About Me

My "watershed" encounter with classical music occurred when I was living in Manhattan. I heard Beethoven's "Emperor" concerto on the radio one Sunday, and was blown away by its audacity and refinement. I started collecting classical CDs, from Tower Records (B'way/66th) and HMV (B'way/72nd), two stores with sublime selections. Both are gone, but memories endure. My first audio system was from J & R Music, located at Park Row in NYC (closed in 2014). I enjoyed it for almost two decades. Bookshelf speakers, a CDP and stereo receiver.

The twin towers behind St. Paul's chapel, viewed from Park Row near J&R Music.

The New York skyline in the early 1990s:

https://www.favrify.com/new-york-skyline/

Like (besides music): Brains; data; books; Tropicana; art museums.

Dislike: Hype; social media; distracted drivers.

My First System: TEAC AD400, Sony STRD511, Pinnacle AC650.

Banned! 1) Integrated circuit op-amps: Discrete circuits are better: more linear output and very low distortion. 2) Tubed power amps: For people without central heating.

Prefer: Discrete circuits; solid-state output; zero jitter + class-A analog output in DACs.

Fav Museums:

-The Metropolitan Museum, The Frick Collection, Neue Galerie, AMNH (NYC);

-Secession Building, Otto Wagner Villa/Fuchs Museum, Beethoven Pasqualatihaus, Leopold, Mozarthaus, Kunsthistorisches (Vienna);

-Musée d'Orsay, Musée National du Moyen Âge, L'Orangerie, Musée Guimet Asiatique (Paris);

-The Russian Museum (Санкт-Петербург); Hungarian National Gallery (Budapest);

-Groeningen, Hans Memling Museum (Brugge);

-The Nobel Museum (Stockholm); Kunsthaus Zurich;

-Alte und Neue Pinakothek, Bayerisches Nationalmuseum (Munich);

-Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, Rembrandthuis (Amsterdam);

-Rubenshuis (Antwerp);

-Tate Britain, Westminster Abbey, The British Museum, National Gallery (London);

-Picasso Museum, Palau de la Musica Catalana (Barcelona);

-AGO (Toronto); Canadian War Museum, National Gallery of Art (Ottawa);

-The Barnes Foundation (Philadelphia).

Fav Cathedrals/Churches: (I'm not religious, but the art/architecture are astounding!)

-Basilique de St-Denis, Chartres, Bourges, Reims, Amiens (France)

-St Severin, St Eustache, St Sulpice, St Etienne du Mont (Paris)

-Maria am Gestade, Dominikanerkirche, St Michael's (Vienna)

-Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, Santo Spirito, San Miniato al Monte, San Marco (Florence)

-San Clemente, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Santa Maria Trastevere (Rome)

-Asamkirche (Munich)

-St Vitus, St George, Church of Our Lady before Tyn (Prague)

-St Stephen's Basilica (Budapest)

-Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar (Barcelona)

Parks: Jardins du Luxembourg (Paris); Central Park (NYC); Millesgarden (Stockholm).

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