My Two Favourite Singers Saluted!

Greetings!: 

Today is the birthday of one of my two absolute-favourite present-day singers, Miss Susan Gritton, to whom, in the name of the House of Old-School, I extend
heartiest best wishes and congratulations on this occasion!  Yet I thought it good to salute them _BOTH_ on this day, the other being Mr. Bryn Terfel!
 Both have been briefly mentioned elsewhere in this blog. 

These two singers have at least a few things in common.  Firstly, they were born in the same year, 1965, Miss Gritton again on this date and Mr. Terfel
on 9 November; both of their careers were advanced by winning singing competitions, Mr. Terfel having won the lieder prize in the 1989 Cardiff Singer of
the World Competition (as some of you might know already, he is a Welsh bass-baritone whose name is pronounced Tarevel) while Miss Gritton, an English
lyric soprano, won the 1994 Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Prize; both are, in their various ways and in my opinion at least, _MOST_-expressive as well as musical,
capable of depicting varying emotional states, and both seem technically sound; and, it must be admitted here in this old-fashioned house, they both seem
to have been linguistically influenced by modern culture.  Yet there seems to be one significant difference--Mr. Terfel, from what I gather, seems to be
more of a showman and pop-culturist, having once appeared at the BBC Proms in London wearing a Manchester United football shirt or some such, being a fan
of that team and also a golfer (unless something has lately changed).  He also makes what are often called crossover recordings, these being, as at least
some of you may know, when a performer of music in one particular style crosses over into another.  Mr. Terfel has made at least three recordings of songs
from the American Musical Theater, two of these, one of Rodgers-and-Hammerstein songs and the other of Lerner lyrics to music by Loewe and others, admittedly
being special favourites of mine!  Can anyone sing these songs more expressively?  Though some (e.g., Mr. Pinza in the original cast of _South_ _Pacific_)
might equal him or at least come close, I doubt whether any male singer at least can surpass him for expressiveness in this repertoire!  These two discs
may be found on the label for which he has been recording exclusively for the past several years, Deutsche Grammophon.  He has further given us at least
two discs of popular favourites from both the classical and popular literature, the latest of which, _Simple_ _Gifts_, so named because of the familiar
Shaker song contained therein (though here not in the famous version by Copland), including some duets (alongside the solos) with some other artists (one
of these being fellow Welshman Mr. Aled Jones, known to many (though I have never heard him sing it) for his recording of "Walking In The Air" from Mr.
Howard Blake's music for the film, _The_ _Snowman_, which he made as a boy).  I own this Deutsche Grammophon recording, and recommend it to those who like
inspirational songs, a couple which readily come to mind being "Amazing Grace" and "How Great Thou Art."  All of the crossover recordings I have mentioned
here feature an accompanying chorus for some of the songs, as does the Welsh disc discussed later in this post.  Another lean toward modern culture comes
in the form of a dedicated Website,
www.brynterfel.net,
which also has a message board attached to it.  Miss Gritton, on the other hand, seems less flashy and more interested in just her Classical art.  She has
no dedicated Website and, so far as I currently know, performs no real crossover (apart from a folkish song or more as encores), though I can somehow imagine
her at least singing Gershwin's "The Man I Love."  Another thing which both have in common is that they are married, though I do not think Mr. Terfel has
any children while Miss Gritton, presumably under her husband's name, has two (by the bye, it might interest some to know that Mr. Terfel's actual last
name is Jones, a very common Welsh last name, and so, since there was already a Welsh singer called Mr. Bryn Jones, the man we call Mr. Terfel decided
to use his middle name as last name instead.  And while we are about it, both he and his wife are interested in the Welsh language, of which more later!).
 When I had the immense privilege and pleasure of meeting her in New York on 18 March of last year, Miss Gritton told me that these children, and it would
go without saying, keep her quite busy, and possibly this could be a factor in her not having some of the trappings such as a Website, though it could
just be part of her life philosophy which seemed to come across in an interview she gave earlier this year on the BBC's _CD_ _Review_.  I admittedly have
mixed feelings about this, personally wishing that she _DID_ have a Website and the like, but cannot help admiring her for sticking to the important things
such as her family and her art!  Another interesting fact about her is that she first studied to be a botanist at both Oxford and London Universities,
but, as others had done before her, notably some composers, she would change to music.  Yet I cannot help wondering if, should she have any plants in her
house or a garden, she adheres to the modern philosophy that speaking (or singing?) to one's plants is good for them! 

