New members.

[Mark]

The good side of it: Britain is an island.

Let me guess: you're either American or Australian, and so you'd think nothing of taking an internal flight halfway across your country to get somewhere. You must also assume that because Britain is 'small' and an 'island', everything's within easy reach? Oh, to the contrary. Travel on our road or rail networks, and you'll quickly discover that though we're just an island, we might as well be a bloody continent, given how long it takes to get anywhere.

[Kullervo]

I introduced myself when I first joined several months ago, but I might as well update it.

I am Corey and I live on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

I find that I am embarrassed to read things I wrote only six months ago. I take this as a direct consequence of my age (21 at present).

My conversations with people are usually soliloquies.

I have been listening to Classical music for about 3 years.

Interests: literature, music (obviously), general history, Philosophy

Dislikes: automobiles, ignorance, nostalgia, pity

Main musical interests: Sibelius (above all), Beethoven (obligatory), Honegger, Nørgård. I like many others, but these have affected me the most.

I often come back to composers whose music I didn't like a few months ago and find I actually like them. For this reason I am reluctant to dismiss any composer outright.

[Harry]

Thanks for this input Corey.

[MN Dave]

Dear Harry,

My name is Dave. I live in Minnesota. You probably figured that out already.

I like music. Lots of music. The more the better. My wife thinks I'm crazy. She wishes I would write instead of play with my iTunes all the time. Sometimes I wish that too. But music is my heroin, so it isn't easy, man.

My favorite composers are in my signature. Sometimes the roster changes a little, but not often.

Favorite pieces: the smaller the ensemble, the better. Solo piano really gets me off.

I played trumpet in junior high and dabbled with an electric guitar only recently. I'd like to write little pop songs, but who has the time? Not me.

[Harry]

Dear Harry,

My name is Dave. I live in Minnesota. You probably figured that out already.

I like music. Lots of music. The more the better. My wife thinks I'm crazy. She wishes I would write instead of play with my iTunes all the time. Sometimes I wish that too. But music is my heroin, so it isn't easy, man.

My favorite composers are in my signature. Sometimes the roster changes a little, but not often.

Favorite pieces: the smaller the ensemble, the better. Solo piano really gets me off.

I played trumpet in junior high and dabbled with an electric guitar only recently. I'd like to write little pop songs, but who has the time? Not me.

Let me talk to your wife, I will straighten this minor problem out, Dave!
And thanks for the input......

[MN Dave]

Let me talk to your wife, I will straighten this minor problem out, Dave!

Okay, but you asked for it! 

[matti]

Let me guess: you're either American or Australian, and so you'd think nothing of taking an internal flight halfway across your country to get somewhere. You must also assume that because Britain is 'small' and an 'island', everything's within easy reach? Oh, to the contrary. Travel on our road or rail networks, and you'll quickly discover that though we're just an island, we might as well be a bloody continent, given how long it takes to get anywhere.

My take of his comment: I think he is grateful that Britain is an island, because if YOU tried to reach the continent with your car, you would much more probably hit the sea than the ferry with your car.  

So my bet is he lives either in Calais, Boulogne or Dunkerque.  

[Mark]

My take of his comment: I think he is grateful that Britain is an island, because if YOU tried to reach the continent with your car, you would much more probably hit the sea than the ferry with your car.  

So my bet is he lives either in Calais, Boulogne or Dunkerque.  

Good thought.

[(poco) Sforzando]

David; i understand you perfectly about the american food.
For an italian borne, it must be a torture. Say, if you want
to taste good italian food, came to Buenos Aires.

I'm sorry, but this notion about the inferiority of food in America is simply a tired cliché. Of course there's plenty of fast food and crap to be found here, but that is true anywhere (some of the worst meals I have ever eaten were in Paris). Someone who lives near a major American city can certainly find more than decent Italian food and food from many other cultures. (Boston's North End is great for Italian, for example.) Living near New York City as I do, I would say there is a wealth and variety of cuisines that I have not experienced in many other cities, and that emphatically includes Europe. You just have to know where to find it, and be willing to pay for it.

[Josquin des Prez]

You just have to know where to find it, and be willing to pay for it.

That's the problem you see. In Italy, the best stuff is usually found among the lowly peasantry.

[MN Dave]

That's the problem you see. In Italy, the best stuff is usually found among the lowly peasantry.

