Update: We are slowly inching towards the half-way mark. With gracious donations and your kind words about Newstalgia, we may have a shot at reaching our goal. But I still need your help. Half way is still half-way and unfortunately I can't talk the landlords into half the amount needed in order to take off the lien. And so, I keep appealing for whatever amount you can give - any amount at all, in order to save Newstalgia (and the archive) from extinction. I know these times are tough and the future is, at best, uncertain. And I don't want to cause anyone any hardship - if you can't afford to donate, you can't and I would rather have you use one of my posts for your history class than to have you leave and not come back. But if you can afford it, please consider making a donation. As I said, any amount is a great amount to me and to helping save something I hope you feel is worthwhile. We can do it - we're doing it. You're making a difference!

Over to Neuss Germany this week for a chamber concert featuring The Ebène Quartet in music of Mozart, Borodin and Schubert. It was recorded on December 4, 2011 by WDR.

Hard to imagine the Ebène Quartet have only been together since 1999, as they sound like an ensemble who have been together for at least twice that long. They have been characterized in the press as "taking the music world by storm" and gaining a huge audience in the process.

The concert has been broken up between two players - the top player fetures the Mozart and Borodin and the bottom player features the Schubert.

For you note keepers:

wdr 3 Kammerkonzerte in NRW

wolfgang amadeus mozart: Divertimento D­dur KV 136

alexander borodin: Streichquartett Nr.2 D­dur

franz schubert: Quintett C­dur für zwei Violinen Viola und zwei Violoncelli D 956

Quatuor Ebène
Pierre Colombet · Violine
Gabriel Le Magadure · Violine
Mathieu Herzog · Viola
Raphaël Merlin · Violoncello
und Nicolas Altstaedt · Violoncello

Aufnahme vom 4. Dezember 2011 aus dem Zeughaus, Neuss

Since it is Anti-Road Rage Wednesday, I think it's a safe bet this one works for that.

Relax, the week is almost over.

A celebration from Madrid tonight. In honor of the 75th anniversary of the founding of Radio Nacional Espana, the Orquesta Sinfonica de RTVE (Spanish Radio and Television) put on a special commemorative concert in which no less than Queen Sofia of Spain attended.

The concert was recorded live-as-it-happened on June 1st of this year and features the RTVE Symphony conducted by Garcia Asensio and Luis Fernando Pèrèz, piano in music of San Miguel, de Falla and Borodin.

Here's what they play:

Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro de RTVE

Concierto 75 aniversario de R.N.E. Transmisión directa desde el Teatro Monumental de Madrid.

Part 1:
1.SAN MIGUEL: Fantasía radiante (estreno y encargo de RNE).

2.FALLA: Noches en los jardines de España. L. F. Pérez (p.).

Part 2 -
BORODIN: Sinfonía nº 2 en Si menor.

Orq. Sinf. de RTVE. Dir.: E. García Asensio.

Since it's Anti-Road Rage Wednesday, you can certainly join in the celebration. Or just get horizontal.