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...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FOR LEEWARD AREAS TODAY...
.The combination of dry fuels, strong and gusty trade winds, and
low relative humidity will result in critical fire conditions at
times today. Any fires that develop could display extreme fire
behavior and be difficult to control.
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST THIS EVENING
FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR LEEWARD SECTIONS OF
ALL ISLANDS...
* AFFECTED AREA...Leeward portions of all Hawaiian Islands.
* WIND...Northeast to east 20 to 30 mph with higher gusts.
* HUMIDITY...Around 45 percent in the afternoon.
* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly.
Outdoor burning is not recommended.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong
winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior. A Red Flag Warning does not
predict new fire starts.
&&
Weather Alert
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM HST THIS
EVENING...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 25 knots.
* WHERE...Big Island Windward Waters, Maui County Leeward
Waters, Kaiwi Channel, Maui County Windward Waters and Oahu
Leeward Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 PM HST this evening.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- A 27-year old man accused of carrying a gun in Waikiki, causing a panic on Sunday, has been charged for the incident.
The suspect, James Spivey, was charged with first-degree assault on a law enforcement.
Honolulu Police officers were called to Kuhio Beach to a report of a person spotted carrying a handgun. It all happened near a lifeguard tower around 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 7.
According to police, Spivey was arguing with police officers and refused to comply with their verbal commands to drop the weapon. Police say Spivey had what appeared to be a handgun.
After a brief struggle, officers were able to subdue Spivey and place him under arrest. While being taken to the police car, police say Spivey assaulted an officer as he was being placed inside the squad car.
Spivey remains in custody with bail set at $11,000. | https://www.kitv.com/news/crime/suspect-in-waikiki-gun-scare-incident-charged/article_b5d506ce-19b5-11ed-8c7c-c3f98fd3d719.html | 2022-08-11T22:44:26Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/news/crime/suspect-in-waikiki-gun-scare-incident-charged/article_b5d506ce-19b5-11ed-8c7c-c3f98fd3d719.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(KTLA) – Actress Anne Heche is now being investigated for felony driving under the influence after a fiery crash in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles last week, the Los Angeles Police Department said Thursday.
The crash was originally investigated as a misdemeanor, but the case was updated to a felony after a victim came forward, Officer Annie Hernandez told Nexstar’s KTLA.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that Heche was under the influence of cocaine and possibly other drugs.
The crash occurred on Aug. 5 when witnesses saw Heche’s car speeding through city streets before crashing in a two-story house and starting a fire.
Heche had to be extricated from the wreckage. It took firefighters more than an hour to extinguish the fire, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Video showed Heche’s blue Mini Cooper Clubman being towed out of the home, with a woman sitting up on a stretcher and struggling as firefighters put her in an ambulance.
Heche remained hospitalized and on a ventilator Thursday.
“Shortly after the accident, Anne became unconscious, slipping into a coma and is in critical condition,” spokeswoman Heather Duffy Boylston said in an email to the Associated Press, adding that Heche suffered a “significant” pulmonary (lung) injury that requires mechanical ventilation, as well as “burns that require surgical intervention.”
No further details were provided by Duffy Boylston, who is Heche’s friend and podcast partner.
A native of Ohio, Heche first came to prominence on the NBC soap opera “Another World” from 1987 to 1991, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award.
Her film career took off in the late 1990s, with Heche playing opposite stars including Johnny Depp (“Donnie Brasco”) and Harrison Ford (“Six Days, Seven Nights”).
In a 2001 memoir, “Call Me Crazy,” Heche talked about her lifelong struggles with mental health and a childhood of abuse.
She was married to camera operator Coleman Laffoon from 2001 to 2009. The two had a son together. She had another son during a relationship with actor James Tupper, her co-star on the TV series “Men In Trees.”
Heche has worked consistently in smaller films, on Broadway, and on TV shows in the past two decades. She recently had recurring roles on the network series “Chicago P.D.” and “All Rise,” and competed as a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars” in 2020.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.wspa.com/entertainment-news/actress-anne-heche-may-have-been-under-influence-of-drugs-during-fiery-crash-tmz/ | 2022-08-11T22:46:22Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/entertainment-news/actress-anne-heche-may-have-been-under-influence-of-drugs-during-fiery-crash-tmz/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) – Attorney General Merrick Garland was quiet all week as former President Trump, GOP lawmakers and cable news pundits theorized about the FBI’s search Monday of the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
On Thursday, he ended the silence, announcing the Department of Justice (DOJ) would move to unseal the warrant authorizing the search and defending the integrity of the FBI, which had been under heavy attack all week.
“I will not stand by silently when their integrity is unfairly attacked,” Garland said, saying the FBI and DOJ had been subject to “unfounded attacks” on their professionalism.
“The men and women of the FBI and the Justice Department are dedicated, patriotic public servants,” Garland said.
The attorney general had been under pressure to speak even though it is a standard for DOJ not to comment publicly on details about active investigations.
But in this case, the silence had been filled by the remarks of lawmakers, a former president and some cable news pundits who had gone so far as to suggest the FBI might have planted evidence at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
Garland on Thursday sought to push back, while putting the onus on Trump to agree to unseal the warrant — which could lead to more information about the fight between the ex-president and DOJ over classified documents reportedly taking without authorization to Florida.
Following standard practice, investigators had provided Trump’s attorneys with their own copy of the search warrant and a receipt that would have itemized the materials seized during the search, neither of which the former president has publicly released.
If a federal judge grants the DOJ’s motion, both documents would be made public, likely in addition to a law enforcement affidavit detailing the reasons why investigators suspected there was evidence of criminal conduct on Trump’s property.
Just before Garland’s public remarks, The New York Times reported Trump received a subpoena this spring in search of documents that federal investigators believed he had failed to turn over earlier in the year. The news of the subpoena suggested federal officials had tried more gentle approaches to reach some kind of agreement with Trump over the return of the documents in question.
On cable news and on social media, the FBI search has been a No. 1 story, and speculation about the FBI’s motives and actions has been running wild.
“If you are associated with Donald Trump in any way, you better cross all your i’s and dot all your t’s,” Sean Hannity, a close personal friend of Trump, declared on his show Monday. “Because they are coming for you with the full force of the federal government.”
On Tuesday morning, one of Trump’s attorneys, Christina Bobb, a former host on the staunchly pro-Trump network One America News, said she “was not allowed to observe” the search.
“There is no security that something wasn’t planted,” Bobb said. “I’m not saying that’s what they did. They have to go through the legal process to figure out what was taken and all of that.”
Garland on Thursday said a Trump attorney was on site during the search.
There has been no evidence to suggest anything was planted by the FBI at Mar-a-Lago.
The search was authorized by a federal judge, and while Republicans have linked it to political motivations, the White House has said that President Biden was unaware it was about to take place. No evidence has been presented to suggest Biden had prior knowledge of the search.
By Wednesday morning, the theory that the FBI might have planted evidence had made its way onto Fox News’ highly rated morning show “Fox & Friends,” where host Ainsley Earnhardt expressed concern at allegations from Trump’s attorneys that they were not allowed to be present during the search.
“His lawyer said they brought in backpacks, what was in those backpacks? Did they bring those in to fill them up or did they have something in there?” Earnhardt asked during an interview with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
On his evening opinion show Tuesday, Fox host Jesse Watters also floated the idea.
“They could have easily negotiated the return of documents like that without guns and warrants,” Watters said. “What the FBI is probably doing is planting evidence, which is what they did during the Russia hoax.”
On MSNBC, hosts and guests have spent the last three days speculating about what the FBI could have been looking for at Trump’s home and suggesting the former president was withholding information about the search deliberately to fuel speculation and keep himself in the news.
“That’s what this is all about, Trump took this public because he thought it was in his interest not just to spur these conspiracy theories but to pressure on the DOJ, what would they say,” said the political pundit John Heilman Wednesday while guest hosting a show on MSNBC.
During an appearance on the network’s “Morning Joe” program, contributor Maya Wiley decried Trump and his defenders for “attacking non-politicized and independent law enforcement.”
Longtime host Andrea Mitchell this week called a promise from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to investigate DOJ over what led to the search if Republicans take back power of Congress this fall “outrageous.”
“Merrick Garland is the most careful, judicious to a fault some would say attorney general in this case,” Mitchell said.
Observers say the way Monday’s event and the ensuing political fallout is being spun on cable news fits a predictable pattern.
“The media and the internet hate a vacuum,” said Peter Loge, the director of George Washington University’s Project on Ethics in Political Communication. “Absent information, pundits, columnists and voters will fill that vacuum with speculation.”
Loge compared some of the rhetoric across political media in the wake of Monday’s search to that of an impatient child in the back seat of a car.
“It’s like ‘are we there yet? Are we there yet?’ Cable news can sound like six-year-olds demanding answers,” he said. “And absent information, news organizations that focus on political controversy will either make up a reason for their not being answers or they’ll fill in their best answer for themselves.”
Garland, on Thursday, appeared to be trying to take back control of the narrative with his statement.
“All Americans are entitled to the even-handed application of the law, to due process of law and to the presumption of innocence,” Garland said in remarks at DOJ headquarters. “Much of our work is by necessity conducted out of the public eye. We do that to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and to protect the integrity of our investigations. Federal law, long standing department rules and our ethical obligations prevent me from providing further details as to the basis of the search at this time.” | https://www.wspa.com/news/garland-in-going-public-pushes-back-at-cable-news-firestorm/ | 2022-08-11T22:46:26Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/garland-in-going-public-pushes-back-at-cable-news-firestorm/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a person they said could be connected to recent mail thefts across the county.
“If someone would put that much effort into something wrong, can you imagine what this world would be like if they put that much effort into doing something good,” said Michele McCord, who said one of her packages was stolen from her mailbox.
Some Laurens County neighbors said they’re fed up with recent mail issues.
“Not only our mailbox, but lots of mailboxes up and down the road have been tampered with and mail has been taken out of them,” said Denise Matthews.
Neighbors said someone is going through their mail and stealing valuable items.
“I just got home, I’ve got so much on my plate, I thought, ‘Oh, someone else got the mail.’ And yeah, someone else did get the mail, it just wasn’t my family,” said McCord.
McCord said a thief stole one of her packages that she needed for her small business.
“It showed it was delivered and I’m like, son of a gun, we lost the cookie cutters,” said McCord.
Others said they’ve been lucky.
“I’ve been blessed to not have anything stolen,” said Matthews.
Still, Matthews said it’s concerning to know someone is going through the mail.
“There’s still just a lot of information you can get off just even from junk mail,” said Matthews.
Last week, the Laurens County Sheriff’s office shared a photo of a truck investigators believe could be connected to recent mail thefts.
“I wish you would quit doing this,” said Matthews.
While deputies investigate this case, people said they’re taking action.
“My cousin, who lives next door to me, has already put up a locking mailbox and the neighbor one street over from me has already put up a locking mailbox,” said Matthews.
Some are also installing new technology to keep their mail safe.
“We are definitely getting a camera. We’ll put up several, so we can get coming and going,” said McCord.
Victims also encouraged people to report any issues with their mail, in hopes of finding whoever is responsible.
“Hopefully, they’re going to see it’s not one or two, that it’s more,” said McCord.
People who recognize the truck or have any information about recent mail thefts, can call the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office at 864-984-4967 or call Crimestoppers at 864-68-CRIME.
People should also report issues to the post office, filing a report online or by calling postal inspectors at 877-876-2455.
Postal inspectors said there are things people can do to help secure their mail:
- Pick up mail promptly and try not to leave items in the mailbox for long periods of time
- Track packages and know when they will arrive
- Never send cash or coins through the mail | https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/laurens-co-residents-secure-their-mailboxes-after-recent-thefts-issues/ | 2022-08-11T22:46:54Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/laurens-co-residents-secure-their-mailboxes-after-recent-thefts-issues/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) — An official from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday that a polio case detected in New York last month, the first confirmed U.S. case in nearly a decade, could very well be an indication of “several hundred cases” within that community.
In late July, a 20-year-old man from New York’s Rockland County was found to have developed symptoms of polio, including paralysis. The man was unvaccinated, and no other cases have been identified thus far.
Rockland County is known to be a vaccine-resistant area, with the populace having a polio vaccination rate nearly 20 percentage points lower than the general U.S. population, according to the New York State Department of Health.
José Romero, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told CNN the one case detected last month could be “just the very, very tip of the iceberg.”
“There are a number of individuals in the community that have been infected with poliovirus. They are shedding the virus,” Romero said. “The spread is always a possibility because the spread is going to be silent.”
Most people who become infected with poliovirus will not show symptoms, though they can still endanger those who are vulnerable, such as the immunocompromised and unvaccinated.
Last week, the New York State Health Department said the CDC had detected poliovirus through its wastewater surveillance. Six samples were collected from Rockland County across two months and five samples came from neighboring Orange County, which has a lower polio vaccination rate than Rockland.
The samples were found to be genetically linked to the virus that infected the 20-year-old Rockland man.
Shortly after the poliovirus was detected through wastewater surveillance, the CDC deployed a team to investigate the recent polio case.
One community leader from Rockland County, who requested to stay anonymous, told CNN that the team was currently the “opposite of cautiously optimistic.”
In light of the recent case, the CDC has begun offering polio vaccinations in Rockland County. | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/cdc-official-several-hundred-polio-cases-likely-circulating-in-new-york/ | 2022-08-11T22:47:12Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/cdc-official-several-hundred-polio-cases-likely-circulating-in-new-york/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Anne Heche’s upcoming Lifetime movie, “Girl in Room 13,” is still set for a September release despite the actress’ recent DUI investigation and near-fatal car crash.
During the movie’s panel Thursday at the Television Critics Association virtual press tour, Amy Winter, the network’s executive vice president and head of programming, addressed Heche’s incident at the start of the discussion.
“As many of you know, Anne remains in critical condition and all of us here at Lifetime are deeply concerned for her and everyone affected,” she said.
Winter asked that reporters avoid questions about the 53-year-old’s health status during the panel, telling the media, “You know just as much as we do.”
The film follows a mother (Heche) on a relentless search to find her daughter (Larissa Dias), who becomes a victim of human trafficking.
“This project is important to Anne, along with each and every one of us,” the executive said of the film. “We all sought to make a film that would bring attention to this appalling issue of human sex trafficking.”
A representative for Lifetime told The Post that the exact premiere date of “Girl in Room 13” will be announced “shortly.”
Last Friday, the “Vanished” actress was reportedly driving her blue Mini Cooper down a suburban street in Los Angeles around noon when she crashed into the garage of an apartment complex, TMZ reported.
According to the outlet, bystanders tried to help Heche exit the vehicle, but she allegedly backed up and drove off before crashing into another home where her car became “engulfed” in flames.
She was reportedly “severely burned” by the crash and had to be “intubated” by medics.
Heche was originally scheduled to attend Thursday’s panel but remains in a coma.
A blood test determined that the actress had cocaine and possibly fentanyl in her system at the time of the crash, Los Angeles Police Department sources told TMZ, though she was not under the influence of alcohol.
However, law enforcement insiders cautioned that fentanyl could’ve been given to Heche at the hospital to help with her pain from the accident, so more testing will be done to determine what led to the horrific accident.
Officials escalated their investigation to a felony DUI Wednesday after the woman whose home Heche crashed into claimed she was injured and needed medical assistance.
Additionally, the outlet described her condition as “dire,” as she has “not improved” since being admitted to the hospital.
The LAPD did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment, while Heche’s rep declined to comment. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/11/anne-heche-movies-fate-revealed-in-wake-of-crash-cocaine-report/ | 2022-08-11T22:48:22Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/11/anne-heche-movies-fate-revealed-in-wake-of-crash-cocaine-report/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New jobless claims just rose again, to the highest level since last November. If the economy keeps shrinking, as it did in the first two quarters of 2022, unemployment will likely grow worse. And help definitely is not on the way from Washington.
The trimmed-down Build Back Better bill that Democrats are ramming through this week, after all, is raising taxes on Americans amid the recession.
Yes, worse than the ludicrous misnaming, since the “Inflation Reduction Act” does nothing to reduce inflation, are the hundreds of billions in new taxes that’ll wallop Americans, including:
- A 15% minimum corporate tax aiming to raise $313 billion, costs certain to be passed to customers and workers via higher prices and lower wages.
- A $6.5 billion tax on energy companies that will likewise be passed to consumers, and a $12 billion levy on imported oil that’ll raise the gas prices at the pump yet more.
- A $124 billion stock-buyback tax that’ll sock retirement plans for many Americans.
- $200 billion in new tax revenue from amped-up IRS audits.
The tax hikes will be bad enough for individuals, but if they deepen the recession — as tax hikes usually do — the entire nation may be in trouble: Why discourage investment and fuel unemployment when the economy’s been shrinking?
Because the bill includes Dem wish-list items that long predate any recession, surging inflation or any other pressing national problems: $400 billion in new spending for the green agenda and a new cap on Medicare drug prices.
This follows Dems’ similarly irrelevant-to-the-moment passage of the American Rescue Plan Act early last year — supposedly to “rescue” an economy that was already booming post-COVID, but in reality just to shell out $1.9 trillion on Dem goodies. Worse, they blew off warnings that it would spur the very inflation the nation’s suffering now.
So: Democrats gave us soaring prices with one bill that pretended to goose the economy, and now are slamming the economy with another bill that pretends to fight inflation (and, as Biden put it, “God knows what else”). Watch out for the coming “Life Extension and Universal Prosperity Act.” | https://nypost.com/2022/08/11/democrats-keep-giving-the-us-economy-poisonous-medicine/ | 2022-08-11T22:48:40Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/11/democrats-keep-giving-the-us-economy-poisonous-medicine/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A traumatized man claims he was offered up as a human sacrifice against his will.
