Classical Gas

[ase]

Dear internet: headphones. Keeping in mind I am 1.) 1/3 of the way to my 2008 savings goal, 2.) working in a lab with approximately 7 fridges, one robot, three DNA extraction machines, a tabletop centrifuge and umpteen biddy - plus the thermocycler fans! - and rec accordingly.

Before tossing that favorite inexpensive and kind of scruffy purse into the laundry, it might be worth your time to ask, "hey, I wonder if this is so cheap there's cardboard in here?" This message brought to you by someone a little older and wiser, who spent time picking wet cardboard out of the laundry machine last night.

Last week I completely lost my head and bought four classical CDs. Hey, they were used! And if you'd heard the end of Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony on the radio - it's big. It's huge. It's amazing and splendid and the sort of thing that has to be played at volumes in excess of urban noise ordinances. So I had to run out and find it. I already had a copy, but didn't find it until later, which is an argument for turning my external hard drive into a wiki or something. But this other recording! This wonderful second example of awesome music! Boston Symphony Orchestra 1959 recording; Charles Munch conducting and Berk Zamkochian on organ. And I incidentally picked up a few more CDs, in that way you do. A Baltimore Symphony Orchestra recording of Copland's Rodeo and "Billy the Kid" made in '93; a cello concerto set of Dvorak and Saint-Saens recorded by the London Philharmonic with Mstislav Rostopovich in '77; and glory of glories, a two-disc recording of Rachmaninoff's four piano concertos and his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Rachmaninoff playing the piano. I am super, super excited about this: my favorite Rachmaninoff played by the Man! The forecast is calling for lousy humidity all week; I think I will spend it lying on the floor wringing sweat out of everything I own maximum fidelity out of my lame sound setup. Especially for the 1929 Rhapsody recording, which - mmm, tinny much? Oh who cares, I think I'm going to start crying. This is awesome.

I also found the Beethoven I'd put "somewhere safe" in June. Speaking of the Man. You know how a lot of contemporary bands have their one fast song, one slow song, and then the other 11 tracks on the album? (Coldplay, I am totally looking at you.) Beethoven has more than two songs! Okay, he also has a bigger instrument section, but the point is - many songs! Classical's dynamic range is defeated on my work headphones - okay, the fans from the fridges, freezers, thermocyclers, and let us not forget the occasional mostly balanced quick-spin microcentrigue(s) don't help - but that just gives me something to look forward to after a day of mezzoforte rock and pop.

Comments

[rwl.livejournal.com]

I imagine the Chorale section of Beethoven's 9th Symphony would be rather invigorating and inspiring, even for routine lab work. I have both versions of Saint-Saens' Organ Concerto that you mention. I think I like the Berlin Philharmonic version better because the organ part was recorded in the Notre Dame Cathedral (I think), and the resulting reverb and echo makes it seem like you're there too.

Someday you'll get to attend a live performance of that symphony. The first time I did, I immediately noticed that you can sense the organ's presence by more than just hearing. There are subsonics going on you can sense with your skin. An amazing experience.

[ase.livejournal.com]

I haven't been listening to classical at work because the good stuff's way too distracting. (Second most idiotic driving-related misstep did not happen while listening to rap. It happened while listening to Chopin.) But this may have to change, because I have too much awesome classical to just listen to it after work.

There are reasons people still go to live performances: bass and subsonics are high on that list. Someday. Kennedy Center schedule, anyone?

[wizardoffoo.livejournal.com]

You could be listening to J-pop like I do - then you get to listen to the innumerably variable ways and instrumentation used to make the A, B, Chorus, A, B, Chorus, Bridge, B-lite, Chorus song.

As for work listening gear, I hear these isolating earphones (http://www.etymotic.com/) do a bang up job of silencing the rest of the world. On a more reasonable budget, my headphones (http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/productdetail.asp?transid=005176) muffle the outside world pretty good and double as a pair of earmuffs in those famous Chicago winters(tm).

[ase.livejournal.com]

I don't want to have huge bulky headphones at work, because it's sort of visually isolating, and that's not good. But... I sort of dislike earphones. So I am going to have to compromise somewhere.

[emily-goddess.livejournal.com]

Thank you, thank you! I've been looking for this song (the Saint-Saens) since I heard it a few years ago, but it's so hard to look up a song with no lyrics.

[ase.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! I lucked out and checked the radio station playlist to get this one nailed.