Hector Berlioz : Reverie et Caprice, Op 8

Movements/Sections : 2 (Adagio — Allegro vivace)
Composition Year :1841
Genre Categories : Romances; For violin, orchestra; Scores featuring the violin

UNT Symphony Orchestra: Háry János Suite – Zoltán Kodály

Háry János Suite, Opus 15 (1927) ………………………… Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
I. Prelude: The Fairy Tale Begins
II. Viennese Musical Clock
III. Song
IV. The Battle and Defeat of Napoleon
V. Intermezzo
VI. Entrance of the Emperor and His Court

Christopher Deane, cimbalom
David Itkin, conductor

Recorded live September 25, 2013
Winspear Hall, College of Music
University of North Texas
http://music.unt.edu

GREAT PERFORMANCES: Ottorino Respighi, The Pines of Rome, Karajan

Ottorino Respighi, The Pines of Rome. Maestro Herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.

TODAY’S HOLIDAY: DÍA DE NEGRITOS AND FIESTA DE LOS BLANQUITOS

Día de Negritos and Fiesta de los Blanquitos

In Popayán, Colombia, the Christmas season ends with wild festivities that take place on January 5 and 6. On January 5, known as the Día de Negritos or Day of the Black Ones, boys with black shoe polish chase girls and try to smear them with their blackened hands. There are parades in the afternoon with people in costume and chirimíasi (roving groups of musicians who play traditional Columbian music). The following day, January 6, is known as the Fiesta de los Blanquitos (Festival of the White Ones). Instead of chasing the girls with shoe polish, the boys use talcum powder and flour.More… Discuss

QUOTATION: Jerome K. Jerome WOMEN POWER

Women … have more power for good or evil than they dream of.

Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) Discus

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY: JEANNETTE PICCARD (1895)

Jeannette Piccard (1895)

American balloonist Jeannette Piccard held the women’s altitude record for nearly three decades. She and her husband initially struggled to fund their ballooning—companies balked at endangering a woman and mother—but in 1934, the pair was able to make a record-breaking flight over Lake Erie. Jeannette piloted the balloon to a height of 57,579 ft (17,550 m), becoming the first woman to reach the stratosphere. She served as a consultant to NASA but later pursued what very different profession? More… Discuss

THIS DAY IN THE YESTERYEAR: THE GREAT NORTH AMERICAN ICE STORM STRIKES (1998)

The Great North American Ice Storm Strikes (1998)

In just six days, the Great Ice Storm of 1998 devastated parts of eastern Canada and the US. Trees and electrical pylons collapsed under the weight of thick ice sheets, leaving millions without power for days—some for nearly a month. Major cities came to a standstill in a state of emergency, maple sugar and syrup businesses were devastated, and 16,000 Canadian Forces personnel were deployed—the largest Canadian deployment since the Korean War. What area was called the “triangle of darkness”? More… Discuss

NEWS: OBESITY RATES EXPLODE IN DEVELOPING WORLD

Obesity Rates Explode in Developing World

Over the past three decades, the number of overweightand obese adults in the developing world has nearly quadrupled, to about one billion. One in three people across the globe is now overweight, and the world is facing a growing health crisis as a result. The authors of a recent report on the matter predict that there will be a significant uptick in heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. They are calling on governments to take a more active role in combating obesity through public health programs.More… Discuss

ARTICLE: TUBE ALLOYS

Tube Alloys

Though allies, the US and UK struggled to collaborate on the building of the atom bomb during World War II. In hopes of spurring cooperation, members of the UK’s bomb program—which was inconspicuously codenamed “Tube Alloys”—sent a report on their research to US scientists. The report was largely ignored until one of the British scientists traveled to the US. Hesitation by both sides followed, and the fledgling US effort eventually became the Manhattan Project. What happened to Tube Alloys?More… Discuss

Fabulous Compositions – Performances: Antonin Dvorak – Mass in D Major, Op. 86 [Valery Polyansky conducts the Russian State Symphonic Cappella and the Russian State Symphony Orchestra]

ANTONIN DVORAK – Mass in D Major, Op. 86

I know that I’ve uploaded the “Kyrie” sequence a few years ago. But I figured, why not? I’ll post the whole thing up on YouTube. Plus, the pictures in this video are a lot better than the one I’ve taken on my cough outdated cough cellphone.
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In this 1995 recording, Valery Polyansky conducts the Russian State Symphonic Cappella and the Russian State Symphony Orchestra. Chandos is the official owner of this recording.
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1. Kyrie (0:00)
Photo: Autumn Fog, by glaeskePi
http://pixabay.com/en/fog-autumn-natu…

2. Gloria (8:44)
Photo: Tower in Autumn, by stux
http://pixabay.com/en/gallwitz-gables…

3. Credo (18:05)
Photo: Splügen Pass, by LSC
http://pixabay.com/en/spl%C3%BCgen-pa…

4. Sanctus (30:10)
Photo: Autumn Leaves, by Kapa65
http://pixabay.com/en/tree-leaves-gre…

5. Benedictus (32:31)
Photo: Autumn in Wisconsin, by tpsdave
http://pixabay.com/en/jump-river-wisc…

6. Agnus Dei (39:55)
Photo: Ontario Autumn, by firalivet
http://pixabay.com/en/ontario-landsca…
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