My listening spot this morning is the cafeteria of Forest Hills Foods, where a Starbucks Blonde Roast (yeah, I know it’s a pour over) and a blueberry donut with cream cheese frosting are in order. It’s a nice place to be – as long as I don’t watch CNN on one of the TVs dangling … [Read more…]
My office this morning while I blog is New Beginnings restaurant. My breakfast is a Mexican chicken all white meat omelette with jalapenos inside and enough Frank’s RedHot and Tabasco sauce on top to make my eyes water. Yummy. I first encountered Pierre Monteux (1875-1964) – and I do mean the first; I didn’t run … [Read more…]
My office this morning is a table in the back of Bagel Beanery, the purveyor of the largest, tastiest bagels in Grand Rapids (for whatever that’s worth). So, as I sip my Breakfast Blend coffee, and munch on my Dill Havarti bagel (toasted with plain cream cheese), I listen to German conductor Franz Konwitschny (1901-1962) … [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…]
Two years ago (2016-2017), I experienced a musical exploration of Bruckner’s nine primary symphonies from the perspective of some two dozen conductors. Somewhere along the way (probably when I got to the “F” letter of the alphabet), I discovered Wilhelm Furtwangler (1886-1954). I was immediately taken with the historic nature of the recordings and wanted … [Read more…]
This morning’s “office” is Panera Bread, the restaurant chain that I have a dislike-hate relationship with. If Panera weren’t the only game in town at 6am (when I like to get started), I’d go somewhere else. I first encountered Austrian conductor Karl Bohm (1894-1981) on Day 5. This morning, as then, he works with the … [Read more…]
This morning, Day 19 of my exploration of Beethoven’s symphonies, starts a new chapter: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, which was composed between 1801 and 1802. So here I sit at New Beginnings restaurant, listening to Beethoven’s composition while (or whilst if you’re British) I eat a Mexican chicken omelette complete with jalapenos and … [Read more…]