I totally hit the jackpot on my birthday Tuesday, in every way – including in the loot department. Prior to my lesson, Michael arranged the gifts my parents and his dad had sent along with his own, and I was happy to find a musical bounty.

A new music stand! I bought an inexpensive one at the rental shop way back when I began, and while it has served me, it is collapsible and flimsy, and I knocked it over often and struggled with its lack of a rigid planar surface to support the music (it’s a web-type thing that folds up, still useful for going places).  The new one is of the wonderfully sturdy black metal and fully adjustable variety, with a very stable base.  I also got some accessories – a little shelf and two slide-on music holders which help support open books of music.

A 9 CD Collection of Perlman playing all sorts of wonderful stuff!  I’m listening to the Brahms Sonatas CD right now; it’s Perlman and Daniel Barenboim on the piano, and they are playing live in Chicago’s Symphony Center downtown.  Well, it was live in 1989 at least.  I can’t wait to explore the rest of the collection, which ranges from Paganini to Prokofiev to Bach.

A Jascha Heifetz CD, recorded with the Chicago Symphony under Fritz Reiner in the mid 1900s!  This is a true gem – I haven’t had access to much Heifetz at all, and I am very excited to hear one of the all-time violin legends interpret the Brahms and Tchaikovsky concertos.  Yummy.

This turning forty thing is working out just fine.

Thanks for reading.

Ryan