The shocking incident purportedly occurred during the Mother Earth festival in El Alto, Bolivia, on Aug. 1.
Víctor Hugo Mica Álvarez, 30, was a guest at the annual event, where indigenous groups gather to worship the goddess Pachamama by making offerings to her.
Álvarez alleges that he was drinking heavily during the festival and subsequently passed out. Hours later, he awoke with the urge to urinate — only to realize he was lying inside a glass coffin, covered with dirt.
“We’d gone dancing,” Alvarez told local media, according to Jam Press. “The only thing I remember is that I thought I was in my bed and I got up to go pee, and I couldn’t move anymore.”
“When I pushed the coffin I barely broke the glass and, through the glass, dirt began to enter,” Alvarez harrowingly claimed. “[But] I managed to get out. I had been buried.”
According to Metro, once Alvarez gained his bearings, he realized he had been transported to Achacachi — about 50 miles from where he had been drinking at the start of the festival.
Cops, however, were not buying his wild story.
The officers allegedly told the terrified man that he was still drunk — and ordered him to head home and sober up.
But Alvarez insists he’s not a hoaxer, and immediately shared his story with local media.
Pictures taken by the press show him looking bloodied and bruised in the aftermath of his alleged escape.
Meanwhile, Metro has reported that Alvarez has no doubts that he was offered up as a human sacrifice to Pachamama, declaring: “They wanted to use me as a sullu.”
The publication claims that a “sullu” is any item offered up to the goddess, with sweets, medicinal plants, eggs and minerals commonly handed over. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/11/i-got-so-drunk-i-passed-out-and-woke-up-in-a-coffin/ | 2022-08-11T22:48:58Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/11/i-got-so-drunk-i-passed-out-and-woke-up-in-a-coffin/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The New York City Council on Thursday introduced a resolution calling on Mayor Eric Adams to undo controversial cuts to public school budgets — which the legislative body itself green-lit two months ago.
The formal measure is an escalation from recent letter-writing and protests, but has no legal standing and falls short of the power council members gave up when they passed an early budget in June.
“The City Council will emphatically request and require that these budgets are restored and that our schools are made whole,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams ahead of the meeting where the resolution was introduced.
“I am hopeful that a compromise will be made sooner than later,” she added.
The Council’s demands — which at their core, call on the mayor to submit a modified budget that reverses the hundreds of millions in cuts — also include measures for increased transparency at the Department of Education.
Several council members have alleged education officials misled them about the cuts, a claim the mayor’s office denies.
The resolution puts those allegations in writing, saying the administration attributed the reductions to eliminating 1,449 vacant staff positions — “without the need to lay off any existing teacher or eliminate any program.”
“These school budget reductions have gone far beyond the elimination of vacancies within the city budget to impact existing teachers and programming in schools,” the council members wrote.
Instead, roughly 700 teachers have lost their school placements, but were still on city payroll earlier this month, according to internal DOE documents obtained by The Post.
The council also outlined its own analysis of the total cuts, which they say amount to $365 million out of principals’ hands — a small share of the DOE’s massive $31-billion budget, but an estimated 8% average reduction to each school losing funds, according to the Comptroller’s Office.
They urged the DOE to submit an accounting of unspent and unallocated federal COVID-19 stimulus funds that could be used to cover the gap.
The resolution was introduced by several members, including Speaker Adams; Justin Brannan, finance committee chair; Keith Powers, majority leader; Gale Brewer, oversight and investigations chair; and Rita Joseph, education chair, among others.
Outside the council meeting, dozens of advocates gathered on the City Hall steps, chanting for their favorite teachers and programs to be reinstated at their schools.
The resolution comes after the Council signaled last week that it was exploring “legal actions” to restore the principals’ allocations.
City Hall at the time accused members of “issuing misleading and irresponsible statements,” saying the move is necessary as enrollment declines and the federal COVID aid nears its expiration.
“The funding in the budget has been clear for months and was negotiated, reviewed, and voted on by the City Council with full transparency,” said Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for the mayor.
“The Council knew what it was voting for and knew it was the right decision.” | https://nypost.com/2022/08/11/nyc-council-introduces-resolution-to-undo-school-budget-cuts-it-approved/ | 2022-08-11T22:49:22Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/11/nyc-council-introduces-resolution-to-undo-school-budget-cuts-it-approved/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(All amounts in CDN$ unless otherwise indicated)
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Alexco Resource Corp. (NYSE American: AXU) (TSX: AXU) ("Alexco" or the "Company") today reports financial results for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2022 ("Q1 2022" and "YTD 2022") compared to the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2021 ("Q2 2021" and "YTD 2021").
Acquisition by Hecla Mining Company
- On July 4, 2022, the Company entered into a definitive agreement with Hecla Mining Company ("Hecla"), as assigned and amended (the "Arrangement Agreement"), pursuant to which 1080980 B.C. Ltd. ("108"), a subsidiary of Hecla, will acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Alexco that 108 does not already own (the "Arrangement"). Each outstanding common share of Alexco will be exchanged for 0.116 of a share of Hecla common stock. The acquisition is subject to approvals by Alexco securityholders, as well as applicable regulatory approvals and the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions. The board of directors of Alexco and Hecla have both unanimously approved the transaction.
Corporate
- The Company reported revenues of $3,952,000 for Q2 2022 compared to $7,939,000 for Q2 2021. Mining operations revenue, net of streaming payments related to the Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. ("Wheaton") silver purchase agreement ("SPA"), in Q2 2022 was $3,528,000 and was derived from concentrate sales from ore sourced from the Bermingham and Flame & Moth mines. In Q2 2022, the Company also recognized reclamation management revenue of $424,000.
- The Company recorded a write-down of mineral properties, plant and equipment of $97,048,000 during Q2 2022. As at June 30, 2022, indicators of impairment were identified, and the carrying value of the Keno Hill cash generating unit ("Keno Hill CGU") was compared with its recoverable amount. The recoverable amount of the Keno Hill CGU was determined by management based on the fair value less costs of disposal ("FVLCD") method using the implied value of Alexco based on the agreed transaction value with Hecla. Management assessed that the Keno Hill CGU carrying value exceeded its FVLCD and a write-down of mineral properties, plant and equipment was recognized.
- The Company reported a net loss of $95,062,000 for Q2 2022 which was primarily attributable to a write-down of mineral properties, plant and equipment and a gross loss from mining operations, partially offset by a gain on sale of mineral property rights related to the McQuesten mineral property and a fair value gain on the embedded derivative asset related to the Wheaton SPA. A net loss of $2,748,000 for Q2 2021 was primarily from ramp-up related costs at Keno Hill and general and administrative costs.
- The Company reported an adjusted net loss of $4,269,000 for Q2 2022 compared to $2,548,000 for Q2 2021. The adjusted net loss excludes the amounts recorded with respect to the fair value adjustment on the embedded derivative asset related to the Wheaton SPA and the non-cash write-down of mineral properties, plant and equipment (see "Non-GAAP Measures" in the MD&A for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2022).
- The Company reported an operating loss of $105,662,000 for Q2 2022 compared to $2,489,000 for Q2 2021. The operating loss for Q2 2022 was related to a write-down of mineral properties, plant and equipment and a gross loss from mining operations.
- The Company's cash and cash equivalents as at June 30, 2022 totaled $8,901,000 compared to $9,933,000 as at December 31, 2021, while net working capital totaled $(6,368,000) compared to $1,389,000 as at December 31, 2021 (see "Non-GAAP Measures" in the MD&A for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2022). The Company's restricted cash and deposits as at June 30, 2022 totaled $2,998,000 compared to $2,990,000 as at December 31, 2021.
Mine Operations and Exploration
- During the quarter, ramp-up of mining activity at Keno Hill continued to progress with underground development performance aided by improved equipment availability (versus Q1 2022) at both the Flame & Moth and Bermingham mines. Similarly, the District Mill saw improved throughput and metallurgical performance in the same period. Underground advance at Bermingham reached the 1120 level, where the upper portion of the high-grade Bear Zone has been cross-cut with two ore faces and predictive block model grades of 1,900 – 2,000 grams per tonne silver appear to be well supported or exceeded in mine based rib and face assays.
- While the underground performance improvements were notable, and the demonstrated supply of 150-250 tonnes per day of ore to the mill has been important, the rate of improvement in the advance of underground development remained insufficient to achieve the necessary number of production headings to sustain 400 tonnes per day feed to the mill before the end of 2022. To rectify this imbalance, in June, the Company elected to temporarily suspend milling operations to focus all efforts on advancing underground development, which saw a combined total of 150 meters of underground development in the Bermingham and Flame & Moth mines in the month of July.
- Surface exploration began with two drills in May with focus in the vicinity of the historic Silver King mine and the Coral Wigwam area, approximately 800 meters along structural trend from the Bermingham Mine. Early indications from shallow geology-defining drill holes in the Coral Wigwam area have identified a structural geology framework potentially similar to that which exists in the area of the Bermingham deposit.
Other Activities
- On April 13, 2022, the Company completed a non-brokered private placement offering with an affiliate of Hecla for 7,473,495 common shares at a price of $1.75 per share, resulting in gross proceeds of $13,078,616.
- On April 28, 2022, the Company received a further prepayment of US$5,000,000 under the unsecured revolving credit facility (the "Facility") with its offtaker. During Q2 2022, the Company repaid US$2,500,000 plus applicable interest and standby fees. Subsequent to period end, the Company repaid the entire outstanding balance of the Facility.
- On April 29, 2022, the Company sold to Victoria Gold Corp. ("Victoria") all of its rights, benefits and interests in and to the remaining option consideration payable to Alexco by Banyan Gold Corp. ("Banyan") under the option agreement with Banyan in exchange for 447,142 shares of Victoria. On May 4, 2022, the Victoria shares were sold for net proceeds of $6,000,000 after selling costs and commissions.
Key Performance Metrics
Qualified Persons
The disclosure in this news release of scientific and technical information has been reviewed and approved Sebastien D. Tolgyesi, P.Eng., P.Geo., Keno Hill Operations Manager, who is a Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
About Alexco
Alexco is a Canadian primary silver company that owns and operates the majority of the historic Keno Hill Silver District, in Canada's Yukon Territory, one of the highest-grade silver mines in the world. Alexco started concentrate production and shipments in 2021 and is currently advancing Keno Hill toward steady state production. Upon reaching commercial production, Keno Hill is expected to produce an average of approximately 4.4 million ounces of silver per year contained in high quality lead/silver and zinc concentrates. Keno Hill retains significant potential to grow and Alexco has a long history of expanding the operation's mineral resources through successful exploration.
Contact
Forward-Looking Statements
Some statements ("forward-looking statements") in this news release contain forward-looking information concerning Alexco's anticipated results and developments in Alexco's operations in future periods, planned exploration and development of its properties, plans related to its business and other matters that may occur in the future, made as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the consummation and timing of the Arrangement, approval of the Arrangement by securityholders, the satisfaction of the conditions precedent to the Arrangement, timing, receipt and anticipated effects of court, regulatory and other consents and approvals, statements with respect to the future remediation and reclamation activities, future mineral exploration including the potential structural geology of mineral properties, the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the realization of mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates, future mine construction and development activities, future mine operation and production, estimated production headings through the remainder of 2022, the timing of activities and reports, the amount of estimated revenues and expenses, the success of exploration activities, permitting time lines, and requirements for additional capital and sources and uses of funds. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the risk that the Arrangement may not close when planned or at all or on the terms and conditions set forth in the Arrangement Agreement; the failure of the Company and Hecla to obtain the necessary regulatory, court, securityholder, and other third-party approvals, or to otherwise satisfy the conditions to the completion of the Arrangement, in a timely manner, or at all, may result in the Arrangement not being completed on the proposed terms, or at all; changes in laws, regulations and government practices; if a third party makes a Superior Proposal (as defined in the Arrangement Agreement), the Arrangement may not be completed and the Company may be required to pay the Termination Fee; if the Arrangement is not completed, and the Company continues as an independent entity, there are risks that the announcement of the Arrangement and the dedication of substantial resources of the Company to the completion of the Arrangement could have an impact on the Company's current business relationships and could have a material adverse effect on the current and future operations, financial condition and prospects of the Company; risks related to actual results and timing of exploration and development activities; actual results and timing of mining activities; actual results and timing of environmental services activities; actual results and timing of remediation and reclamation activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future prices of silver, gold, lead, zinc and other commodities; possible variations in mineable resources, grade or recovery rates; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; First Nation rights and title; continued capitalization and commercial viability; global economic conditions; competition; and delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing or in the completion of development activities. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions that management believes are reasonable at the time they are made. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, Alexco has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, the assumptions as to the ability of Alexco and Hecla to receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary regulatory, Court, securityholder and other third party approvals, the satisfaction of the conditions to closing of the Arrangement in a timely manner and completion of the Arrangement on the expected terms, the expected adherence to the terms of the Arrangement Agreement and agreements related to the Arrangement Agreement, the adequacy of our and Hecla's financial resources, the assumption that Alexco will be able to raise additional capital as necessary, that the proposed exploration and development will proceed as planned, and that market fundamentals will result in sustained silver, gold, lead and zinc demand and prices. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Alexco expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation.
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SOURCE Alexco Resource Corp. | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/alexco-announces-second-quarter-2022-results/ | 2022-08-11T22:49:50Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/alexco-announces-second-quarter-2022-results/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Personal loan interest rates continue to climb: 3-year loans still lower than this time last year
Our goal here at Credible Operations, Inc., NMLS Number 1681276, referred to as "Credible" below, is to give you the tools and confidence you need to improve your finances. Although we do promote products from our partner lenders, all opinions are our own.
The latest trends in interest rates for personal loans from the Credible marketplace, updated weekly. (iStock)
Borrowers with good credit seeking personal loans during the past seven days prequalified for rates that were higher for both 3- and 5-year loans compared to the previous seven days.
For borrowers with credit scores of 720 or higher who used the Credible marketplace to select a lender between August 4 and August 10:
- Rates on 3-year fixed-rate loans averaged 11.17%, up from 10.75% the seven days before and down from 11.31% a year ago.
- Rates on 5-year fixed-rate loans averaged 15.55%, up from 14.99% the previous seven days and up from 13.82% a year ago.
Personal loans have become a popular way to consolidate and pay off credit card debt and other loans. They can also be used to cover unexpected expenses like medical bills, take care of a major purchase or fund home improvement projects.
Rates for both 3- and 5-year fixed-rate personal loans rose over the last seven days, with rates for 3-year terms going up by 0.42%, and rates for 5-year terms rising by 0.56%. Despite the increases, rates for 3-year personal loans are lower than they were a year ago. Borrowers can take advantage of interest savings with a 3-year personal loan right now. However, both loan terms offer interest rates significantly lower than higher-cost borrowing options like credit cards.
Whether a personal loan is right for you often depends on multiple factors, including what rate you can qualify for. Comparing multiple lenders and their rates could help ensure you get the best possible personal loan for your needs.
It's always a good idea to comparison shop on sites like Credible to understand how much you qualify for and choose the best option for you.
Here are the latest trends in personal loan interest rates from the Credible marketplace, updated monthly.
Personal loan weekly rates trends
The chart above shows average prequalified rates for borrowers with credit scores of 720 or higher who used the Credible marketplace to select a lender.
For the month of July 2022:
- Rates on 3-year personal loans averaged 11.04%, down from 11.1% in June.
- Rates on 5-year personal loans averaged 13.72%, up from 13.13% in June.
Rates on personal loans vary considerably by credit score and loan term. If you're curious about what kind of personal loan rates you may qualify for, you can use an online tool like Credible to compare options from different private lenders. Checking your rates won't affect your credit score.
All Credible marketplace lenders offer fixed-rate loans at competitive rates. Because lenders use different methods to evaluate borrowers, it’s a good idea to request personal loan rates from multiple lenders so you can compare your options.
Current personal loan rates by credit score
In July, the average prequalified rate selected by borrowers was:
- 8.34% for borrowers with credit scores of 780 or above choosing a 3-year loan
- 29.09% for borrowers with credit scores below 600 choosing a 5-year loan
Depending on factors such as your credit score, which type of personal loan you’re seeking and the loan repayment term, the interest rate can differ.
As shown in the chart above, a good credit score can mean a lower interest rate, and rates tend to be higher on loans with fixed interest rates and longer repayment terms.
How to get a lower interest rate
Many factors influence the interest rate a lender might offer you on a personal loan. But you can take some steps to boost your chances of getting a lower interest rate. Here are some tactics to try.
Increase credit score
Generally, people with higher credit scores qualify for lower interest rates. Steps that can help you improve your credit score over time include:
- Pay bills on time. Payment history is the most important factor in your credit score. Pay all your bills on time for the amount due.
- Check your credit report. Look at your credit report to ensure there are no errors on it. If you find errors, dispute them with the credit bureau.
- Lower your credit utilization ratio. Paying down credit card debt can improve this important credit scoring factor.
- Avoid opening new credit accounts. Only apply for and open credit accounts you actually need. Too many hard inquiries on your credit report in a short amount of time could lower your credit score.
Choose a shorter loan term
Personal loan repayment terms can vary from one to several years. Generally, shorter terms come with lower interest rates, since the lender’s money is at risk for a shorter period of time.
If your financial situation allows, applying for a shorter term could help you score a lower interest rate. Keep in mind the shorter term doesn’t just benefit the lender – by choosing a shorter repayment term, you’ll pay less interest over the life of the loan.