 I now come _JUST_ _A_ _LITTLE_ toward closing by mentioning some other special recordings either by or including these two exceptional singers.  I wrote
earlier that Mr. Terfel and his wife are interested in the Welsh language.  He may be heard frequently singing in it on his Deutsche Grammophon disc of
Welsh songs, _We'll_ _Keep_ _A_ _Welcome_, which includes, among numerous other things, a full-blown festive version of the familiar Welsh hymn known in
English as "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah" and that old and beloved song without which no important Welsh collection would be complete, "All Through The
Night," here sung softly and tenderly.  As those familiar with the standard choral literature will know well, Mendelssohn's _Elijah_ has been one of the
most popular of oratorios for many years, though it may not be as popular nowadays as it once was.  Those who like or love this work _MUST_, in my view,
at least hear the Decca recording of it released in 1997, conducted by Mr. Paul Daniel, in which Mr. Terfel _REALLY_ gets the title role right, giving
us both his heroic, full-blooded voice for the stentorian prophet and the tenderness and pathos which also characterize him (another soloist in this performance
is the much-admired/loved American lyric soprano, Miss Renee Fleming).  The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment plays on instruments of Mendelssohn's
time or copies of them, and the large Edinburgh Festival Chorus, while they might seem to lapse sometimes, is usually expressive of the drama and is appropriately
large as the choruses which first performed this work were.  A _COMPLETE_ contrast, though again there is appropriate variety of expression, is when Mr.
Terfel portrays the devil, called Nick Shadow in Stravinsky's 1951 opera, _The_ _Rake's_ _Progress_!  I could cite _MANY_ notable points, but, to take
only one, just listen to how furious he gets when Tom Rakewell, the character he is serving throughout the opera, thwarts him in a midnight game of cards
in a graveyard!  Since I wrote a post elsewhere in this blog about Vaughan Williams's _The_ _Pilgrim's_ _Progress_, he made a recording, on the Hyperion
Label, of the original version of _The_ _Shepherds_ _Of_ _The_ _Delectable_ _Mountains_, later to become the penultimate scene of the complete morality.
 This may not be one of his absolute best recordings, but it certainly is not bad, quite worth having!  Having mentioned VW, there are two discs of English
songs on Deutsche Grammophon in which songs by that composer and others are finely sung, _The_ _Vagabond_ and _Silent_ _Noon_, both titles of VW songs
(I refer to material from the former in my earlier post about Butterworth and Hammerstein).  I nearly forgot to further mention an _EXCELLENT_ disc of
largely-familiar Schubert songs which he has given us, also on Deutsche Grammophon, particularly noting his performance of the famous "Serenade!"  Though
I think this is now out of print, you might wish to try seeking out an EMI recording, conducted by Mr. Richard Hickox, of VW's _Sancta_ _Civitas_ and _Dona_
_Nobis_ _Pacem_.  Just listen to how beautifully Mr. Terfel sings in the "Reconciliation" movement from the latter!  And, since those among you who know
me know that Sir Charles Mackerras is my favourite conductor, these two artists team up for a rather-fine Deutsche Grammophon disc of Handel arias, an
excellent account of the suite from Elgar's incidental music for a children's play called _The_ _Starlight_ _Express_ on Decca (this may be hard to get
now since, apart from being available in a rather-large box of CD's, I think it is now out of print, though _MAYBE_ you can still find it on Amazon, etc.),
a most-interesting Britten (Benjamin Britten, another English composer) opera called _Gloriana_, written to celebrate the present Queen of England's coronation
in 1953, also on Decca, and one of Beethoven's beloved _Ninth_ _Symphony_ on EMI Classics For Pleasure.  All of these are separate recordings.  They have
again colaborated on a disc of Mozart arias for this Mozart 250th-Anniversary Year, and this is due for release on Deutsche Grammophon within the next
couple of months or so. 

