Art Scott makes me an offer I can refuse: >I'll make you a deal, Ian -- I'll boycott orchestral programs with the >Sibelius violin concerto if you'll stay away from piano recitals featuring >"Pictures at an Exhibition", my bete noire. I'd be happy to agree, but I very rarely go to piano recitals. Some folk on this list will take me to task for this, but I can't take much solo piano music at one time. Despite all the pianist-talk about tone and colour and touch etc. I find these things difficult to hear and my ear gets turned off by the lack of variation. Probably comes of not being able to play piano myself with anything remotely approaching competence. I'm not saying that I don't like / enjoy / appreciate / listen to solo piano. I just prefer it in smaller chunks than I get at a recital. Ian Crisp [log in to unmask]