Get a cosigner
You may be familiar with the concept of a cosigner if you have student loans. If your credit isn’t good enough to qualify for the best personal loan interest rates, finding a cosigner with good credit could help you secure a lower interest rate.
Just remember, if you default on the loan, your cosigner will be on the hook to repay it. And cosigning for a loan could also affect their credit score.
Compare rates from different lenders
Before applying for a personal loan, it’s a good idea to shop around and compare offers from several different lenders to get the lowest rates. Online lenders typically offer the most competitive rates – and can be quicker to disburse your loan than a brick-and-mortar establishment.
But don’t worry, comparing rates and terms doesn’t have to be a time-consuming process.
Credible makes it easy. Just enter how much you want to borrow and you’ll be able to compare multiple lenders to choose the one that makes the most sense for you.
About Credible
Credible is a multi-lender marketplace that empowers consumers to discover financial products that are the best fit for their unique circumstances. Credible’s integrations with leading lenders and credit bureaus allow consumers to quickly compare accurate, personalized loan options – without putting their personal information at risk or affecting their credit score. The Credible marketplace provides an unrivaled customer experience, as reflected by over 4,500 positive Trustpilot reviews and a TrustScore of 4.7/5. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/money/personal-loan-rates-august-11-2022 | 2022-08-11T22:50:15Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/money/personal-loan-rates-august-11-2022 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Diary of disturbing disinformation and dangerous delusions
This claim:
“Our economy had zero percent inflation in . . . July. Zero percent.”
— President Joe Biden, Wednesday
We say: Talk about spin! A small drop in gas prices over the course of a month offset hikes in food and housing costs, and prices remain 8.5% higher than a year ago. Eggs are up 47%, chicken 11%, butter 26% and bread 15% over last year. Even gas costs 69% more than when Biden took office. Yet somehow the president thinks this is good news. Ouch: If this is the best he can do, you know things are bad.
This column:
We say: Earth to The New York Times and columnist Paul Krugman: “Civilization” is not on the brink of extinction due to climate change, and the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act certainly won’t avert “disaster” (as even Krugman admits). Indeed, it’s hard to see how the bill could move the needle at all, since countries like China and India continue to puff out tons of greenhouse gases.
This remark:
“Trump took this public because he thought it was in his interest [to do so].”
— MSNBC’s John Heilemann, Wednesday
We say: The nerve of Donald Trump! The FBI raids his home, and he feels the need to publicize it? Outrageous! Writer Kurt Andersen even notes that Orange Man is now “raising money off of this.” Pure evil! Yes, that’s how folks on the left, like Heilemann, think: When a Democratic administration conducts an unprecedented raid on the house of a Republican ex-president and possible Joe Biden rival in 2024, that ex-prez should just shut up about it, if not applaud the move. Soon they’ll be suggesting Trump colluded with the FBI to invade his home for political gain.
This report:
“A forensic psychology professor . . . said bias killings are often perpetrated by . . . typically young white men.”
— AP, Tuesday
We say: Much of the media characterized the murder of four Muslims in Albuquerque, NM, as “anti-Muslim” hate crimes, but the Associated Press went even further, suggesting the culprits were likely “young white men.” Oops: The lead suspect turned out to be a 51-year-old Muslim immigrant from Afghanistan.
This headline:
We say: Five decades? Gee, maybe the “response” — the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act, which spends nearly $400 billion to fight climate change — wasn’t all that “urgent” after all. True, for 50 years the left has warned, as the Gray Lady did yet again this week, that “nations have only a few remaining years . . . to avoid planetary catastrophe.” Yet oddly, it seems Earth is still here.
— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board | https://nypost.com/2022/08/11/the-week-in-whoppers-bidens-inflation-perversion-and-more/ | 2022-08-11T22:50:17Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/11/the-week-in-whoppers-bidens-inflation-perversion-and-more/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA transferred ownership and operational control on Thursday of the Landsat 9 satellite to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in a ceremony in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Landsat 9 is the most recent in the Landsat series of remote-sensing satellites, which provide global coverage of landscape changes on Earth. The Landsat program – a joint effort between NASA and USGS – recently marked 50 years of continuous service on July 23.
"For more than fifty years now, Landsat satellites have helped us learn more about how Earth systems work, how human activities affect those systems, and how we can make better decisions for the future," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "Landsat 9, the latest joint effort by NASA and USGS, proudly carries on that remarkable record."
NASA launched Landsat 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sept. 27, 2021. Since then, NASA mission engineers and scientists, with USGS collaboration, have been putting the satellite through its paces – steering it into its orbit, calibrating the detectors, and collecting test images. Now fully mission-certified, the satellite is under USGS operational control for the remainder of its mission life.
"Our partnership with NASA over many years has been good for science and good for the American people," said Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo. "A half-century archive of Landsat's Earth observations is a magnificent achievement in the history of science. This fifty-year record gives scientists a consistent baseline that can be used to track climate change and enables them to see changes to the land that might not otherwise be noticed."
Landsat 9 joined Landsat 8, which has been orbiting since 2013. Together, the two satellites collect images of Earth's full surface every eight days. USGS specialists collect an average of 740 Landsat 9 scenes every day from around the world to be processed and archived at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center in Sioux Falls.
Remote-sensing satellites such as Landsat help scientists observe the world using ranges of light beyond the power of human sight to monitor land changes that may have natural or human causes. Landsat is unique because it consistently captures a comprehensive view of Earth at a moderate resolution of approximately 30 meters, the area of a baseball infield. This global view of changes on the land through decades provides an unparalleled perspective for a broad range of data applications in fields such as agriculture, water management, forestry, disaster response, and – crucially – climate change science.
Estimates indicate Landsat provides billions of dollars in value to the U.S. economy each year. Starting in 2008, Landsat images and data became available to the public at no charge. This policy has served to expand applications of Landsat data that enable greater efficiencies for government agencies while creating profitable commercial opportunities for information service industries.
With a data user community that keeps growing, scientists and engineers are already looking forward to the next mission. NASA and USGS are developing options for the next iteration of Landsat, currently called Landsat Next.
The Landsat program has provided continuous global coverage of landscape change since 1972. Landsat's unique long-term data record provides the basis for a critical understanding of environmental and climate changes occurring in the United States and around the world.
For more information on Landsat 9 and the Landsat program, visit:
and
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SOURCE NASA | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/nasa-transfers-landsat-9-satellite-usgs-monitor-earths-changes/ | 2022-08-11T22:50:43Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/nasa-transfers-landsat-9-satellite-usgs-monitor-earths-changes/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Durbin, Pfleger meet to discuss violence prevention efforts in Chicago
CHICAGO - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin was in Chicago Thursday afternoon to visit with local leaders and youth to discuss violence prevention efforts.
Father Michael Pfleger walked Durbin around the neighborhood, making a stop at a community learning garden and the MLK Center, where he sat with a panel of students and activists from several organizations.
One focus of his visit was St. Sabina's Brave Youth Leaders program, which brings children and teens from various schools together to promote peace and change.
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Some of the groups he met with have received federal funding to expand and reach even more people.
"When we each think about our own lives, and where we were at this stage in life, in grade school or high school, there was somebody who was giving us some guidance. Might have been a parent if we were lucky. Could have been a teacher, could have been a coach, could have been a pastor," Durbin said.
"What these young people are finding at St. Sabina in this program is some mentor, someone who will sit down and talk to them and cares about them personally. And they start thinking about their lives and what they could lead to. I think that's what these programs do."
One of the organizations that Durbin met with Thursday was Purpose Over Pain, which works to end gun violence. The organization will be launching a 24-hour hotline next month. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/durbin-pfleger-meet-to-discuss-violence-prevention-efforts-in-chicago | 2022-08-11T22:50:57Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/durbin-pfleger-meet-to-discuss-violence-prevention-efforts-in-chicago | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WATERTOWN. Mass., Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Xibus Systems, Inc. announces the development of XiSafeä for high-speed detection of disease-causing bacteria in food and beverages.
According to the WHO, food safety is key to sustainability and economic security. Yet headlines daily detail the continual occurrences and serious impact of foodborne illness leading to a massive number of deaths and millions in lost work time worldwide annually.
Xibus' Founder, MIT Professor, Tim Swager, states "food safety testing is required by regulatory agencies worldwide. Each year $8 billion is spent on food pathogen testing. Despite that large sum spent on testing, the public routinely suffers from contaminated food with more than 400,000 fatalities annually worldwide, recalls abound, food brands suffer, and enormous quantities are thrown away. We saw the need for a powerful, easy to use test to help ensure public safety."
Xibus' President & CEO, Peter Antoinette, states "current food bacterial testing, even modern 'fast' methods, are still slow and take a day or more to get results. Food continually deteriorates after harvest. Suppliers are under tremendous pressure to ship before spoilage occurs. Untested foods go through the supply chain and reach the family table. Xibus is developing XiSafeä -- an unprecedented integration of molecular engineering, nanotechnology, and AI to revolutionize the speed of pathogen testing. XiSafeä test times are 8-12 hours depending on the organism and food matrix. It is a total system, designed for high throughput testing conducted by food and beverage producers, processors, and users."
"We exclusively licensed the core biomolecule technology developed by MIT Chemical Engineering Professor, Hadley Sikes. Those molecules are engineered to target and attach to a specific bacteria. Our scientists conjugate those molecules to our proprietary super-fluorescent nano-beads to create a powerful, foundational reagent for bacteria detection," mentions Xibus' CTO, Matthias Oberli.
Oberli concluded, "The XiSafe test is as powerful as PCR but fundamentally more useful for industrial based testing. It ensures high accuracy by utilizing sample sizes that are 1,000 times larger than the microliter limits imposed by PCR testing. Given we are tagging specific organisms with powerful fluorescent labels, and using AI analytics to identify the target from background bacteria and food materials, customers get the power of PCR with none of the limitations."
Xibus Systems seeks interested customers for a demonstration of XiSafeä.
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SOURCE Xibus Systems, Inc. | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/revolutionizing-food-safety-through-integration-biomolecular-engineering-nanotechnology-ai/ | 2022-08-11T22:51:15Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/revolutionizing-food-safety-through-integration-biomolecular-engineering-nanotechnology-ai/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Belfast Cathedral to replace professional choir with volunteers to cut costs
The decision, which comes into effect on 1 September, will see the choir's full-time music director Matthew Owens replaced by a part-time Cathedral Choir director
In an effort to save money, the professional choir at Belfast Cathedral is to be disbanded and replaced with a voluntary adult choir.
The decision, revealed in a statement from the Dean and the honorary secretary of the Board of Belfast Cathedral, will make the full-time director of music Matthew Owens redundant owing to the cathedral's 'difficult financial circumstances.' Owens, who, in 2019, left his long-held role as organist and master of the choristers at Wells Cathedral to take up the position at Belfast, will be replaced by a part-time Cathedral Choir director – a change that will come into effect from 1 September.
Music has formed a central part of the cathedral's activities since its consecration in 1904. For the past three years, the cathedral has run two choirs: one for boys and girls aged 7-13 and a professional adult choir. Owens came to his position as music director with a wealth of experience, having served as organist and master of the music at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh prior even to his role at Wells.
Responding to the announcement, Peter Allwood, chair of the Cathedral Music Trust, described the decision to disband the choir as 'a real blow' for the cathedral, its musicians and its local community. 'Over recent years, the choir has gained a reputation for musical excellence in Northern Ireland, not only through sung cathedral services but also concerts, broadcasts and recordings,' he said in a statement. 'Experience shows that this level of musical success will be impossible to maintain under part-time leadership and voluntary singers.'
The statement from the cathedral said: 'Alongside founding and developing Belfast Cathedral Children’s Choir, Matthew’s leadership and vision have seen Belfast Cathedral Choir attain new levels of excellence in supporting the worshipping life of this place, and enjoy considerable international repute through its Resonus Classics recordings. Matthew will be greatly missed, and we wish him and his family every continued success.'
Photo: Getty
Authors
Hannah Nepilova is a regular contributor to BBC Music Magazine. She has also written for The Financial Times, The Times, The Strad, Gramophone, Opera Now, Opera, the BBC Proms and the Philharmonia, and runs The Cusp, an online magazine exploring the boundaries between art forms. Born to Czech parents, she has a strong interest in Czech music and culture. | https://www.classical-music.com/news/belfast-cathedral-to-replace-professional-choir-with-volunteers-to-cut-costs/ | 2022-08-11T22:51:17Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/news/belfast-cathedral-to-replace-professional-choir-with-volunteers-to-cut-costs/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Peoples Gas names Chicago pup new 'ambassadog'
CHICAGO - Peoples Gas introduced a new safe digging ‘ambassadog’ Thursday.
Finnegan of Ravenswood was voted into office after out digging his competition.
As ambassadog, Finnegan is responsible for reminding Chicagoans about the importance of calling 811 at least two days before starting any outdoor digging project. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/peoples-gas-names-chicago-pup-new-ambassadog | 2022-08-11T22:51:21Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/peoples-gas-names-chicago-pup-new-ambassadog | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of TuSimple Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: TSP) resulting from allegations that TuSimple may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.
SO WHAT: If you purchased TuSimple securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=8026 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: In April 2022, TuSimple conducted its initial public offering (IPO), selling approximately 33.78 million shares priced at $40.00 per share.
Then on August 1, 2022, before market hours, The Wall Street Journal published an article entitled "Self-Driving Truck Accident Draws Attention to Safety at TuSimple: Leading autonomous-truck developer blames human error, while analysts say it is the technology; regulators are investigating[.]" The article reported, among other things, that an April 6, 2022 accident in which one of TuSimple's autonomously driven trucks "suddenly veered left, cut[ting] across the I-10 highway in Tucson, Ariz., and slammed into a concrete barricade … underscores concerns that the autonomous-trucking company is risking safety on public roads in a rush to deliver driverless trucks to market, according to independent analysts and more than a dozen of the company's former employees." While TuSimple reported that the accident was due to a person in the cab not properly rebooting the autonomous driving system before engaging it, "researchers at Carnegie Mellon University said it was the autonomous-driving system that turned the wheel and that blaming the entire accident on human error is misleading." The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has launched a "safety compliance investigation" into TuSimple.
On this news, TuSimple's stock price fell $0.97 per share, or 9%, to close at $8.99 per share on August 1, 2022, representing a 77% decline from its IPO price.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Contact Information:
Laurence Rosen, Esq.
Phillip Kim, Esq.
The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-1060
Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
Fax: (212) 202-3827
lrosen@rosenlegal.com
pkim@rosenlegal.com
cases@rosenlegal.com
www.rosenlegal.com
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SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/rosen-leading-law-firm-encourages-tusimple-holdings-inc-investors-inquire-about-class-action-investigation-tsp/ | 2022-08-11T22:51:22Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/rosen-leading-law-firm-encourages-tusimple-holdings-inc-investors-inquire-about-class-action-investigation-tsp/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Brahms: Cello Sonatas & Songs
Antonio Meneses (cello), Gerard Wyss (piano) (Avie)
Published:
Brahms
Cello Sonatas Nos 1 & 2; Lieder (arr. cello and piano)
Antonio Meneses (cello), Gerard Wyss (piano)
Avie AV 2493 75:12 mins
Brahms’s E minor Cello Sonata, with its deep-set and introverted opening and severe fugal finale, can come across as overly dark and grumbly – quite unlike its later F major sibling, which is all flair, élan and mellow fruitfulness. One may enjoy hearing the two works together for the sheer contrast between them; and in this well-planned and spontaneous-sounding recording, there is an additional buffer zone with a selection of the composer’s Lieder, some transcribed by Norbert Salter (1868-1935) and others by David Geringas.
Antonio Meneses and Gerard Wyss show a collegial ease together, with natural and unaffected phrasing that oozes affection for the music. Not everything comes off quite ideally – the E minor Sonata occasionally falls prey to its own tendency to growliness and could use an extra sense of momentum here and there, while Meneses’s high notes at times go very slightly rogue. Still, the F major Sonata chiefly fulfils its joyous promises, with Wyss fizzing through the piano tremolandos and Meneses offering rhetoric and poise in plenty. The songs work well: Meneses’s eloquent phrasing substitutes very nicely for a baritone and the sweet-toned ‘Wiegenlied’ is a particular highlight. Recorded sound is bright and warm.
Jessica Duchen | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/brahms-cello-sonatas-songs/ | 2022-08-11T22:51:23Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/brahms-cello-sonatas-songs/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Corazón – The Music of Latin America
John-Henry Crawford (cello), Victor Santiago Asuncion (piano), Jiji (guitar) (Orchid Classics)
Published:
Corazón – The Music of Latin America
M Ponce: Cello Sonata etc. Plus works by L Brouwer, Gismonti, Piazzolla, Villa-Lobos et al
John-Henry Crawford (cello), Victor Santiago Asuncion (piano), Jiji (guitar)
Orchid Classics ORC 100198 62:38 mins
Frustrations and pleasures walk hand in hand through this album devoted to music by 20th-century composers from Latin America, written or arranged for cello and piano or sometimes guitar. The pleasures lie largely in hearing infinite subtleties of touch and expression vividly caught in Orchid’s clear, all-embracing recording. Cello pizzicato passages alone make the ears tingle; the heart, too. The frustrations are chiefly bound up with the Brazilian, Mexican, Argentinian and Cuban music John-Henry Crawford and his colleagues choose to play.
