# ways that I am irresponsible



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

First, I haven't blogged in a long, long time. Not that I have an responsibility to. But it's a thematic way to begin the brow-beating.

Second, I have been buying so much music over the past two years or so, and haven't been able to pay much attention to very much of it. Right now I'm listenting to Saint-Saens' Psaume XVIII from the album










literally for the first time. I've owned this recording for months.

Incidentally, it's a sweet little work. Psalm 18 itself is quite a piece of literature, very awesome imagery, a celebration of the power of a warrior god who destroys his worshipper's enemies. Read it in the KJV. But Saint-Saens renders it rather less violent, as if the enemies who are killed are just symbols of bad luck or something.

So, as for my irresponsibility, this is a manifesto to devote adequate attention to at least the following recordings:










Got that months ago. Haven't heard most of even a single time. Came with strong recommendations from several sources. Should really be good. And I like Bartok.










I don't remember exactly why I bought this. It may well have been on a whim. The oboe is not my favorite instrument, but Vivaldi is, in my own humble opinion, rather under-appreciated. (So is pretty much all of the Baroque beyond Bach.) Anyway, I did give this a good listen once, and I really liked it. I must give it some more listens.










Bought this a few months ago, largely for the Lord Nelson Mass, but it does me good to have another recording of Vivaldi's Gloria as well. I've listened to the Mass twice, the rest of it once. I should listen to this four or five more times, get to know it fairly well, and then get another recording of the Lord Nelson and get some more of Haydn's masses. I've been making solid progress with the symphonies and string quartets, but the rest of Haydn's music is largely unfamiliar to me, save a couple of cello concertos, a piano sonata, a trio, and other random bits and pieces.










I have no excuses. I've had this several months, heard it once. I liked it well enough.










Probably had this about a year; my only recording of this music; heard it once. Maybe twice. I thought it was ok. I want to hear it more, especially the "Mack the Knife" song that is used so much in jazz.

But...










There are parts of this I've not heard even one time yet, and none of it have I heard twice.


----------



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

I don't know how many images that's going to let me post, so I'll keep going here.










Evidently Hyperion is proud of that: getting the image I saw that they've re-released it in what I think of as the Hyperion pink-series. Anyway, I have this edition of it and I've heard it once. It came highly recommended from a guy who knows his stuff pretty well and I definitely didn't understand why the first time. But I did understand how the title track got its title.










Enjoyed the Lyric Symphonie the two times I've heard it. There are other things there I haven't even heard once.










Had this several years. It's not so much that I haven't heard it, as that I haven't appreciated it. Schumann's chamber or solo piano music gets me pretty easily (I'm biased against the piano quintet though), but this has never grabbed me. Must give it more time.


----------



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Here's another one in the same situation. Both works go right over my head. I also have Argerich playing Schumann's, a recording I've only heard once. I got it in the following box:










I have heard some of that twice, maybe even three times, but for the most part only once.










There's another one. I think there may even be parts of that I haven't heard once. (I don't remember, for instance, hearing the horn concertos there.) Aside from the flute and harp concerto, I haven't heard any of it twice.










I absolutely loved this the first and only time I listened to it.


----------



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Here's one I've had only a couple of weeks, and listened to once. That's not too bad, but I need to hear it again. And yet I just bought 6 more hours of music yesterday.










One time.

I could go on and on and on and on like that. Meanwhile, I'm pinching myself financially to sustain this nonsense. I need to get a grip somehow.


----------



## Guest (Jul 26, 2011)

You have my full moral support. Sometimes less is more. Particularly when it's time to move.


----------



## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Thanks Science, many of those works are favs of mine, others (like Saint-Saens requiem) I didn't know existed! I recently got a collection of Weill's songs from his stage works, I haven't heard any of them in full & esp. love the songs from The Threepenny Opera. Do let us know what you think of this when you hear it, or any other of Weill's stuff there, I have made a thread devoted to the man on the composer's guestbooks section which you may want to contribute to when you've heard his music that you've got a good selection of...


----------



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Sid James, I will look for the thread when I'm ready...


----------

