This work, the "Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria Von Weber," is surely one of those works that no one can hate. I still remember my first hearing, when a teenager. I was immediately hooked. And, with this work, my ears were flung open to the music of the last century. Stravinsky, Ives, Kirchner, Hovhaness, Rautavaara . . . they all followed.

This work, of course, has great tunes and settings transformed by a master of harmony and melody. The second movement has exotic color, somehow encompassing both "the Orient" and jazz.

This is one of Hindemith's most accessible works, and it does not fade in value over time, over repeated listenings. Surely a sign of greatness? ( )