Carlos Guastavino’s Pampamapa wins the brevity prize at one minute, 46 seconds. But the bulk of the others aren’t much more than a minute longer; and however momentarily satisfying, the succession of short-breathed impressionist pieces soon brings on the need for something meaty. When the big offering does arrive – Manuel Ponce’s G minor Cello Sonata of 1922 – it proves a dud, too eclectic in style ever to coalesce, with good and awkward moments constantly tumbling over each other during the work’s 24 minutes. Crawford’s cello shines in the first movement’s stormy figurations; the pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion can do nothing with his part’s useless trills in the third, an arietta.
Moods in the album generally swing between urban and rural. The smoky ambience of Piazzolla’s Le Grand Tango needs greater thrust to cast the necessary spell. That’s not a problem with Oblivion, the final track, featuring the album’s departing glory: the three-dimensional throb of Crawford’s cello, warm but dark, joined by accompanying strings, crying to the moon.
Geoff Brown | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/corazon-the-music-of-latin-america/ | 2022-08-11T22:51:29Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/corazon-the-music-of-latin-america/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Haydn: Piano Trios, Vol. 1 (Trio Gaspard)
Trio Gaspard (Chandos)
Published:
Haydn
Piano Trios, Vol. 1: Hob.XV:7, Hob.XV:10, Hob.XV:18, Hob.XV:24, Hob.XV:26; plus Johannes Fischer: one bar wonder
Trio Gaspard
Chandos CHAN 20244 70:28 mins
The Trio Gaspard’s project to record the complete Haydn trios for Chandos gets off to a good start with five great works from the mid-1780s and mid-1790s. All of them show Haydn at his most adventurous, with perhaps the most memorable of them being the Trio in F sharp minor Hob.26 – the last of the composer’s three masterpieces in this unusual key, following on from the ‘Farewell’Symphony No. 45 and the String Quartet Op. 50 No. 4. Trio Gaspard capture the melancholy of its outer movements and the radiant calm of its Adagio (Haydn used it again in his ‘London’ Symphony No. 102) very well.
No less impressive are their account of the first movement of the A major Trio Hob.18, with its mysterious central development section; and their evocative interpretation of the siciliano-like slow movement from the D major Hob.7. The Gaspard players like to keep the music sounding lively and spontaneous, and although their improvised runs and ornaments are discreet, this may not be to everyone’s taste.
It was an enterprising idea to commission a new work to go with each new release in the series, and here one bar wonder by the percussionist and composer Johannes Julius Fischer takes a single bar from the Trio Hob.7 and gradually deconstructs it. It only lasts five minutes, but you may feel you never want to hear a D major chord again. The Trio’s pianist, Nicholas Rimmer, contributes an insightful note on Haydn’s trio writing, but it’s a pity the piano sounds a touch overly spacious on the recording itself.
Misha Donat | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/haydn-piano-trios-vol-1-trio-gaspard/ | 2022-08-11T22:51:35Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/haydn-piano-trios-vol-1-trio-gaspard/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Lamenting Lullaby – English Oboe Quartets
Daniel Bates (oboe), Laura Lutzke (violin), Adam Newman (viola), Hannah Sloane (cello) (Stone Records)
Published:
Lamenting Lullaby – English Oboe Quartets
Britten: Phantasy, Op. 2; Iain Farrington: Lamenting Lullaby; G Jacob: Quartet for Oboe and Strings; Moeran: Fantasy Quartet
Daniel Bates (oboe), Laura Lutzke (violin), Adam Newman (viola), Hannah Sloane (cello)
Stone Records 5060192781137 59:27 mins
This is a fine collection of English oboe quartets, three of which have a link to early-20th-century oboist, Leon Goossens, for whom they were written. It begins with Moeran’s relatively late Fantasy Quartet (1946), an evocative and little known mid-20th century English pastoral, innovative with a modernist twist, picking off various Norfolk folk tunes in its clear-skyed, inventive path. It is played with great expression and depth.
The players also make fine work of Benjamin Britten’s Phantasy, an early work by contrast, composed in 1932 when Britten was a teenage student at the Royal College of Music. The form was inspired by the requirements of a competition he had recently won, by which entrants had to compose a single-movement fantasy in emulation of those played by 17th-century viol consorts. Britten’s Phantasy for oboe and strings is an entirely distinctive work, as he recognised by designating it his Opus 2.
Iain Farrington’s Lamenting Lullaby, premiered in 2018 by this ensemble, is a three part elegy of the ‘quiet grief’ after the death of a child at birth. It is moving, deeply tender, exquisitely played by this ensemble, its final warm, folk inflected ensemble flung in to relief by the echoed notes of the lone oboe. Gordon Jacobs’s lighter 1938 Quartet for Oboe and Strings rounds off this fine programme, continuing the folk echoes where the Farrington left off, nimbly played by the ensemble.
Sarah Urwin Jones | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/lamenting-lullaby-english-oboe-quartets/ | 2022-08-11T22:51:42Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/lamenting-lullaby-english-oboe-quartets/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TSX | NYSE | LSE: WPM
DIVIDEND DECLARATION
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Wheaton Precious Metals™ Corp. ("Wheaton" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has declared its third quarterly cash dividend payment for 2022 of US$0.15 per common share.
Third Quarterly Dividend
The third quarterly cash dividend for 2022 of US$0.15 will be paid to holders of record of Wheaton common shares as of the close of business on August 26, 2022 and will be distributed on or about September 8, 2022. The ex-dividend trading date is September 7, 2022.
Under the Company's revised dividend policy, for the 2022 calendar year, the quarterly dividend per common share is targeted to equal the greater of 30% of the average cash generated by operating activities in the previous four quarters divided by the Company's then outstanding common shares, all rounded to the nearest cent and the dividend declared in the prior quarter. To minimize volatility in quarterly dividends, the Company has set a minimum quarterly dividend for the duration of 2022 equal to the dividend per common share declared in the prior quarter.
The declaration, timing, amount and payment of future dividends remain at the discretion of the Board of Directors. This dividend qualifies as an 'eligible dividend' for Canadian income tax purposes.
Dividend Reinvestment Plan
The Company has previously implemented a Dividend Reinvestment Plan ("DRIP"). Participation in the DRIP is optional. For the purposes of this quarterly dividend, the Company has elected to issue common shares under the DRIP through treasury at a 1% discount to the Average Market Price, as defined in the DRIP. However, the Company may, from time to time, in its discretion, change or eliminate the discount applicable to Treasury Acquisitions, as defined in the DRIP, or direct that such common shares be purchased in Market Acquisitions, as defined in the DRIP, at the prevailing market price, any of which would be publicly announced.
The DRIP and enrollment forms, including direct deposit, are available for download on the Company's website at www.wheatonpm.com, in the 'investors' section under the 'dividends' tab.
Registered shareholders may also enroll in the DRIP online through the plan agent's self-service web portal at: https://tsxtrust.com/DRIP
Beneficial shareholders should contact their financial intermediary to arrange enrollment. All shareholders considering enrollment in the DRIP should carefully review the terms of the DRIP and consult with their advisors as to the implications of enrollment in the DRIP.
This press release is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer of securities. A registration statement relating to the DRIP has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and may be obtained under the Company's profile on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's website at http://www.sec.gov. A written copy of the prospectus included in the registration statement may be obtained by contacting the Corporate Secretary of the Company at 1021 West Hastings Street, Suite 3500, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6E 0C3.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING-STATEMENTS
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation concerning the business, operations and financial performance of Wheaton. Forward-looking statements, which are all statements other than statements of historical fact, include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future dividends. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Wheaton to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements including risks discussed in the section entitled "Description of the Business – Risk Factors" in Wheaton's Annual Information Form available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and Wheaton's Form 40-F for the year ended December 31, 2021 and Form 6-K filed March 31, 2022 both on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management currently believes to be reasonable, including (without limitation) that there will be no material adverse change in the market price of commodities, that the mining operations from which Wheaton purchases precious metals will continue to operate, that each party will satisfy their obligations in accordance with the precious metals purchase agreements, that neither Wheaton nor the Mining Operations will suffer significant impacts as a result of an epidemic (including the COVID-19 virus pandemic) and that Wheaton's application of the CRA Settlement for years subsequent to 2010 is accurate (including the Company's assessment that there will be no material change in the Company's facts or change in law or jurisprudence for years subsequent to 2010) and possible domestic audits for taxation years subsequent to 2016 and international audits.
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SOURCE Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/wheaton-precious-metals-declares-quarterly-dividend/ | 2022-08-11T22:51:43Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/wheaton-precious-metals-declares-quarterly-dividend/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mozart en famille
Kuijken Trio (Challenge Classics)
Published:
Mozart
Violin Sonata in C, K296; Duo for violin and viola in G, K423; Fantasie in D minor, K397; Clarinet Trio, K498 ‘Kegelstatt’
Kuijken Trio
Challenge CC 72902 66:06 mins
The Kuijken family, like the Mozarts, often played together, though each was a virtuoso on his or her own instrument – original ones, or copies of them. In this delightful recording, titled Mozart en famille, they perform some of Mozart’s works written to be played by his own family and/or friends, and so long as you enjoy the sounds that 18th-century instruments made you’ll find much to enjoy. It’s interesting, too, in that Mozart rarely wrote for these combinations. The Duo K423 is one of only two for these instruments, the violin and viola, and I would have welcomed K24 as well, instead of perhaps the Fantasie K397 for solo fortepiano, which is a striking but less interesting piece.
Each of these four works is an individual masterpiece, but the crown of them is the so-called ‘Kegelstatt’ Trio, Kegelstatt being German for ‘bowling alley’, where he composed while his competitors played. Only Mozart, under those circumstances, could have pulled off a masterpiece – or one could say two, one for violin with viola and piano, one with clarinet and piano. They are in the key of E flat, one of Mozart’s most ebullient, and they stand comparison with his great Piano Concerto and the Sinfonia Concertante in that key. If you enjoy Mozart on original instruments, this is the disc for you.
Michael Tanner | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/mozart-en-famille/ | 2022-08-11T22:51:48Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/mozart-en-famille/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mozart: String Quartets, Vol. 5 (Armida Quartett)
Armida Quartett (Avi-music)
Published:
Mozart
String Quartets, Vol. 5: K156, 158, 170, 171, 173, 421, 428
Armida Quartett
Avi-music 8553496 126:18 mins (2 discs)
No doubt Hans Keller was intending to provoke when he wrote: ‘On the whole, Mozart’s early quartets are quite abominable.’ True, he excepted the 16-year old composer’s three-movement G major Quartet, K156, describing it as ‘a perfect and inspired miniature’ – and a spirited rendition opens the second disc of this latest release in the Armida Quartett’s on-going complete survey. Yet, listening to the clunky transition from slow introduction to the Allegro in the first movement of the E flat Quartet K171 of a year later, or the weird chromatic fugue that concludes the D minor Quartet, K173, one hears what Keller meant: this is a composer still uncertain of the material, style and cogency of texture best suited to the quartet medium.
Only a decade later, in seeking to measure up to the one contemporary he regarded as his peer, did the 27-year old Mozart achieve full mastery in the set of six quartets dedicated to Haydn – of which the first two he finished complete this collection: the D minor Quartet, K421, full of agitation and tragedy, and the E flat major Quartet, K428, more smoothly unfolding, if not without its chromatic twists.
The Armida Quartett, who emerged as BBC New Generation Artists in 2014, play modern instruments but minimise vibrato while maximising dynamic contrasts even in the slighter early quartets; and some listeners may prefer a less gutsy, more dulcet approach. But intonation, choice of tempos and care for nuance are all that they should be.
Bayan Northcott | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/mozart-string-quartets-vol-5-armida-quartett/ | 2022-08-11T22:51:54Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/mozart-string-quartets-vol-5-armida-quartett/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff's deputies want to remind residents that school is back in session beginning tomorrow, and as students head back to the classroom, schools, and communities around them are going to be busier than they’ve been in months.
The Jefferson Davis Sheriff’s office is reminding drivers to slow down, school speed zones and hands-free rules are in effect.
Sheriff Ivy Woods wants to make sure our children are safe traveling to and from school.
"Remember to slow down, leave early, obey all signs and signals," Woods says. "And don’t get distracted, just glancing down at your cell phone is enough to cause an accident. Let’s make it as safe as possible for our children by observing speed limits and driving without distractions."
Watch for students walking, riding bicycles, and getting on and off buses. Also remember it’s the law, you must stop for a school bus loading and unloading students, you must make a full and complete stop if the red lights are flashing and the stop-arm sign is on display, deputies say.
The only exception is when the bus is on the opposite side of a clearly divided highway. When it comes to the definition of a clearly divided highway, the law varies by state. In Louisiana, the roadway must be separated by a concrete barrier, ditch, or grassy median.
The new Jennings elementary school on LA 26 is going to present some challenges for the driver’s traveling that route beginning Friday, August 12, 2022, deputies say.
This is a new school zone and traffic may get congested during the first couple of weeks until drivers get used to the additional traffic. For motorists traveling North, but not dropping off at the school, may want to take LA 102, or make a right turn on Racca road to Main Street or LA 102 to avoid the school zone, deputies say. | https://www.katc.com/news/jeff-davis-parish/jdpso-issues-reminder-school-starts-tomorrow | 2022-08-11T22:51:54Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/jeff-davis-parish/jdpso-issues-reminder-school-starts-tomorrow | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Prism IV (Danish String Quartet)
Danish String Quartet (ECM)
Published:
Prism IV
JS Bach: Fugue in G minor, BWV 861; Beethoven: String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132; Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13
Danish String Quartet
ECM 485 7305 79:48 mins
Take three Danes, one Norwegian cellist, one JS Bach fugue, one late Beethoven string quartet and one work by a later composer, and you have the ingredients for Prism, a five-part series from the Danish String Quartet, superbly recorded by ECM. This is the penultimate recording, centred around Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 15, Op. 132, his 1825 work of thanksgiving composed after months of agonising illness, when he felt himself on the brink of death, but from which he recovered. It’s aptly paired with another work in A minor, Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2, Op. 13. The 18-year-old composer, who already had his brilliant Octet behind him, wrote the piece in 1827, just a few months after Beethoven died at the age of 56.
Beethoven was clearly on Mendelssohn’s mind, not least in the way he links the individual movements of his quartet with a cyclical motif, taken from his song, ‘Ist es wahr?’(Is it true?). And in these performances – balanced, intense, and humane – the influence of the slow movement of Beethoven’s Op. 132 on Mendelssohn’s Op. 13 sings through, particularly in the shared opening hymns of gratitude.
Bach’s contrapuntal genius, well established by the opening track with an arrangement of the Fugue in G minor from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, echoes in both works; he was formative for both composers. There are many versions of the Beethoven to choose from, yet this performance stands tall among them, an interpretation that balances introspection and drama, wisdom and freshness.
Rebecca Franks | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/prism-iv-danish-string-quartet/ | 2022-08-11T22:52:00Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/prism-iv-danish-string-quartet/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Ries: Piano Trio; Sextets etc
The Nash Ensemble (Hyperion)
Published:
Ries
Piano Trio; Sextets, Opp. 100 & 142; Introduction and a Russian Dance
The Nash Ensemble
Hyperion CDA68380 77:31 mins
Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838) has long been lurking in the shadows of musical history, simply thought of as Beethoven’s student, amanuensis and agent (as a director of the Philharmonic Society, he helped to secure the commission for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony). His father had been one of Beethoven’s tutors in Bonn, and he himself became one of Beethoven’s two pupils in Vienna (the other was Carl Czerny). Though seldom regarded as a composer in his own right, he was eminent both in that role and as a virtuoso pianist.
So it’s good to hear his music brilliantly performed by musicians of the Nash Ensemble. Beethoven apparently once said that Ries ‘imitates me too much’, and it’s certainly true that the C minor Piano Trio comes over as very faithful to the master’s style. But Ries seems on the whole to have been very much his own man, restlessly inventive, skilled at filigree ornamentation and at controlling tension and release, and at creating dramatic atmosphere.
The Grand Sextet is a splendidly heroic work, with its virtuoso pianism enthusiastically delivered here by Simon Crawford-Phillips. Its Andante has artless charm, being a set of variations on the Irish song ‘The Last Rose of Summer’ which Beethoven himself twice arranged, and it includes a short but mysterious cadenza which seems to come out of the blue, and go back into it. The Introduction and a Russian Dance for piano and cello (excellent Adrian Brendel) was aimed at the amateur market, but the intriguing G minor Sextet harks back to Mozart in its sunny conviviality. All these works should be in the mainstream chamber repertoire.
Michael Church | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/ries-piano-trio-sextets-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:52:06Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/ries-piano-trio-sextets-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Vaughan Williams: Complete Works for Violin and Piano
Midori Komachi (violin), Simon Callaghan (piano) (MusiKaleido)
Published:
Vaughan Williams
Violin Sonata; Six Studies in English Folksong; Romance and Pastorale; The Lark Ascending
Midori Komachi (violin), Simon Callaghan (piano)
MusiKaleido MKCD002 105:25 mins (2 discs)
Aside from the ever-airborne The Lark Ascending, gorgeous violin solos are such a recurring feature in Vaughan Williams’s concert and dramatic works (such as ‘Elihu’s Dance of Youth And Beauty’ in Job) that one would expect to find one or two treasurable things on a smaller scale too. But apart from the original version of The Lark Ascending, recorded persuasively here by Midori Komachi and Simon Callaghan, the only really significant thing he composed for violin and piano is the late Sonata. It makes a striking contrast with the Lark, one dreamily rhapsodic, so much focused on the fragile momentary beauty, the other knotty, truculent, lyrical at times but ultimately enigmatic. Beside that we have a pair of miniatures composed in the years leading up to World War I, Romance and Pastorale, both very much living up to their titles, and the engaging but not exactly surprising Six Studies in English Folk Song.
