Dvorak likely never dreamed that automobiles could provide listening
experiences of his music, but I can proudly state that his string quartets
have given me more hours of listening pleasure in my vehicle than of any
other composer.  I don't quite know what fine connection there could be
between his string quartets and driving around, but I find Dvorak's works
perfect as an outlet for driving.

This posting is prompted by my acquisition a week ago of the newly reissued
box set of Dvorak's String Quartets from the Prague String Quartet on DG -
9 discs in a small box which takes up little room in my glove compartment
(locked storage area in front of passenger seat).  It's great to have these
wonderful compositions in one box, and I might just keep listening to the
discs in the car for months into the future.

A while back, I posted about what's inside list member piano benches
and joked that you can tell quite a lot about people from the contents.
Currently, my glove compartment contains:  the Dvorak/Prague box set, disc
of Karl Weigl string quartets on Nimbus, Reger chamber works on Nimbus,
Haydn's String Quartets Opus 33 from the Tatrai on Hungaroton, Bax chamber
works for harp on Naxos, Szymanowski string quartets on Naxos, one map of
New Mexico, Registration and Proof of Insurance, a speeding ticket worth
$68 (slightly more than 11 Naxos cd's), and a return envelope so that my
payment can reach the authorities in a timely manner.  Why all chamber
works? They wear very well in the car; symphonies and solo works tend to
have greater variations in dynamics.  Why the speeding ticket? I had my
choice between a speeding ticket and a ticket for not wearing a seat belt,
and I figured it's better to have a fast reputation than a neglectful one.

To finish up, try placing a giant set like Herreweghe's newest St. Matthew
Passion in the glove compartment; the cover to my glove compartment always
gets stuck.  When will they learn?

Don Satz
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