Juozas Rimas wrote:

>I guess I've come to a blind alley in piano music.  I started from Chopin,
>like many, and then unfortunately (fortunately?) switched to Bach.  It
>turned out I had ended up with two composers...  Now I seem to be unable
>to listen to anyone except Bach and most of Chopin.  I was told one had to
>be in his forties to really appreciate Mozart

I am 48 and still not seeing the light.  Don't waste your life waiting.
Remember the expression "be your own (wo)man".

>and the prospect of getting stuck to two composers for more than twenty
>years does not gladden me at all.  Could you give me any advice?

Yes.  Start with Haydn's 'Surprise' symphony Colin Davis on Philips.  After
that you'll want to heard all the London symphonies then the Paris, then
the Sturm Und Drang, then the whole lot.  After that of course you'll want
to heard the quartets, piano sonatas, oratorios, masses, trios, divertmenti
and yes opera.

By this stage you will find your thinking has changed so you'll be tempted
by some Lizst maybe a bit of Bruckner and Mahler.

Then one day next spring you'll wake up and think "funny I hardly listen
to Chopin/Bach any more".

Bob Draper
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