There's a scene in the 2002 movie The Pianist in which Adrien Brody's character, the Polish-Jewish pianist Władysław Szpilman, is hiding in the ruins of a Warsaw villa. The Nazi officer who discovers him asks what he did before the war. "I was a pianist," Szpilman stammers. The German points to a battered grand piano and orders him to play something.

Pur ti miro
Wu Wei, sheng; Martin Stegner, viola; Janne Saksala, double bass
ECM New Series 2843 (CD; reviewed as 24/96). 2025. Manfred Eicher, exec. prod.; Martin Sauer, eng.

Lately in this space I've focused on all things (rather, some things) analog. This month I return to digital, specifically to streaming. I love listening to records, but I also listen to a lot of streamed music. I'm a Qobuz devotee, since Qobuz is the most approachable streaming service and the friendliest to audiophiles.

G.F. Handel: Handel Arias, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson; Dvořák: Slavonic Dances; John Dowland/Henry Purcell: Songs of Passion; Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.4 In G Major, Sciarrino: Il Sogno Di Stradella; Mozart: Sonata in C, Andante with Variations, Schubert: Duo in A minor; Fantasy in F minor.

Nicole Glover: Memories, Dreams, Reflections; Randy Ingram: Aries Dance; Eric McPherson: Double Bass Quartet.

Jeff Tweedy: Twilight Override; Big Thief: Double Infinity; Blood Orange: Essex Honey; Tedeschi Trucks Band and Leon Russell: Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited, Live at Lockn'.