When Miss Gritton was most-graciously giving me at least 10 to 15 minutes of her time in New York last year, I told her that, if I could only take one of
her recordings I have to one of those mythical desert islands, it would _HAVE_ to be her performance of "Now Sweetly Smiling, Peace Descends" from the
Hyperion recording of Handel's rarely-heard early London oratorio, _Deborah_!  She was somewhat taken aback when I told her that, reminding me that this
was one of the first recordings she ever made.  Yet, though her voice sounds younger there than it does now, I feel she gets the expression _SPOT_-_ON_
right, etc.!  If I could take another, it would be an early and admittedly-uncharacteristic song by Holst (an English composer who was a great friend of
VW's), "Lovely Kind And Kindly Loving," which may be found on a Naxos disc of Holst songs featuring her and two other singers.  It is kind, but _VERY_
loving/lovely!  I additionally have two other song-recital discs of hers, notably one of songs by Mendelssohn's beloved sister Fanny on the Hyperion label.
 At least some of these are very charming!  I am particularly fond of three Handel oratorio recordings conducted by Mr. Paul McCreesh on Deutsche Grammophon
Archiv, they being of _Saul_, _Solomon_ and _Theodora_.  In _Saul_ La Gritton gets particularly and aptly nasty as Merab in her first aria, "What Abject
Thoughts," but also does _WONDERFULLY_ in one of this great oratorio's greatest movements and a particular personal favourite, "In Sweetest Harmony!"
I feel the _Solomon_ is quite special, and Miss Gritton's performance of the Queen of Sheba's big aria near the end of the work, "Will The Sun Forget To
Streak," is widely and justly admired.  Though she may not be quite as memorable for me in _Theodora_, she is fine nonetheless, and perhaps her finest
performance in that recording comes in that _RAVISHING_ duet for Theodora and Didymus near the end of Act II, one of Handel's greatest in my view, "To
Thee, Thou Glorious Son Of Worth!"  All of her Handel recordings cited here feature authentic or copied instruments from Handel's time, as do instruments
from _SLIGHTLY_ later in her Deutsche Grammophon recording, again with Mr. McCreesh, of Gluck's rarely-heard opera, _Paride_ _Ed_ _Elena_, in which she
and two other singers, a Czech mezzo-soprano called Miss Magdalena Kozena and another English soprano called Miss Carolyn Sampson, put on what would _HAVE_
to be called a "singing clinic!"  Apart from Miss Gritton's, I feel Miss Kozena's contributions to this performance are particularly memorable!  Miss Gritton
also colaborates with Sir Charles, on a recording of the Mozart _Requiem_, in Professor Robert Levin's fairly recent completion, this on a Linn Records
super-audio CD.  And then they colaborate on the recording which she told both the BBC and me was the most moving, etc., in which she had participated
up to that time at least, of Smetana's folkish opera, _The_ _Bartered_ _Bride_, translated into English out of the original Czech, for the Chandos Opera-In-English
Series.  I can well understand why she loves this recording, and I hope some of you at least will also!  And next Spring?!  Having told you in that earlier
_Pilgrim_ post that she and Mr. Gerald Finley, conducted by the afore-mentioned Mr. Hickox, worked together on that _SUPERB_, again as far as I am concerned,
Chandos recording of that morality, I am _MOST_-eagerly looking forward to these three artists giving us, again on Chandos, VW's _A_ _Sea_ _Symphony_,
in a performance recorded live with the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at London's Barbican Centre on 4 June of this year, just two days after this
blog was activated! 

I have indeed gone on _VERY_ long, but now I think I may have to throw a sort of "fly into the ointment" reference Mr. Terfel.  As pleased as I am that
he followed Sir Charles as winner of the Queen's Medal for Music, I personally feel that it should have probably gone again to an established, long-standing
artist such as Sir Charles, Sir Colin Davis, another long-time English conductor, and Mr. Hickox being two I had in mind.  Yet Mr. Terfel is making a name
for British arts now, and that probably figured in him receiving the medal this year.  I hope Miss Gritton might eventually win it, but, despite her being
one of my absolute favourites, not until she has earned it by making her _WONDERFUL_ contributions over a long period of time.  I would like to think that
she could enjoy it even more then! 

Hoping this finds my visitors well, and also wishing _BOTH_ of these artists well on Miss Gritton's birthday, 

J. V.

Venting About Verizon

Greetings!: 

There are some practices carried out by Verizon, the telephone company which has been servicing the area in which I live of late, with which I am displeased,
and thus I write to comment on them. 

