Spring Is Here - finally!

I know I might be straying from my usual music-themed posts, as is usually the case, but with the wonderful spring weather we are now experiencing, I think we are all feeling a little bit of spring fever right now. There is a method to my madness...this time, at least...

Spring is the time we finally get out into that warm sunshine and take stock of what needs to be done in the yard and to the lawn for another year. That is my project today once I write this: try to bring my lawn back from the abyss and see if I can make it look half-way decent for another season. Raking, de-thatching, seeding, topsoil, core aeration, the whole deal. I know by mid-summer it will look awful again with crabgrass and large brown spots, but hope springs eternal. I may not have the best lawn on the street, but I will try my very best to make sure it is not the worst, either.

So, what does all this have to do with music, you ask? Well, at this time of the year, I find it hard to listen to music while I'm outside, as the music of the birds and other sounds of spring tend to take over. That's not to say I ignore the music altogether: I always install the outside speakers on the patio for when company is over or we want music while dining on the patio. They are probably the worst-looking imitation rock speakers around, but they work and that's all that matters, really. But when I am working around in the yard, I rarely use them. It is just so nice to be outside at this time of the year and hear the music of nature.

There is still much music to listen to, of course, and at the end of the day when I return to my office to catch up on work after toiling away in the garden, I find myself turning to a couple of CDs quite frequently now. The first has been around since the '80s, and features Quebec-based pianist Andre Gagnon with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of London (England), titled "Impressions". This came out as an LP back around 1983 and I acquired the CD version about 10 years ago on the Star label. I can't imagine it not being available, as it is clearly one of his best efforts. Lush orchestral backdrops to his sensitive piano playing, and all original Gagnon tunes. I always think of a misty movie scene when I hear this music, but even in the springtime with the sun shining, it just sounds right. The other collection is a wonderful new 5-CD set of all nine Beethoven Symphonies conducted by Herbert von Karajan, recorded in the late 1950's at EMI's famed Abbey Road studios with the Philharmonia Orchestra. The sound is amazing given the age of the recordings - over 50 years old in some cases. The individual discs come in the small cardboard sleeves rather than the usual jewel boxes, but there is is nice booklet that accompanies the set, and for the price, you can't complain. At A Web of Fine Music (www.finemusic.ca), you can order it for only $ 30.00 CDN, plus tax. Free shipping is offered anywhere in Canada. If you find yourself in need of a new copy of the complete Beethoven symphonies, this is a wonderful set to have. I might just put it on again today while working in the garden! Speaking of which, off I go to make some sense of the mess created over the winter months...

Enjoy the spring!