Day after day, I must face a world of strangers Where I don’t belong, I’m not that strong It’s nice to know that there’s someone I can turn to Who will always care, you’re always there
When there’s no gettin’ over that rainbow When my smallest of dreams won’t come true I can take all the madness the world has to give But I won’t last a day without you
So many times when the city seems to be Without a friendly face, a lonely place It’s nice to know that you’ll be there if I need you And you’ll always smile, it’s all worthwhile
When there’s no gettin’ over that rainbow When my smallest of dreams won’t come true I can take all the madness the world has to give But I won’t last a day without you
Touch me and I end up singing Trouble seems to up and disappear You touch me with the love you’re bringing I can’t really lose when you’re near When you’re near, my love
If all my friends have forgotten half their promises they’re not unkind Just hard to find One look at you and I know That I couldn’t learn to live without the rest I’ve found the best
When there’s no gettin’ over that rainbow When my smallest of dreams won’t come true I can take all the madness the world has to give But I won’t last a day without you
When there’s no gettin’ over that rainbow When my smallest of dreams won’t come true I can take all the madness the world has to give But I won’t last a day without you
Beethoven reworked his only opera,Fidelio, over a period of 10 years, and in the process composed four separate overtures for it. (Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820)
It’s widely known that Beethoven wrote only one opera. But some experts would beg to differ.
Beethoven’sFideliopremiered with great success in Vienna, on May 23, 1814. But Beethoven had been fine-tuningFideliofor nearly 10 years.
At its debut in 1805, Beethoven’s opera was calledLeonore, and it flopped. There was a slightly different take on the basic plot, fueled by quite a bit more music than theFideliothat came later.
For ages,Leonorewas viewed as little more than a flawed first draft ofFidelio. But over the last decade or two, interest in Beethoven’s earlier version has increased, even resulting in several recordings.
Some conductors who have taken interest inLeonore, like Nicholas McGegan (who conducts this concert), feel that the emotional content of Beethoven’s earlier version is more pure, intense and immediate.
The opera is imbued with Beethoven’s vision of freedom from political oppression, sparked by the ideals of the French Revolution. One writer described it as the story of “a woman, disguised as a prison worker, who liberates her husband, and strikes a blow for freedom, feminism, and prison reform.”
For a brief period, Beethoven saw Napoleon as a champion for human rights, fighting against the old aristocratic order. But by 1805, Napoleon had invaded Austria and Beethoven had reversed his opinion. Some of that white-hot emotion, scholars say, found its way intoLeonore, but was toned down later inFidelio, as Beethoven’s hopes had become diluted.
With all the agonizing Beethoven went through over his opera, one would hope that he would have come to a final acceptance. But he was never really happy. Just before the debut ofFidelioin 1814, he admitted to a colleague that he was “dissatisfied with most of it.”
Fortunately for us, Beethoven was fussy. As a result of 10 years of re-tooling, he composed four separate overtures for his opera, known as Leonore No. 1, Leonore No. 2, Leonore No. 3, and Fidelio.
McGegan begins this concert with the first Leonore Overture, then moves on to a duet between the characters Leonore (disguised as a man) and Marcellina (the jailer’s daughter who has a crush on Leonore). Next, there’s a small march, and finally the recognition scene—a duet between Leonore and her husband, Florestan, whom she has rescued from the depths of the Spanish prison.
Down the way where the nights are gay And the sun shines daily on the mountain top I took a trip on a sailing ship And when I reached Jamaica I made a stop
But I’m sad to say I’m on my way Won’t be back for many a day My heart is down, my head is turning around I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town
Down the market you can hear Ladies cry out while on their heads they bear ‘Akey’ rice, salt fish are nice And the rum is fine any time of year
But I’m sad to say I’m on my way Won’t be back for many a day My heart is down, my head is turning around I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town
Sounds of laughter everywhere And the dancing girls sway to and fro I must declare my heart is there Though I’ve been from Maine to Mexico
But I’m sad to say I’m on my way Won’t be back for many a day My heart is down, my head is turning around I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town
Down the way where the nights are gay And the sun shines daily on the mountain top I took a trip on a sailing ship And when I reached Jamaica I made a stop
But I’m sad to say I’m on my way Won’t be back for many a day My heart is down, my head is turning around I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town
Sad to say I’m on my way Won’t be back for many a day My heart is down, my head is turning around I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town
Recent hesitation on your part may have suddenly put you in a bind, Taurus. It may feel like you’ve reached gridlock and your choices are limited. You can no longer get a solid handle on things. Instead of trying to make a move now, you may have to wait until the dust settles and you can see clearly again. Let the situation release before you add any more friction.: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tfd.mobile.TfdSearch
The Sprangprocession in Luxembourg has been held on Whit Tuesday, which falls 52 days after Easter, since the eighth century. It honors St. Willibrord (St. Wilfred), the patron saint of Luxembourg. The dance that is performed by thousands of participants in the procession through the narrow streets of Echternach has remained basically unchanged, and local bands play the same melody that was played more than 500 years ago. The procession ends up in the basilica, where the remains of St. Willibrord are buried. More…: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tfd.mobile.TfdSearch
An English suffragist and social reformer, Fawcett rejected the violent acts of some of her contemporaries in the suffrage movement, believing that the enfranchisement of women could be achieved by peaceful means. Her efforts as president of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies from 1897 to 1919 are considered to have been instrumental in earning women over 30 in the UK the right to vote in 1918. Her older sister, Elizabeth, was the first woman licensed to do what in Britain? More…: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tfd.mobile.TfdSearch
An English suffragist and social reformer, Fawcett rejected the violent acts of some of her contemporaries in the suffrage movement, believing that the enfranchisement of women could be achieved by peaceful means. Her efforts as president of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies from 1897 to 1919 are considered to have been instrumental in earning women over 30 in the UK the right to vote in 1918. Her older sister, Elizabeth, was the first woman licensed to do what in Britain? More…: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tfd.mobile.TfdSearch
This Day in History: King Alexander I of Serbia Assassinated (1903)
Twelve-year-old Alexander Obrenovic became king of Serbia in 1889, when his father, King Milan I, abdicated. Proclaiming himself of age in 1893, he took over the government, abolished the relatively liberal constitution of 1889, and restored the conservative one of 1869. In 1903, after Alexander temporarily suspended the liberal constitution he had granted in 1901 so that he could replace certain government officials, he and his wife were assassinated. Who succeeded him? More…: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tfd.mobile.TfdSearch
Article of the Day: “The Walrus and the Carpenter”
“The Walrus and the Carpenter” is a narrative poem that appears in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. In the book, the poem is recited to the protagonist, Alice, by Tweedledee and Tweedledum. After hearing the poem, in which the titular characters lull a group of oysters into a false sense of security and then eat them, the good-natured Alice attempts to determine which of the two might be the more sympathetic. In what ways has the poem been interpreted? More…: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tfd.mobile.TfdSearch
[caption id="attachment_99163" align="alignnone" width="300"] CIDSE – TOGETHER FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE (CHANGE FOR THE PLANET -CARE FOR THE PROPLE-ACCESS THIS NEW WEBSITE FROM EUZICASA)[/caption]
CIDSE - TOGETHER FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE (CHANGE FOR THE PLANET -CARE FOR THE PROPLE-ACCESS THIS NEW WEBSITE FROM EUZICASA)