An admitted greenhorn when it comes to classical music, I find that I also lean towards the quieter chamber pieces and the concertos. I'll have to branch out and start trying some more symphonies. For Shosto, I probably most familiar with his 8th String Quartet and Cello Concerto No 1 so these would currently be among my 'faves'.

Merci, Monsieur Mercer (3 pts for alliteration, 2 for french) for the tip on Lilburn. I’ve been looking to download a few more classical pieces from emusic but haven't been sure about any of the recordings. May have to pick up a guidebook on classical over the holidays.

Haven't seen this much buzz about physical attributes of a female performer since stuart brought the carla bruni disc to the cd club. But, you may well ask, which of the two wins a googlefight?

As for end of year picks, I'm hoping to post these sometime this week. I will include a list of favourite songs, albums, films, and possibly books. I'll also link to any articles with interesting end of year selections.