The thirty-seventh classical recording: #471 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - The Sleeping Beauty
This was a late birthday present - my first trip to the ballet. We went to watch Sleeping Beauty, the last of the Tchaikovsky baleets we still needed to cover. And the skill of daners, on which the entire performance is focused, means that the music wasn't what I was paying as much attention to. Then again, it mixes, and one wouldn't exist without the other. What we get is a good set of music, with some recognisable motifs but mostly giving the dances enough room to breathe.
Seeing the dancers improves the visibility of the motifs a lot more - by seeing who's on stage, it's clearer who they are for. The variations do the same, and they do well, in places, to (for example) establish the different faeries. Although not what the list is for, this way of listening and watching really pulls it together - we'll see whether we can keep affording to do that.
The fourty-eighth comic: #95 Captain America
The other item finished today is our read through of Captain America. Only a limited part of the run of course, considering the amount of time it's been around, but having read the first return - after the Captain was unfrozen - we saw the character build, adjusting to a world he didn't grow up on and where he doesn't know anyone, with the memories of those he lost. It takes a while before it goes there, but when it does it's a welcome addition that moves the character from a generally goody two shoes to someone dealing with, it feels, some depression and a sense of loss. I believe it plays with the guilt further down the line, while still keeping up the action, and at this point, my hope is mostly that it can push that further as time goes on.
Beyond that, this is the first proper superhero story, and once it gets into ongoing storylines, it really builds well on them. For parts of this, Captain America shared a title with Iron Man, which got ahead of it in the soap operaish, more dramatic developments that go beyond taking out the bad guys. I know that's not always there, but it's clear that's what appeals to me most when reading these.