Interesting as it is to hear a case for the duo version of the Lark, the central emphasis is surely on the Violin Sonata. Judging from the score, and from a handful of performances over the years, my intuition is that there’s a strong and interesting piece in here struggling to get out. The problem is that what it needs most is exactly the opposite of what Komachi and Callaghan bring successfully to the Lark: not concentration on the vanishing moment but a strong sense of line drawing disparate elements into a single statement, and that, I’m afraid, is what this performance doesn’t have.
The recording, too, feels comparatively recessed. The result, overall, is a menu with many lovely side dishes, but which fails to deliver when it comes to the main course. Disappointing.
Stephen Johnson | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/vaughan-williams-complete-works-for-violin-and-piano/ | 2022-08-11T22:52:12Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/vaughan-williams-complete-works-for-violin-and-piano/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A California federal judge ruled this week that Walgreens can be held responsible for contributing to the opioid crisis in San Francisco.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer found that the pharmacy chain over-dispensed the addictive substances without proper due diligence and failed to report suspicious orders, the San Francisco City Attorney's office said in a press release.
In a 112-page opinion, Breyer wrote that over a 15-year span, the pharmacy chain wrote a lot of illegitimate opioid prescriptions, which led to hospitals being overwhelmed with opioid patients, syringe-clogged toilets forcing the closure of libraries, and children's playgrounds being littered with syringes, the Associated Press reported.
"Walgreens pharmacies in San Francisco dispensed hundreds of thousands of red flag opioid prescriptions without performing adequate due diligence. Tens of thousands of these prescriptions were written by doctors with suspect prescribing patterns," Breyer wrote the Associated Press reported. "The evidence showed that Walgreens did not provide its pharmacists with sufficient time, staffing, or resources to perform due diligence on these prescriptions."
According to the press release, a ruling on monetary damages will be determined in the "next stage of the trial."
“This decision gives voice to the thousands of lives lost to the opioid epidemic,” said San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu in a statement. “This crisis did not come out of nowhere. It was created by the opioid industry, and local jurisdictions like San Francisco have had to shoulder the burden for far too long. We are grateful the Court heard our arguments and held Walgreens responsible for the damage they caused.”
This isn't the first lawsuit Walgreens has had to deal with regards to the opioid crisis.
In May, the pharmacy chain reached a $683 million settlement with the state of Florida after they were accused of contributing to the crisis by improperly dispensing painkillers by the millions, the Associated Press reported. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/federal-judge-finds-walgreens-liable-for-contributing-to-san-francisco-opioid-crisis | 2022-08-11T22:52:12Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/federal-judge-finds-walgreens-liable-for-contributing-to-san-francisco-opioid-crisis | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
What Is American (PUBLIQuartet)
PUBLIQuartet (Bright Shiny Things)
Published:
What Is American
Works by Dvořák, Rhiannon Giddens, Vijay Iyer, Waller et al
PUBLIQuartet
Bright Shiny Things BSTD-0171 62:02 mins
PUBLIQuartet do things differently. Dedicated to presenting new works for string quartet in new ways, the ensemble won a Grammy nomination for Freedom and Faith, a celebration of women in music. What is American looks set to shake things up again. The album explores the wealth of styles that trace their roots back to American indigenous and Black music, and deploys the quartet’s formidable improvisatory skills to intriguing effect.
The disc’s centrepiece is an imaginative response to Dvořák’s ‘American’ String Quartet. Some passages of Dvořák’s original score remain intact, while elsewhere the performance move towards jazz and folk styles, or recreate blues vocals or rock-guitar riffs or conjure experimental sound effects. The result is fascinating but listeners are advised this is a long way from the original score. The remainder of the disc features excellent new works from Vijay Iyer and Rhiannon Giddens, plus improvised responses to the music of everyone from Tina Turner to Fats Waller.
The recording feels a touch dry but there is a thrilling immediacy to the playing itself. More detailed sleeve notes would be welcome, but this is otherwise a boldly imaginative disc that embraces the breadth of America’s musical history.
Kate Wakeling | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/what-is-american-publiquartet/ | 2022-08-11T22:52:18Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/what-is-american-publiquartet/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Britten: Our Hunting Fathers etc
Mark Padmore (tenor); Sinfonieorchester Basel/Ivor Bolton (Prospero)
Published:
Britten
Our Hunting Fathers; 4 Chansons Francaise; Gloriana – Suite
Mark Padmore (tenor); Sinfonieorchester Basel/Ivor Bolton
Prospero PROSP0031 69:44 mins
‘Immaculate…though occasionally a bit too restrained’ was The Guardian’s verdict on a 2015 concert performance by Mark Padmore of Our Hunting Fathers, accusing the singer of underplaying the music’s ‘savage irony’. Judging from this 2020 studio recording, Padmore has taken that assessment to heart. His savage performance, borderline Sprechstimme at times, unfortunately and most uncharacteristically rides roughshod over several of Britten’s meticulous details.
Several notes throughout are quite approximate – not even necessarily where the vocal writing is particularly demanding. Nor is pronunciation immaculate, with ‘arch angels’ rendered ‘ev angels’. Yes, Our Hunting Fathers is not meant to be beautiful – but nor, for that matter, is it meant to be sung by a tenor. It’s a cycle that needs to be heard sung by a soprano as originally intended – the moment when such a voice melds with the crescendoing woodwind at the start of ‘Dance of Death’ simply can’t be matched by any tenor. Even allowing for this, Padmore here is not a patch on Peter Pears, who in his remarkable live recording, with the composer himself conducting, demonstrates how greater precision adds rather than subtracts to the cycle’s hair-raising quality.
Soprano Christina Landhamer gives a decent performance of the precocious early Quatre Chansons françaises, and Ivor Bolton conducts the superb Basel Symphony Orchestra in a stately account of the Gloriana suite, with tenor Alasdair Kent singing the ‘Lute Song’ with beguiling lyricism. The opening ‘Tournament’, though, is portly rather than athletic – Steuart Bedford offers a more stirring account (on Naxos).
Daniel Jaffé | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/britten-our-hunting-fathers-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:52:24Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/britten-our-hunting-fathers-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Duparc: Complete Songs
Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano), Nicky Spence (tenor), Huw Montague Rendall (baritone), William Thomas (bass), Malcolm Martineau (piano) (Signum Classics)
Published:
Duparc
Complete Songs
Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano), Nicky Spence (tenor), Huw Montague Rendall (baritone), William Thomas (bass), Malcolm Martineau (piano)
Signum Classics SIGCD715 60:04 mins
Just 16 songs comprise the surviving output in the genre of Henri Duparc, whose extreme self-criticism led him to destroy much of his music; yet they form a body of work of the highest quality, fitting easily onto a single disc.
Four singers are involved, together with expert collaborative pianist Malcolm Martineau.
Sarah Connolly takes the lion’s share with seven songs, while Nicky Spence together with the younger William Thomas and Huw Montague Rendall perform three each: a high standard is attained by all participants.
Connolly is – as always – very much inside her material, vividly portraying the character in one of the finest settings of the Romance de Mignon: her quiet intensity and range of tonal colour equally encompass the nostalgia and loss conveyed in ‘Au pays où se fait la guerre’.
Spence, too, provides an introverted, inner quality in his thoughtful account of ‘Soupir’, with its magically withdrawn final note, fielding an appealing mezza voce with charm and delicacy in ‘Sérénade florentine’.
Both rising stars of the UK vocal firmament, Thomas and Montague Rendall earn their places alongside fully established performers: Thomas’s fine bass is controlled yet spirited in ‘Le galop’ and again both considered yet forthright in his account of the Poe-like ‘La vague et la cloche’.
His baritone colleague makes a considerable impression with his troubled yet dynamic account of ‘Le manoir de Rosamonde’ – infinitely sad at the close – and proves imaginative in his exploration of ‘Lamento’ and in the still, ineffably interior quality of ‘Phydilé’.
George Hall | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/duparc-complete-songs/ | 2022-08-11T22:52:30Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/duparc-complete-songs/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Severe storms on Wednesday were blamed after American Airlines diverted at least 100 flights and said it was forced to cancel hundreds of other flights, which ran into Thursday's schedule as well.
The cancellations created a domino effect which caused more than 300 flights to be canceled by midday on Thursday by American Airlines, CNN reported. That amounted to around 9% of the airline's schedule. That data came from the website FlightAware which showed that a total of 650 flights in the U.S. were canceled by 12 p.m. ET.
The data showed that on Wednesday, almost 370 flights were canceled, making the total of U.S. flights canceled on Wednesday grow to over 1,200.
The nightmare scenario was sparked as storms that were stronger than expected blew into the Dallas, Texas area, where American Airlines' largest hub, DFW airport, is located.
David Seymour, American's Chief Operating Officer, said in a statement, "Those storms then regenerated and created an entirely new, and unanticipated, line of storms north of the airport. This unexpected storm activity prevented all arrivals into DFW for a three-hour period." | https://www.katc.com/news/national/unexpected-severe-storms-blamed-for-hundreds-of-american-airlines-flight-diversions-cancelations | 2022-08-11T22:52:30Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/unexpected-severe-storms-blamed-for-hundreds-of-american-airlines-flight-diversions-cancelations | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (Le Balcon)
Stéphane Degout (baritone), Kévin Amiel (tenor); Le Balcon/Maxime Pascal (B Records)
Published:
Mahler
Das Lied von der Erde
Stéphane Degout (baritone), Kévin Amiel (tenor); Le Balcon/Maxime Pascal
B Records LBM042 60:03 mins
While it’s a useful staple for smaller-scale festivals, and served the musical world well during lockdown, Schoenberg’s chamber arrangement of Mahler’s symphonic song cycle, planned for a Viennese society disbanded in 1921 and completed by Rainer Riehn in 1983, only needs one fine recording. It’s had several, and this doesn’t displace them. Nor would I generally want to hear a baritone rather than a mezzo in the two deepest settings. Stephane Degout lacks hallowed introspection for the quietest passages, but he does have a beautiful, full tone for the three great, high-lying releases of ‘Das Abschied’ (‘The Farewell’). The tenor, Kevin Amiel, is hardly unusual in having the staying power for the two drinking songs, but not the porcelain delicacy of ‘Von Jugend’ (‘Of Youth’), where the pitching is too often flat. Conductor Maxime Pascal is a phenomenon, a mover and shaker in the world of contemporary music who uses that knowledge to inform his interpretations of past masters (very fine in a Proms performance of Berlioz’s L’enfance du Christ). There is drive and subtlety here, while all the players sound fine when in full focus, but the recording was made in the reverberant acoustic of the Basilica of St Denis, hardly appropriate for chamber music. Presentation tries hard; while I don’t care for the artwork, the six texts on separate four-page booklets are nicely done. Still, not ideal if you’re trying to save shelf space. Maybe the original presentation, with contemporary introduction and interludes, might have made a better selling point.
David Nice | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/mahler-das-lied-von-der-erde-le-balcon/ | 2022-08-11T22:52:36Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/mahler-das-lied-von-der-erde-le-balcon/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Massenet: Songs with Orchestra
Véronique Gens, Jodie Devos, Nicole Car, Chantal Santon Jeffery (soprano), Cyrille Dubois (tenor), Étienne Dupuis (baritone); Orchestre de chambre de Paris/Hervé Niquet (Bru Zane)
Published:
Massenet
Songs with Orchestra
Véronique Gens, Jodie Devos, Nicole Car, Chantal Santon Jeffery (soprano), Cyrille Dubois (tenor), Étienne Dupuis (baritone); Orchestre de chambre de Paris/Hervé Niquet
Bru Zane BZ2004 66:40 mins
Of the 22 songs included here, all except one are recorded for the first time, so anyone with an interest in Massenet or in the French mélodie is likely to want this recording. Inevitably some of the six singers seem more at home than others.
Véronique Gens of course is an artist to treasure and as always she responds alertly to the demands of text and melodic line. Of the others, I was especially taken by the tenor Cyrille Dubois, who is surely not far from being that quintessential French voice the ‘Trial’, required by Ravel for the role of Torquemada in L’heure espagnole. It’s a light voice, projected by exemplary diction, with a finely controlled top – Dubois closes the selection with a thrown-away top C.
Although the operas Manon and Werther show Massenet’s great talent as a dramatist, one should not look to these songs for deep emotion. Nor is this statement a complaint. The realist in Massenet prevented him from trying to condense such emotion into a three-minute song, when his talents in this genre were for much longer forms. Some of the most delightful music here, orchestrated with elegant accuracy, comes in the jolly, jokey songs such as ‘Aurore’ and ‘Pitchounette’, reminding us of the composer’s gift (too rarely exercised, in my view) for comic invention. Call this recording one of ‘easy listening’ if you like, but in these times of war, strikes and inflation, surely such finely crafted and enjoyable works have their place.
Roger Nichols | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/massenet-songs-with-orchestra/ | 2022-08-11T22:52:43Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/massenet-songs-with-orchestra/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
On This Shining Night
Sophie Bevan (soprano), James Gilchrist (tenor), Roderick Williams (baritone); Coull Quartet (SOMM)
Published:
On This Shining Night
Barber: Dover Beach; Songs (arr. R Williams) Sally Beamish: Tree Carols; plus songs by Delius and Warlock
Sophie Bevan (soprano), James Gilchrist (tenor), Roderick Williams (baritone); Coull Quartet
SOMM SOMMCD 0654 65:57 mins
By far the most interesting interplay between voice and string quartet in this new recital is in Sally Beamish’s five Tree Carols, of which this is the first recording. In the opening ‘The Miracle Tree’, string tremolandos pitched at varying dynamics provide a shuddering counterpoint to Roderick Williams’s incantatory vocal line, probing Fiona Sampson’s poem on nature’s spiritual secrets.
The Coull Quartet’s slicing chords in ‘Vigil’ punctuate Williams’s quasi-operatic soul-searching, while his soft high notes in ‘The tree is a changing sky’ are exquisitely floated, evoking the apple-picker’s aerial ascent on a ladder. In the closing ‘Bushes and Briars’, quartet and singer are as one, birdsong chirruping in the strings while Williams intones a harsher human story unravelling in the undergrowth.
Peter Warlock’s 11 settings for quartet and voice are less intense, if more melodically approachable. The combination of Williams and soprano Sophie Bevan in ‘Corpus Christi’ is especially affecting, and Bevan also duets with tenor James Gilchrist in the bitter-sweet ‘Sorrow’s Lullaby’.
In Barber’s well-known Dover Beach, Roderick Williams and the Coull Quartet again form a virtually perfect partnership, achieving a confiding intimacy in music which is often over-interpreted. A clutch of arrangements by Williams fill out the programme, including three of songs by Delius. Of these, the playful ‘Young Venevil’ is particularly endearing. The balance between voice and instruments is astutely judged by engineer Oscar Torres, and Robert Matthew-Walker’s booklet notes are helpful. All told, a cleverly programmed and edifying recital.
Terry Blain | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/on-this-shining-night/ | 2022-08-11T22:52:49Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/on-this-shining-night/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
R Strauss: Sinnbild; Four Last Songs etc
Hanna-Elisabeth Müller (soprano); WDR Symphony Orchestra/Christoph Eschenbach (Pentatone)
Published:
R Strauss
Sinnbild: Four Last Songs; Morgen!; Winterweihe etc.
Hanna-Elisabeth Müller (soprano); WDR Symphony Orchestra/Christoph Eschenbach
Pentatone PTC 5186 806 46:28 mins
This compact 47 minutes of music offers a traditional selection of songs by Richard Strauss, including ‘Morgen!’, ‘Allerseelen’ and the Four Last Songs (‘Winterweihe’ makes an unusual inclusion). Hanna-Elisabeth Müller hopes to ‘open the door to this world of sound for the listener’, but this particular door has stood open for decades; some of these songs have been recorded over 200 times.
Müller’s voice is technically highly impressive, able to sustain Strauss’s lengthy phrases with a reliable, high-quality sound. However, she refuses Strauss’s tacit invitation to shape the colour or dynamics of the numerous prolonged notes according to the text, favouring an absolutely steady approach.The orchestra is often excellent, highlighting individual voices or small combinations (as in ‘Ständchen’), or fusing into a cushion of sound, such as in the subterranean rumble which opens ‘Waldseligkeit’. The important violin solos of ‘Morgen’ and ‘Beim Schlafengehen’ are beautifully tender and inward; the latter also has exquisitely matched wind and brass sound. Balance is well controlled throughout and recording quality is high.
That said, interpretative choices are firmly in the conventional-conservative camp; don’t expect any luxurious indulging in Strauss’s sensual harmonies, or squeeze and release in the tempos, or string portamento to smooth the edges between notes. ‘Allerseelen’ sounds unexpectedly indifferent; the gardener’s delight ‘Malven’, with its botanical listing, needs more mystery and pathos.
These performances are as glossy and polished as a Jeff Koons sculpture, but the lonely, alienated protagonists of late Romanticism do not come to life despite the outstanding technical musicianship.
