Lean on Me Are You Listening Less?

New York Diary (20-9): Lean on Me
Audio in Time of Cholera (Corona), II

Amended 4/6/20.

The plague upon us brings other kinds of malaises upon us, chief among which are anxiety, a sense of not being in control and disruption of daily routine. If this happens to me, a retiree, I can imagine the havoc the plague is wreaking on the working person with kids. My sympathy.

I'd wager most of us are listening less to music. That was true of me, and I am not even working. For the last three weeks I have only gone out for necessities a few times. Cooped up at home, as mentioned in my last installment, I found myself watching TV much more than listening to music. In fact, early on, there were a few days when I didn't listen to music at all. I talked to my friend Andy and it's the same with him. He is now avidly following his favorite TV series. Obviously the various malaises I mentioned are affecting us. I mulled over this and I think I know why this is: serious listeners and music lovers need concentration to listen, and that is in short supply during these rough times; it is far easier to watch TV and youtube. So Music is Non-Essential, or is it?

Not so. Not everyone is like Andy and I. My friend Richard (early home visit here) is a supervisor in the Maintenance department of the MTA. Being an essential worker, he goes to work every day. We talked a bit the other day and he said he is listening to music as usual and finds it cathartic. That is the way it should be! The audiophile should not be defeated by a virus.Our friend Kevin also goes to work every day at NYU. I applaud the stamina of the front line workers and they deserve all our thanks.This does not mention my fellow classmates and acquaintances on the front line, too many to list!

In the past few days I have put some schedule back in my life. In the morning I listen to some music and write a bit. As I type, I am on my third round of listening to the same record, Wilhelm Kempff playing Mozart's Piano Concertos No. 21 and 22 (DG). I can listen to Mozart's piano concertos all day. In fact I think I shall listen to the big Lili Kraus complete cycle (Columbia) again from the first disc to the last (I have done this twice before). And last night I listened to Celibidache's Bruckner 4th with the Stuggart (DG). So music is back, and I am back. Yes, the music makes me feel less gloomy, more positive.

Talking about heroes, in today's South China Morning Post I read about the incredible work in Congo done by Doctor Joyce Samoutou-Wong, who, like I, was originally from Hong Kong. Western readers may not know this, there is a long tradition in Hong Kong of charity work by health care practitioners, doctors and nurses, in the Third World, usually for organizations like Medicins sans Frontiers. I salute you, Dr. Samoutou-Wong! All of you make me proud to say I was from Hong Kong.

I am sure all of you know the passing of Bill Withers, one of the greatest songwriters. Everyone, by which I mean not only the American people, but people all over, knows Lean on Me. How come few songs today stir the soul in the same way? Where are the equivalents of The Four Tops, The Supremes, Otis Redding and Al Green, to name just a few of my favorites?

In this article I counted the names of 16 individuals and groups, past or present, that have made the world a better place and enhanced immeasurably my life. I salute all of them. And all the locations I have mentioned, indeed the whole world, now have the disease. We are in this all together, and I urge you all to wear masks, stay at home as much as possible, wash hands often, and practice social distancing.

Basic Repertoire
If you ask me, every one of Mozart's Piano Concertos is a jewel. From No. 20 to No. 27, and the sunny No. 9, are essentials. The best known are generally No. 20, 21, 23, 24. Among these, the most popular is No. 21, the Andante of which was popularized by the film Elvira Madigan. Below is the youtube (HD) of a performance by Arthur Rubinstein (the conductor is Alfred Wallenstein).