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To My Thousands of Readers:

We are living through extraordinary times. Despite what some naysayers are reporting, the novel coronavirus or Covid-19 is a vicious flu that travels by stealth. Those infected may not even know it for up to two weeks, during which time they are infecting everyone they come in contact with, and then those infected go through the same process. Although the death rate is only about 1% of those infected, and all of those are the elderly and/or people with underlying respiratory or other medical conditions, it is fast-spreading and vicious.

I know how difficult it is for people to essentially shut their lives down and stay at home as much as possible, and I also know that we probably have at least another three months to go before we see a worldwide decline in the number of cases. But my message to you is, simply, DON’T PANIC. If you are an at-risk person, you need to take even more extraordinary precautions than the rest of us. Otherwise, although you will suffer for two weeks, sapped of all energy and suffering a severe stomach flu, you can and will recover. There’s no sense panicking about something you cannot control, but as long as you take the necessary precautions—maintain social distancing of at least six feet from others, wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds with soap and hot water, and just be prudent—we can all get through this difficult time together.

But I particularly want you to NOT pay attention to the fear-mongering media. They are playing this up like the Black Plague or the 1918-19 flu epidemic, and it is neither. Remember that the 1918 flu epidemic affected 500 MILLION PEOPLE, or one-third of the earth’s population, and that 50 MILLION PEOPLE, or one-tenth, died. In the United States, 675,000 people died and others were left blind or deaf. Yet the majority of people pulled through it OK. Covid-19 is not nearly as scary as that one was, though it is indeed a vicious flu.

Listen to your leaders on TV or radio when they speak. They are giving you the straight story as they receive it from the health care professionals. Your country’s presidents and prime ministers and your particular state governors are giving you the true facts, some of them scary, yes, but also messages of hope. As of this writing (March 23, 2020), we probably have another three months to go before we see a sharp decline in cases and, hopefully, remedies for controlling or reducing the symptoms. The fact that we are living in 2020 and not 1918 makes a world of difference; back then, they not only didn’t have antibiotics, they didn’t even have sulfur drugs. Today, top researchers in America and Europe are working round the clock to develop both a cure and a vaccine. There is a very good chance (I would say more than 90%) that medicines that can reduce or cure the symptoms will be available by June and a vaccine may be available as early as October or November.

In the meantime, I hope that my blog can bring some solace. Great music heals the soul as it nourishes the mind, and now more than ever I encourage you to play a lot of the music you love the most. Humor is also a great restorative; go to YouTube and poke around, watch some of the great comedians and comedy programs and enjoy them. My postings will probably be less in the coming months since I, too, am spending approximately three hours a day listening to my Governor and my President give updates on what is going on.

And remember, we’re all in this together and we will pull through this crisis together. 

Introducing the Art Music Lounge’s First-Ever Annual Record Awards:
“What a Performance!” 2019

*****READ LYNN’S BOOK: FROM BAROQUE TO BOP AND BEYOND!*****

*****OR MY 2006 BOOK ON THE HISTORY OF RECORDING & ITS RELATIONSHIP TO ART MUSIC: SPINNING THE RECORD*****

THE PENGUIN’S GIRLFRIEND’S GUIDE TO CLASSICAL MUSIC!

You’ll love it! Or you won’t!
Now complete all the way through Composers – X/Y/Z! Click on the link above to access it!

Even Newer!
Toscanini In and Of His Time

An approach to Arturo Toscanini’s conducting style and musicianship in a different light. A work in progress, I’ve uploaded the first six segments for your enjoyment (I hope). Feedback appreciated. Now complete through the year 1952 and including a facsimile of the 1950 NBC Symphony-Toscanini Tour Booklet. Now complete through my final posting, “The Toscanini Recordings – 2.”

OR

Check out my latest blog posts:

Chiara Plays Messiaen
Hayoung Lyou’s “Metamorphosis”
Lucy Stevens Channels Ethel Smyth
De Saram’s New Recital Disc
Adès Conducts Adès
The Rödberg Trio Plays the Mendelssohns
Ortiz Goes Inside Rhythmic Falls
The Return of Meredith Monk
Dizzy Gillespie’s Great Quintet Live in Stuttgart
Arthur Fagen Conducts Morton Gould
Exploring the Music of Andrzej Karałow
Michael Schäfer Revives Paolo Litta
Gielen’s Excellent “Missa Solemnis”
Il Furibondo Plays Reger
The Gewandhaus Brass Quintet is “Customised”
Gauvin’s Kinda-Gimmicky New Recital
Merdinger Plays Music from the American Melting Pot
Merdinger Plays Music from Four Centuries
Stefania Argentieri’s Brilliant Prokofiev
The Best Integral “Ring” Cycle I’ve Heard
Gratkowski & Nabatov Present “Dance Hall Stories”
Nucleons Are Hunting Waves
Introducing Quartet Red
Alvin Schwaar & Company Are “Travellin’ Light”
Reassessing Rattle’s “Rheingold”
Zuill Bailey Plays Walton & Strauss
Samaltanos Plays Skalkottas
Rattle’s Awful “Die Walküre”
Kociuban Plays Tansman & Bacewicz
Lost Melody Plays New Songs for Old Souls
Dieterle & Forrester in the StatusSphere
Pereira’s Blindfold Test Presents Visions for Rhythm
Barbara Hannigan’s Latest “Passione”
Tanner Williams Plays Oboe Sonatas
Benedict & Askren Play Wayne Shorter
Exploring Xiaogang Ye
Sánchez-Aguilera Plays Sorabji’s “Little” Toccata
Terzian’s Violin Concerto Recorded
The TNEK Quintet Plays Sam Jones
The Piano Music of Adès
The Itaca Quartet’s “Vortex”
Sikora’s New (But Brief) Collection a Gem

For links to older blog posts (beginning March 2016) click HERE

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Contact me at artmusiclady(at)outlook .com

Other sites of wonder to discover:

The Opera Scribe
Jazz in Europe
Emily’s Music Dump
Jazz Profiles (Gary Giddins)
The Music Parlour – Historical Releases
Jazz Lives
Composer Charles Ruggiero
Jazz Radio Network
WWFM Classical Streaming
Jazzbreak (many sound clips & videos available here)
John Todaro Photography