Natasha Loges | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/r-strauss-sinnbild-four-last-songs-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:52:55Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/r-strauss-sinnbild-four-last-songs-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Ravel: Cantates pour le Prix de Rome
Véronique Gens, Vannina Santoni (soprano), Sophie Koch, Janina Baechle (mezzo-soprano), Julien Behr, Michael Spyres (tenor), Jacques Imbrailo (baritone); Chœur et Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire/Pascal Rophé (BIS)
Published:
Ravel
Cantates pour le Prix de Rome
Véronique Gens, Vannina Santoni (soprano), Sophie Koch, Janina Baechle (mezzo-soprano), Julien Behr, Michael Spyres (tenor), Jacques Imbrailo (baritone); Chœur et Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire/Pascal Rophé
BIS BIS-2582 (CD/SACD) 102:11 mins (2 discs)
Despite Bartók’s quip that ‘competitions are for horses, not for artists,’ budding French composers could not resist entering the Prix de Rome. This annual contest, requiring the submission of a fugue and chorus for the preliminary round, and a cantata for solo voices and orchestra on a prescribed text for the finalists, guaranteed considerable prestige to the winners. It’s hardly surprising that composers of the stature of Berlioz and Debussy made several attempts to secure the all-important first prize, whereas others, notably Saint-Saëns, Dukas and Messiaen, fared less well and were unable to pass all the necessary hurdles. Most scandalous of all was the treatment of Ravel, who won second prize with his cantata Myrrha in 1901, but failed to garner an award in the following years with Alcyone in 1902 and Alyssa in 1903; two years later he was even eliminated in the preliminary round.
That this official snub took place during the period when Ravel was establishing a formidable presence in the concert hall with Jeux d’eau, Shéhérazade and the String Quartet, might seem extraordinary. On the other hand, despite momentary sparks of genius in the chorus L’Aurore and in the vivid orchestral depiction of a storm in Alcyone, the works he composed for the competition owe far too much to the musical styles of Massenet, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov and even Gounod to justify serious comparison with these early masterpieces. Nonetheless, there is much to enjoy in this fascinating set which offers sensitive and refined orchestral playing, as well as especially outstanding vocal contributions from Véronique Gens and Michael Spyres.
Erik Levi | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/ravel-cantates-pour-le-prix-de-rome/ | 2022-08-11T22:53:01Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/ravel-cantates-pour-le-prix-de-rome/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Hibernian Muse – Music for Ireland
Soloists; Sestina; Irish Baroque Orchestra/Peter Whelan (Linn Records)
Published:
The Hibernian Muse – Music for Ireland
Cousser: The Universal Applause of Mount Parnassus; Purcell: A New Irish Tune; Great parent, hail to thee!
Soloists; Sestina; Irish Baroque Orchestra/Peter Whelan
Linn Records CKD685 70:07 mins
‘Welcome to all the Pleasures’ is the title of Purcell’s 1683 Ode to St Cecilia, but it could just as well serve as recommendation for this illuminating snapshot of Dublin’s musical life to left and right of the year 1700. Purcell’s engaging – but less well-known – Great parent, hail to thee! celebrates the centenary of Trinity College with the hope that ‘Liffee make as proud a name, as that of Isis or of Cam’ (an allusion to rivals Oxford and Cambridge); and Peter Whelan’s alert direction ensures an effortless fluency that strikes a fruitful rapport between the well-matched vocal quartet and instrumental playing instinct with freshness and vitality.
The real discovery, however, is Hungarian-born Johann Sigismund Cousser (or Kusser) who, by 1716, had been installed as Chief-Composer and Music Master to the Viceregal Court at Dublin Castle. There he seems to have cornered the market for the celebratory ‘Serenata da Camera’, and The Universal Applause of Mount Parnassus salutes the 1711 birthday of Queen Anne with music of such genial inventiveness that it quite redeems the egregious sycophancy of the text. Tuneful numbers abound, and Cousser rings the changes with a vocal relay race on a ‘ground’ – the baton passing to each of the nine muses as well as to Apollo – and a woodwind-rich menuet among other delights. Instrumental textures are ravishingly varied, and the whole ends in a blaze of triumph, its pomp and circumstance beautifully punctured by Whelan’s imaginative postscript, a plaintive unaccompanied traditional air: Sín síos agus Suas Liom.
Paul Riley | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/the-hibernian-muse-music-for-ireland/ | 2022-08-11T22:53:07Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/the-hibernian-muse-music-for-ireland/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Vivaldi: The Great Venetian Mass
Sophie Karthaüser, Lucile Richardot; Les Arts Florissants/Paul Agnew (Harmonia Mundi)
Published:
Vivaldi
The Great Venetian Mass
Sophie Karthaüser, Lucile Richardot; Les Arts Florissants/Paul Agnew
Harmonia Mundi HAF8905358 68:09 mins
Among Vivaldi’s various roles at the Pietà (a Venetian institution for orphaned or abandoned girls) was the annual composition of two settings of the Mass; it is something of a surprise, therefore, that not one has come down to us complete. The work presented here, then, is a reconstruction of a hypothetical Mass with Vivaldi’s famous Gloria as its centrepiece. Flanking it are the majestic double-choir Kyrie RV 587 and the rapt Credo RV 591. For the Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei (no settings of which survive by Vivaldi) movements from his Beatus Vir RV 597, Dixit Dominus RV 807 and the Magnificat RV 610 have been convincingly adapted to the words of the Mass.
Immersing the Gloria in a quasi-sacred context like this transforms the work from a pop-Baroque concert piece to an expression of fervent devotion – as it was originally conceived. The whole is expressively shaped by Paul Agnew, whose supple moulding of the musical lines and vivid contrasts of tempos serve, above all, to highlight the words. Of the soloists, Sophie Karthäuser’s sensuous, silky and somewhat-too-tremulous soprano counterbalances Lucille Richardot’s androgynous, straight-toned mezzo; indeed, among the disc’s most hauntingly beautiful moments are Richardot’s solos in the Gloria and the Benedictus. The choir of Les Arts Florissants produces a warm, light, ingenuous sound, giving breathing space for Vivaldi’s orchestral colours and virtuosic instrumental writing. In sum, this is a poignant response to the pious nature of the texts, and a creative idea that sheds new light on some old favourites.
Kate Bolton-Porciatti | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/vivaldi-the-great-venetian-mass/ | 2022-08-11T22:53:13Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/choral-song/vivaldi-the-great-venetian-mass/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Schmitt: Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 2 etc
Ulster Orchestra/Howard Shelley (piano) (Hyperion)
Published:
A Schmitt
Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 2; Rondeau brillant, Op. 101
Ulster Orchestra/Howard Shelley (piano)
Hyperion CDA68389 75:45 mins
The German composer Aloys Schmitt (1788-1866) is even less known today than his coeval Ferdinand Ries, and this recording is a brave attempt to rectify the situation. In 1955 Percy Scholes described him as ‘a notable pedagogue, and young people of all civilised nations have passed millions of hours in his company by the medium of “Exercises”,’ though Scholes admits these are ‘now largely discarded as lacking musical interest’. He was a celebrated keyboard virtuoso, and as Jeremy Nicholas explains in his liner note, he knew Weber, Paganini, Liszt and Chopin, and was friends with Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn.
Chopin described him as a ‘very competent person’, but on hearing one of his concerts wrote to his teacher Josef Elsner that Aloys ‘had a rough reception although he is over forty and composes eighty-year-old music’. Writing of Aloys’s Rondeau brilliant, Robert Schumann made the same point: ‘We have got past that… style of music in which the composer and the virtuoso allow each other to shine by turns.’ Musical fashion had leapt on ahead, leaving Aloys and his ilk far behind.
With Howard Shelley directing charismatically from the keyboard, the works here suggest that Aloys was a major virtuoso, and that his prime purpose as a composer was indeed to let his dexterity shine. There are moments when this skilfully-crafted music evokes memories of Mozart and Field, but the loudest echoes are of Beethoven: several movements begin in credible Beethoven mode, though none maintains that quality to its end. Aloys’s overriding concern was to dazzle with his effects: he had nothing to ‘say’. But it all does what it says on the tin, and Nicholas is right to suggest that it could find a congenial home at a classical radio station.
Michael Church | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/a-schmitt-piano-concertos-nos-1-2-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:53:19Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/a-schmitt-piano-concertos-nos-1-2-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Dobrzyńsky • Kurpiński • Wieniawski: Concertos etc
Alena Baeva (violin), Erich Hoeprich (clarinet); Orchestra of the 18th Century/José Maria Florêncio (NIFC)
Published:
Dobrzyńsky • Kurpiński • Wieniawski
Dobrzyńsky: Overture de Concert, Op. 1; Symphony No. 2 in C minor; Kurpiński: Clarinet Concerto**; Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor*
*Alena Baeva (violin), **Erich Hoeprich (clarinet); Orchestra of the 18th Century/José Maria Florêncio
NIFC NIFCCD078 74:34 mins
As the first recording on period instruments of a Henryk Wieniawski violin concerto, this release would be self-recommending. But the sheer musical brilliance of Alena Baeva’s collaboration with the Orchestra of the 18th Century under the baton of José Maria Florêncio makes their performance of the Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor essential listening. No one ought to take the Lublin-born composer for granted, yet the traditional status of his two concertos as cornerstones of the repertoire sometimes leads to exactly that. Here the music is freshly reconsidered: in comparison with famously sweet-toned interpretations from Michael Rabin to Gil Shaham, Baeva’s softer-grained playing is more blended with the orchestral soundscape, though she has all the fire and finesse required in such a virtuosic showpiece.
Despite the impressive line-up of names associated with its premiere – it was first performed by Wieniawski himself in St Petersburg in 1862 under the baton of Anton Rubinstein, and dedicated to Pablo Sarasate – the concerto is about much more than sheer virtuosity. Wieniawski’s music is full of poetry, and Baeva is attuned to all its aspects; good news, then, that this will be followed by a companion recording of her playing Wieniawski’s earlier, F sharp minor concerto.
This recording presents three generations of Polish composers, putting Wieniawski – who belonged to the generation after Chopin – in the context of Chopin’s contemporary Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński and the earlier Karol Kurpiński. The only surviving movement of Kurpiński’s Clarinet Concerto reveals much of this important figure’s musical personality. Premiered in Dresden in 1823, the Clarinet Concerto may well reflect his friendship with Weber; following convention it consisted of three movements, and Erich Hoeprich’s warm performance of the opening Allegro makes the disappearance of the full work a matter of regret.
Unlike the exiled Chopin, Dobrzyński was to remain in Poland, but his music reflects his links to wider musical culture. There is a Rossini-esque feeling to Dobrzyński’s Concert Overture, a remarkable Op. 1 that makes very agreeable listening. Beethovenian drama is heard in Dobrzyński’s Second Symphony, especially in the opening of the lengthy first movement, but as shown by the revelatory performance that Florêncio draws from this period orchestra, there is much more to it, and as a patriotic statement it could be said to have paved the way for Smetana’s Má vlast. Subtitled ‘Caractèrisque’, the symphony (1831) is a musically pioneering national statement whose movements are based on Polish national dances; in the audacity of its closing pages, it also seemingly anticipates Berlioz and Liszt. The third and fourth movements (Minuetto alla Mawwzovienna and Finale all Cracovienna) are exhilarating in their momentum, and played with transparent lightness. But beware of listening while driving: this is the double-the-speed-limit music.
John Allison | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/dobrzynsky-kurpinski-wieniawski-concertos-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:53:25Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/dobrzynsky-kurpinski-wieniawski-concertos-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
French Trumpet Concertos (Håkan Hardenberger)
Håkan Hardenberger (trumpet); Royal Stockholm Philharmonic/Fabien Gabel (BIS)
Published:
French Trumpet Concertos
Betsy Jolas: Onze Lieder; Jolivet: Concertino; F Schmitt: Suite; HF Tomasi: Trumpet Concerto
Håkan Hardenberger (trumpet); Royal Stockholm Philharmonic/Fabien Gabel
BIS BIS-2523 (CD/SACD) 70:18 mins
This excellent album from Håkan Hardenberger is a highly enjoyable celebration of the ‘French school’ of trumpet playing. From the mid-19th century, France was at the forefront of the trumpet’s musical and technical development, which allowed the ‘emancipation’ of the instrument from the orchestra, capable both of virtuoso flourishes and expressive nuance. These five works, all composed between the late 1940s and the late 1970s, capture the full flowering of this style in all its verve, not least due to the powerful influence of jazz.
Jolivet’s Second Trumpet Concerto is perhaps the composer’s best-known work and receives a beautiful and spirited performance here. The bluesy central movement is breathtaking, while Hardenberger negotiates the outer movements’ technical demands with total assurance (unlike the work’s first performer, Raymond Tournesac, whose struggles with the piece met with the following response from Jolivet: ‘But, my dear fellow, Louis Armstrong does wonders in the top register… So, to work, old boy!’).
Other highlights include Tomasi’s playful trumpet concerto of 1948, which was also declared to be ‘unplayable’ by its dedicatee, but receives a wonderfully witty performance here. Onze Lieder by Betsy Jolas is an imaginative addition, and celebrates the vocal qualities of the instrument across six short movements that range from the dreamy to the ‘caustic’.
Hardenberger’s playing is outstanding throughout, by turns crisp and mellifluous, stinging and sweet, while the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic under Fabian Gabel bring precision and flair to these colourful scores. This is indeed a fine disc which shines a welcome light on this vibrant period of trumpet composition.
Kate Wakeling | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/french-trumpet-concertos-hakan-hardenberger/ | 2022-08-11T22:53:31Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/french-trumpet-concertos-hakan-hardenberger/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
J Novák: Piano Concerto; Oboe Concerto etc
Vilém Veverka (oboe), Alice Rajnohová (piano), *Lucie Schinzelová, Kristýna Znamenáčková (piano duo); Ensemble Opera Diversa/Gabriela Tardonová (Toccata Classics)
Published:
J Novák
Piano Concerto; Oboe Concerto; Concentus biiugis*
Vilém Veverka (oboe), Alice Rajnohová (piano), *Lucie Schinzelová, Kristýna Znamenáčková (piano duo); Ensemble Opera Diversa/Gabriela Tardonová
Toccata Classics TOCC 0551 75:06 mins
The Moravian composer Jan Novák (1921-84) – no relation of Dvořák’s better known pupil, Vítězslav Novák – was a fascinating and appealing figure in post-war Czech music. Something of a polymath, he wrote prize-winning Latin poetry and composed extensively for film. His early promise led to a scholarship enabling him to study in the USA first with Copland and privately with Martinů. Like many Czech composers in the early 1960s, he experimented with 12-note techniques, but his main affinities were with the music of Martinů, in particular his neo-baroque style, and Moravian folksong.
The earliest of his works on this enjoyable recording is the Piano Concerto of 1949. Martinů’s influence is clear in the motor-rhythms which open the first movement and in the lyrical, sweetly harmonised secondary material. The orchestral ensemble is at times a touch wayward, but Alice Rajnohová’s solo playing has just the right amount of enthusiasm and energy. The oboe concerto, composed three years later, benefits from being more succinct than the piano concerto with a stronger sense of direction in the outer movements and an attractively whimsical central Andante played with evident relish by both soloist and orchestra. The Double Piano Concerto from 1977 is more characterful than either of the earlier works with a slow movement of compelling originality. The recording could have favoured the orchestra a little more, and the performances overall are sound rather than sensational, but they have a refreshing quality and for anyone interested in mid-20th-century Czech music are well worth investigating.
Jan Smaczny | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/j-novak-piano-concerto-oboe-concerto-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:53:37Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/j-novak-piano-concerto-oboe-concerto-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
John Williams: Violin Concerto No. 2 etc
Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin); Boston Symphony Orchestra/John Williams (DG)
Published:
John Williams
Violin Concerto No. 2; plus selected film themes (arr. violin and orchestra)
Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin); Boston Symphony Orchestra/John Williams
DG 486 1698 50:54 mins
The violin has inspired John Williams for decades, notably since the 1971 film adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof, for which he recommended Isaac Stern as the score’s soloist. Stern apparently offered encouragement to Williams when he ran his first Violin Concerto by him at the piano, though that work – dedicated to the composer’s late wife on completion in 1976 – would never be performed by Stern. Forty-six years on, and Williams has penned his Violin Concerto No. 2 for Anne-Sophie Mutter, who has become something of a muse for the composer since 2017’s Markings and a growing set of violin arrangements of his film themes – three of which end this album.
That this second violin concerto feels somehow more youthful than the first is interesting, given the fact Williams was fast approaching 90 when he finished it. Its vigour can be put down to experience of course, a sense of having less to prove perhaps, but it also responds to Mutter’s own dexterity and skill with an instrument the composer frankly adores. It’s a hugely expressive, deeply atmospheric four-movement work and, like all his concertos, quite far removed from the thematic narrative music we’re all so familiar with. That’s not to say Williams doesn’t paint a vivid picture, and there’s plenty of orchestral drama. Mutter’s singing, lilting, bluesy, scampering violin hungrily eats up the notes, going into battle with timpani and dancing with harp in the dynamic third movement. Her final exhalation, in D major, offers a sweet, reassuring resolution.
Michael Beek | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/john-williams-violin-concerto-no-2-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:53:43Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/john-williams-violin-concerto-no-2-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
JS Bach: Harpsichord Concertos (The Hannover Band)
The Hanover Band/Andrew Arthur (harpsichord) (Signum Classics)
Published:
JS Bach
Harpsichord Concertos: No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052; No. 3 in D, BWV 1054; No. 4 in A, BWV 1055; No. 7 in G minor, BWV 1058
The Hanover Band/Andrew Arthur (harpsichord)
Signum Classics SIGCD 710 69:07 mins
As the harpsichordist and director Andrew Arthur observes in his liner note to this recording, Bach’s concertos for solo harpsichord and strings mark the origin of the keyboard concerto genre, which then lived on through Bach’s sons Carl Philipp Emmanuel and Johann Christian, and then through Haydn, Mozart and beyond. Together with Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos they were the most diverse, revolutionary and technically refined instrumental concertos of the Baroque period. Arthur surmises that Bach’s concertos were first intended for performance by Leipzig’s famous music society the Collegium Musicum, whose concerts Bach used to direct from the violin in the decidedly gemütlich setting of a Leipzig coffee house.
