calimac

I heard Tod und Verklarung twice last year, both times as the initial piece of a concert program, and enjoyed it as much as you did. In fact, I cannot think of any piece by Richard Strauss that I would voluntarily pay to listen to. This piece of music always seems (in my experience) to be scheduled as the initial piece of a concert programme. Often, this spot in the programme is reserved for a short piece so that latecomers will not miss the heart of the concert... I feel the same way about latecomers to a symphony as I feel about people who leave baseball games in the seventh inning. They should not be catered to.

I know very little about jazz, but shikzoid has been listening to live jazz for almost thirty years and I trust her judgment when she points out a show that she thinks I would enjoy. Professor Longhair comes to mind, as does Mose Allison (who we saw perform live when we were in Chicago last winter).