Diane and I have seen Natalie MacMaster in concert three or four times and Donnell Leahy in concert a couple of times. MacMaster and Leahy are brilliant fiddlers who ended up getting married. They are now touring together so this was a new experience for us. Backed up by two pianists, Natalie and Donnell played jigs, reels, waltzes, strathspeys, marches, and traditional folk songs. If this kind of music appeals to you, and the Master of the Fiddle tour comes to your area, check them out. Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy are two of the best fiddlers on this planet. GRADE: A
A piece of advice. We need a gift for a friend who loves Philip Glass and Arvo Parte (sp?). And we need it today. Any suggestions of a similar artist you might find in Target or Best Buy. There are so few places left to buy music on the spot.
I’d suggest Lauridsen’s LUX AETERNA or Gorecki’s SYMPHONY #3, Patti. Of course, a gift card might also work.
Thanks, George. Remember when you could run right down to your local music store and pick these up. Now it’s doubtful you can find it offline.
One of our largest independent record stores stopped carrying classical music CDs, Patti. When I asked the manager why all the classical CDs disappeared, he said, “Classical music doesn’t sell.” That part of the store is now racks of DVDs.
It’s all so sad. Did our parents say this too?
My parents lamented the mass destruction of small businesses when Wal-Mart and the other “Big Box” chains came to Western New York, Patti. Now we’re seeing the vanishing of record stores, used book stores, and independent book stores. Yes, it’s sad.
Wonder what Patti ended up with. Part. If the local stores stock Albany Records, they have an interesting range of modern recordings…the Vienna Modern Masters MUSIC FROM SIx CONTINENTS series they were distributing was pretty impressive, up there with the Louisville Symphony FIRST EDITION series.
Borders and B&N at least manage to have a vestige of a classical section. The local ones, anyway.
Our BEST BUY and Target stores carry “discount” Classical Music, Todd. In a word: junk. Even BORDERS and B&N have reduced their classical CD sections to almost nothing. I buy all of my classic music CDs online now.
I ended up buying a book about Frank Gehry’s architecture because I knew he liked the new wing on the Art Museum in Toronto. Three stores had nothing by any of the mentioned composers or anything non-traditional. Even finding a book about architecture was quite hard. Where did it all go wrong? Some of the Borders here have already divested themselves of all music.
I had a sinking feeling you wouldn’t be able to find any classical music CDs for your friend, Patti. Yes, even the major media sellers have almost eliminated classical music CDs from their stores. As I mentioned to Todd, I buy all of my classical music CDs online now because the stores just don’t carry it. The closest REAL music store is in Toronto. I’m sure your friend will enjoy the Frank Gehry book. I know I would.