New to the Art Music Forum

I just heard about the existence of this forum from Symphony Addict in a discussion about Henk Badings on another forum. So, I decided to join, since I am always looking for places to discuss music.

My musical interests beyond Classical music generally include:

Jazz
Blues
Old time/Bluegrass
Early Music - Guillaume Machaut is a particular favorite

Currently the composers I am listening to the most are Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert and Schumann - but there have been periods when I was listening mostly to Feldman, Cage, Stravinsky and Boulez. Overall, I prefer solo piano/chamber music to orchestral works.

I guess the main thing that might differentiate my listening habits from many Classical music listeners, is that I listen almost totally uncritically. I don't often compare recordings, and rarely will express something about a work other than I enjoyed it or like the composer's music. I am not one to go into lengthy descriptions of my experience of a work. For me the primary benefit of being a member of a music forum is to see what others are listening to and discovering music I've not heard before.

Anyway, that's a little about me - I'd like to hear from and about all of you.

8)