The amazing pianist I did not know: Vladimir Ashkenazy – With free giveaway!

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Ashkenazy 46 cd (plus book and 2 dvds) boxed set

Although classical music might be showing signs of an increase in popularity, the overall trend seems to be decreasing. This brings me to today’s paradox: Due to social media, “rock star” classical musicians are more popular than their counterparts of decades ago (with obvious exceptions: Callas, Pavarotti, Segovia, et al.). Nowadays, Joshua Bell, Gustavo Dudamel (dude had a TV series, Mozart in the Jungle, based on him!), Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, etc. (they each have around a million followers on Instagram!)

So the question would be: in equal circumstances (ceteris paribus) and access to YouTube, TikTok, Netflix, etc., how would a ranking of classical musicians look? And how would modern musicians stack up against pre-social media ones?

All this, because maybe (probably) I am an ignoramus and did not know Russian turned Icelandic pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy until recently. A dear colleague who just retired is a classical music connoisseur. He is also terribly generous and constantly regaled me with CDs that he was cleaning out.

One such gift was the boxed set (with book and DVDs) of Ashkenazy’s collected piano recordings. Obviously, it is not all the works ever written for piano, but it is 46 CDs including:

Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Bach, Brahms, Mozart, Schumann, Prokofiev, Beethoven, Scriabin, Previn, Chopin, Bartók, Glazunov, Franck

A couple of the works are repeated, albeit at different stages of Ashkenazy’s life, so if you have a fine ear, you can evaluate his evolution.

Listening to this whole body of work has taken me about 2 years, since I only have a CD player in my (old) car (see about minimalism here). And I replayed every CD multiple times!

This was a beautiful journey for me, learning about the magic of the piano, how different composers worked with the piano, etc. My favorite? The usual suspects: Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms… My least favorite: Previn.

So now that I have enjoyed listening to this phenomenal collection, it is time for me to give it away. If you live in South Florida and you want to pick it up, we can arrange it. If you pay the shipping costs, I will be happy to ship it wherever you want me to. First-come first-served. This is very rare and is not available easily.

Celebrating 10 years of Yoga

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As any normal person who has gone to the gym with certain regularity knows, it is mind-numbingly boring. I had heard all the wonderful benefits of Yoga, so about ten years ago, when somebody offered me a Yoga class at the gym in Chapel Hill, I signed up.

I liked it, I liked it enough to return and make it part of my routine, which also meant not doing the same boring workouts. I moved to Florida and continued going to Yoga at my local gym, and so on. Back in Spain, I dropped it; there seemed to be a disconnect between the mentality of Yoga and Spain’s well-established Scholastic tradition. I tried a few venues, but was not convinced

When I returned Stateside, after a bad experience at a local studio, I eventually found Paritosh at Casa Manabilss. What I realized was akin to thinking that for years I had been going to Taco Bell, thinking I was eating Mexican food, and then trying Mexican food in Mexico! My life was changed; I had now entered into real Yoga. Paritosh patiently explains not only the asanas, but they why, the philosophy, the history, the spirituality, the whole package!

On top of that, Paritosh is hilarious! Yes, I know all the jokes and when they are going to drop, but that is part of what makes the class fun.

Originally, the class was labeled Yin Yoga, a type of Yoga that works the fascia of the muscles by holding the asanas longer. Now it is Raja (Royal) Yoga, which gives Paritosh more room to do more encompassing exercises: meditations, breathing exercises, Yoga Nidra, etc. It is a very enriching class, as you never know exactly what the components are going to be, but they are always amazing.

Also, Casa Manabliss has a new home in what used to be the function room of a restaurant! They have done a great job preparing it and keeping the disco ball! It is a great new venue!

Sándor Marai, the best author you have never heard of —existentialism from another angle. (Warning: spoilers)

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Sandor Marai – El matarife

Last Summer, when I returned from Budapest, gushing with excitement from my visit, my sister gifted me Sandor Márai’s first novel, El matarife (The Slaughterer, The Butcher). I had never heard of him, but I was quickly absorbed by the Joseph Roth-like, turn of the (20th) Century style, which I love, and you can read about here.

Most protagonists in Existentialist literature have either lofty or uncertain, questionable motives. Yes, they might be murderers, think of Raskolnikov or Meursault, but either they try to justify their motives or, following Existential absurdity, they simply do not care. Other, more lofty existentialists, such as Don Quixote or Unamuno’s San Manuel Bueno, are not afraid to stand up for their beliefs.

In El Matarife (A mészáros in Hungarian) (1924) —which has yet to be translated into English! Marai creates a different narrative. Otto, who, as the title implies, will become a slaughterer, a butcher, enjoys killing, firstly cattle in Berlin’s market, then enemy soldiers and civilians during WWI. And eventually, as expected, he becomes a serial killer, who then kills himself.

The beauty of this book lies in Marai’s buildup of the narrative. We know Otto is a little different when, as a child, he enjoys seeing an ox get slaughtered. I remember being traumatized as a child seeing my neighbor’s pigs slaughtered, and that was a festive, community event! We also notice Otto is a detached fellow, no real friends, no girlfriend, no wife. Otto seems conscious of his behavior, which even earns him an Iron Cross from the Emperor himself!

