Well, piano practice has definitely taken a chunk out of my blogging time. What's even worse is that yesterday, for some reason, all my outstanding CD orders decided to arrive on my front porch at the very same time. That means I've got quite a pile to listen to, and that takes away from my blogging time too.

Does anyone care? (I didn't think so)

Anyways, instead of coming up with something clever to write about, I thought I'd just show you what came in the mail yesterday - I know some of you may be following along at home. Maybe I'll even post some reviews someday. If I ever have the time, that is.


Unspoken, The Katia Labeque Band. This one I have listened to and it's fantastic. Labeque isn't just a classical pianist "crossing over" into jazz. She's been playing jazz a long time - at least as far back as the album she did with John McLaughlin '82, and there is just some great, progressive, ambient/mood music here, and Labeque can play jazz. I just wish she'd record more of it.













J.S. Bach Solo & Double Violin Concertos, Andrew Manze and Rachel Podger. Period instruments and all that. I've heard this on the radio and liked it.











Antonio Vivaldi La Stravaganza, Rachel Podger. More Podger - she's great.










Mendelssohn/Glazunov Violin Concertos, Leila Josefowicz. Her Shostakovich CD made a believer out of me. This is from about 6 or 7 years ago.









Bach Goldberg Variations, Angela Hewitt. Someday I'm gonna play the Goldberg Variations like Angela Hewitt. You just watch.








Berlioz Symphony Fantastique/La Mort de Cleopatra, Valery Gergiev. I'm a big Berlioz fan, and a big Gergiev fan, so this seems like a natural.












Bartok/Paganini/Ysaye, Leila Josefowicz. See above. This is one of her very early CD's.










Recital, Viktoria Mullova and Katia Labeque. This one's got Stravinsky, Schubert, Ravel and Clara Schmann, played by two established and renowned musicians.







Shostakovich/Janacek Violin Concertos, Baiba Skride. I told you I was gonna get this one.













Prokofiev/Shostakovich Violin Concertos No. 2, Maxim Vengerov.











Britten/Walton Violin Concertos, Maxim Vengerov.









Debussy, Jancek, Nielsen, Ravel, Schumann, Brahms Violin and Viola Sonatas, Christian Tetzlaff











Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1/Vieuxtemps Violin Concerto No. 5, Viktoria Mullova










Whew, my ears are gonna be sore by the time I get through all of these. That's the problem with backorders and shipping schedules, etc... You never know when they're gonna arrive. I really like the Katia Labeque Band CD. I'm expecting the others to be just as good.