Let us take them in reverse order, with the latest first.  Just over a week ago I had trouble with my telephone, I sometimes being unable to get a dial
tone or, when I could, getting varying degrees of static on the line.  _THANKFULLY_ the problem lay in a cable outside of my building (I am conjecturing
that this could have resulted from the torential rains we had in June, though others on my floor did not have this problem), and thus I was spared the
high fee which would have resulted had repairs been required here in my unit.  When the work was done, the man who did it rang to inform me thereof, and
I thought that would be the end of it.  But then, some days later, I received an automated message to the same effect which went on to tell me that, should
I wish to find out how I could put my service to better use or something on the order of that, I should ring a certain telephone number.  Had this latter
been the _ONLY_ notice I received, I could conceivably have been without service for several unnecessary days had I somehow decided to await such notice.
 Do you not agree with me that the notice I received from the repair man just after the work was done was sufficient?  If I wished to do any upgrading,
might I not have checked into it myself, it presumably now being common knowledge that various extra features, e.g., call-forwarding and call-waiting,
are available and have been for many years?  And then there are the recorded weather forecasts.  Before we are allowed to get to these, we must be subjected
to an advertisement about Verizon DSL which, we are told, will allow us "to move at the speed of (our) ambition."  _MY_ ambition, when telephoning for
the weather, is to _GET_ _ON_ _WITH_ that, not having to wait to hear about DSL!  And, since no prices are given there for that service, what is to tempt
the potential customer?  Does not Verizon stop to think that, while advertising is regretably more and more a fact of life these days, putting one at the
beginning of a telephone weather forecast might annoy in an assumed majority of cases (unless I am misjudging the average public), not draw potential customers? 

Here admittedly cometh my laziness again, but does anyone reading this know if Verizon's recent take-over of MCI was due to that company's possible failure
(which I actually seem to somewhat recall being the case) or an expansionist move on their part?  And, going back further to a time when I was absent from
this area when Verizon took over from C.&P. (Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company), our telephone server for many years, was that take-over friendly
or hostile?  If both were hostile, this would incline me to call those advertisements I described as power-grasping, this company seeming to me to want
to take over every telephone company in its path.  For those familiar with anti-trust law, when do such practices violate that? 

As I write this post, I continue to think about what I wrote above about advertising being more and more a fact of life these days.  Lest we neglect this
blog's basic proposition, it occurs to me to also add that when dignity, decency and deference were more prominent than they are nowadays, advertisement
was _THANKFULLY_ less so, though admittedly still present.  Thus I hope all of this babbling has not been unfounded.  I submit it for what it is worth,
and, should any decide to comment, may we all learn something from whatever discussion might ensue!  At _VERY_ least, as with my "Apple Juice" thread,
etc., this will provide some variety from all my posts about the military and music! 

Hoping this finds my visitors well, 

J. V.

Happy Birthday, US Coast Guard!

Greetings!: 

In the name of the House of Old-School, I extend my heartiest congratulations and best wishes to the United States Coast Guard on the occasion of its 216th
anniversary! 

I had heard of the Coast Guard during my childhood, and briefly knew a man who had served therein, but I got a bit closer when my interest in the Coast
Guard Band began in the mid-to-late 1960's.  Next to the Marine Band, my interest in which began in 1960 and about which you can read elsewhere in this
blog should you wish, I have had interest in the Coast Guard Band longer than in any of our other premiere service bands, though interest in the others
would eventually grow.
Yet today, as I wrote above, it is our happy care to salute the Coast Guard as a whole, and to thank the men and women thereof _VERY_ much for their contributions
to the saving of lives at sea, boating safety, homeland security and the global war on terror, etc.  When the Revenue Marine, later to become known as
the Revenue Cutter Service and, combining with the Life Saving Service in 1915, to become known as the Coast Guard, was established on this date in 1790,
it was part of the Department of the Treasury, meant to help enforce the new government's tarriffs.  It remained part of that department until it was moved
into the new Department of Transportation in the 1960's.  Then, in 2001, came 9-11 as we all know, and it was soon felt best to move the Coast Guard again,
this time to the newly-established Department of Homeland Security in 2003.  From what I gather, this was a somewhat-controversial move at that time, but,
in my personal opinion, it seemed, and seems, a good move since the Coast Guard is charged with guarding our ports, enforcing maritime law, interdicting
illegal drugs and preventing the entrance of illegal emigrants, etc.  Are not all these significant contributions to homeland security? 

