Here's a tip from those of us who have access to review copies and other advance media: Sometimes there's no better source for ear candy than the San Francisco Public Library, which has a wealth of audio-visual material for lending. As well as books! "What's a book, Grandpa?"
We just returned lots of CDs (though we could have renewed, by phone or online), so go get them!
"The People United Will Never Be Defeated" — Frederic Rszewski (Ursula Oppens, Jerome Lowenthal, duo-pianists), with "Four Hands" (Cedille). 36 variations on "El pueblo unido jamas sera vencido" by Sergio Ortega, composed in 1975 as part of the Chilean New Song Movement. Oppens: "The variations explore all of piano history; that's why so many pianists like to play them. History changes, but people need to remain united in recognition of the great varieties among us."
"Beckett Material" — Morton Feldman (Wergo).
"Chet Baker plays the best of Lerner & Loewe" (Riverride/Concord).
"The Miraculous Mandarin" — Orchestre National de Lyon, David Robertson (Harmonia Mundi).
"Now/Strung Out" — Philip Glass (Orange Mountain).
"Brad Mehldau — 10 Years Solo Live" (Nonesuch, 4 CDs). We have hours of happy Mehldau listening behind us, both live and on discs, most of which was in combos, as on his multi-volume "Art of the Trio" series with longtime collaborators Larry Grenadier, bass, and Jorge Rossy, drums. But this four-disc set is composed entirely of live solo sets around the world. Brad has more than enough imagination and technique to sustain it.
"Martha Argerich: The Collection 1, the solo recordings" — (DG, 8 LPs, 1960-83).
"Max Richter — From Sleep" (DG).
"Dear Evan Hansen" (OCR).
"A Rainbow in Curved Air" — Terry Riley (CBS, with Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band).
"Prokofiev for Two" — Martha Argerich & Sergei Babayan ("Romeo & Juliet," "Eugene Onegin," "Hamlet," "The Queen of Spades," "War and Peace") (DG).
"Sondheim on Sondheim" — Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams, Tom Wopat, directed by James Lapine (PS).
"It's Hard" — The Bad Plus (Okeh).
"Last Dance" — Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden (ECM).
Break time
Lyric break: "Used to be a sweet boy,/ but I'm not to blame./ Something went wrong,/ something went wrong,/ and I'm not to blame." — Morrissey, "Used To Be a Sweet Boy."
"Yes, well," retorts Pepi, "the same could be said of everybody!"
News break: Yes, Bert & Ernie of "Sesame Street" are gay. Out There has slept with both of them, and we have the felt burns to prove it.
Science break: From The New York Times' "Ask Well" column, "Which is better: Viagra or Cialis?": "All four of the currently approved drugs seem to be equally good at producing erections. But it is difficult to be more definitive in comparing their efficacy, because few head-to-head studies have been conducted." We know of a few.