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UND North Dakota Fighting Sioux XXXX L Hockey Jersey
$73.00

Harry Potter Und der Stein der Weisen (German Edition)
$22.95
I bought this book with the hopes that I would be able to understand it, even with my limited command of the German language (Studied for 4 years in high school), and to my surprise, I was able to make my way through it without any real trouble. It stays true to the original English, and its a good direct translation. I'd recommend it if you want to keep up with your German in a fun new way.

Scheissmessiah
$9.99
When this CD came out, i picked it up with a magic shovel because it was so heavy. I was immediately "Enslaved" by the wonderful music that these little lads invented. Wit their butt. I hope metal lords reads this cuz he is a hawt tw@t sittin duc. With a nice set of pizza balls with a big weener. This album is so hot I wear a glove and poke it in the ORNUS WITH METAL LORDS AT MY SIDE on the throne. Herr ist meine trusty sidekick. Thine crotch is a pillow for mine icy nether region of love. Yeah. next time, I hope the special editions be's cummin out with ein pupentheater. WILD HOGS MOGOLLON!!!!!

Wagner - Tristan und Isolde (Bayreuth)
$29.99
The image of the set's covers as shown on Amazon's website does not say when this production was filmed or recorded, but I attended a performance of it at Bayreuth on 14th August last year (2008) and I can report that in my opinion it is seriuosly flawed. Marthaler's production is set firmly in Germany's current vogue of "Regietheater" but wisely eschews excess, thence its staging concept will be bought by many who right out don't object to novelty. I felt comfortable with it throughout: the stage is divided into three levels (or "floors", to give you a better idea), one for each act. Thus the "vessel" setting for Act 1 is seen throughout the rest of the work as a kind of "ceiling", as the stage is lifted for the 2nd Act to reveal that act's proper setting, and throughout the third act you also see act 2's setting as a kind of "upper floor" below the first's "ceiling" when the stage is raised once more to reveal the 3rd act's setting. This latter act's d���cor may be contrued as an operating warden or intensive care unit at a hospital where Tristan is put in a bed to recover, which actually makes sense given what happened at the end of the preceeding act.

The orchestra was in good shape in 2008's edition of the Festival (assuming the performance was taped that year, I cannot say for 2009's if it stems from this latter one's) and Schneider's conducting made a lot of sense. Although not especially old nor the kind of conductor that makes noise in the world's marquees, he's one of those solid conductors that seemed to me as steeped in the old austro-german school (he's Austrian), firmly seasoned in opera conducting and tending to singers needs. The problems, and quite significant ones at that, had to do with the principals, the Tristan above all. A joke went the rounds during the intervals, that Wolfgang Wagner had invited Marcel Marceau's foremost pupil to play the role of Tristan ... and the pun was not that much off centre, I must say, for at least on that evening Dean-Smith could often be quite difficult to be heard, and that is a capital sin in this work. The Isolde was no better than run-of-the-mill (if a run-of-the-mill Isolde can exist), in the sense that she did not arise one's admiration in any special way. Correct, but nothing more. Holl was a remarkable King, the best of the lot by far.

So, you have been warned. I am tempted to say that Opus Arte, a house that consistently has published some remarkable rpoducts, missed out this time, and quite big at that. Or maybe I was especially unlucky last year and it happens that the performarce they now publish has Dean-Smith in better shape ... try lo listen to it first, though, or else try some other alternative. The Meier / Jerusalem / Barenboim on DG, also out of Bayreuth, is a very good one.