André Rieu: Gold and Silver Waltz by Franz Lehár

Gold and Silver Waltz Op. 79 played by André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra.

Lehár was born in the northern part of Komárom, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary (now Komárno, Slovakia), the eldest son of a bandmaster in the Infantry Regiment No. 50 of the Austro-Hungarian Army.

Franz studied violin and composition at the Prague Conservatory, where his violin teacher was Antonín Bennewitz, but was advised by Antonín Dvořák to focus on composing music. 

After graduation in 1899 he joined his father’s band in Vienna, as assistant bandmaster. In 1902 he became conductor at the historic Vienna Theater an der Wien, where his first opera Wiener Frauen was performed in November of that year.

He is most famous for his operettas — the most successful of which is The Merry Widow (Die lustige Witwe) — but he also wrote sonatas, symphonic poems, marches, and a number of waltzes (the most popular being Gold und Silber, composed for Princess Pauline von Metternich‘s “Gold and Silver” Ball, January 1902), some of which were drawn from his famous operettas. 

Individual songs from some of the operettas have become standards, notably “Vilja” from The Merry Widow and “You Are My Heart’s Delight” (“Dein ist mein ganzes Herz“) from The Land of Smiles (Das Land des Lächelns).

 

Claude Debussy – La Mer

“La Mer” L.109, (The Sea), is an orchestral composition by Claude Debussy. It was started in 1903 in France and completed in 1905 on the English Channel coast in Eastbourne. The premiere was given by the Lamoureux Orchestra under the direction of Camille Chevillard on 15 October 1905 in Paris. “La Mer” is a composition of huge suggestion and subtlety in its rich depiction of the ocean, which combines unusual orchestration with daring impressionistic harmonies. The work has proven very influential, and its use of sensuous tonal colours and its orchestration methods have influenced many later film scores. While the structure of the work places it outside of both absolute music and programme music as those terms were understood in the early 20th century, it obviously uses descriptive devices to suggest wind, waves and the ambience of the sea. But structuring a piece around a nature subject without any literary or human element to it – neither people, nor mythology, nor ships are suggested in the piece – also was highly unusual at the time.
Debussy called his work “three symphonic sketches,” avoiding the loaded term symphony; yet the work is sometimes called a symphony; it consists of two powerful outer movements framing a lighter, faster piece which acts as a type of scherzo. 
“La Mer” is divided inot three movements:
1. “De l’aube à midi sur la mer” (from dawn to midday on the sea);
2. “Jeux de vagues” (Play of the Waves);
3. “Dialogue du vent et de la mer” (Dialogue of the wind and the sea).

Conductor: Vladimir Ashkenazy & Cleveland Orchestra

 

Emil Gilels spielt Robert Schumann: Arabeske Op. 18

Ort: Moskauer Konservatorium 1977

 

Rie Sinclair Island of Loneliness

lia Efimovich Repin (1844-1930) 
Volga Boatmen (1870-1873)

 

Can You See Me Now Expressive brushstrokes FotoSketcher( my Art collection).

Can You See Me Now Expressive brushstrokes FotoSketcher( my Art collection).

Haiku- Venomous fangs (poetic thought by George-B)

Haiku- Venomous fangs (poetic thought by George-B)

Rattlesnakes rattlers
warning of venomous fangs
paralyze fear.

Barack Obama

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

“Obama” redirects here. For other uses, see Obama (disambiguation).

This article is about the 44th president of the United States. For his father, see Barack Obama, Sr.

Barack Obama
44th President of the United States
Incumbent
Assumed office January 20, 2009
Vice President	Joe Biden
Preceded by	George W. Bush
United States Senator from Illinois
In office January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008
Preceded by	Peter Fitzgerald
Succeeded by	Roland Burris
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 13th District
In office January 8, 1997 – November 4, 2004
Preceded by	Alice Palmer
Succeeded by	Kwame Raoul
Personal details
Born	Barack Hussein Obama II August 4, 1961 (age 52) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Michelle Robinson (m. 1992)
Children	Malia (b. 1998) Sasha (b. 2001)
Residence	White House (official) Chicago, Illinois (private)
Alma mater	Occidental College Columbia University (B.A.) Harvard Law School (J.D.)
Profession	Community organizer Lawyer Constitutional law professor Author
Religion	Christian
Awards	Nobel Peace Prize
Signature
Website	barackobama.com

	This article is part of a series on Barack Obama
Early life and career Illinois Senate U.S. Senate Political positions Public image Family First term 2008 primaries Obama–Biden campaign Transition 1st inauguration Electoral history Presidency  Timeline ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 First 100 days Nobel Peace Prize Second term Re-election campaign 2nd inauguration Presidency  ’13

Barack Hussein Obama II (ⁱ/bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/; born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States, the first African American to hold the office. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. He served three terms representing the 13th District in theIllinois Senate from 1997 to 2004, running unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in 2000.

