Arvo Pärt once remarked that with his tintinnabuli technique one could set the entirety of Mann's Joseph and His Brothers to music. That seems incredibly daunting, but if I ever get the opportunity of a lifetime, I'd like to try. I'll succeed if I do.

I really appreciated the sound of the piano itself in this recording. A very round, clear and resonant sound. Not too bright, but not dull. This is especially noticable in Auf dem Flusse. Helmut Deutsch also brings and incredible intensity to this song. Striking.

Los estadounidenses son incapaces de mantenerse en un punto medio razonable.

Let Gen Z opt out of Social Security

Returning to tenor recordings of Winterreise.

And that’s why the Right loses.

Those who feel outraged sympathy find themselves in an emotionally impractical relationship with a reality that is not their own; they put themselves in the situation of someone else who is already in in it—an error of imagination, for precisely because of his situation he is no longer like them.

I hate to break it to you - but the United States is an absolute, incoherent shitshow. The idea that we have ‘representative government’ is ridiculous. If that were true we would not have wasted billions killing Iranians for no reason at all. Some people wanted this - but the voters who elected this government did not. Let’s go further. When Trump goes to China - he brings our ‘great billionaires’ with him. I can’t think of any more obvious symbol that we live in an oligarchy that does everything it can to manipulate outcomes - and that voting is a bit of a joke. It’s like he’s bringing with him ‘the ruling elite.’ Because that is what he did. We have at least 40 million illegal aliens living here. Our business ‘leaders’ engineered this by bribing politicians to keep the border open - because they wanted to pay low wages and make mucho $$ for themselves. When people objected because their incomes were falling - the business leaders accused them of racism and funded Barack Obama to become POTUS. The USA is $40 trillion in debt - and no one has a plan to solve that problem. Absolutely no one. This will blow up one day - and it will destroy normal people who save in dollars - because the unspoken plan is to destroy the currency and save the rich and destroy the rest. But people who own our homes - like Blackstone or Blackrock - won’t care because their assets will follow inflation. Everyone else will be reduced to paupers renting from them - their bank accounts gone. The United States today is hopelessly dysfunctional. It lacks a coherent population that can even agree on anything. It is bankrupt - but the rest of the world is propping it up because they are also scared of what happens when the dollar collapses. It doesn’t have any smart leaders - and we have to watch insiders doing oil trades to make $$ on the Iran war - and the administration itself sells shit coins. Our foreign policy is a total joke - not strategic in any way at all. It is driven by special interests, and then not even followed through. And people are actuality making money on it - pump and dump coming straight from the White House. This is a hell of a way to celebrate 250 Years! At least we can have a cage match on the White House lawn that degrades our entire history and underscores just how bad and ridiculous things are! Thank you for your attention to this matter! Enjoy the circus! If you’re lucky you will be dead when the music stops!

This book is just too good. In the heat of reading it I can’t imagine ever putting it away. It’s a shame good things such as this are hidden in the course of one’s education and must be discovered by chance later in life.

“I know nothing of the health of my children, and have not heard whether they exercise pasturing rights in peace within the jurisdiction where, as I recall, grave events once occurred.” This hilarious understatement comes from Jacob, in Mann’s telling, when requesting that his son, Joseph, travel down to Shechem (you know, the city genocided by Simeon and Levi) and see how his brothers are doing.

Rast, Frühlingstraum, and Einsamkeit are my three favorite songs in Winterreise.

Looking forward to listening to this recording!

Listening to another FiDi Winterreise album on walk this evening. Pollini at the piano. Not a guy I usually associate with Schubert, or as an accompanist.

Just now learning that Mozart's 36th symphony was actually composed by this guy: Michael Haydn. He's also a pretty good symphonist.

We are up to five Winterreises listened to. So far I think FiDi with Brendel has been my favorite.

When you're mean to me, this is who you're being mean to.