Enough spoilers, if you can get your hands on some Marai, it will not disappoint. You are welcome.

Embers, originally published in 1942, was eventually published in English in 2001. It did garner critical acclaim, and I have it on the reading list.

Anton Raphael Mengs at the Prado Museum (hurry, until March 1, 2026)

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Yes, I might have a mildly obsessive personality. One such obsession is the 18th Century, I rather flourish with everything to do Enlightenment, Neoclassical, late Baroque, early Romantic, you get my drift.

When I found out there was a Mengs exhibit at the Prado, I did not go once; I went twice (and I might go again) —Advantage of being an “Amigo del Prado,” I get in for free 😊

Mengs is the consummate 18th-century, Enlightenment painter. Although he worked for a lot of European nobility, most of his work was for King Carlos III in Madrid; in fact, most of Mengs’ work I have seen was at the Palacio Real in Madrid.

My main scholarly project at the moment (sorry, I cannot disclose too many details) involves a Francisco de Isla book that was in the library of the Spanish-Italian Cardinal Zelada. What was my surprise when reading the description of a portrait at the exhibit, that it was Cardenal Zelada, which normally lives at the Art Institute of Chicago, what a coincidence! (Check it out here).

The exhibit is phenomenally curated; it has hundreds of paintings gathered from around the world, divided into 10 huge areas grouping different stages and themes. It is worth the visit.

So if you are in Madrid before March 1st, 2026, go to the Prado and check out the Mengs exhibition. You are welcome.

María Callas, and why I dislike Netflix movies.

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I might be slightly obsessed with Callas…

While I do not consider myself an opera connoisseur, I do love opera.

My love of opera started in high school when I listened to Kiri Te Kanawa sing the famous Madame Butterfly aria Un bel di vedremo, on one of my father’s cassette tapes!

Since then, I have listened to a lot of operas on records and on the stage.

Maria Callas stands out as THE diva, the voice. Yes, other voices are gorgeous, but the Callas is recognizable a mile away, and yes, you could probably hear it a mile away.

I recently saw Netflix’s biopic with Angelina Jolie about Callas’ final days, which prompted me to write this blog post.

The Netflix formula is, in my opinion, boring. Notice how they use all the resources. With all the money they have, they perfectly curate every film, produce the perfect color saturation, or switch to Black and White for certain scenes, all of which makes for boring films. So no, I am not a fan of Netflix films, and while Angelina Jolie and the rest of the cast do an outstanding job, everything else about the film is predictable, thus boring.

But go out and enjoy The Callas’ amazing voice and music. You are welcome.

Find your blessings and then leverage them!

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Yes, I live in a sort of self-imposed exile. No, I do not live in political exile like some of my friends. I do not live in economic or some other sort of exile; mine is occupational. I cannot do the work I do here at home. On top of that, it is no secret that for me, South Florida has very few redeeming qualities. So I could live a bitter and resentful life. However, I try to find the positive and leverage it.

One of the many blessings I enjoy every day is walking from my office, across campus to the refectory, where I make myself a coffee with steamed milk in a professional espresso machine (and grab a cookie to dunk). We have a 73-acre campus which used to be an emergency landing strip for WWII pilots learning to fly out of what is now Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

About in the middle of our campus is a lake with a fountain, plenty of fish, and a wonderful path around it! So every morning I walk along the lake, and it is beautiful! Every day is different, cloudy, bright, rainy (this is Florida after all). There are all sorts of wildlife: birds, squirrels, and, if you are lucky, turtles!!

That walk is my first meditation of the day; it is a walk of thanksgiving, of gratitude, of joy, it is splendid!

So, while I could be doing that walk moaning and complaining that I am not home, I choose to enjoy that walk and thank God. I invite you to find your blessings and leverage them. You are welcome.

Lake collage

Vangelis – El Greco, and get ready to travel in time and space!

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Yes, I enjoy listening to music beyond classical. I have written here about Gospel music and jazz, even pop. Every summer, I create a playlist of pop hits for my nephew and nieces, and I used to record a Jazz playlist for my dad every Christmas.

Occasionally, rarely, I will also listen to contemporary composers like Arvo Pärt. Thrifting the other day —one of my hobbies in this desolate suburbia— I found this CD by Vangelis. I had to give it a listen. While there are many electronic music composers, a few of them had their heyday in the 80s, like Jean Michelle Jarre, Kitaro, or Jean Luc Ponty, Vangelis is probably considered the most serious, possibly because he wrote the music for great films like Blade Runner, and of course, his most famous piece, the theme for Chariots of Fire.

In this record, Vangelis explores his fellow countryman, Domenikos Theotokopoulos, El Greco. Vangelis takes you back to Toledo during the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque. With heavy, byzantine sounds, bells, and apparently simple layering, Vangelis manages to transport the listener to another city and another era, amazing!