Arthur stresses how much these works owe to Bach’s early immersion in Vivaldi’s set of concertos L’estro armonico, several of which he transcribed, and that Italian influence does indeed permeate the performances on this recording. There’s a triumphal warmth in the Hanover Band’s delivery of the D minor work, but the Adagio which follows suffers from problems which also mar the following concerto. The tempo of the Adagio is sluggish, and the ensemble’s sound lacks zip and clarity; more seriously, the solo line doesn’t surge out as it should – the balance is wrong. Better miking could have solved this problem.
Arthur’s note on BWV 1054 indicates that he himself is aware of the danger that the harpsichord may be swamped, and in the Adagio e piano sempre of the D major work, the soloist is indeed allowed to breathe. In the joyous A major concerto the sonic balance is nicely resolved.
Michael Church | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/js-bach-harpsichord-concertos-the-hannover-band/ | 2022-08-11T22:53:50Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/js-bach-harpsichord-concertos-the-hannover-band/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
JS Bach: Harpsichord Concertos, Vol. 3 (Il Pomo d’Oro)
Francesco Corti (harpsichord); Il Pomo d’Oro/Andrea Buccarella (Pentatone)
Published:
JS Bach
Harpsichord Concertos, Vol 3: BWV 1059-1062
Francesco Corti (harpsichord); Il Pomo d’Oro/Andrea Buccarella
Pentatone PTC 5186 966 55:56 mins
This recording reminds me of an old archaeologist’s joke. He draws a wonderfully detailed statue of a gorgeously muscled Greek figure, on the evidence of a couple of tiny stone fragments, one for a knee and the other for the nose. Bach’s harpsichord concertos have come to us in a beautiful autographed score on whose last page a new concerto in D minor begins, but stops after nine bars, at the point where the first tutti makes way for a harpsichord solo. Why, asks harpsichordist Francesco Corti. Not enough space on the page? Did Bach suddenly go off the idea? Or was he forced to desist?
For Corti, however, Bach’s recycling habit has come to the rescue. That fragmentary opening phrase, catalogued as BWV 1059, echoes Bach’s cantata BWV 35 (complete with a solo organ part), and he believes it’s possible to ‘conjecturally reconstruct a second and third movement’ by drawing on other sections of the cantata. ‘Thus, a reconstruction of this “never written” piece seems possible’, and for this recording he has done it.
So is it a success? Listening to it here in context with three other authentic Bach concertos, I find myself not only accepting it at face value, but actually enjoying it more than the others. Corti’s sonic strategy works brilliantly: he’s damped down the bass accompaniments on many solo passages, particularly those of the oboe. And following Bach’s own custom he’s strengthened the harpsichord presence by filling in its harmonies, decorating its upper voices and routinely amplifying it with micro-ornamentation and cadenza-like passages. The ‘Siciliana’ second movement, with its dialogue between oboe and what was the organ in the source-work, has poise and grace, and the closing Presto is nimble and assured.
Neatly complementing the programme of the recording reviewed directly above, Corti’s programme is a bit uneven. BWV 1062 goes like the wind, but its sonic differentiation between soloist and ensemble is muzzy, and the finale is absurdly helter-skelter; the other works come over with nice assurance.
Michael Church | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/js-bach-harpsichord-concertos-vol-3-il-pomo-doro/ | 2022-08-11T22:53:56Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/js-bach-harpsichord-concertos-vol-3-il-pomo-doro/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Letters for the Future
Time for Three; Philadelphia Orchestra/Xian Zhang (DG)
Published:
Letters for the Future
Jennifer Higdon: Concerto 4-3; Kevin Puts: Contact
Time for Three; Philadelphia Orchestra/Xian Zhang
DG 486 3066 52:15 mins
There is an anxious undertone to ‘Contact’, the third movement in Kevin Puts’s concerto of the same name. Nervy woodwind solos stretch into the darkness, met by a tentative response from the strings that melts into a pretty, vibrating passage for the soloists Time for Three. The ensemble comprises two violins (Charles Yang and Nick Kendall) and double bass (Ranaan Meyer), an unusual trio for whom this work (and the following concerto) was composed.
Puts evokes different types of communication throughout the piece, hinting at loneliness, otherworldly connections, fear and joy, honouring the pandemic period in which it was created. The opening and closing movements draw on Time for Three’s vocal abilities with wordless sung passages. The ensemble remains to the forefront in the thickly textured and darkly skittish ‘Codes’; whirling folk dances and repeated motifs in the final ‘Convivium’ reveal sturdy ensemble playing, both within the chamber group and more broadly with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Like Puts, Jennifer Higdon draws upon traditional American styles in her 2007 Concerto 4-3. ‘The Shallows’ begins with sketchy, raspy effects, setting the expectation for an abstract, atonal adventure. In fact, snatches of melody give way to a riot of orchestral colour, ending in an extended cadenza composed by the trio. Its bluegrass flavour feels somewhat detached from the movements proper, with the subsequent ‘Little River’ and ‘Roaring Smokies’ (each movement references the rivers that run through the Great Smoky Mountains) true to Higdon’s distinctive harmonic language.
Claire Jackson | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/letters-for-the-future/ | 2022-08-11T22:54:02Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/letters-for-the-future/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Messiaen • Ravel • Schoenberg: Concertos etc
Francesco Piemontesi (piano); Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Jonathan Nott (Pentatone)
Published:
Messiaen • Ravel • Schoenberg
Messiaen: Oiseaux exotiques; Ravel: Piano Concerto in G; Schoenberg: Piano Concerto
Francesco Piemontesi (piano); Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Jonathan Nott
Pentatone PTC 5186 949 (CD/SACD) 57:11 mins
You have to envy the citizens of Geneva, regularly able to hear music-making on this level from their resident orchestra and conductor. Add a pianist in Franceso Piemontesi’s class, and here are stellar interpretations of three very different concerto-type works, ordered into a journey from easier listening to (notionally at least) more difficult.
Ravel was so determined to avoid portentousness in his winsome G major Piano Concerto – the first work heard on the disc – that it can easily sound trite in performance. Any such risk vanishes in the presence of Piemontesi’s brand of musicianship, which is at once deft and searching; a special moment is the sequence of trills decorating the melody in the first movement’s cadenza, marvellously judged to sound as if the notes are somehow gliding, rather than stepping from one to the next. The Suisse Romande players’ contribution is in a similar class: at the orchestra’s delayed entry in the second movement, each of the sequence of woodwind solos is exquisitely delivered.
Oiseaux exotiques is then brought off in a performance of scintillating and sharp-focus panache, with Piemontesi and the orchestra’s woodwind, brass and percussion line-up brilliantly characterising the cascade of bird calls assembled into Messiaen’s super-concise design. And can Schoenberg’s Piano Concerto of 1942, with its insistent filtering of classical forms through a modernist idiom, ever have been more persuasively presented? Without any compromising sense of a soft-focus paraphrase, the music is nonetheless delivered with a sureness of touch and purpose that absorbs and, as often as not, beguiles the ear.
Malcolm Hayes | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/messiaen-ravel-schoenberg-concertos-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:54:08Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/messiaen-ravel-schoenberg-concertos-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Wilms: Piano Concertos, Vol. 1
Ronald Brautigam (piano); Kölner Akademie/Michael Alexander Willens (BIS)
Published:
Wilms
Piano Concertos, Vol. 1: Opp. 3, 12 & 26
Ronald Brautigam (piano); Kölner Akademie/Michael Alexander Willens
BIS BIS-2504 (CD/SACD) 82:28 mins
Johann Wilhelm Wilms (1772-1847) was German by birth, but lived in Amsterdam for most of his life, where he composed the National Anthem which served the Netherlands from 1815 to 1932. He gave the Dutch premieres of Mozart and Beethoven concertos, whose influence is plain to hear, Mozart especially in the E major, with its opening Mannheim rocket and clear-cut orchestration. Ronald Brautigam’s instrument – a modern copy, not identified in the notes – has a more rounded tone than many fortepianos, and suits the music well.
Is it interesting enough to be revived? A qualified yes: it’s never less than expertly written for the soloist and orchestra, but the reliance on sequence sometimes feels like going through the motions. In the later concertos there are more harmonic twists, and the melodic lines and instrumental textures – particularly in the wind – have greater individuality. You can hear Wilms’s debt to Beethoven more clearly here, particularly in the slow movements, where there’s poise and elegance in the C major, and in the buoyant Rondo alla Polacca of the D major. Brautigam and Willens plainly believe in this music: they collaborated on the editions used, and create performances of lightness and transparency, matched by the recording’s clarity.
Martin Cotton | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/wilms-piano-concertos-vol-1/ | 2022-08-11T22:54:14Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/wilms-piano-concertos-vol-1/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Bach & Pärt (David Bendix Nielsen)
David Bendix Nielsen (organ) (Orchid Classics)
Published:
JS Bach • Arvo Pärt
Bach & Pärt – JS Bach: Prelude and Fugue in E flat, BWV 552 ‘St Anne’; Organ Concerto in D minor (after Vivaldi), BWV 596 etc; Arvo Pärt: Pari intervallo; trivium; Spiegel im Spiegel
David Bendix Nielsen (organ)
Orchid Classics ORC100197 76:38 mins
Whether or not you view the organ as a ‘church instrument’, spirituality certainly unites the two composers juxtaposed here. Yet for all the intelligent design in the Danish-Hungarian organist David Bendix Nielsen’s programme of JS Bach and Arvo Pärt, this release promises slightly more than it delivers, and perhaps the clever tonal connections he makes between the works get obscured by the sheer contrast between Bach’s forward-moving energy and Pärt’s melancholy stillness. Whatever the case, his recital makes less impact than the Latvian organist Iveta Apkalna’s superb recording on Oehms of Bach and Glass – admittedly, a very different sort of minimalist.
Both feature neo-Baroque organs, in Nielsen’s case that of the Garrison Church in Copenhagen. The instrument is not quite ethereal enough for the mirror(s) evoked in Pärt’s famous Spiegel im Spiegel, but is more convincing in the composer’s Pari intervallo. It also sounds suitably ‘breathy’ in Trivium, one of Pärt’s first tintinnabular pieces, whose D minor tonality finds reflection in a buoyant yet delicate performance of Bach’s Concerto in D minor after Vivaldi, BWV 596. This and a searching account of the chorale prelude An Wasserflüssen Babylon, BWV 653, are the Bachian highlights. Nielsen bookends his recital with two of Bach’s most imposing organ works (the Prelude and Fugue in E flat, BWV 552, and Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582), and both receive crisp and solid performances: not quite enough in music that can be exhilarating.
John Allison | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/bach-part-david-bendix-nielsen/ | 2022-08-11T22:54:20Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/bach-part-david-bendix-nielsen/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Bartók: Piano Works, Vol. 5 (Andreas Bach)
Andreas Bach (piano); with Aliya Iskhakova (mezzo-soprano) (Hänssler Classic)
Published:
Bartók
Piano Solo Works, Vol. 5: Bartók-Reschofsky Piano Method – excerpts; Mikrokosmos
Andreas Bach (piano); with Aliya Iskhakova (mezzo-soprano)
Hanssler Classics HC21011 188 mins (3 discs)
Andreas Bach’s heroic traversal of Bartók’s output for solo piano continues into its fifth volume, which consists primarily of the sizeable marvel that is Mikrokosmos. First comes the composer’s contributions to the Bartók-Reschofsky Piano Method, which starts at the very beginning. Whether that is a very good place to start is another matter as far as a recording is concerned. This early method (written in 1913) is not really designed for listening. On the one hand, perhaps this can help to spark reflection on where ‘completism’ can draw the line. On the other hand, there is a certain fascination in discovering how a composer as extraordinary (and a pianist as fine) as Bartók recommended first setting finger to keyboard.
Mikrokosmos is designed for beginners, rising in complexity from the first book to the sixth, but its numerous short pieces also form a fabulous compendium of Hungarian folksong style and other national styles. Where called for, Bach presents them not only in piano solo versions, but others for two pianos, or for voice and piano (‘Song of the Fox’ is one example); for the latter he is joined by mezzo-soprano Aliya Iskhakova, whose contribution is strong and enjoyable, and in the two-piano pieces he multi-tracks, playing both parts himself. Even if the early exercises come out with rather dogged rhythms and exaggerated first beats, his performing style in some ways follows the books’ progressive complexity in emotional terms as well as technical, which makes it pretty much unimpeachable.
Jessica Duchen | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/bartok-piano-works-vol-5-andreas-bach/ | 2022-08-11T22:54:26Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/bartok-piano-works-vol-5-andreas-bach/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Cage: Four Walls
Alexei Lubimov (piano); with Marianne Pousseur (soprano) (Fuga Libera)
Published:
Cage
Four Walls
Alexei Lubimov (piano); with Marianne Pousseur (soprano)
Fuga Libera FUG793 55:13 mins
Cage composed Four Walls in 1944 – the year Alexei Lubimov was born. Forty-four years later Cage visited Moscow, where he and the pianist ‘drank vodka and ate dandelions’ together. It’s a number synchronicity that would have tickled the composer, whose unusually expressive ‘dance-play’ score is well served on this live recording from 1994.
A collaboration with writer-choreographer and soon-to-be life partner Merce Cunningham, the drama concerns a dysfunctional family, their ‘Nearpeople’ and further ‘Mad-Ones’. Cage’s response is a solo piano whose simple, diatonic material encompasses a gamut of moods from Satie-esque wistful melody to insistent, stabbing chords.
Between the poles, Alexei Lubimov finds an introspection and immediacy that makes the scattered lengthy silences as disruptive as the sounds they appear to contradict, leaving the listener as it were alone with the dancers’ shuffling and breathing. It’s a suitably unsettling experience, heightened by the brief, yearning contribution of solo soprano Marianne Pousseur.
Whether Cage felt personal resonance with the subject is unknown (at the time, he was heading for divorce from his wife Xenia). But it’s tempting to muse on possible life parallels in Cunningham’s descriptions of ‘the deep black nightingale turned willowy/by love’s tossed treatment.’
Steph Power | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/cage-four-walls/ | 2022-08-11T22:54:33Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/cage-four-walls/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Chopin: Piano Works, Vol. 7 (Louis Lortie)
Louis Lortie (piano) (Chandos)
Published:
Chopin
Piano Works, Vol. 7: Rondo à la Mazur, Op. 5; Mazurkas; Rondos; Bolero; Polonaise etc
Louis Lortie (piano)
Chandos CHAN20241 73:00 mins
The longer pieces on this recording show Louis Lortie at his splendid best, making light of technical demands and building up climaxes with total authority. The famous A flat Polonaise is especially successful, taken just that touch more slowly than often, so that we appreciate its dignity and power
and possibly, as the note writer Jeffrey Kallberg suggests, its national symbolism.
But half the disc is devoted to four groups of mazurkas, and here things are not so happy. Kallberg’s excellent notes include the adjectives ‘strange and exotic’, ‘unsteady’, ‘hesitant’ and ‘deceptively simple’. Chopin’s syntax here was at least decades ahead of its time and, as this disc shows, can still cause puzzlement today. Among the problematic entities are unexpected repetitions, sometimes moving chromatically through foreign keys, bagpipe noises (how boring are they meant to be, if at all?) and abrupt changes of rhythm and/or dynamics. There are moments of dignity and power here too, but also of extreme delicacy, with ‘the hammers grazing the strings’, as Berlioz recalled, and in these Lortie could profitably have lowered the dynamics still further.
One habit that worried me particularly is his insertion of tiny gaps in melodies between fast decorations and long final notes, which I hear as the natural climaxes of the phrases. Sadly, I must confess that the magic of these mazurkas is largely missing. You can enjoy it with Arthur Rubinstein (all 51 on YouTube) or with the French pianist Youra Guller of the same vintage (11 on Doron DRC 4012).
Roger Nichols | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/chopin-piano-works-vol-7-louis-lortie/ | 2022-08-11T22:54:39Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/chopin-piano-works-vol-7-louis-lortie/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Free Spirits (Yi-heng Yang)
Yi-heng Yang (piano) (Deux-Elles)
Published:
Free Spirits
Fanny Mendelssohn: Lieder für das Pianoforte; Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 18 in G, D894 ‘Fantasie’; R Schumann: Klavierstücke, Op. 32
Yi-heng Yang (piano)
Deux-Elles DXL1187 74:00 mins
To hear the declamatory phrases of Schumann’s Op. 32 played on a fortepiano is to be transported into an early 19th-century parlour. Playing an 1825 original Graf, Yi-heng Yang brings pianistic light and shade to the work. Her dynamic approach occasionally reveals the fortepiano’s shaky intonation (particularly the Markirt und kräftig) – as is to be expected from an instrument nearly 200 years old. No. 2 (Äusserst rasch und mit Bravour) is handsomely shaped, the fast-moving semi-quaver figures rippling as evenly as though played on a Steinway.
Fanny Hensel – as she is referred to on this recording – wrote many Songs for Piano, in parallel to her brother Felix Mendelssohn’s Songs without Words. Yang brings out the shimmering melodies in the rhapsodic Allegro moderato and ‘Wanderlied’ from Op. 8. There are some tuning issues in the Andante con espressione. The Schubert Sonata is probably the best-known piece here. As the composer’s last large-scale work, it is noticeably more harmonically and dynamically adventurous. Yang has impeccable attention to detail, bravely observing the fff (and ppp) indications. This is intimate salon music painted with broad brush strokes.
The recording highlights the various additional quirks in sound that come from playing an older instrument – the odd key depression and unexpected vibration might not suit all tastes, but ultimately add to the overall charm.
