Capistrano

Meredith Willson: Symphony No. 1 in F minor; Symphony No. 2 in E minor
$8.99
Meredith Willson (1902-1984) will be known - if for anything - for his two successful musicals and perhaps some film music (among other things orchestrating the music for Chaplin's The Great Dictator). His concert music is, however, well worth hearing, if not exactly anything that will change the face of the earth. Both symphonies here are pastoral, modest and enjoyable, tuneful and relatively harmonically conservative.

The first symphony is eclectic, especially in the outer movements, and not particularly coherent as a symphony, yet certainly enjoyable and eminently likeable, though perhaps a little overlong. The second symphony is more concentrated, even if it is equally eclectic - traces of Respighi and Hanson are certainly present. It is also superbly scored, with particularly fine woodwind writing (especially in the third movement). It is not a great symphony, by no means, but very enjoyable, although the slow movement is the only one that attempts to penetrate some depths.

I get something of the same feeling from this issue as I got from Naxos's George Templeton Strong issues - well-written, somewhat `cartoon-like' atmospheric, eclectic music; appealing and enjoyable but hardly more than that (not that there is anything necessarily wrong about that). The performances are generally rather good, but the Muscovites seem more assured in the second symphony. All in all a recommendable release.

Practical Ruby for System Administration (Expert's Voice in Open Source)
$44.99
Even if you're a seasoned Ruby developer, this book will give you some good ideas for Ruby scripts that you might not have considered.

Casablanca 46U45M Capistrano Ceiling Fan with Hand Held Remote, Brushed Nickel
$550.40
The Casablanca Fan 46U45M is a Capistrano Unipack - Versa Touch 2 Ceiling Fan with the W-72 - Versa-Touch2 (3-Speeds, Forward/Reverse & Light Dimming w/Memory) in the Brushed Nickel motor finish. This Ceiling Fan is from the Capistrano Collection and is UL Indoor rated. The Capistrano Unipack - Versa Touch 2 Includes 3" (3/4" Interior Diameter) Pole.