In 2004, Obama received national attention during his campaign to represent Illinois in the United States Senate with his victory in the March Democratic Party primary, his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July, and his election to the Senate in November. He began his presidential campaign in 2007, and in 2008, after a close primary campaign against Hillary Rodham Clinton, he won sufficient delegates in the Democratic Party primaries to receive the presidential nomination. He then defeated Republican nominee John McCain in the general election, and wasinaugurated as president on January 20, 2009. Nine months later, Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prizelaureate. He was re-elected president in November 2012, defeating Republican nominee Mitt Romney, and was sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2013.

Early in his first term in office, Obama signed into law economic stimulus legislation in response to the Great Recession in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. Other major domestic initiatives in his presidency include the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often referred to as “Obamacare”; the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010; the Budget Control Act of 2011; and theAmerican Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. In May 2012, he became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly support same-sex marriage and in 2013 his administration filed briefs which urged the Supreme Court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 and California’s Proposition 8 as unconstitutional. In foreign policy, Obama ended U.S. military involvement in the Iraq War, increased troop levels in Afghanistan, signed the New START arms control treaty with Russia, ordered U.S. military involvement in Libya, and ordered the military operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.

 

The NSA’s Secret Campaign to Crack, Undermine Internet Encryption – ProPublica

 

The NSA’s Secret Campaign to Crack, Undermine Internet Encryption – ProPublica.

NSA Surveillance Lawsuit Tracker

NSA Surveillance Lawsuit Tracker.

The FDA sidesteps on arsenic and rice. – Wired Science

 

The FDA sidesteps on arsenic and rice. – Wired Science.

Syria vote: What happens if Obama loses? – CSMonitor.com

 

Syria vote: What happens if Obama loses? – CSMonitor.com.

Obama’s Battle for Syria Votes, Taut and Uphill – NYTimes.com

 

Obama’s Battle for Syria Votes, Taut and Uphill – NYTimes.com.

Obama’s Battle for Syria Votes, Taut and Uphill – NYTimes.com

 

Obama’s Battle for Syria Votes, Taut and Uphill – NYTimes.com.

185 Countries visited euzicasa: Latest being British Indian Ocean Territory! Create a free Flag Counter!

Create a free Flag Counter!

John Kerry

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

For the sixteenth-century English politician, see John Kerry (MP).

John Kerry
68th United States Secretary of State
Incumbent
Assumed office February 1, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	William Joseph Burns
Preceded by	Hillary Rodham Clinton
United States Senator from Massachusetts
In office January 3, 1985 – February 1, 2013
Preceded by	Paul Tsongas
Succeeded by	Mo Cowan
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
In office January 6, 2009 – February 1, 2013
Preceded by	Joe Biden
Succeeded by	Bob Menendez
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
In office January 4, 2007 – January 3, 2009
Preceded by	Olympia Snowe
Succeeded by	Mary Landrieu
In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Kit Bond
Succeeded by	Olympia Snowe
In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001
Preceded by	Kit Bond
Succeeded by	Kit Bond
66th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
In office March 6, 1983 – January 2, 1985
Governor	Michael Dukakis
Preceded by	Thomas O’Neill
Succeeded by	Evelyn Murphy
Personal details
Born	John Forbes Kerry December 11, 1943 (age 69) Aurora, Colorado, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Julia Thorne (1970–1988) Teresa Heinz (1995–present)
Children	Alexandra Vanessa John (Stepson) André (Stepson) Christopher (Stepson)
Alma mater	Yale University Boston College
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Signature
Website	http://state.gov/secretary
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1966–1978
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	USS Gridley (DLG-21) Coastal Squadron 1
Commands	PCF-44 PCF-94
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Silver Star  Bronze Star Medal  Purple Heart (3)

John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American politician who is the 68th and current United States Secretary of State. He served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts from 1985 to 2013, and was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Kerry was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election but lost to incumbent George W. Bush.