Not the upper-crust peasantry, eh?

[(poco) Sforzando]

That's the problem you see. In Italy, the best stuff is usually found among the lowly peasantry.

So crack open your copy of Marcella Hazan and cook it for yourself. 

[Don]

I don't have anything favorable to say about the food in Italy (Rome/Venice/Florence).  On our European vacation, both my wife and I preferred the food in Poland, Budapest and Prague.

[Tapio Dmitriyevich]

Good thought.

Yes, a very close thought. I was thinking "OMG, driving car is dangerous enough, don't know if I'd survive one more Mark here on our traffic jammed streets of Ruhrgebiet." 
Food question: which folks preferred this disgusting vegamite stuff? Oztralians? NZlers? Really strange stuff.

[Harry]

Dear friends, please keep to the original purpose of the thread.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Dear friends, please keep to the original purpose of the thread.

Your wish is my command.

I did introduce myself when I joined this Forum a few months ago, but this thread is so informative about some of the poster's I've been seeing here, that I feel stimulated to tell a bit more about myself, just so those interested get a rounder picture.

I'm 46, male (don't let my name trick you into thinking otherwise, it contains my initials JZH), married with one daughter (8 on 30 December). Classical music has been the love of my life ever since I heard Beethoven's 'Pastoral' and Wagner's Prelude to 'Die Meistersinger'. After that I immersed myself in symphonies and Wagnerian opera. Beethoven and Wagner led to Bruckner led to Mahler led to Sibelius and Shostakovich and Elgar and Brian and RVW and and and - and I'm still discovering symphonists I never heard before, like Alfvén, Atterberg and Tubin.

Later on, in 1985, I heard the Amadeus Quartet in the Kleine Zaal of the Concertgebouw in a whole Beethoven cycle, which converted me to chamber music. Some singing lessons I took introduced me to Lieder, which brought me Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf and others.

The joy of this Forum is that there are enthusastic and knowledgeable people around, who can tell me about composers I didn't know yet, or recommend performances. I have parted with my money several times, the last few months, because of the positive, well-argued judgments of some of the posters here...

My own calling: writer. I'm finishing an enormous first novel, in Dutch (I live in Delft, but was born in Amsterdam), which will be published on completion. Parts of it have been published by a leading literary magazine in Flanders. (Dutch members who would like to get a taste, can simply google my name...)

My interests are wide-ranging: politics, history, philosophy, religion et cetera. I reserve a special love for England/Britain and Scandinavia. I adore British comedy, English poetry and drama (and music, of course!), I like Nordic clarity, the clean lines. The German-speaking world, also, has always been of paramount interest to me (to whom it may mean something: my literary favourites are Kleist, Benn, Kraus, Arno Schmidt and Nestroy).

And I could go on, which I won't.

Jez

[Harry]

I wish you would my dear friend...but anyway, I am glad to have read this very interesting story.
Sure I will Google you, you made me quite curious.....

[Mark]

Yes, a very close thought. I was thinking "OMG, driving car is dangerous enough, don't know if I'd survive one more Mark here on our traffic jammed streets of Ruhrgebiet." 
Food question: which folks preferred this disgusting vegamite stuff? Oztralians? NZlers? Really strange stuff.

With apologies to Harry for this further digression, you may rest assured that I now drive well and safely.

[greg]

Names David, age 29, official forum pest and as of late misogynist extraordinaire!

oh, so we can call you David now?
(how many Italian people are there named David? lol)

[greg]

I introduced myself when I first joined several months ago, but I might as well update it.

I am Corey and I live on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

I find that I am embarrassed to read things I wrote only six months ago. I take this as a direct consequence of my age (21 at present).

My conversations with people are usually soliloquies.

I have been listening to Classical music for about 3 years.

Interests: literature, music (obviously), general history, Philosophy

Dislikes: automobiles, ignorance, nostalgia, pity

Main musical interests: Sibelius (above all), Beethoven (obligatory), Honegger, Nørgård. I like many others, but these have affected me the most.

I often come back to composers whose music I didn't like a few months ago and find I actually like them. For this reason I am reluctant to dismiss any composer outright.

dislikes "nostalgia"?
wow, you're crazy...... i can understand nostalgia as in those old video games grown ups feel nostalgiac about that really suck, but nostalgia in general, that's...... hm, whatever lol