AS THE WEB SPINS

posted by James Reel

    A few days ago, a fellow in Canada was surfing the Web and stumbled upon my old Timid Soul’s Guide to Classical Music. This surfer sent the link to a music enthusiast (and attorney) in Washington, D.C., who subsequently contacted me with some kind words and hopes that I would be able to update the site as time goes by. Well, that’s not possible, because The Timid Soul’s Guide is maintained by a former employer of mine, a newspaper that’s not likely to update 15-year-old material by somebody who’s gone on to bigger and better things.
    The good news, though, is that the D.C. music enthusiast, Peter Gutmann, has a splendid site of his own. It’s called Classical Notes, and he bills it as “classical music reviews, articles and commentary by a deeply devoted fan.” The material is aimed primarily at intelligent entry-level listeners, and includes extensive discographic surveys. I'm very impressed by what he’s put together, in terms of content and design. I also tend to agree with many of his evaluations, and where our tastes differ, he makes a very good case for his point of view. Do spend some time at his site.