The son of an Army Air Corps veteran, Kerry was born in Aurora, Colorado. He attended boarding school inMassachusetts and New Hampshire and went on to graduate from Yale University class of 1966, where he majored inpolitical science and became a member of the Skull and Bones secret society. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1966, and during 1968–1969 served an abbreviated four-month tour of duty in South Vietnam as officer-in-charge (OIC) of aSwift Boat. For that service, he was awarded combat medals that include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. Securing an early return to the United States, Kerry joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War in which he served as a nationally recognized spokesman and as an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War. He appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs where he deemed United States war policy in Vietnam to be the cause of “war crimes.”

After receiving his J.D. from Boston College Law School, Kerry worked as an Assistant District Attorney and co-founded a private firm. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts under Michael Dukakis from 1983 to 1985, where he worked on an early forerunner to the national Clean Air Act. He won a tight Democratic primary in 1984 for the U.S. Senate and was sworn in the following January. On the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he led a series of hearingsfrom 1987 to 1989 which were a precursor to the Iran–Contra affair.

In 2002, Kerry voted to authorize the President “to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein“, but warned that the administration should exhaust its diplomatic avenues before launching war. Kerry based his 2004 presidential campaign on opposition to the Iraq War. He and his running mate Senator John Edwards lost the race, finishing 35electoral votes behind the Republican ticket headed by President George W. Bush (just 19 short of the 270 required for election). Subsequently, he established the Keeping America’s Promise PAC.

Kerry became chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2009, and in 2011 he was appointed to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. Having been nominated by President Barack Obama to succeed outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and then confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 94–3 on January 29, 2013, Kerry assumed the office on February 1, 2013

Tens of thousands in Syria peace vigil at Vatican

 

Tens of thousands in Syria peace vigil at Vatican.

Protesters outside the White House, Obama team makes case for attacking Syria – CSMonitor.com

 

Protesters outside the White House, Obama team makes case for attacking Syria – CSMonitor.com.

Syria Christians pray for peace and protection from strikes – FRANCE 24

 

Syria Christians pray for peace and protection from strikes – FRANCE 24.

I am… I shade -_- The Heat is On: Thermography (my photo collection)

I am… I shade -_- The Heat is On (my photo collection)

I am… I shade -_- In The Twilight Zone (my photo collection)

I am… I shade -_- In The Twilight Zone (my photo collection)

I am… I shade (the Sequel) (my photo collection)

I am… I shade -_- The sequel (2) (my photo collection)

I am… I shade -_- The sequel (my photo collection)

Two-thirds of French oppose Syria action: poll – FRANCE 24

 

Two-thirds of French oppose Syria action: poll – FRANCE 24.

Obama tells nation that Syria is ‘not another Iraq or Afghanistan’ | Reuters

 

Obama tells nation that Syria is ‘not another Iraq or Afghanistan’ | Reuters.

BBC News – Egypt army attacks Sinai militants

BBC News – Egypt army attacks Sinai militants.

Kerry attempts to sell Syria intervention in Europe – SYRIA – DIPLOMACY – FRANCE 24

Kerry attempts to sell Syria intervention in Europe – SYRIA – DIPLOMACY – FRANCE 24.

Kerry attempts to sell Syria intervention in Europe – SYRIA – DIPLOMACY – FRANCE 24

 

Kerry attempts to sell Syria intervention in Europe – SYRIA – DIPLOMACY – FRANCE 24.

▶ Residents of Golan Heights prepare for possible air strikes on Syria – YouTube

▶ Residents of Golan Heights prepare for possible air strikes on Syria – YouTube.

The good book shows and the book don’t lie: Thank you friends!

The good book shows and the book don’t lie: Thank you friends!

Schubert Arpeggione Sonata in A minor D. 821 : Alexandre Debrus, cello & Alexander Mogilevsky, piano

Franz Schubert
Arpeggione sonata in A minor D. 821

1. Allegro moderato 14’20
2. Adagio 04’03
3. Allegretto 11’27

Alexandre Debrus, cello
Alexander Mogilevsky, piano

From the CD “Pavane Records” ref.: ADW 7541

http://www.alexandredebrus.com

Alexandre Debrus was born in 1976, into a family of musicians, his father Raoul Debrus and his mother Eliane Debrus-Boucher, were respectively lead viola and cello to the RTBF Symphony Orchestra in Belgium. At the age of four he started to play the cello under the guidance of his mother. He was studying with Luc Dewez (Mons and Waterloo in Belgium), Mischa Maisky (Siena), Mark Drobinsky (Siena and Paris), Yvan Monighetti (Basel) and Mstislav Rostropovich (Beloeil in Belgium). He gives numerous concerts in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany, Serbia, Italy, Spain, Greece, the United States, Russia, Argentina, Japan and to China. He recorded 19 CD as soloist and with chamber music ensemble under different labels, such as Pavane Records, BMG-RCA, Victor Read Seal, EMI Classics and Artès Classics.

