From the desk of the Tiger Lily.
As we sit here in our tiny corner of the world, enveloped by the ambrosial aroma of the pot roast that has been slow-cooking all day (which I made more sweet than salty this morning, trying to compensate for the scale-up of a new recipe... oh well, the good Lord knows what He's doing even in my mistakes!), and serenaded by Boston Pops' Moon River (which LC hates because it's "too sad of a song"), I reflect on the classical authors I grew up listening to and playing on our throw-away piano my pinchpenny grandmother condescended to purchase for my siblings and me at some estate sale.
The Viking asked about Wagner's genius. As a parentally-mandated pianist, I never paid much attention to orchestral/operatic composers as they were outside of my circle of acquaintance (and as a general rule, I hate opera). However, in subsequent years of exposure, I have grown to appreciate his more grandiose/tragic style. When he departs from his normal bent to write in ways more foreign to what seems to be his passionate nature, the result is absolutely breathtaking. Lohengrin itself, the Wagnerian equivalent of Air on a G String, is an absolute auditory delight, the perfect essence of aerie delicacy. I would also recommend Siegfried's Idyll and the Overture to Tristan and Isolde. And, of course, Flight of the Valkyries stands alone. Most of the overtures to his operas that I have heard are also worth taking a listen (Der fliegende Hollander's "Summ and Brumm" excerpt is good too).
My personal inclinations for classical style are towards Beethoven, Handel and Debussy (and occasionally Bach/Mozart/Chopin in more philosophical moods). LC has helped me expand my musical horizons quite a bit, as I would have never picked up a quarter-sale cd of Wagner at the thrift store.
Lately one of our traveling kitties has wandered home again, footsore and starving. LC and I were pleased to see him again, as he is one of the sweetest cats, not at all aggressive, and makes walking difficult as he is always asking to be picked up, and he then cuddles up like a baby in your arms and purrs. He had a hole in the side of his neck that he was healing from, which LC thought might be a raccoon or one of the females being nasty. Yesterday he was yowling during supper, when we finally figured out one of the newer additions who showed up from the neighbors' place this year has been biting holes in the necks of our younger tomcats and running them off, as this new tom thinks he is ruler of the roost. Up to now he has been clever enough to not pick on and run off the other cats at times when we can see him doing it. Because he broke the rules, in not tolerating the ones who were here first and do not deserve to be run off, LC shot him. It is a sad thing in a waste of life, but it is what is required to protect our innocent cats who have a right to live where they were born and raised.
Anyway, just wanted to share a small snapshot of our lives on this Thursday afternoon. God Bless those of you who have been good to us, and God Bless the others to repent.
agtG
