Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne op.9 no.1 in B-flat minor (by Vadim Chaimovich)

This is my 2009 studio recording of Chopin’s Nocturne op.9 no.1.
This nocturne is one of the most beautiful short pieces by the celebrated master of the “song of the night”, it has a rhythmic freedom that came to characterize Chopin’s later work…
Enjoy!

Frederic Chopin – Nocturne op. 9 no. 1 in B-flat Minor
Vadim Chaimovich, piano

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Offenbach – Barcarolle , from ‘The Tales of Hoffmann’

Title : Jacques Offenbach , Barcarolle , from ‘The Tales of Hoffmann’

From Wikipedia ,
Les contes d’Hoffmann (in English: The Tales of Hoffmann) is an opera by Jacques Offenbach. It was first performed in Paris, at the Opéra-Comique, on February 10, 1881.

The libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann. E.T.A. Hoffmann himself is a character in the opera just as he often is in his stories. The stories upon which the opera is based are Der Sandmann,Rath Krespel, and Das verlorene Spiegelbild.
The opera contains a prologue, three acts and an epilogue. Offenbach did not live to see his opera performed, since he died on October 5, 1880, just over four months before its premiere. Before his death, Offenbach had completed the piano score and orchestrated the prologue and the first act. Since he did not entirely finish the writing, many different versions of this opera emerged, some bearing little resemblance to the original work. The version performed at the opera’s premiere was that by Ernest Guiraud, who completed Offenbach’s scoring and wrote the recitatives.
The Barcarolle

The most famous aria from the opera is the Title : Jacques Offenbach , Barcarolle , from ‘The Tales of Hoffmann’

From Wikipedia ,
Les contes d’Hoffmann (in English: The Tales of Hoffmann) is an opera by Jacques Offenbach. It was first performed in Paris, at the Opéra-Comique, on February 10, 1881.

The libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann. E.T.A. Hoffmann himself is a character in the opera just as he often is in his stories. The stories upon which the opera is based are Der Sandmann,Rath Krespel, and Das verlorene Spiegelbild.
The opera contains a prologue, three acts and an epilogue. Offenbach did not live to see his opera performed, since he died on October 5, 1880, just over four months before its premiere. Before his death, Offenbach had completed the piano score and orchestrated the prologue and the first act. Since he did not entirely finish the writing, many different versions of this opera emerged, some bearing little resemblance to the original work. The version performed at the opera’s premiere was that by Ernest Guiraud, who completed Offenbach’s scoring and wrote the recitatives.
The Barcarolle

The most famous aria from the opera is the “Barcarolle” (Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour), which is performed in Act 2. Curiously, the aria was not written by Offenbach with Les Contes d’Hoffmann in mind. He wrote it as a ghost-song in the opera Les fées du Rhin (which premiered in Vienna on February 8, 1864 as Die Rheinnixen). Offenbach died with Les contes d’Hoffmann unfinished.

Ernest Guiraud completed the scoring and wrote the recitatives for the premiere. He also incorporated this excerpt from one of Offenbach’s earlier, long-forgotten operas into the new opera.

The Barcarolle has been incorporated into many movies including Life Is Beautiful and Titanic.”Barcarolle” (Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour), which is performed in Act 2. Curiously, the aria was not written by Offenbach with Les Contes d’Hoffmann in mind. He wrote it as a ghost-song in the opera Les fées du Rhin (which premiered in Vienna on February 8, 1864 as Die Rheinnixen). Offenbach died with Les contes d’Hoffmann unfinished.

Ernest Guiraud completed the scoring and wrote the recitatives for the premiere. He also incorporated this excerpt from one of Offenbach’s earlier, long-forgotten operas into the new opera.

The Barcarolle has been incorporated into many movies including Life Is Beautiful and Titanic.

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Petition | Aetna STOP denying needed surgeries and calling them “Experimental”! | Change.org

Petition | Aetna STOP denying needed surgeries and calling them “Experimental”! | Change.org.

Mailbox thefts prompt crackdown – CSMonitor.com

Mailbox thefts prompt crackdown – CSMonitor.com.

NON MATCHING: Galalith and Old Buttons

Galalith

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

White galalith RAAF pre-1953 buttons. (Top left button shows crazing resulting from button having been heated during washing.)