Clair De Luna – Debussy (a wondereos interpretation of “Clair de Lune” by the Clair De Luna – Jacques Loussier Trio

Clair De Luna – Debussy
Clair De Luna – Jacques Loussier Trio

 

Just a thought: “War brings more war…Never peace, never the illusion of peace!”

The Traitor_Martha Wainwright_Leonard Cohen_I’m Your Man_720 HD-022711 (“…Ah the dreamers ride against the men of action Oh see the men of action falling back…”)

A divine composition based on a unique poem, made a complete Leonard Cohen pièce de résistance, and the rendition beyond the realm of words by Martha Wainwright not to forget the out of this world musical arrangement: I am so happy to be able to appreciate this historic moment of excellence in the making. The explanation given by Mr. Cohen to the meaning of the verse describes a predicament in which each and every one of us found ourselves at least once in life, which makes it our life story, within which we can dissolve completely.

The world is indeed the theater in which we’re actors, directors and spectators:

The traitor, by Leonard Cohen

Now the Swan it floated on the English river
Ah the Rose of High Romance it opened wide
A sun tanned woman yearned me through the summer
and the judges watched us from the other side

I told my mother “Mother I must leave you
preserve my room but do not shed a tear
Should rumour of a shabby ending reach you
it was half my fault and half the atmosphere”

But the Rose I sickened with a scarlet fever
and the Swan I tempted with a sense of shame
She said at last I was her finest lover
and if she withered I would be to blame

The judges said you missed it by a fraction
rise up and brace your troops for the attack
Ah the dreamers ride against the men of action
Oh see the men of action falling back

But I lingered on her thighs a fatal moment
I kissed her lips as though I thirsted still
My falsity had stung me like a hornet
The poison sank and it paralysed my will

I could not move to warn all the younger soldiers
that they had been deserted from above
So on battlefields from here to Barcelona
I’m listed with the enemies of love

And long ago she said “I must be leaving,
Ah but keep my body here to lie upon
You can move it up and down and when I’m sleeping
Run some wire through that Rose and wind the Swan”

So daily I renew my idle duty
I touch her here and there — I know my place
I kiss her open mouth and I praise her beauty
and people call me traitor to my face 

Leonard Cohen: “It was called “The traitor”. It was about the feeling that we have of betraying some mission that we were mandated to fulfill, and being unable to fulfill it, and then coming to understand that the real mandate was not to fulfill it, and that the deeper courage was to stand guiltless in the predicament in which you found yourself”.

Debussy Masques, L.105

Claude Gervaise – Almande IV de la Suite Nº 3

Intérpretes : Ensemble Musica Antiqua
Director : Christian Mendoze

 

Beethoven / Josef Krips, 1960: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 – Complete

The Austrian conductor Josef Krips (1902-1974) leads the London Symphony Orchestra in this 1960 performance of Beethoven’s fifth symphony in C minor, Op. 67. This LP is part of an 8-LP set (in monaural), produced by Everest Records, a label based in Bayside, Long Island started by Harry D. Belock and Bert Whyte in May 1958. The boxed collection is numbered LPBR 6065/8. This recording was made directly from the LP.More BeethovenBeethoven / Gilels / Szell, 1968: Piano Concerto in G major, Op. 58 – Complete – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXoxpW…

 

Eroica: “Even Beethoven changed his tune, when he saw that the Emperor had no clothes!”

Eroica: 

“Even Beethoven changed his tune, when he saw that the Emperor had no clothes!”

