non-ecumenical ramblings

Just used my gift certificate to purchase Beethoven's complete string quartets and a Nirvana box set - no comparison who had more talent. Just amazing that Beethoven could not only write great symphonies (#7) & great piano music (moonlight sonata), but also string quartets. While I'll always prefer Shostakovich's quartets for their paranoia, political backdrop & intensity, Beethoven's quartets are still a very nice listen & once again show Ludwig's superior craftsmanship. Have thought sometimes about the corrosive influence of celebrity & thinking again about the longevity of the great classic composers vs. the short talent life span of the better current composers drives home that point. If you have to keep composing to survive, that forces you to concentrate on honing that ability & keeping it sharp vs. the distractions of modern life. Of course back then you did not have the other artistic outlets of movies or videos that today's artists face to distract them from straight music composition.

For the Nirvana box set, guess I should have read the comments a little closer - sort of like listening to what you'd find if some old music collector cleaned out his garage & left a few items behind that he didn't want. Guess i'll have to plead guilty to being a sucker. Last time i ever buy an album without reading the Amazon comments.