Russians and other musicians

I'm currently, for the second time, slogging through Fyodor Dostoevsky's Demons. I read it a couple of years ago but, because I took a long break from the book at one point, I rather lost the thread of the story. This time around, I have a clearer mental picture of what is going on. Still, I'm growing rather tired of the Russian novel.

You see, for the last 5 or 6 years, I've convinced myself that I enjoy classic literature, especially Russian novels, and particularly those of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Of Dostoevsky's 14 major works listed at wikipedia, I've read six. They are (chronologically, by publication date): Notes from Underground, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, The Raw Youth, and The Brothers Karamazov.

But the old thrill is gone. So, unless I decide to have another crack at Karamazov or War and Peace (to me, the most compelling novels in the Russian contingent), I'll be taking a prolonged break from this branch of literature. I'm just getting a little tired of keeping track of diminutives, patronymics, saint-names, and all of the socialist intrigues that fill the pages of these books.

Also, for the next month, or so, I'll be trying to be a musician again. The meatier of the works that I am rehearsing for are Bach's Mass in B minor and Symphony No. 2 by Jean Sibelius. In style and purpose, the two pieces couldn't be more different, but I'm excited about both.

And, since I'm a nice guy, a little something for the kids:

Buck 65 - Kennedy Killed the Hat (MSTRKRFT remix)