I don't know about other list members, but this member has been purchasing
more music than ever with the advent of internet sales sites.  With the
goal of trying to maintain a viable degree of purchasing for listening and
financial reasons, I decided to stop buying music at record stores.

Of course, good intentions don't necessarily translate into good
follow-through.  As my mother-in-law has often told me with a steely gaze,
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions"; she's so warm and cuddly.

So, for the past three weeks, I have not bought anything from the local
stores.  Although my purchases through the net have been substantial, I can
already see the differences from the financial end.  Also, to my surprise,
it's been easy to cease store purchases - very little regret.  Much of this
is likely tied in to the worsening inventory situation of the stores.

Concerning internet purchases, I receieved yesterday what is probably the
most "mainstream" order I ever made:  Beethoven's violin concerto played
by Hahn on sony, Chopin's piano concerto #1 played by Pires on DG, Bach's
Goldberg Variations played by Tureck on DG, and the Brahms violin concerto
played by Vengerov on Teldec.  I didn't have much time last night to listen
to these discs - my work life has been very hectic lately, and I need more
sleep during these periods.  But, I did play parts of each of the 4 discs
and liked what I heard very much.  The Tureck recording seemed particularly
excellent.  I think that a list member had complained about her extrememly
slow tempos; I found no problem with them.

As an aside, I have not been posting lately with my usual frequency or
enthusiasm.  Personal and work demands have left me feeling like a "lump
on a log." Hopefully, my little problems will be resolved soon, and I can
return to normal.

Don Satz
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