I think I can here do no better than to share with you two documents which have been recently sent to me, the first a press release from the Commandant
of the Coast Guard, Admiral Thad Allen, regarding this anniversary, and, hoping it will not be too boring, a list of impressive (again in my opinion) statistics
as to what this Service accomplished in 2005.  I had the privilege and pleasure of meeting Admiral Allen after the Band's annual concert at the Navy Memorial
here in Washington this past Tuesday, and he offered to have his Press Officer, Commander Brendan C. McPherson, send me some material to assist me with
preparing this post.  I am _MUCH_ indebted to them both, and to the Coast Guard's Chief of Media Relations, Commander Jeffrey Carter, for what appears
below.  First will come the press release for the birthday which will lead directly into the 2005 statistics page:

 

U.S. Coast Guard turns 216
WASHINGTON - Coast Guard members stationed around the globe will celebrate as America's oldest, continuous sea-going service observes its 216th birthday
Friday.
"I'm incredibly proud of our dedicated Coast Guard men and women," said Adm. Thad W. Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard. "As a multi-mission, maritime,
and military service, we continue to grow and evolve to help guarantee the maritime safety, security and stewardship of our oceans and waterways. Whether
it's saving lives, supporting the global war on terrorism, preserving our maritime environment and its resources, or protecting our vital waters for trade
and commerce, Coast Guard men and women perform their duties every day with relentless courage, commitment and ingenuity."
The Coast Guard is one of America's five armed forces and traces it roots to Aug. 4, 1790, when the first Congress authorized the construction of a fleet
of "revenue marine" cutters to enforce the fledgling nation's tariff and trade laws and protect the collection of federal revenue. The service expanded
in size and responsibilities as the nation grew and today is responsible for many diverse missions, including maritime homeland security, national defense,
enforcing maritime law, aiding mariners in distress, maintaining maritime navigation aids, protecting the marine environment, licensing merchant mariners
and ensuring merchant vessel safety. The Coast Guard transferred into the newly created Department of Homeland Security in 2003.
The service received its present name in 1915 under an act of Congress when the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the Life-Saving Service.
The Coast Guard is one of the oldest organizations of the federal government and, until the Navy Department was established in 1798, served as the nation's
only armed force afloat. The Coast Guard has continued to protect the nation throughout its long history - both at home and abroad - and Coast Guardsmen
have proudly served in every one of the nation's major conflicts, including Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Around the clock and around the globe, the Coast Guard protects America's interests and keeps its citizens and resources safe and secure. Each day the dedicated
men and women of the Coast Guard will:
- Save 15 lives
- Assist 114 people in distress
- Conduct 82 search-and-rescue cases
- Protect $4.9 million in property
- Enforce 103 security zones
- Interdict and rescue 26 illegal migrants at sea
- Board four high interest vessels
- Enforce 115 security zones
- Board 202 vessels of law enforcement interest
- Board 122 large vessels for port safety/security checks
- Seize 27 pounds of marijuana and 927 pounds of cocaine with a street value of $12.4 million
- Conduct 311 vessel safety checks and teach 57 boating safety courses
- Conduct 19 commercial fishing vessel safety exams and issue seven fishing vessel compliance decals
- Respond to 11 oil, chemical, or hazardous material environmental pollution incidents totaling 2,181 gallons
- Process 280 mariner licenses and documents
- Service 140 aids to navigation
- Monitor the transit of 2,557 commercial ships through U.S. ports
- Track 3,004 vessels in the Automated Merchant Vessel Reporting system
- Investigate 27 activities for marine violation of federal statutes
###
The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the
Department of Homeland Security dedicated to protecting the safety and security of America.

