, … [Read more…]
Today, I start another cycle – this time Bruckner’s Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3 in D Minor WAB 103 (nicknamed “Wagner Symphony”), interpreted by Argentine-born pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim (1942-), whom I saw conduct the Staatskapelle Berlin at Carnegie Hall on January 28th of this year. NOTE: I have two Barenboim CD box sets for … [Read more…]
My “office” this morning: Starbucks, the iconic coffee shop that’s as snooty and hipster as they come. My dutiful wife sits nearby, ostensibly to work. But she’s actually just farting around on her smart phone. Still, it’s nice to have someone with me for a change. This morning, I am listening to Anton Bruckner’s Symphony … [Read more…]
My “office” this morning is, once again, Baker Book House – where the books are plentiful, the staff is exceptional, and the coffee and home-made scones are mouth-watering. I could live here. And almost have over the past couple of years. If you live in the Midwest, you owe it to yourself to visit this … [Read more…]
My “office” this morning: Red Hot Inn, a little after 6am. I’m the only person in the restaurant at this hour. I like it that way. Red Hot Inn is a local institution. They’re known for their chili dogs. But their breakfasts are quite delicious – and reasonably priced, too. For the record, I had … [Read more…]
My “office” this morning – Bagel Beanery, a local coffee shop and, well, bagel eatery. Bagel Beanery is like Panera Bread Co. in that I can sit for hours using their Wi-Fi sipping coffee and eating an occasional bagel. It’s much smaller than Panera, though. So people watching is less enjoyable because there are fewer … [Read more…]