Sasha K

Amusing moment late in the Bayern vs. Gladbach game today when the commentators lamented Juan Bernat's missing his shot because had he made it Thiago would have had a "dummy" hat trick.   They also conjectured that dummies of such quality should count as assists.

On 4/5/2018 at 10:04 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

Wow, Liverpool’s win of 3-nil is a shocker.  I guess the premier league is still a step below La Liga (until Liverpool destroys Barça or Real Madrid).

But is it really a shocker?  Pep has failed in the late stages of Champions League consistently, ever since he's been separated from Messi.  Liverpool may be a B+ team only, but do not underestimate Kloppo: he knew that Pep's team could not, mentally, deal with *simplicity* without the ball.  I am by no means saying I would have predicted this result, but I certainly had a big fat question mark written next to it.  The second leg will be fascinating; I expect the aggregate to be very close.

Very interesting first legs of the quarters.  I was not impressed with Barca and their most flattering scoreline, but I also had a feeling that they had plenty in reserve and could have kicked into the next gear or two on a whim.  I am impressed with Barca's continuity given a series of managerial changes; it feels like any of the recent managers could have won with each other's personnel.  The same can't be said for the Bavarians unfortunately: it looks like Jupp is doing a fantastic job with a team that just wasn't put together for him, with Coman's and Neuer's injuries as well as insufficient time (also due to injury) for Thiago to assume command of their schizophrenic midfield making it much more difficult.

I honestly don't know what to make of the Juve Real match.  Ronaldo's heroics make it very easy to overlook the fact that both teams' midfields were not cohesive but got away with it because they barely bothered each other.  But I'd be very concerned about Casemiro if I am drawn against Real.

Injuries to Iniesta and Coman may have a huge impact on this competition.

On 1/28/2018 at 10:19 PM, DonRocks said:

This raises the question: Is Cleveland's reputation Szell-driven, or Maazel-driven? Or both, or neither? (George Szell was Music Director of Cleveland from 1946-1970 - that's one heck of a long time not to have some long-term influence.) Did Szell lure Maazel there, and/or make it palatable for him to come?

Cleveland (and much of my family lived in Cleveland) is a very odd place to have "the best orchestra in America" - I'm generally not a fan of such bold proclamations (which is a total lie - I make them all the time, but I don't take them particularly seriously).

Serious question: Would LeBron James be playing for the Cavaliers if it weren't for George Szell? This is not as outlandish a proposition as one might think.

Closer to the bone, would the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame be there?

Off the top of my head, Cleveland's reputation is Szell and Christoph von Dohnányi-driven.

10 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Not knowing a whole lot about the history of how they may have gotten here, how much influence did Lorin Maazel have? (Maazel was Music Director from 1972-1982).

Let us travel back in time.

May 26, 1982 - "As Maazel Leaves, Cleveland Orchestra Still Best in U.S." by Thor Eckert, Jr. on csmonitor.com

The title alone should ruffle some feathers.

"At 100, the Cleveland Orchestra May (Quietly) Be America's Best" by James R. Oestreich on nytimes.com

On 1/13/2018 at 6:08 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

Depends on who they draw in the next round.  Barça, Munich and PSG are all tough outs.  It’s not clear how good PSG and Munich are because they play in crappy domestic leagues.  Arguably the Premier League is crappy this year and City has faced no tough competition.

It follows, from the quote, that since Real Madrid clearly do not play in a crappy domestic league, it is difficult to predict how they would fare against clubs that do.

So how far will Man City go in UCL?  My gut instinct tells me far but not as far as they would like to or are expected to at the moment.

Go Jon.

Just the right degree of Shostakovich-ism.

Good reading on the topic for Don Rockwell and friends.

"Valery Affanasiev: Silence" by Rada Adzhubey and Tami Ahronovich on emilgilels.com

On 4/10/2016 at 8:21 AM, DonRocks said:

To put the admittedly hyperbolic statements above in perspective, Fyodor Dostoyevsky would also be on that list, which you could count with the fingers of one hand. Structure and architecture are two extremely important things to me, and Zweig's structure cannot be improved upon - it's like reading a Bach Fugue.

It is like Bach in its structure, but for me there is a greater parallel applicable, if I may use a Glenn Gould quote to this purpose:

"I think that if I were required to spend the rest of my life on a desert island, and to listen to or play the music of any one composer during all that time, that composer would almost certainly be Bach. I really can't think of any other music which is so all-encompassing, which moves me so deeply and so consistently, and which, to use a rather imprecise word, is valuable beyond all of its skill and brilliance for something more meaningful than that -- its humanity."

Don't care for this 129, even though I am quite a fan of Kissin.  Too fast (clearly serving the purpose of the occasion), with a marvelous rhythm and the sense of humor being lost.  This 111 is outstanding, one of the greatest I've ever heard; very similar to Richter's actually, but with more poise despite the blitzkrieg.  How is all this related to Gilels?

Petruschka is brilliantly executed by Gilels, but it is not instructive to the argument.  These are very clever and fun showpieces, and display a side of Gilels' playing that is not being disputed.  There is so much more to Stravinsky, and it takes a complete artist such as Maria Yudina to hammer the point home, despite a slight pun being buried somewhere in this sentence.

