Pardon Our Spittle

Sorry if I seem a bit grouchy today. I think I'm picking up a spring cold. Feh.

UPDATE: Things that make one feel better:

Georg Philipp Telemann - String Concertos performed by Musica Antiqua Köln with Reinhard Goebel.

I've been listening to this CD a lot lately and it never fails to pick me up. There's nothing particularly deep or intellectually rigorous about any of this music, it's simply very pleasant to listen to. Telemann (1681-1767) is renowned for his cosmopolitanism and his wide knowledge of international style and it is on display here. (Indeed, he sometimes seems to forget what style he is employing half way through a piece and switches to another without noticing.)

When I was a kid, I used to dislike Telemann rather a lot. Looking back, I think this must have had something to do with the performances available at the time, which tended to be slow, lugubrious and ham-handed. Certainly Telemann has been one of the prime beneficiaries of the Period Performance movement which has gained such notoriety since then. In the first place, much of his music that had been heretofore ignored has been gobbled up by such performers eager to mine all the Baroque has to offer. Secondly, at least from my perspective, his music really comes alive at the hands of people like Goebel & Co. I suppose there is a connection. And while I know that the debate over the "authenticity" of this kind of performance is deep and bitter, I don't really care - this is the way I like to hear Telemann.

UPDATE DEUX: Speaking of Telemann, if I haven't mentioned it before, pianists out there might consider picking up this:

The 36 Fantasias for Keyboard. They are extremely easy to play, translate well to the piano and are a very pleasant diversion.