Saturday Nine: Ludwig Von Beethoven: Complete Symphonies (2019)

This week's Saturday Nine:

You can listen to the orchestra here.

1. Beethoven is one of classical music's best known composers. Do you often listen to classical music? I don't listen to a lot of straight-up classical music these days, but I do love a lot of songs that use classical instruments in their production. Two of my favourites that I go back to all the time are "Lux Aeterna" from Requiem for a Dream and "Comptine d'un autre été: L'Après-Midi" from Amélie.
   
    
   
2. Though a musical genius, Beethoven never learned to multiply or divide. When faced with a simple arithmetic problem, do you do it in your head? Or do you rely on the calculator in your phone or on your computer? I usually do it in my head, depending on how simple it is, like basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with single or double digits. For example, figuring out how much a product/service is after tax or discount, or how much to tip at a restaurant. Anything more difficult than that, I usually have to use a calculator.
   
   
3. Beethoven bathed often, which was considered "quirky" for a man of his time. (Understandable, since you had the heat the water, haul it to the tub, and then empty the tub bucket by bucket when you were done.) Do you bathe in the morning or in the evening? I take showers at night.
   
   
4. Adam Fischer conducts the Danish Chamber Orchestra for this 5-disc set. He began his musical career young, when he sang in the children's choir of Budapest's National Opera House. Have you ever sung in a choir or chorus? I sang in choir in elementary school.
   
   
5. Mr. Fischer was awarded the Gold Medal of Arts from the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Tell us about a prize or award you have received. (Yes, that ribbon you earned for penmanship in second grade counts.) I won the Art Award at my Grade 6 graduation. (I went to a K-12 school, so graduation was in Grade 6, not Grade 8.)
   
   
6. The Danish Chamber Orchestra is beloved in Demark. When, in 2014, the Danish Broadcasting Company announced it would no longer fund the Orchestra, citizens began a crowdfunding campaign and raised more than $1,000,000 to keep the music playing. Have you ever contributed to a crowdfunding platform, like GoFundMe, Kickstarter or FundRazr? No. I do, however, contribute money to many BTS fan-run campaigns, like the banner projects for the tour dates I'm attending (at every BTS concert, there is a segment called ARMY TIME, during which every person in the audience holds up a banner that has a supportive message for BTS — these banners are always funded by the fans), or Canadian advertisment projects for promoting their albums (for example, billboards or subway/bus stop ads across cities in Canada).
   
   
7. The Orchestra's "home" is the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music in Copenhagen. Where were you when you last heard music played live? Rebel in Toronto last July for the CHVRCHES concert.
   
   
8. In 2019, when this boxed set was released, China became the first nation to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon. Are you fascinated by stories about space? Sure. I don't go out of my way to look for stories about space, but I'm always interested when I hear about them.
   
   
9. Random question: Tell us about your week. These are extraordinary times, and it might feel good to share. Well, I felt a sore throat when I woke up on Wednesday. Went into work because I thought it was just from smoking too much. But it persisted. I told my manager in the afternoon. She told me to go home early and not to come in the next day, and she'd open a case with HR (I assume regarding whether I get paid or not because I'm technically on probation period). Chatted with her on the phone on Thursday, updated her on any symptoms (which so far has just been the sore throat). She asked me some questions for HR, and then told me to stay at home until she notifies me further. So I've just been in quarantine since then. Been catching up on sleep and biding time by watching K-dramas, random YouTube videos, and BTS content like Run BTS!.