McDonald's "Sunday Best," is a two-disc set that is something of a "greatest-hits" retrospective of his career. "It's been 10 years since I did my first CD. I wanted to celebrate this past decade with some of the songs that are my favorites." There are six new songs in the collection, including several of the ones recorded in China, as well as an arrangement of "The Lord Is My Shepherd" recorded by the Prague Symphony Orchestra. "It ranges from full symphony performances to intimate piano solos, but I think it is an exciting look at the past 10 years."

And, yes, Nelson is a featured guest. "He's been on every one of my albums. I'm a better musician when he's around.

The two men get together once a week to bounce ideas and work on projects. They are not sure what is next up. "We joke that we've done symphonies on two continents; maybe we should do the other five, like Holst and his 'Planets,'" says McDonald.

They've tossed around ideas for a musical; they also would like to do some movie music. They would like to do musical comedy — where's Victor Borge is today's world? they joke. They also do a Christmas concert. "All we can say is that there will be kazoos involved this year," jokes McDonald.

"But we've learned not to try to predict what will happen next. It will all be wrong," says Nelson.

They do know they will be heavily involved in music. "It's like a life score for us," he adds. "Music is woven through our lives so much, there are few silent moments."

They like to think their music provides something of a soundtrack for other lives. "That's what our music is all about," says Nelson. "We think music has a divinely appointed purpose to uplift people. When it does that, it fills its role."

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E-mail: carma@desnews.com