Galalith (Erinoid in the United Kingdom), is a synthetic plastic material manufactured by the interaction of casein and formaldehyde. Given a commercial name derived from the Greek words gala (milk) and lithos (stone), it is odourless, insoluble in water, biodegradable,antiallergenic, antistatic and virtually nonflammable.

Discovery

In 1897, the Hanover, Germany mass printing press owner Wilhelm Krische was commissioned to develop an alternative to blackboards.^[1] The resultant horn-like plastic made from the milk protein casein was developed in cooperation with the Austrian chemist(Friedrich) Adolph Spitteler (1846–1940). The final result was unsuitable for the original purpose.^[1] In 1893, French chemist Auguste Trillat discovered the means to insolubilize casein by immersion in formaldehyde.

Production and usage

Although it could not be moulded once set, and was hence produced in sheets, it was inexpensive to produce due to its simple manufacture. Galalith could be cut, drilled, embossed and dyed without difficulty, and its structure manipulated to create a series of effects. No other plastic at the time could compete on price, and with ivory, horn and bone products becoming far more expensive, it found a natural home in the fashion industry.^[1]

This new plastic was presented at Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900. In France, Galalith was distributed by the Compagnie Française de Galalithelocated near Paris in Levallois-Perret. As a result, the Jura area became the first one to use the material.

Marketed in the form of boards, pipes and rods, in 1913 thirty million litres (eight million US gallons) of milk were used to produce Galalith in Germany alone.^[1] In 1914, Syrolit Ltd gained the license for manufacture in the United Kingdom. Renaming itself Erinoid Ltd, it started manufacture in the Lightpill former woollen mill in Dudbridge, Stroud, Gloucestershire.^[2]

Galalith could produce gemstone imitations that looked strikingly real. In 1926 Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel published a picture of a short, simple black dress in Vogue. It was calf-length, straight, and decorated only by a few diagonal lines. Vogue called it “Chanel’s Ford,” as like the Model T, the little black dress was simple and accessible for women of all social classes. To accessorize the little black dress, Chanel revamped her designs, thus facilitating the breakthrough and mass popularity of costume jewelry.^[1] Galalith was used for striking Art Deco jewelry designs by artists such as Jacob Bengel and Auguste Bonaz, as well as for hair combs and accessories. By the 1930s, Galalith was also used for pens, umbrella handles, white piano keys (replacing natural ivory), and electrical goods,^[3] with world production at that time reaching 10,000 tons.

Today

Although Galalith was historically cheap, the fact it could not be moulded led to its demise by commercial end users. Production slowed as the restrictions of World War II led to a need for milk as a food, and niched due to new oil-derived wartime plastic developments. Production continued inBrazil until the 1960s.

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Antonín Dvořák – Bagatelles, Op. 47

Alberni String Quartet.
Howard Davis, violin.
Peter Pople, violin.
Roger Best, violin/viola.
David Smith, cello.
Virginia Black, harmonium

Antonín Dvořák – Bagatelles, Op. 47
1. Allegretto scherzando 2’59
2. Tempo di menuetto, grazioso 3’16
3. Allegretto scherzando 2’56
4. Canon, andante con moto 3’27
5. Poco allegro 4’21

 

Great Composers/Compositions: Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 3

Ottorino Respighi (1879 – 1936)
Ancient Airs and Dances / Antiche arie e danze per liuto
Suite No. 3 (1932)

I. Italiana (0:00)
II. Arie di corte (1:55)
III. Siciliana (8:39)
IV. Passacaglia (12:18)

Sir Neville Marriner
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
1976
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ancient Airs and Dances (Italian: Antiche arie e danze) is a set of three orchestral suites by Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. In addition to being a renowned composer and conductor, Respighi was also a notable musicologist. His interest in Italian music of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries led him to compose works inspired by the music of these periods.

Suite No. 3 was composed in 1932. It differs from the previous two suites in that it is arranged for strings only and somewhat melancholy in overall mood. It is based on lute songs by Besard, a piece for baroque guitar by Ludovico Roncalli, and lute pieces by Santino Garsi da Parma and additional anonymous composers.

