Listening to NPR this morning heard part of a segment on the "modern
virtuoso".  They gushed all over Anne-Sophie Mutter of course (who
wouldn't) and then I almost died when they played her Sarasate
"Ziegunerweisen".  Sounds like she has 4 bloody hands!  How do you play
doublestops and pizzicato at the same time? Man.  Man!  Wow.  I don't see
a listing of her playing this piece in Schwann.  Anyone know the recording?

Anyway, the other interesting thing was about Helfgott.  The critics on the
show seemed to put him in the same category as the Boccelli's of the world.
Now I admit I missed "Shine" and tried to avoid the hype, but I had always
thought the guy was bona fide, so to speak.  Is it popular consensus that
he's really second-rate?

(Oh, and I wrote my Ozawa post before I got my morning's digest.  Guess I
should know that on the Left Coast I ain't gonna have "heard it first".
Stupid time zones...)

Bob K.