“Invocation for Balance – “BREATHE””-_- (My Art Collection)

“Invocation for Balance – “BREATHE””-_- (My Art Collection)

“Can You See Me Now?” ( my Art collection)

“Can You See Me Now?” ( my Art collection)

Get Some Peace! (my Art Collection)

Get Some Peace (my Art Collection)

Leonard Cohen – Story of Isaac (live performance 1985) (…”a scheme is not a vision…”)

LEONARD COHEN LYRICS

 Send “Story Of Isaac” Ringtone to your Cell 

“Story Of Isaac”

The door it opened slowly, 
my father he came in, 
I was nine years old. 
And he stood so tall above me, 
his blue eyes they were shining 
and his voice was very cold. 
He said, “I’ve had a vision 
and you know I’m strong and holy, 
I must do what I’ve been told.” 
So he started up the mountain, 
I was running, he was walking, 
and his axe was made of gold. 
Well, the trees they got much smaller, 
the lake a lady’s mirror, 
we stopped to drink some wine. 
Then he threw the bottle over. 
Broke a minute later 
and he put his hand on mine. 
Thought I saw an eagle 
but it might have been a vulture, 
I never could decide. 
Then my father built an altar, 
he looked once behind his shoulder, 
he knew I would not hide. 

You who build these altars now 
to sacrifice these children, 
you must not do it anymore. 
A scheme is not a vision 
and you never have been tempted 
by a demon or a god. 
You who stand above them now, 
your hatchets blunt and bloody, 
you were not there before, 
when I lay upon a mountain 
and my father’s hand was trembling 
with the beauty of the word. 

And if you call me brother now, 
forgive me if I inquire, 
“Just according to whose plan?” 
When it all comes down to dust 
I will kill you if I must, 
I will help you if I can. 
When it all comes down to dust 
I will help you if I must, 
I will kill you if I can. 
And mercy on our uniform, 
man of peace or man of war, 
the peacock spreads his fan.

 

Quotation: L. Frank Baum “It is worth a lot of bother to be able to think properly.”

It is worth a lot of bother to be able to think properly.

L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) Discuss

Anthem – Leonard Cohen

LEONARD COHEN LYRICS

 Send “Anthem” Ringtone to your Cell 

“Anthem”

The birds they sang 
at the break of day 
Start again 
I heard them say 
Don’t dwell on what 
has passed away 
or what is yet to be. 
Ah the wars they will 
be fought again 
The holy dove 
She will be caught again 
bought and sold 
and bought again 
the dove is never free. 

Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack in everything 
That’s how the light gets in. 

We asked for signs 
the signs were sent: 
the birth betrayed 
the marriage spent 
Yeah the widowhood 
of every government — 
signs for all to see. 

I can’t run no more 
with that lawless crowd 
while the killers in high places 
say their prayers out loud. 
But they’ve summoned, they’ve summoned up 
a thundercloud 
and they’re going to hear from me. 

Ring the bells that still can ring … 

You can add up the parts 
but you won’t have the sum 
You can strike up the march, 
there is no drum 
Every heart, every heart 
to love will come 
but like a refugee. 

Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack, a crack in everything 
That’s how the light gets in. 

Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack, a crack in everything 
That’s how the light gets in. 
That’s how the light gets in. 
That’s how the light gets in.

 

Today”s Birthday: ANNA MARY ROBERTSON “GRANDMA” MOSES (1860)

Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses (1860)

A farm worker for most of her life, Moses turned to painting only after arthritis had forced her to give up embroidery. Her paintings were first displayed in a drugstore when she was 78, but her exhibitions soon became so popular that they broke attendance records around the world. Moses painted simple scenes of farm life and produced thousands of them despite her late start. Her works now hang in some of America‘s most prestigious museums and galleries. Who “discovered” her paintings? More…Discuss

 

This Day in the Yesteryear: PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME OPENS IN CANTON, OHIO (1963)

Pro Football Hall of Fame Opens in Canton, Ohio (1963)

Although professional American football was played as early as 1895, it was not until 1920 that national organization began, with the formation of the American Professional Football Association in Canton, Ohio. In 1922, the association was renamed the National Football League (NFL). Originally the home of the former professional team known as the Canton Bulldogs, Canton was later selected as the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Which NFL team has had the most hall of famers? More… Discuss

 

CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE

A common practice in places such as the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia, Latin America, and some parts of the US, shooting a firearm into the air in celebration occurs most often on holidays such as New Year‘s, Christmas, and Eid. Falling bullets are responsible for damaged roofs and shattered windows. Worse, they can result in injury and even death. Why is the mortality rate among those struck by falling bullets much higher than the mortality rate normally associated with gunshot wounds? More… Discuss