I didn't intend for this to be such a long
list, but once I got started, I found that there was so much I wanted
to mention. This should give you a thorough idea of who my main
influences are, and I hope it will lead some people to discovering new
music. Please write to me if you'd like to know more about any of the following, or if you have any recommendations of music which I might enjoy.
My Favorite Composers: Johann
Sebastian Bach, Claude Debussy, Gustav Mahler, Andrzej Panufnik,
Stephen Sondheim, Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, Veljo Tormis, Edgard Varèse, Frank
Zappa.
Rock Bands: The Beatles,
Fleshquartet, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Guided by Voices, Hum, King
Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Phish, Pink Floyd, Queen, Radiohead, Sonic
Youth, 10cc, U2, Steve Vai, Frank Zappa & the Mothers.
Singer/Songwriters: Björk, David Bowie, Jeff Buckley, Ani DiFranco, Joni Mitchell, Todd Rundgren, Nina Simone, James Taylor, Tom Waits.
Jazz Musicians: John
Coltrane, Miles Davis, Juan Garcia Esquivel, Bill Evans, Gil Evans,
Keith Jarrett, Scott LaFaro, Charles Mingus, Maria Schneider.
Classical Musicians/Ensembles: Arditti String Quartet, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Michael Habermann, Hilary Hahn, Marc-André Hamelin, Kronos Quartet, Vladimir Viardo.
Absolute Favorite Albums: David Bowie - "Station to Station" (1976), Jeff Buckley - "Grace" (1994), Miles Davis - "Miles Ahead" (1957), Genesis - "A Trick of the Tail" (1976), Hum - "Downward is Heavenward" (1997), Radiohead - "Kid A" (2000), Maria Schneider Orchestra - "Allegresse" (2000), Sonic Youth - "Sister" (1986), James Taylor - "Gorilla" (1975), 10cc - "The Original Soundtrack" (1973), U2 - "The Unforgettable Fire" (1984), Stevie Wonder - "Songs in the Key of Life" (1976), Frank Zappa - "Waka/Jawaka" (1972).
The Rest of My Favorite Albums:
Tori Amos - "Boys for Pele" (1996), The Beatles - the white album
(1968), Björk - "Homogenic" (1997), Catherine Wheel - "Happy Days"
(1995), The Flaming Lips - "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" (2002),
Fleshquartet - "Pärlor från svin 2" (2002), Gentle Giant -
"Octopus" (1973), Guided by Voices - "Mag Earwhig!" (1997), George
Harrison - "All Things Must Pass" (1970), Michael Jackson - "Off the Wall" (1979), Keith Jarrett - "The
Köln Concert", King Crimson - "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" (1973),
Led Zeppelin IV (1971), Joni Mitchell - "Court and Spark" (1973), Pearl
Jam - "Yield" (1998), Phish - "Rift" (1993), Pink Floyd - "The Dark
Side of the Moon" (1973), The Posies - "Frosting on the Beater" (1993),
Queen - "A Night at the Opera" (1975), Queen Sarah Saturday - "Weave"
(1993), R.E.M. - "Up" (1998), Soundgarden - "Down on the Upside"
(1996), Steve Vai - "Passion and Warfare" (1990), Tom Waits - "Alice" (2002), Yes - "Fragile" (1972), Frank Zappa - "Läther" (1977).
Favorite Compositions:
Thomas Adès - "Living Toys" for ensemble, J. S. Bach - Chaconne
in D minor for violin, J. S. Bach - "St. Anne" Prelude and Fugue for
organ, Bela Bartok - Piano Concerto no. 3, Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Concerto, Pierre Boulez -
"Répons" for ensemble, Ferruccio Busoni - "Zehn Variationen
über ein Praeludium von Chopins" for piano, Claude Debussy -
"Petite Suite" for piano four hands, Philip Glass - String Quartet no.
5, Henryk Mikolaj Górecki - Symphony no. 3, Mauricio Kagel -
"Ludwig Van", Wojciech Kilar - "Orawa" for string orchestra, Gyorgy
Kurtag - "Messages of the late Miss R. V. Troussova" for soprano and
ensemble, Gustav Mahler - Symphony no. 9, Olivier Messiaen - "Louange à l'Eternité de Jesus" from Quartet for the end of time, Andrzej Panufnik - Sinfonia
Rustica, Krzysztof Penderecki - "Agnus Dei", Sergei Prokofiev - Piano
Concerto no. 1, Aribert Reimann - "Lear" (an opera), Maria Schneider -
"Hang Gliding" for big band, Kaikohshru Shapurji Sorabji - "Pastiche on
Rimsky-Korsakov's Hindu Merchant's Song" for piano, Igor Stravinsky -
Ebony Concerto, Karol Szymanowski - "Masques" for piano, Pyotr
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto no. 1, Veljo Tormis - "Sailing Aboard
Ship", Edgard Varèse - "Intégrales", Iannis Xenakis -
"Khoai" for harpsichord, Frank Zappa - "Dog Breath Variations".
Favorite Pieces to Perform:
J. S. Bach - Prelude in F Major from WTC, Book 2, J. S. Bach -
Chorale-partita on "Sei gegrüsset, Jesu gutig", Bela Bartók
- Six Roumanian Folk Dances, Aaron Copland - "The Cat and the Mouse",
Claude Debussy - "Sarabande" from Pour le piano,
Marcel Dupré - "Le monde attente le Saveur" from
Symphonie-Passion, George Gershwin - Prelude no. 1, Enrique Granados -
"Serenata del Espectro" from Goyescas, Mauricio Kagel - "Rrrrrrr..." (Acht orgelstücke), Olivier Messiaen - "Combat de la Morte et de la Vie" from Les Corps Glorieux,
Arvo Pärt - "Annum per Annum", Sergei Prokofiev - Visions
Fugitives, Arnold Schoenberg - "Variationen über ein Rezitatif",
Louis Vierne - Symphonie no. 6.
Favorite Comic Strip: Calvin & Hobbes
Favorite Chinese Restaurant: Golden Dynasty (Rochester, NY)
Favorite Writers: Diane
Ackerman, Douglas Adams, Jorge Luis Borges, Italo Calvino, Vaclav
Havel, Eugene Ionesco, James Joyce, Sylvia Plath, Terry Pratchett,
William Shakespeare, Kurt Vonnegut
Favorite Movies:
Amarcord, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Dr. Strangelove
(or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb), The Graduate,
The Princess Bride, This Is Spinal Tap, Titus, Wayne's World
Favorite Television Shows:
Mr. Bean, Black Adder, Cartoon Planet, Fawlty Towers, Iron Chef, Monty
Python's Flying Circus, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, Star Trek: The
Next Generation, The Tick
Favorite Cat: Max (visit the photos page, you'll see why)
Least Favorite Word: Dysentery
Favorite Meal: Dessert