Usually each winter, we get two weeks when the highs are around -20 every day. "Arctic front", "ice dome", etc. When the temp rises to -10C after it's done, I've become so acclimated that it's t-shirt and shorts in the house!
cheers
CM
T-shirt and shorts seriously?
You must have a much better isolated house and better heating than I have. But yes I also remember cold November days in Banff when my girlfriend used to point at Canadians still in shorts whilst she and I were already wearing our downjackets and newly aquired well insulated Canadian winter boots. Still got those and use them regularly.
-15C here today and I am wearing leather boots indoors and again having the two fireplaces going in both downstairs rooms, and I am even beginning to consider firing up the old Husqvarna iron stove in the kitchen too.
Problem is it is currently serving as my wine cellar with a big wooden rack stacked with good wines.
Anyway pedalling with leather boots on, at the piano practicing Beethoven´s Pathetique Adagio Cantabile today again, works fine, and made me think of the old days when a more famous Bernstein than the piano teacher Seymour B, Quinto posted ,shocked the conservative members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra by wearing his Cowboy boots at rehearsals of Mahler in the Musikverein.
But he sure "took them for a quite a ride" in his very idiosynchratic sometimes imho maybe at a bit "over the top" interpretations of Mahler´s symphonies.
Although some of the most conservative members are rumoured to have whispered among themselves : "Scheissmusik und Bernstein heult ja immer?
For non German readers loosely translated: "really bad music" and "why is he crying so much"
Much as I like most of Berstein´s recordings and the live concerts I attended at the BBC Proms conducted by him , I have to say that I prefer both Karajan´s and Ivan Fisher´s M5 over Lennies DGG VPO recording of the same work .
Karajan´s almost the opposite of Lennie´s and Fisher´s somewhere in between those two.
Karajan´s BPO with extreme attention to inner detail and balance and ironically imho the best played "Jewish Kletzmer" music of all three.
Karajan once said about Mahler´s music that "it has to be played extremely well otherwise it is at serious risk of sounding banale."
And Bernstein´s advice to his players was basically the opposite.
Provides some interesting and enjoyable listening comparisons indeed.
Finally back OT again In the very North of Sweden, I am at least an 8-10 hours drive south of there ,but -42.8 C was recorded a couple of days ago. The coldest ever recorded winter temp there was over -50C.
Cheers CC
