Funken der Freude – Neugier und menschlicher Erfindungsgeist haben uns zum Mars gebracht – und dieses Beethoven-Lied spiegelt diese menschlichen Qualitäten wieder. Die laufende Erkundung des Mars durch Wissenschaftler dreier Nationen lässt einen über die wahre Natur der Menschheit und unsere aufregenden Zukunftsaussichten nachdenken.Eines der schönsten Lieder von Beethoven ist das Abendlied unterm gerstirnten Himmel. […]
Beethoven: Sparks of Joy — Op. 109 is the predecessor to the Hammerklavier. The Opus 109 sonata is a much smaller work than its immediate predecessor, the “Hammerklavier”. It has a fantasy-like first movement followed by a quick prestissimo, and the whole is capped with a marvelous theme and variations, which Beethoven instructed was to […]
Beethoven: Sparks of Joy — Op. 106, “Hammerklavier,” enfolds soul-wrenching drive with those unknown last moments of a Mars landing. The Opus 106 “Hammerklavier”, Beethoven’s 29th sonata, is one of the most demanding works in the entire keyboard repertoire. Magnificent in scope, enormous in length, it contains a soul-wrenching Adagio movement and ends with an […]
Beethoven: Sparks of Joy – Op. 101 begins his “late period” sonatas. The Opus 101 is generally regarded as the first of the “late period” sonatas, in which Beethoven takes advantage of the expanded range and sturdier construction of the “Hammerklavier” to produce works of extraordinary power and richness of effect. In fact, in the […]
Beethoven’s sonata Op. 90 follows Napoleon’s defeat. Five years would lapse before another piano sonata appeared since Napoleon’s storming of Vienna. During these years, Beethoven composed his Mass in C, and organized a successful revival of his opera, now called “Fidelio”.The Opus 90 sonata was composed following the defeat of Napoleon and during the preparations […]
Beethoven’s rebuke of Napoleonic forces; a sonata for Archduke Rudolph. Napoleon’s forces approached Vienna in April of 1809, forcing the nobility to flee to their country estates, and Beethoven to shelter in his brother’s cellar, with pillows strapped over his ears to preserve what little hearing he still had. The departure of his friend and patron, […]
Life Expectancy Plunged in U.S. in First Half of 2020 Feb. 18, 2021 (EIRNS)—Preliminary estimates issued today by the CDC indicate that life expectancy in the United States dropped by a huge one year in the first half of 2020 alone, largely as a direct and indirect result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The average drop […]
Perseverance Safely on Mars, Right on Target, Ready for Her Search for Life Feb. 18, 2021 (EIRNS)—NASA’s Mars rover, Perseverance, programmed to arrive at Mars this afternoon, plunged through the atmosphere, and landed at 3:55 PM, Eastern Standard Time, exactly on schedule. It was the fifth time NASA has successfully landed a spacecraft on Mars. […]
Perseverance sicher auf dem Mars gelandet, bereit für die Suche nach Leben Der NASA-Marsrover Perseverance (Beharrlichkeit) ist am Freitagabend MEZ in die Mars-Atmosphäre eingetaucht und genau nach Plan gelandet. Es war das fünfte Mal, daß die NASA ein Raumfahrzeug erfolgreich auf dem Mars gelandet hat. Zum ersten Mal wurden amerikanische und europäische Orbiter, die sich […]
Beethoven’s “Cuckoo” sonatina. One might suspect that the Opus 79 sonatina was actually composed much earlier than its publication date of 1809, but Beethoven’s sketchbooks show that it is a contemporary of such works as the Emperor Concerto and the Harp Quartet. This miniature sonata is also known as the “Cuckoo” for the repeated chirping […]