Beethoven

BEETHOVEN triumphs w/Philly Orchestra @ NJPAC. We have worked with Fractured Atlas for ArtsPR since 2014. Dear Friends and Colleagues, I am asking EVERYONE who has not renewed their support to do so now for our Award winning work. I am also asking all of the hundreds of readers of my mail on Constant Contact, NYTimes, EIN Press, or Substack to send a NEW DONATION as well. WE REALLY NEED ALL THE SUPPORT WE CAN GET:

Liberal Arts Blog — Sunday is the Joy of Humor, Food, Travel, Practical Life Tips, and Random Stuff Day Today’s Topic: Top Three Destinations in Germany? Why? If you could just visit three places in Germany what would they be? Why? I have only been to Germany once, for a…

And the good Jesus — Quite a while ago, a young man in our congregation needed a place to make his senior piano recital happen. He was a great pianist, really, handling well the works of Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Debussy. …

Musical critics still puzzle over the 9th Symphony; the key is a whisper in the final movement — Beethoven let the lowest instruments introduce his most memorable melody. When we think of the Ode to Joy we usually recall it gloriously trumpeted by the full orchestra and choir. Through the years that triumphant segment has been become so popular that we forget its context in the score. The…

Unlocking a mystery — I’m going to open this week with a case. In addition to the jaundice, this acute illness was accompanied by fever as well as diffuse edema, and the patient underwent several abdominal paracenteses to drain excess fluid. One consulting physician administered alcohol to relieve pain to little avail. The patient…

and how I underestimated the Bavarian charm — Germany was not on my bucket list. I don’t mind not going there ever and craving more exotic places instead. But, as my old friend (since we were still confident enough to go anywhere without wearing any bra and play hide and seek to kill time) and her family uprooted…

Classical music has been around for centuries (fun fact: that’s what makes it so classical), but its power to evoke emotion and stir the soul has not diminished with time. Which is just fancy talk for: it’s still cool and even more relevant than before. From the grandeur of Beethoven’s…

An interview with Norman Lebrecht — “What we find in his music is a search for the meaning of the human condition... The last string quartets are voyages into the spiritual stratosphere, into the absolute unknown.” Beethoven is a name that transcends generations and traverses borders. And yet, the man behind the music remains an enigma…

Which came first? — Did the Mona Lisa exit before time? Waiting patiently for a soul to incarnate that was capable of capturing her on canvas? Were the brush strokes of Leonardo da Vinci guided by her? Was he being spiritually nudged? Was Beethoven’s 5th symphony entertaining souls long before there was a human…