70+ year-old audio and classical music enthusiast from Central Tennessee

Add a welcome from me. I'm also 70+, audio and classical — though not aerospace; my background is film, mainly writing them. Yet Physics and Astrophysics always fascinated me, and Engineering too — all of them, and of course Music, have Mathematics at their core. I spent 9 weeks crossing an ocean once on a sailboat, and choosing books to bring was crucial. Moby Dick of course — where better than the middle of the South Atlantic to read it — yet six of the books, thick ones, were math and physics. (My avatar, BTW, was me back then, pointing to an engine part I had to make at sea, a bit of engineering of my own.)

I'm immersed in the middle quartets now, Op 59 — many overlook them. #2's Adagio is ravishing. Quartetto Italiano has the beautiful tone to express it. But so many groups have much to say. I have a few "cycles" — Italiano, Vegh, Talich, Lindsay — and I cherish them all because each excels in this movement or that moment. The Schubert String Quintet is exquisite, one of his final four works. Stravinsky called the Adagio "the most beautiful music ever written" and I can't suggest an alternative.

Chamber is my favorite classical genre now, maybe because my home system can make it "real", portray the scale, body and tonal richness of a live performance. I've never had a system, no matter how large and powerful, that could render a full symphony orchestra realistically — though concertos can do it for me, maybe because I focus on the solo instrument and the orchestra is less important.

I also use separates, and increasingly CD. Their quality has increased so much over the years, and getting a good DAC five years ago (finally) was another quantum leap.

I don't want to talk your ear off, so I'll sign off now. Hope to see more of you here.
 
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Greetings, Audio Karma members. I'm a 70+ year-old audio and classical music enthusiast from Central Tennessee, United States. I am also a (very) retired aerospace engineer that dabbled in computational aeroacoustics among other things. My music system is stereo and is based on separates and CDs, though I progressed from LPs to cassettes to open reel to CDs seeking acceptable background noise levels. I was raised by the good folks at Audio and Stereo Review magazines. I probably missed a lot along the way and hope I can make up some of that here. My favorite music genre is the classical string quartet (listening to Beethoven's Op. 130 by the Emerson right now). Thank you.
Welcome to AK, FLShope. I'm sure it's been mentioned by more than one member, but you may want to take a quick trek over to the "Today's Classical Playlist" thread. And while you're there, I'd recommend playing Holst's The Planets as you peruse the posts.
 
Welcome from another 70 plus (72 in two weeks). I also love chamber music, especially the Mozart quartets dedicated to Haydn, the Mozart string quintets, the Beethoven middle quartets and the Brahms and Schumann piano quintets.
Also jazz.
I wonder how many AKers are 70 plus.
 
Welcome from another 70 plus (72 in two weeks). I also love chamber music, especially the Mozart quartets dedicated to Haydn, the Mozart string quintets, the Beethoven middle quartets and the Brahms and Schumann piano quintets.
Also jazz.
I wonder how many AKers are 70 plus.
Me, for another.
 
Add a welcome from me. I'm also 70+, audio and classical — though not aerospace; my background is film, mainly writing them. Yet Physics and Astrophysics always fascinated me, and Engineering too — all of them, and of course Music, have Mathematics at their core. I spent 9 weeks crossing an ocean once on a sailboat, and choosing books to bring was crucial. Moby Dick of course — where better than the middle of the South Atlantic to read it — yet six of the books, thick ones, were math and physics. (My avatar, BTW, was me back then, pointing to an engine part I had to make at sea, a bit of engineering of my own.)

I'm immersed in the middle quartets now, Op 59 — many overlook them. #2's Adagio is ravishing. Quartetto Italiano has the beautiful tone to express it. But so many groups have much to say. I have a few "cycles" — Italiano, Vegh, Talich, Lindsay — and I cherish them all because each excels in this movement or that moment. The Schubert String Quintet is exquisite, one of his final four works. Stravinsky called the Adagio "the most beautiful music ever written" and I can't suggest an alternative.

Chamber is my favorite classical genre now, maybe because my home system can make it "real", portray the scale, body and tonal richness of a live performance. I've never had a system, no matter how large and powerful, that could render a full symphony orchestra realistically — though concertos can do it for me, maybe because I focus on the solo instrument and the orchestra is less important.

I also use separates, and increasingly CD. Their quality has increased so much over the years, and getting a good DAC five years ago (finally) was another quantum leap.

I don't want to talk your ear off, so I'll sign off now. Hope to see more of you here.

Hello, bimasta. Thank you for writing such nice welcome message. It sounds like you have had an immensely interesting career mixed with some substantial adventure. I expect a single math or physics book would have done me for the whole six-week cruise. I enjoy math, physics, and astronomy, too, though I went into engineering because my Dad was an engineer and I developed an obsession with rockets when I was a little kid. I expect math or physics would have been too much of a struggle for me, though it's the struggle that attracts me, I think. Plus, people always told me one of the fastest known ways to starve to death was to become a particle physicist.

I completely get your fascination with Beethoven's string quartets. I listen to my two sets (one by the Emerson and the earlier one by the Smetana) several times a year. It seems like, with chamber music, you can hear everything that is going on, which (to my ears) isn't the case with a symphony. My most recent acquisition is the set of six string quartets by Elena Ruehr. I am now listening to Schubert's string quintet D.956, which I believe is what you were referring to. I hadn't played this disk for a while, but the quintet is certainly memorable, though I can't claim the insight into the Adagio that you and Stravinsky share. I just need to listen to it more often.

Thanks, again for your nice welcome.

Fred
 
Welcome from another 70 plus (72 in two weeks). I also love chamber music, especially the Mozart quartets dedicated to Haydn, the Mozart string quintets, the Beethoven middle quartets and the Brahms and Schumann piano quintets.
Also jazz.
I wonder how many AKers are 70 plus.

iramegdal: Thanks for the welcome. We old troops have to stick together :). I can't agree more on the chamber music you mention. I have had the melody from Mozart's String Quintet No. 4 playing in my mind's background for weeks since my last listen.

I wonder, too , how many of us are 70+. Is there a polling facility at AK?
 
Don't HAVE to be a rocket scientist to hang here, but it'll probably be handy. You should blend in nicely with the rest of us old farts - we usually reserve the big table early morning and make the youngsters sit at the counter, eh. <G>
 
Welcome to AK, FLShope. I'm sure it's been mentioned by more than one member, but you may want to take a quick trek over to the "Today's Classical Playlist" thread. And while you're there, I'd recommend playing Holst's The Planets as you peruse the posts.
Appreciate the suggestion, KDAC, and I am due a re-listen to the Holst.
 
Don't HAVE to be a rocket scientist to hang here, but it'll probably be handy. You should blend in nicely with the rest of us old farts - we usually reserve the big table early morning and make the youngsters sit at the counter, eh. <G>

OK! I may finally be home.

Like your avatar pic! Very appropriate.
 
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