Robert Berkoff <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>My problem over the past few years is I have so many new discs I listen to,
>it is becoming impossible to go back to the discs I have filed.

That's just it.  There's a cost/benefit equation.  Sure, there are those
pieces that you struggle with many times, then, after 50 hours, you start
to appreciate a masterpiece.  But how many others wouldn't get any better
after all that hard work?  Meanwhile, you've missed an opportunity to have
more time to go after the pieces that grab you right away and you love for
(most of) the rest of your life.  Like in my case, Geirr Tveitt's.

As I become more aware of every day, I only have so many hours to live.

Therefore, the only times I work hard at a piece are when critics I respect
rave about them.  Matthus's Graf Mirabeau was worth commissioning a translation
over.  Birtwistle's "Mask of Orpheus" had a lot to offer, eventually.

I liked Feldman right off, but it's the same situation: hours doing one thing
instead of doing another.

So now in most cases I trust my experience.  If a work, even one I don't
like, has a passage or two with "that certain something," I'll pursue it for
three or four listenings max.  Otherwise, two before recycling.  I only keep
30-40% of what I buy or receive for reviewing.

I'm always thinking, "What would I RATHER do than listen to this probable
dog again?" (Actually, there are few out-and-out dogs, most new pieces are
nice--and forgettable.)

Jeff Dunn
[log in to unmask]
Alameda, CA