D. Stephen Heersink quotes Alex Ross's recent music column in the New Yorker:

>"Recordings, in short, are fetish objects, sublimations of a solitary,
>most male desire. But they have a crucial role to play in musical life.
>They supply snapshots of young artists, open up the neglected areas of
>the repertory, preserve the great voices of the past." His adumbrative
>ruminations are left to stand on their own. How ever he concocted such
>a profile of the collector of classical recordings remains a mystery --
>even though his disingenuous assertions seem to cry for a foundation.

Can I ask: do you think that someone can become addicted to buying
classical CDs?  Do you get a rush of adrenalin when you savour the
thought of that next purchase?  Has your collection grown so large that
you couldn't possibly listen to half of it again in a month?  Do you feel
just a tiny bit embarrassed, wondering where all of the money has gone, when
you take a guilty glance at those piles of CD cases? Do you think that the
process of purchasing and buying the CD has overtaken the enjoyment of the
music itself?

I am concerned and so as an experiment am not going to buy any CDs from
the beginning of July until 2001 (unless it is a present for someone else).
Instead I shall revisit and enjoy my own CDs, BBC Radio 3 and an excellent
collection in our city library. As a challenge is there anyone out there
who wants to join me and not buy any CDs for the last 6 months of this
year?

Perhaps we can email each other fortifying encouragement when the lure of
the bargin bin, internet sites or the high street CD store alomost gets too
much.

Laying down the gauntlet,

David H.
Nottingham, UK