Saturday 28 January 2012

My Sunday Concert


 Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)


 Daniel Barenboim
and the Staatskapelle Berlin
 2007 at the Ruhr Piano Festival in Essen, Germany


 Allegro in E-flat major - 1/1



 Allegro in E-flat major - 1/2





Adagio un poco mosso in B major



Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo in E-flat major


The Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73  by Ludwig van Beethoven,
popularly known as the Emperor Concerto, was his last piano concerto.
It was written between 1809 and 1811 in Vienna,
while Vienna was bombarded then occupied by the French,
and was dedicated to Archduke Rudolf, Beethoven's patron and pupil.
The first performance took place on 28 November 1811 
at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the soloist being Friedrich Schneider.
In 1812, Carl Czerny, another student of Beethoven's, gave the Vienna debut of this work.

 This piano concerto is one of my favorites - so uplifting and at the same time calming.
Performed by numerous well known and famous pianists over decades.
So far I liked it most when played by Russian pianist   Emil Gilels   
But Daniel Barenboim plays the piano like Emil Gilels,
neither 'academic' nor 'intellectual'  - just simply deeply out of the heart and soul.
I like to imagine that is the way that Beethoven played it himself.

Although, because of the life-recording the sound is not all that perfect,
this performance is so full of joy.
Watching Barenboim playing the piano while conducting the orchestra
and seeing a lot of the musicians in close-up  -  simply very entertaining.

Hope that you enjoy 'My Sunday Concert' as well.

Best wishes for a lovely Sunday and a good start to the week!

 ***

With thanks to movie director  Andreas Morell
 and to BoschPianoMusic at youtube

Beethoven's portrait by Joseph Carl Stieler in 1819-20

Beethovens piano concertos 1-5
with Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin
available as DVD at Amazon   here

Thursday 26 January 2012

I'm dreaming.....




...of a white winter,

just like the one I use to know......


(by Herbert F. Ecclesius)

*

 
Historic photos - Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Historic photos - Garmisch-Partenkirchen

 *

And like the one we had three years ago....


...when La Pouyette was covered in snow






















****


But, apart from a few wonderful frosty mornings,
this winter here, so far, it's grey, grey, drizzling and very mild.
A weather like "neither fish nor meat" - boring!
Although, this is rather normal for our region,
we don't have really long and cold winters in the South-West of France,
I like to have some snow for a week or two, or even only for a few days
when everything is quiet and calm, the nature falls into a winter sleep
and the world seems to be so peaceful.



So, I keep dreaming.....


...of a white winter...


-1-

"Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow..."


-2-


-3-


-4-


-5-

"Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels.."


-6-

"This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field."
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

-7-


-8-


-9-


-10-


 
***
****
***

Snow at La Pouyette 2009

A bientôt


P.S. Oskar's broken leg is improving, but he still has to live partly in his prison cell,
Mr. B and me caught a flu/cold, my laptop caught a bug and crashed down 2 weeks ago,
the main computer slowed down enormously (the PC doctor is coming today),
the whole house seems to be a hospital ward :) :)
So far I was not able to have a proper look at all your wonderful blogs and writing comments,
it took/takes ages to download anything.
Hopefully I'll catch up with all of you very soon.



Photo credit:
With thanks to the photographer:
Karl Herrling - 1,3 and 5
doberman4ik - 2
Dieter Biskamp - 4
aniabeta - 10
Ute Bauernfeind -11
Raimund Kloock - 8
www.fotos.sc - 6,7,9

Saturday 14 January 2012

Sunday 8 January 2012

I have been awarded .....!


....and it is now really high time to pass the awards on.

Just before the end of the year
I received this award....


from Debra

Acquired Objects   here



What an honor!  Thank you so much Debra!

*

Now, to accept this award I should list 5 things about myself, that others might not know;
but what can I say ???


1. I'm not a good writer and to be honest I actually don't really like writing.
It is not because I have no ideas,  it feels like a giant monster of a block
placing itself between me and my story, which is a plague sucking my creative energy.
Thanks god for the .....dots...... What would I do without them....:)


2. I'm hopeless with all the technical computer and web language,
Gadget, interface, html, URL, etc...  A "mine-field" for me, and it took months
for example, to find out how to copy-and-paste, create a link and to insert a video!!!
But I have to admit that I'm rather impatient...sometimes...with some things...

3. I like to act spontaneously
4. I love the animals, they hardly never argue or contradict me  :) :)
5. I would like to have sometimes a 30-hour-day or a 10-day-week or....
just more time to spend

****

 To keep this award going, each recipient should
recognize five deserving blogs who have less than two-hundred followers.

Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog
2. Choose five blogs to nominate and let them know by leaving a comment
3. Request that the chosen blogs pass the Award on to their favorite five
4. Copy and paste the award on your blog post
5. List five things about yourself......

*

So,  "The Blog on Fire Award"
 I would like to pass on to:

Heather  - Lost in Arles    here


Martha - Authentica Classics  here


Olga from Russia
Vintage Cards - Forest House - Home & Mood
here


Elizabeth - Eiffel Tells  here


Gail - Where the moon sleeps  here

***

And - would you believe - this award I received as long ago as in October!

 

also from dear Debra

  
here

My goodness! Where is the time gone....


So, I'd like to take this opportunity to also pass 
 this award on to:

Fay - A Melange et Moi   here


Maggie from Poland - Kalinki Summerhouse    here


Dianne - YONKS    here


Franka -  Meine Dinge    here


 Bee Bonne Belle  -   here

and last but not least:

Jaqueline - Jaqueline@Home    here


I hope you'll have time to visit all these
beautiful and interesting blogs!

And wish you all a lovely Sunday and a good start to the week.
A bientôt