 

In 2005, the Coast Guard:

 

Prevented more than 338,000 pounds of cocaine (new record) and over 10,000 pounds of marijuana from reaching the United States;

 

Interdicted nearly 9,500 undocumented migrants attempting to enter the country illegally;

 

Responded to more than 32,000 calls for assistance and saved the lives of over 5,600 mariners in distress;

 

Conducted more than 115,800 recreational vessel safety checks, more than 10,000 foreign commercial vessel boardings and more than 20,000 inspections on
commercial vessels;

 

Rescued more than 33,500 people during hurricanes Katrina and Rita;

 

Boarded more than 6,000 fishing vessels to enforce safety and fisheries management regulations, a 30 percent increase over 2004;

 

Conducted more than 3,000 inspections aboard mobile offshore drilling units, outer continental shelf facilities, and offshore supply vessels;

 

Responded to 23,904 reports of water pollution or hazardous material release from the National Response Center, resulting in 4,015 response cases;

 

Partnered with federal and state agencies to ensure that Marine Protected Species populations recover to healthy, sustainable levels;

 

Kept shipping channels and harbors open to navigation during the Great Lakes and New England winter shipping season;

 

Ensured more than 1 million safe passages of commercial vessels through congested harbors, with Vessel Traffic Services;

 

Maintained more than 50,000 federal aids to navigation along 25,000 miles of maritime transportation routes;

 

Conducted International Ice Patrol sorties to facilitate 1,128,235 tons of cargo shipped daily during the North Atlantic ice season;

 

Conducted more than 268,000 port security patrols, 5,800 air patrols, and 26,000 security boardings;

 

Refined and greatly enhanced recent initiatives, such as security and control boardings and deployable Maritime Safety and Security Teams;

 

Escorted over 10,000 vessels;

 

Maintained more than 115 security zones.  (This concludes the interpolated material.)

 

One of the Coast Guard's current projects is called Deepwater, and focuses on the repair and/or replacement of equipment, etc., due to wear, tear, and presumably obsolescence as well.  This is eminently commendable, and may the Congress please provide all the funding required for this project if they have yet to do so! 

 

Of course, when one thinks of the Coast Guard, I expect one usually thinks of their contributions to boating safety and to the saving of lives at sea or
on other waterways, but, as you have seen above, they do so much more!  At least some of you may know that they serve under the Navy in wartime, and there
are some particularly-moving stories of Coast-Guard heroism from World War I in particular which I feel are eminently worth seeking out!  And I cannot
conclude this post without a quotation which has always struck me since I first heard it, "The rules say you have to go out.  They do not say you have
to come back."

 

Once again many congratulations and best wishes come from this house to the United States Coast Guard on this, their 216th anniversary!

 

Gratefully, respectfully and joyfully submitted,

 

J. V.

Apple Juice

Greetings!:

For something somewhat lighter, perhaps more "bloggish," yet hopefully not unimportant, are there any of you who, like myself, remember the days when store-bought
apple juice tasted like _FRUIT_ _JUICE_, not like some sort of overly-sweet syrup?  I do, and I am not just talking about the fine juice our school's cider
press produced during my early days there!  I wonder if this perceived change has anything to do with the apparent popularity of the rather-sweet red delicious
apple.  I obviously could (and maybe will) check into this, but I seem to recall hearing somewhere that this apple was genetically engineered, and may
not have been around for very long comparatively speaking.  If this is so, and if red delicious apples are now primarily used for apple juice, this could
conceivably account for the blandness, in my opinion, of much such juice I have tasted of late.  Does anyone know of any apple juices, preferably in 64-ounce
bottles, which have some character to them, that is a distinctly-fruitish flavour?  Nantucket Nectars produce what they call a "cloudy apple" juice, which
has plenty of character as far as I am concerned, but this only comes in smaller bottles, as apparently all their product does.  I recently was introduced
to the New Zealand Braeburn apple in an organic version from a company called Nature's promise, and like it very much, but their organic apple juice, which
I am now trying for the second time, seems to have only a _VERY_ little character above its competitors (if that, I having finished the bottle since I originally wrote this post, and unsuccessfully tried to have it published), so where does that leave us?  I recall enjoying
some of the flavour of White House apple juice, so must try it again next to remind myself if character comes with that likeable aspect.  There may still be a
frozen concentrated Granny-Smith apple juice, but I think it was somewhat troublesome to prepare, so would prefer not to have to fall back on that.
 A number of the juices and juice blends I currently buy tend to be at least somewhat acidic, so it would be nice to have something like apple juice for
contrast, though _PLEASE_ not these overly-bland versions I seem to encounter too often nowadays!  Perhaps another and better organic juice awaits at Whole
Foods, or the Knudsen Apple Juice I bought this past Tuesday, again after this post initially failed to publish successfully?

 

Hoping this finds you well,

J. V.