I will give it a try - and I would REALLY APPRECIATE any other suggestions:

Chamber Music
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Jordi Savall - his Vox Humaines sampler/best of
Quator Mozaiques - Beethoven String Quartets #s 5 and 6
Biber Violin Sonatas - Romanesca (Andrew Manze et. al)
Mozart String Quintests - Grumiaux Trio or Quator Talich
Beethoven Complete String Quartets by the Quator Takacs.

Any suggestions? JohnK? Anyone?

Don, certainly essential are the Debussy and Ravel String Quartets and here's a fine performance which also includes Ravel's exquisite Introduction and Allegro. The beautiful Borodin Quartet should also be basic. Then, of course, the Dvorak American Quartet is justly popular. More Dvorak, not as well known, but very attractive is this . Very little known, but worth learning, are these Bax compositions.

I just picked up the Bax cd. I think I might try the Borodin Quartet for the Borodin Quartets (if that is clear) and the Quartet Italiano for the Debussy and Ravel - but I haven't researched much. Sometimes those Naxos offerings are as good or better than the full price cds.

Thanks JohnK

Oz, I just realized you have a show coming up in a week. Have a great time! I saw RT twice already this year, and as always it was an amazing time.

Also, I just picked up tickets to see Dwight Yoakam at the Ryman November 7th. Getting psyched already...

Thanks Mike!
Based on what I'm hearing on his last two releases I'm sure it will be great. I'm really looking forward to it. The Ryman should be a great place to see Dwight. I love smaller venues.
Enjoy!
oz

The Ryman is a great place to see anyone -- it's just an incredible sounding room. My first show there was back in '99. All of the artists who contributed to the "O Brother, Where Art Thou" soundtrack put on a concert there (incidentally, this was filmed and later released as "Down From the Mountain" -- great disc if you ever get a chance to see it). But the thing that blew my mind was that there were three big Neumann mics in the center of the stage, and that was it. No amps, no pickups on the guitars, no individual vocal mics -- just those three large diaphram mics and that was it. And it sounded absolutely incredible.

Another reason it was a heck of a first show is because between the performers on stage and the celebs in the audience, it was a #$@% who's who of the screen and music worlds. I've always had a thing for Holly Hunter, and the chance to see her mingling a few feet away in a pair of faded black jeans was almost more than I could take.

So, Mike, I'm guessing that Holly Hunter voicing Mrs. Incredible (Elastigirl) is a pretty great experience for you, too.

Mmmm-hmm! The fact that she's a beautiful woman anyway certainly doesn't hurt (tiny little thing, though!), but her voice is definitely a part of it. Heck, she hosted a PBS documentary on cheetahs a while back, and that was every bit as...um...engrossing as any of her other big screen roles.

Mmmm...Elastigirl...

brings new meaning to "reach around"

Peter, that's two in a row -- you're on a roll today. What gives?