1. Italiana (Anonymous: Italiana (Fine sec.XVI) – Andantino)
2. Arie di corte (Jean-Baptiste Besard: Arie di corte (Sec.XVI) – Andante cantabile – Allegretto – Vivace – Slow with great expression – Allegro vivace – Vivacissimo – Andante cantabile)
3. Siciliana (Anonymous: Siciliana (Fine sec.XVI) – Andantino)
4. Passacaglia (Lodovico Roncalli: Passacaglia (1692) – Maestoso – Vivace)

 

 

RESPIGHI Suite for Organ and Strings In G

RESPIGHI Suite for Organ and Strings
Performed by Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra at Vienna Presbyterian Church on October 27​, 2012.

 

GREAT COMPOSERS/COMPOSITIONS Milano – 3_Rossini La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder) Overture

Milano – 3_Rossini La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder) Overture
La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder) Part:Overture Composer: Gioachino Antonio Rossini, Artist: Orchestra of The State Hermitage (Camerata), – Travel Lounge takes you on a virtual trip to Milano
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/de/album/ross…
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/de/album/oper…
Amazon: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B003HXBAGU?ie…
musicload: http://www.musicload.de/various-artis…

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TODAY’S HOLIDAY: HARBIN ICE AND SNOW FESTIVAL

Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

This extravaganza of ice sculptures takes place from January 5 to February 4 in the port city of Harbin, the second largest city of northeast China, located in Heilongjiang Province. The sculptures, using themes ofancient legends and stories and modern historic events, depict pavilions, temples, and mythic animals and persons. Located in Zhaolin Park, they shimmer in the sun by day, and at night are illuminated in a rainbow of colors. Theatrical events, art exhibitions, and a photo exhibition mark festival time, and wedding ceremonies are often scheduled at this time in the ice-filled park. More… Discuss

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QUOTATION: Gilbert Chesterton about Justice

The things that happen here do not seem to mean anything; they mean something somewhere else. Somewhere else retribution will come on the real offender. Here it often seems to fall on the wrong person.

Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936) Discuss

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TODAY’S BIRTHDAY: FRANZ CLEMENS HONORATUS HERMANN BRENTANO (1838)

Franz Clemens Honoratus Hermann Brentano (1838)

Nine years after being ordained, Brentano renounced the priesthood due to religious doubts and immersed himself more deeply in the study and teaching of philosophy. With his 1874 text Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint, he sought to establish psychology as an independent science. He founded act psychology, or intentionalism, which concerns itself with the mind’s “acts”—such as perception, loving, and hating—rather than its contents. Which philosophical luminaries did he influence? More…Discuss

 

THIS DAY IN THE YESTERYEAR: ENNIS COSBY MURDERED DURING ROBBERY (1997)

Ennis Cosby Murdered during Robbery (1997)

In 1997, Ennis Cosby—son of actor Bill Cosby—was driving to visit a friend in Los Angeles, California, when his car got a flat tire on the highway. As Ennis changed the tire, a man with a gun approached him, demanded money, and shot him in the head. The case remained unsolved until the National Enquirer received a tip linking Mikhail Markhasev—an 18-year-old gang member with a history of racist attacks—to the crime. What shocking thing did Markhasev do while serving his life sentence? More… Discuss

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NEWS: UN: HALF OF SYRIANS NOW IN URGENT NEED OF AID

UN: Half of Syrians Now in Urgent Need of Aid

The situation in Syria is dire. According to UN estimates, half of the Syrian population is in urgent need of aid. The bloody uprising that began in 2011 has claimed more than 100,000 lives and displaced millions. Some 2.3 million people have fled Syria for neighboring countries, and more than twice this number are displaced within the country. About 9.3 million Syrians, nearly half of whom are children, are now in desperate need of assistance. The UN is appealing to the international community for $6.5 billion (£4 billion), the largest UN appeal for a single cause to date. More… Discuss

 

THE MEGALITHIC TEMPLES OF MALTA

The Mediterranean Republic of Malta is home to 11 prehistoric monuments known as the Megalithic Temples, seven of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Though researchers have struggled to date the temples—the sites were intruded upon by later settlers—the oldest temples are now attributed to the Neolithic period. They boast impressive architectural designs, like carved patterns and alignment with the Sun during solstices and equinoxes. According to Maltese folklore, who built the temples? More… Discuss

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