Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Christmas Gifts for the Musically Obsessed

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday. I know I did.

Santa was awfully good to me this year. I got almost everything I asked for, which means I'm in a great mood as we head toward 2008. Among other things, I got:
  • The Anti 9-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube by Michelle Goodman. I've already read it cover-to-cover, and I highly recommend it to every freelancer or entrepreneurial type out there. Inspiring, motivational, practical, and funny, it's an excellent read that's packed with good advice for getting off your kiester and doing whatever it is that you always wanted to do.

  • Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. I can't believe I've gone as long as I have without this book in my library. A writer and editor can never have too many style guides, and this is one of the very best there is. It's now sitting proudly beside my AP Stylebook in my cubicle at work, waiting to be studied whenever I have downtime.

  • Sweeney Todd movie soundtrack. Did I see the movie the second it came out? Yep. Did I love it? Yep. Do I have some minor nitpicks? Of course. Will this all be covered in its own blog post sometime in the next week or two? You bet.

  • Company revival cast recording. It's been a Sondheim-heavy Christmas, but you'll never hear me complain. I'm still bummed that I missed out on this John Doyle-directed revival, especially after seeing his adaptation of Sweeney twice last year, but at least now I have the music to get me through my day. It's a lovely CD. The orchestrations are breathtakingly gorgeous, and Raul Esparza's voice is just thrilling to listen to.

  • South Pacific in Concert CD. I've had the concert itself on DVD for a while. It's funny...in a lot of ways, South Pacific is my least favorite of the "big" Rodgers and Hammerstein shows. I generally find the plot boring and dated. But, done right, it contains some of the most gorgeous melodies the duo ever wrote together. And this concert is done right. With the unique country "twang" of Reba McEntire, the velvety baritone of Brian Stokes Mitchell, the spot-on comedy of Alec Baldwin, and the rich tones of the Orchestra of St. Luke's, conducted by the incomparable Paul Gemignani, it's an absolute joy to listen to.

What did you get this year that was particularly fun or interesting?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Well no one got me what I really wanted: permission to quit my job and live at home collecting unemployment for a few months while I figure things out :-) But I did get the awesome Charles Schulz biography and Order Of The Phoenix on DVD, so I can't complain about that.

Susan Johnston Taylor said...

I got the Anti-9 to 5 Guide, too!! What a great book.