Nice collection. Rocks. Did you exclude Lipatti's because you are not a fan of the Godzilla vs. Bambi epic? 

While all these are probably best enjoyed on their own, we don't have such luxury by definition, and Zimerman's falls short in that it is too episodic next to the others. He's got beautiful moments, for sure, but there is no reason why this piece can't be a beautifully carved gemstone with structure and symmetry. Sticking with the metaphor, Kempff and Brendel provide plenty of structure and foresight, but fail to sharpen their carving tools - a somewhat dull ax in Kempff's case and the hammer of a troll in Brendel's. The other two are just brilliant IMO, with Richter's causing me to recall gentle images of eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Considering you've watched every single World Cup game ever played in ... what, 20 years? ... and that you took 1-2 weeks off from work every single time, just to watch every single game ... you *must* participate in this thread, sir. Your "corporate memory" of the World Cup is as great as anyone's.

"What's the first thing you remember?" ( Rosencranz and Guildenstern Are Dead) ).

The first thing I remember, just as a flash, is sitting on my father's lap at the age of 2 and watching the 1966 final between Germany and England on a black and white TV that my uncle had put together with his own hands. Must have made an impression.

Growing up in the USSR, I had no access to written information about the history of WC. My father knew it all, somehow, and these were my bedtime stories - the fall of the great Hungary in '54, Uruguay's late goal to deny Brasil at the Maracana in '50 when the newspapers had already declared them champions, the political climate during Italy's wins in the 1930s, the rise of Pele whom my father saw play once as a teenager. These might as well have been stories from the Greek Mythology, with their heroes and demi-gods.

The first world cup I watched more or less in it's entirety was in 1978.

My outlook has changed somewhat in that when you follow European clubs, you tend to sympathize with your favorite players no matter what country they represent here. The game itself has been globalized as well to an extent, what with most of the best playing in the same big clubs, and yet the distinctive national styles of play are still a huge attraction. My favorite example was the game between Colombia and Ivory Coast - the only thing in common was that they were following the same game rules.

DonRocks says I have to comment here. He is not a man you say "no" to.

As has been the case since 1986, I want Germany to win the cup, but it doesn't look like this is going to happen. Too many issues with their formation of choice.

US of A will need to shut down Hazard at least as well as they handled Ronaldo ( via a group effort ) in order to get past Belgium, and be perfect defensively on set pieces against Fellain and Co.

Goose Island King Henry

Is this still produced ? I can find nothing about current release schedule, and the official website appears to categorize it as a thing of the past.

You do know that this scale was developed to measure Sviatoslav Richter's crescendos, right?

Well. That the decibel is a logarithmic scale to begin with, we know.

That a stereo equipment which will make Sviatoslav Richter's pianissimo audible, while withstanding his fortissimo without blowing the fuse and your eardrums all at once will be an order of magnitude more expensive than what you'd normally buy to listen to a wide range of classics, from Also sparch Zarathustra to Led Zeppelin III, is a fact less universally recognized.

Don, you've just given me the brilliant idea of rating wine on a base-10 logarithmic scale as well. Perhaps food as well?

Oops, wrong forum.

There goes the neighbourhood. In my case, quite literally.

Leave it to me to write about a place I am yet to visit. But I plan to change that soon.

Patrick Capiello of Gilt fame has redesigned the wine list here, and my goodness, just take a look at this collection of gems:

Pearl and Ash's wine list

There is something interesting, food friendly and affordable in every section, be it red, white or pink, Jura, Rhone or Germany. I've also been told there are older vintages, not listed on the website.

According to very reliable sources, the food is excellent. I hope to follow up with an actual report, but if you are traveling to NYC, it sounds like you can't go wrong here.

I am on the west side near columbus circle, so I am the last person you want to ask about the east side

Try calling Rouge Tomate at 10 E 60th, and see if there is still bar sitting.

Gerry,

Sorry I am late to the party, was stuck in a wheel of 24 months old Comte in Burgundy for 10 days.

Since the subject of Lopez de Heredia came up, I wonder if you could comment on their recent releases of the Rosado. This wine has been, outside of the Loire Valley, easily my favourite still Rose. I am noticing, particularly with the 1998 and 2000 releases, that the style is a bit more oxidative, perhaps along the lines of what I would expect to find in their Blanco.

I guess there are multiple questions.

Are you observing the same phenomenon, or am I imagining this?

If so, do you think it is intentional?

Given that previous vintages of this wine did converge to a more oxidative style with bottle age (although with additional complexity), do you think these new vintages are simply meant to be consumed earlier?

And finally, could you please give us a hint of where LdH rosados have belonged on your table - as aperitif or accompanying dishes, and what kind of dishes, depending on the wines' stage of evolution?

Many thanks,

Sasha

How is Eleni's at Chelsea Market ? They've got a fan club for sure.

Back when I worked in this neighborhood, one of my favorite items to order from the daily-specials menu was bonito. Don't know if they still serve it regularly, but it was exceptional when they did, and the portions were not too large in this case.

And the fish was best on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays back then. Go figure.