Okay, yes, it's been two months, but I've made three cross-country trips and moved to a new apartment in that time. Cut me a little slack! I found a small stack of Columbia six-eye records at the thrift store yesterday. It seemed the perfect opportunity to jump back into it...

Leonard Rose, George Szell, NYP "Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations" (Vinyl) I'm not sure what's "limited" about this edition, but I'm learning a lot about the importance of record vintage. In the pile of six-eyes that I pulled from a thrift store yesterday there was a recording of the Sibelius violin concerto with Oistrakh performing with Ormandy/Philly. I brought it home to discover that I already had the identical recording that had be re-released years later on the CBS Odyssey label. Its the same recording, but put out on an inferior vinyl pressing. I liken it to Stradivarius: we've spent the last 400 years trying to figure out how he made his violins so well. Sometimes you get it right the first time. This recording is the second I've acquired of Mr. Rose. I also have a recording he made with Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. I'm not in a position to compare the two performances; it should suffice to say that Mr. Rose's playing has served as a worthy signpost for all subsequent generations of cello playing. His finely-tuned craft is a joy to listen to.