On the radio

I was driving around on a Saturday and heard Angela Gheorghiu and Thomas Hampson on the radio in Simon Boccanegra. I like him better in his heavier, more middle-aged voice. Simon may suit his personality, with his basic sweetness. Angela I have to say I like more and more.

I also heard the Violin Concerto by Johannes Brahms, played by Gideon Kremer and the Vienna Philharmonic, with Leonard Bernstein conducting in a recently rereleased recording. It was marvelous. I have been accustomed to the version with Haifitz and found this a revelation. Brahms' soul was in German folk style, something that is not easy for sophisticated modern musicians to grasp, but Bernstein and Kremer exactly caught it. It was very emotional and quite beautiful.