The beauty of this album lies precisely in the journey, the long notes, the reminiscence of old instruments and melodies. When paired with the paintings of El Greco or the ancient narrow streets of Toledo, you become transfixed. You might be in bleak South Florida, but your soul and your senses are in 16th-century Toledo.

Stuff I struggle with: Posthumanism (and Transhumanism)

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We recently explored AI for our Film Club theme, watching Fritz Lang’s seminal Metropolis (1927), Ridley Scott’s already classic Blade Runner, the more modern Her (2013) with the great Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson’s voice, and finally Ex Machina (2014).

The main discussion, besides the fact that the common thread was that everybody wants to have sex with the robot, was the whole Posthumanism debate. This is something I have been pondering for a few years, specifically since I met Professor Francesca Ferrando, a leading voice in the field of Posthumanism, at a conference in 2024.

My main concern is the paradox, or rather, the oxymoron, of Humanism in a Posthuman world. I discussed this in relation to AI and Caravaggio here. This brings me full circle back to our original observation in Film Club that all our films boil down to Humanism.

I am obviously oversimplifying here, but the basic premise of Posthumanism is that humans coexist with non-humans to the point where humans are no longer the driving force on the planet, as it is overtaken by technology and ecology. The tricky bit is how do you define co-exist, and how to define non-human. Maybe, as a Humanist, I struggle with the labeling. Posthumanism just seems too apocalyptic, too alarmist. I know I should worry, but this made me think about the concept of Humanism, which was only made up, as a label, in the 19th century. Greek writers and philosophers did not realize they were humanists; they were just doing their thing. Even Renaissance humanists like Erasmus, Luis Vives, or Dante did not consider themselves humanists. Of course, the word Humanitas and the study of it existed, but the folks who studied it did not call themselves Humanists.

In conclusion, and I realize I am only —at best— scratching the surface of this argument, there is only Humanism, everything else is academic labels (which I wish I had invented: Posthuman, or Transhuman, and then written a book about).

On sauna and sauna etiquette

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I discovered the sauna in college in the early 80s. My dear friend Theo and I would go to the gym a few times a week, enjoy a sauna and the steam room, where we would chit chat with professors, hoping (in vain) to improve our grades, then we would go to the pool for a little swim.

A library book on proper sauna protocols and etiquette soon had me really enjoying my sauna time. Since then, I have been a fan and enjoyed them wherever I find one.

One of the few benefits of the building where I live in Florida is… the sauna and the steam room. I no longer have the time to go a few times a week like I did in university, but I try to go at least once a week.

The sauna is a relaxing time of silence, almost a meditation. Unfortunately, in the United States, there is little sauna culture, so I occasionally have to deal with folks who have no idea what they are doing. Here are a few pointers, which are mostly based on respect:

Dry sauna, as the name implies, is dry. Do not waltz in soaking from the swimming pool; your sauna will be counterproductive. The same applies to those who continue to pour water onto the hot stones. The water is to be used at the end of your sauna for a humidity shock called löyly (a Finnish word since that is where sauna originates).

Sauna in Europe is generally naked. In the US, we must adjust to the Puritan DNA and wear a towel or a bathing suit, but not your gym clothes, and certainly not your sneakers. Also, the sauna is a place to sit and sweat, not to do your post-workout stretching!

Keep the door closed, please. No need to heat the locker room!

As I mentioned before, the sauna is somewhat of a sacred space for relaxation. Keep conversations quiet, and please, no phones or tablets, we have enough of them already —I have seen this and find it most disrespectful.

In conclusion, a sauna is a wonderful experience: rejuvenating and relaxing. Keeping other users in mind will improve everybody’s time there. You are welcome.

The greatest tiny gym in the world.

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If you are a reader of this blog, you know that I like to think that I am a connoisseur of gyms, as you could read here and here. You also know that I strive to stay fit, mentally, spiritually, and physically. This means that if I am going to have an extended stay somewhere where I am going to have some routine, I need a gym.

This is what happens when I visit my family in Madrid. For the last few years, when I come, I get myself a monthly membership at Synergym.

This is a great gym; it has a great vibe, a great staff, chill but helpful when needed, the definition of professional, led by their great manager, Paula. It has all the equipment and classes you need, all the requirements of a modern-day gym. Everything is managed by the Synergym App, including entry to the gym. It also helps that it is very reasonably priced.

There is one main issue with this gym: it is tiny. Yes, it has all the equipment: 5 treadmills, 1 staircase, a bicycle, and a handful of ellipticals for cardio, all the main weight machines, a squat rack, a cable machine, and of course, dumbbells, oh, and all the plates you could ever dream of —there are plates everywhere! The problem is that they are all in a tiny room. There is another room for fitness classes, changing rooms, showers, etc.

The trick is that if you go when there are many people, you do not have the luxury of waltzing from one station or machine to the other —unless you are very patient— so you must know your exercises well so you can get a good workout at any given station.

So if you are looking for a chill, neighborhood gym in Chamberí, you have a solid understanding of your workouts, and you are not too fussy, Synergym is for you! You are welcome.