CD Player:
Mr. Terfel hails from Wales and this album is a collaboration between himself and Renee Fleming, soprano, also a native of Wales. The Welsh National Orchestra provides the accompaniment. For those who are wondering, there is a certain resemblance between myself and Bryn but it's only in the face. He is a bass/baritone and I am a second tenor. The album is lush and beautiful with only one misstep, namely Terfel's rendition of "Seventy-Six Trombones." It's either that he has got too much voice to sound the part of a con man or that every time I hear this piece my brain channels Robert Preston. Based on this album, I think I am going to get my hands on some Sondheim and Ragtime: The Musical. The last track on the album is a sweeping rendition of "Wheels of A Dream" from "Ragtime." So if this song is any indication, the rest of the musical is interesting indeed.
Tape Deck:
I have taken to listening to a book as I go to sleep at night. As some one who lives on the road, I go through an inordinate number of books on tape/CD. The A&E series turned me on to the stories of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. The voice actor reading this edition is particularly effective, evoking shades of noir and Dashell Hammett.
Car's Multideck:
When I mention that I am listening to a book about the making of Oxford English Dictionary, I can see people's eyes glaze over. Then they start to fear for my sanity. But this book is really excellent. Simon Winchester has written several other books about various aspects of nineteenth and twentieth century history. A bonus feature is the author reads his work. The author knows what he wanted to emphasize when he wrote the book and now he has the opportunity to do that with his voice.
DVD Player:
This series is simply a magnum opus. Rent it, watch it, and watch it again. It is simply that good.
These aren't on all at once mind you...
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