Happy Birthday, Wolfgang!

Several years before my father passed away, a new technology was coming of age: the digital audio compact disc, or CD for short. I recall trying to convince my father of the idea that this was a technology likely to endure. After some initial resistance, he finally went along with my assessment and decided to buy one of these newfangled CD players and discs. The Sony player he purchased cost over $300! I still have it today, and it still works like a charm. (Love those Sony products.) His choice for music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as performed by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on the Deutsche Grammophon label.

The disc my Dad chose was not just a digital conversion of an older analog recording, but a recording originally engineered and mastered with the new digital technology. So impressed was he with the sound quality of this recording, he immediately started a whole new music library of compact discs.

Being the big Mozart fan that I am, every year I quietly celebrate the commemoration of his birth - January 27, 1756. One way I do this is by putting that first disc my father bought into that still-perfect Sony CD player and listening to it in its entirety. As I perform this annual ritual, I am able to relive the better part of what our father-son relationship had to offer: achieving a measure of intimacy by sharing our love for the music of Mozart.

It's January 27th again, and time to spend a few moments with Mozart and my Dad. Thanks, Pop, and happy birthday, Wolfgang!