I was in the dentist chair for much of Monday afternoon so I
couldn't quite find the inspiration to get into the blog zone. I can tell you
that before my afternoon procedure I heard many good things about Simply
Sinatra, with the SLSO morphing into a big band and getting all sassy and
brassy for those boffo Ol' Blue Eyes tunes. Both Steve Lippia, who so closely
approximates the Sinatra croon, and conductor Victor Vanacore received kudos
all around.
Now back to the dentist chair. A couple years ago I had a
similar procedure, and I was offered a selection of CDs to listen to as a way
to mitigate the discomfort. I remember especially a recording of Beethoven's "Eroica"
Symphony, Otto Klemperer conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra, which I suspect
was in the CD stack because the folks in the dentist's office knew I worked for
the SLSO.
At any other time and place, I would have thought the
Klemperer "Eroica" a real find, but not as accompaniment to the minor demolitions
that were about to occur in my lower jaw. Again, there was this idea of
classical music as "relaxing" or "soothing," when the "Eroica" is anything but--a musical
revolution was not what I wanted in my ears along with the whirring and buzzing
and snarling of the dental tools.
This visit my dentist had gone totally modern, with a mini-iPod
provided. Once again, I steered away from the Rachmaninoff. The music I
selected was so lame I'm too embarrassed to identify it, but it's nice to say
that for a walk on the wild side--a totally unrelaxed experience--I'd go with
Rach 3 Piano Concerto any day, but to mellow things out a little soft rock is acceptable
in extreme circumstances.
Classical music was made to stir you up and leave savage beasts unsoothed.
