You Forum "guys" are absolutely fabulous!! Not only did I enjoy your fascinating comments about two of my favorite composers and their works (Villa Lobos and Rachmaninoff) but also that great link to the availability of Bidu Sayao!! (I wasn't aware of the recording of Kiri Te Kanawa but she, too, is one of the great singers of all time and I shall search it out.) I am constantly amazed at the knowledge I find here and I appreciate all of you who have comtinued this thread. Speaking of Rachmaninoff, it is said that he often composed his piano concerti and, because of his incredible facility on the piano and his vast hand stretch, he "defied" other pianists to attempt to play them. And if you have never heard the folk songs and even the many popular songs of Brazil, you have missed a great deal. During the time I lived in Brazil, I became acquainted with not only Villa Lobos and his lovely haunting melodies but also the pop songs of Dorival Caymi and the magic voice of Maysa (I suspect they both have passed on to a better life so many years later). The richness of the musical heritage of Brazil is more than just a samba beat!!!! Thanks, all for your great comments. Another "by the way": there are several recordings of Rachmaninoff himself playing his beautiful VARIATIONS and piano concertos. No one else sounds the same, with the possible exception (in my humble opinion) of Van Cliburn in his heyday. In my mind, I hear the beautiful music we are discussing again and again and yes, technicsplayer, the hair on my neck does stand up and my eyes tear over when that incredibly beautiful 18th variation reaches its heavenly crescendo...

I told you all I was an incurable romantic!

Ted