Claire Jackson | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/free-spirits-yi-heng-yang/ | 2022-08-11T22:54:45Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/free-spirits-yi-heng-yang/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
L’Aurore (Carolin Widmann)
Carolin Widmann (violin) (ECM)
Published:
L’Aurore
JS Bach: Solo Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004; G Benjamin: Three Miniatures; Enescu: Fantaisie concertante; Hildegard: Antiphons; Ysaÿe: Solo Sonata in G, Op. 27/5
Carolin Widmann (violin)
ECM 485 6803 67:18 mins
An ECM artist since 2008, Carolin Widmann at last makes a solo disc for the label. L’Aurore is far greater than the sum of its parts. In her self-proclaimed ‘little encyclopaedia’ Widmann pays tribute to the violin, traversing 12th- and 21st-century repertoire. The album takes its name from the first movement of Ysaÿe’s fifth solo sonata, a work dedicated to his friend and former pupil Mathieu Crickboom. Widmann’s recording of this work is a timbral revelation. Dawn unfolds in the opening movement through delicately spaced gestures, serving to articulate the overall structure, and the ‘Rustic Dance’ is simply dazzling.
Of the three miniatures by George Benjamin, the deft handling of texture in the ‘Lied’ is both magical and magisterial. Detailed textural nuances also characterise Widmann’s interpretation of the second of JS Bach’s solo partitas. She evokes those attributes of D minor heralded by Bach’s contemporary, Johann Mattheson; grandeur in the Allemanda and Ciaconna, devout calm in the Corrente and Sarabanda, and a genuine grace in the Giga.
Widmann’s polyphonic sensitivity shines in Enescu’s Fantasie concertante. Originally a showpiece for violin and orchestra, this solo version was compiled by violinist Sherban Lupu from Enescu’s incomplete October 1932 manuscript. Widmann uses the generous resonance of Lugano’s Stelio Molo Auditorium, in a captivating account of Enescu’s highly idiosyncratic work as well as in her two presentations of Hildegard von Bingen’s psalm antiphon Spiritus sanctus vivificans vita.
Ingrid Pearson | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/laurore-carolin-widmann/ | 2022-08-11T22:54:51Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/laurore-carolin-widmann/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Neo (Oda Voltersvik)
Oda Voltersvik (piano) (Rubicon)
Published:
Neo
Sofia Gubaidulina: Chaconne; Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 2; Scriabin: Fantasy in B minor; Shostakovich: Piano Sonata No. 2
Oda Voltersvik (piano)
Rubicon RCD1059 71:28 mins
Neo-classicism was a term first applied to Stravinsky’s work in 1923, but as an aesthetic it had been taking hold some years previously. Offering a bracing dip in the cool waters of Classicism after Romanticism overheated, neo-classical works hark back to a musical past, sometimes admiringly, or with irony. It’s a fruitful concept around which to build a piano recital, as Oda Voltersvik does in her all-Russian programme. There’s not a note of Stravinsky, but instead four pieces in brooding minor keys by Scriabin, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Gubaidulina. Scriabin’s rarely heard Fantasie in B minor sets the scene, a one-movement piece of pure late Romanticism, the love-child of Chopin, Liszt and Wagner. Voltersvik allows its lyricism to shine through the virtuosic demands.
Given Voltersvik’s contention that Prokofiev’s Second Sonata finds the young composer looking to the future, it seems odd that her pianistic approach feels so Romantic, more apt for Brahms. Agile and characterful, yes, but is there the necessary daring and mercurial temperament to make Prokofiev’s creation feel fully alive? Shostakovich’s austere Piano Sonata in B minor, written in 1943, fares better, thanks to Voltersvik’s nimble fingers, clarity of line and focused energy. She draws us into the composer’s unsettled world, in which a restless Allegretto and angular Largo lead to the spare, lonely lines of the final Moderato. Gubaidulina’s Chaconne provides a suitably monumental conclusion.
Rebecca Franks | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/neo-oda-voltersvik/ | 2022-08-11T22:54:57Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/neo-oda-voltersvik/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Prokofiev • A & N Tcherepnin: Piano Works
Alexander Gadjiev (piano) (Avi-music)
Published:
Prokofiev • A & N Tcherepnin
Prokofiev: Five Sarcasms; Visions fugitives; A Tcherepnin: Eight Pieces for Piano, Op. 88; 12 Preludes, Op. 85/1 & 2; Quatre Prélude Nostalgiques, Op. 23; N Tcherepnin: Six Musical Illustrations to Pushkin’s Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish, Op. 41
Alexander Gadjiev (piano)
Avi-music 8553494 75:36 mins
Extremes of dynamics and registers, rapid shifts of mood, are the name of the game in this intriguingly constructed programme. Alexander Gadjiev’s palette is often too restricted in Prokofiev. He has the misfortune to follow a stunning set of Sarcasms on Daniil Trifonov’s Silver Age set, which begins much more ferociously. And in the wider-ranging Visions fugitives, No. 14 could likewise be more-hair raising; No. 15 should rise from a quieter and more atmospheric start – though 17 and 20 are ideally delicate.
I find it unforgivable that Gadjiev should skip six of the 20 pieces; this is a perfect sequence, as pianists like Jeremy Denk have shown us. True, Prokofiev the pianist and Richter often made selections, but of far fewer pieces – and Prokofiev’s 1935 recording has the best of his playing, in the respectively half-minute 5 and 6, omitted here. CD length would have allowed for the full set here.
The real reason to investigate this album is Gadjiev’s selection of pieces by Alexander Tcherepnin, eight years Prokofiev’s junior and another iconoclast on the Paris scene in the 1920s (his First Symphony contains a scherzo for percussion only). He’s relatively tamer than Prokofiev in the selection from the 1950s, but there’s plenty of range: Op. 88’s Reverie has Messiaenic clusters before a clear melody. No. 3 of the 1923 Preludes is a fine showcase for Gadjiev’s stormiest manner.
Alexander’s father Nikolay, a St Petersburg/Petrograd Conservatory tutor whom Prokofiev adored, is less distinctive in the intensely programmatic Six Musical Illustrations to Pushkin’s Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish – narration is needed here.
David Nice | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/prokofiev-a-n-tcherepnin-piano-works/ | 2022-08-11T22:54:58Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/prokofiev-a-n-tcherepnin-piano-works/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Saudades (Plínio Fernandes)
Plínio Fernandes (guitar) et al (Decca Gold)
Published:
Saudades
Works by Sérgio Assad, Jobim, Nascimento, Villa-Lobos et al
Plínio Fernandes (guitar) et al
Decca Gold 485 7617 67:38 mins
‘Saudade’ is a Portuguese word for which music – and perhaps the guitar in particular – offers ideal expression. Nostalgia, longing, love and happiness: all are here, alongside that existential yearning so evocative of melting-pot Brazil. For his debut solo album, guitarist Plínio Fernandes offers a homage to his homeland that shows the porousness of its popular and classical genres in works and arrangements by some of Brazil’s most celebrated composers.
Central is Villa-Lobos, and his five Preludes (1940), now firmly embedded in the guitar repertoire, are given a lithe, richly vibrant performance. Yet equally important is composer-guitarist Sérgio Assad, creator of multihued arrangements of ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ and more alongside two of his own pieces – and alongside ‘Ipanema’ composer Antônio Carlos Jobim and many others including João Luiz, Ary Barroso and Violeta Parra: purveyors extraordinaire of everything from bittersweet romance to samba and bossa-inflected paeans to life. Fernandes is beguiling throughout. He is joined by Sheku and Braimah Kanneh-Mason (cello, violin) for a track apiece, and the superb vocalist Maria Rita for a haunting rendition of de Oliveira’s ‘O Mundo É Um Moinho’.
Steph Power | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/saudades-plinio-fernandes/ | 2022-08-11T22:55:04Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/saudades-plinio-fernandes/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
This is America (Johnny Gandelsman)
Johnny Gandelsman (violin) (In a Circle Records)
Published:
This is America
Works by Clarice Assad, Terry Riley, Micaela Tobin et al
Johnny Gandelsman (violin)
In a Circle ICR 023 229:17 mins (3 discs)
It’s easy to forget the turbulence of 2020 – particularly when one set of problems has been replaced with another. This Is America – an anthology of 24 works commissioned and performed by Johnny Gandelsman – is a time-capsule of that period. Unlike other lockdown projects, such as Eight Songs from Isolation that had an international scope, Gandelsman focuses on US-based composers, giving a fascinating snapshot of that nation’s diversity of sound.
Terry Riley is the biggest name here, and his 12-minute Barbary Coast 1955, performed on a five-string violin, moves between resonant reflection and whispered, breathy phrases that develop into a quasi-folk motif. Here – and in other works – Gandelsman demonstrates the outer-limits of the violin; a gentle touch is contrasted with aggressive pizzicato. Conrad Tao, who has also referenced national unrest in his solo piano album American Rage, contributes Stones – a delicately fragmented piece inspired by the carefully built rock formations he saw along the Hudson River during lockdown rambles.
The inclusion of tape, electronics, voice and guitar adds variation to the largely solo violin works. Anjna Swaminathan’s frolicking love letter Surrender to the Adventure features recorded speech, while Rhea Fowler and Micaela Tobin’s A City Upon a Hill? includes disguised samples of news reels with the notorious slogan ‘Make America Great Again’ in ominous disintegration. Although sensitively performed, the pieces with acoustic and electronic guitar would be better suited to a different programme.
Claire Jackson | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/this-is-america-johnny-gandelsman/ | 2022-08-11T22:55:18Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/instrumental/this-is-america-johnny-gandelsman/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Donizetti: La fille du régiment (DVD)
Sara Blanch, Adriana Bignagni Lesca, Paolo Bordogna, John Osborn , Cristina Bugatty; Chorus of Accademia Teatro alla Scala; Orchestra Donizetti Opera/Michele Spotti (Dynamic / DVD)
Published:
Donizetti
La fille du régiment (DVD)
Sara Blanch, Adriana Bignagni Lesca, Paolo Bordogna, John Osborn , Cristina Bugatty; Chorus of Accademia Teatro alla Scala; Orchestra Donizetti Opera/Michele Spotti; dir. Luis Ernesto Doñas (Bergamo, 2021)
Dynamic DVD: 37943; Blu-ray: 57943 144 mins
The Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo is currently on a roll, releasing DVD after DVD of productions staged over the last couple of challenging years. Though a cover image depicting chorus members in masks initially seemed off-putting, this turned out to be the best release from the company I have watched so far.
It’s a Fille du régiment with a Cuban feel from director Luis Ernesto Doñas, in a co-production with the Teatro Lirico Nacional de Cuba. Cheerful sets inspired by the work of Pop-Art designer Raúl Martinez combine with the cherry-red and sunshine-yellow garb of the troops to create a riot of colour. Why the French troops have wandered so far west is a mystery, but no matter: the emphasis here is on sheer exuberance.
The performers are evidently having a blast, from the orchestral players bopping their way through the overture under the baton of Michele Spotti to the charming, energetic double-act of soprano Sara Blanch (Marie) and baritone Paolo Bordogna (Sulpice). It’s a joyous moment when tenor John Osborn – all top Cs present and correct – breaks the fourth wall to laugh and beam at the audience as they bellow for two reprises of the showstopping ‘Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête!’ (only the first is granted).
Over in the aristocratic camp, where everyone wears monochrome stars and stripes, Adriana Bignagni Lesca owns the room as a haughty Marquise de Berkenfield with manly low notes. With superb singing across the board, winning characterisation and witty direction, there is much to enjoy here indeed.
Alexandra Wilson | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/opera/donizetti-la-fille-du-regiment-dvd/ | 2022-08-11T22:55:24Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/opera/donizetti-la-fille-du-regiment-dvd/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Il Tenore (Freddie de Tommaso)
Freddie De Tommaso (tenor), Lise Davidsen, Natalya Romaniw (soprano), Aigul Akhmetshina (mezzo-soprano); Philharmonia Orchestra/Paolo Arrivabeni (Decca)
Published:
Il Tenore
Bizet: Carmen – arias and duets; Puccini: Tosca – excerpts; Turandot – excerpts; Madam Butterfly – excerpts
Freddie De Tommaso (tenor), Lise Davidsen, Natalya Romaniw (soprano), Aigul Akhmetshina (mezzo-soprano); Philharmonia Orchestra/Paolo Arrivabeni
Decca 485 2945 48:32 mins
In this sequel to a much-admired debut, Freddie de Tommaso wisely sticks to roles that he has sung in the theatre or is booked to perform soon. He starts with Tosca and proves a natural Puccinian, producing a steady stream of spun tone in ‘Recondita armonia’. There’s breath control that you rarely hear in the Act I duet with soprano Lise Davidsen – a surprisingly passionate ‘Floria Tosca’. Better yet is Cavaradossi’s ‘E lucevan le stelle’, as De Tommaso reveals himself as a master storyteller. His ‘Nessun Dorma’ is less a triumphant anthem to tenorial masculinity than a man screwing his courage to the sticking point. Only in final ‘Vincero’ does he let rip. And what heft!
He is a young and headstrong Pinkerton in the love duet with soprano Natalya Romaniw as his Butterfly, with careful characterisation as well as vocal finesse. In his final aria ‘Addio fiorito asil’ he seems he really does understand what he has done. If he is less satisfying as Don José, then perhaps he is striving for a faded vocal colouring to convey the emotional cul-de-sac this man has reached. But conductor Paolo Arrivabeni must take some of the blame as he fashionably stretches tempos to breaking point throughout. Yet it allows you to hear this young tenor for what he is – a thoroughbred.
Christopher Cook | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/opera/il-tenore-freddie-de-tommaso/ | 2022-08-11T22:55:30Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/opera/il-tenore-freddie-de-tommaso/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Lampe: The Dragon of Wantley
Mary Bevan, Catherine Carby, Mark Wilde, John Savournin; The Brook Street Band/John Andrews (Resonus)
Published:
Lampe
The Dragon of Wantley
Mary Bevan, Catherine Carby, Mark Wilde, John Savournin; The Brook Street Band/John Andrews
Resonus RES10304 107:56 mins (2 discs)
Even crotchety King George II loved The Dragon of Wantley, a bold 1730s spoof of Italian opera. Librettist Henry Carey originally conceived The Dragon, its action based loosely on a Yorkshire folk ballad, as a mock-Handelian oratorio for the celebrated Kitty Clive. Thwarted by Drury Lane’s manager, Carey and composer John F Lampe mounted their work independently, with opera now the genre of elite taste to be deflated. Carey shoehorned standard tropes satirical of dramma per musica – an absurd hero, two jealous prima donnas, an illogical happy ending – into his story of a drunken knight who, as the champion of rival lovers, kills a rampaging dragon by kicking its bottom. Carey’s satire inspired Lampe to heights of bravura writing and succulent scoring that he never scaled again.
In this premiere recording, conductor John Andrews shrewdly reserves buffoonery for Carey and Lampe’s antic scenes, heightening the galant elements of duets and ensembles, and giving performers space for arresting explorations of Lampe’s lyricism. In the showpiece ‘Gentle Knight’, soprano Mary Bevan gently wraps stunning ascending embellishments around the oboe’s melody. In the big lament aria, cellist Tatty Theo enriches the subtle articulation and rich timbres of mezzo-soprano Catherine Carby with her own. By contrast, tenor Mark Wilde as the knight and bass-baritone John Savournin as a squire and the dragon have great fun with the work’s excesses, Wilde prefacing his runs with vulgar gulps and Savournin growling absurdly.
Berta Joncus | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/opera/lampe-the-dragon-of-wantley/ | 2022-08-11T22:55:36Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/opera/lampe-the-dragon-of-wantley/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Rameau: Les Fêtes d’Hébé
Chantal Santon Jeffery, Marie Perbost, Olivia Doray, Judith van Wanroij, Renoud van Mechelen; Purcell Choir; Orfeo Orchestra/György Vashegyi (Glossa)
Published:
Rameau
Les Fêtes d’Hébé
Chantal Santon Jeffery, Marie Perbost, Olivia Doray, Judith van Wanroij, Renoud van Mechelen; Purcell Choir; Orfeo Orchestra/György Vashegyi
Glossa GCD924012 175:44 mins (3 discs)
Rameau’s opera-ballet Les Fêtes d’Hébé was first performed in 1739, at the end of an extraordinarily fertile decade which saw the premières of Hippolyte et Aricie, Les Indes galantes, Castor et Pollux and Dardanus. In each of the three entrées or acts of Les Fêtes d’Hébé the probable librettist, Antoine Gautier de Montdorge, features a different form of art: poetry, personified by Sappho, music by Tyrtaeus and dance by a shepherdess Eglea, a pupil of Terpsichore. These are the Lyric Talents of the opera’s subtitle. The original cast included several of the greatest artists of the time, among them the soprano Marie Fel, immortalised by the painter Quentin de la Tour, tenor Pierre Jelyotte and danseuse Marie Sallé.
György Vashegyi, his Purcell Choir and Orfeo Orchestra, with an accomplished group of soloists enliven this musically rewarding score with imagination and rhythmic vitality. The beguiling third entrée, La Danse was a favourite of Rameau’s public and has, broadly speaking remained so in present times. This drowsy, almost dreamlike pastoral vignette contains colourfully orchestrated dances in the composer’s headiest vein. From among a wealth of ideas, often of startling originality a ‘Musette en rondeau’, treated both instrumentally and chorally with solo episodes, and a concluding ‘Tambourin’ deserve mention. Both are inspired reworkings of pieces in the 1724 harpsichord collection.
As he has done in the past, Vashegyi leaves no stone unturned where this dance-rich score is concerned. In addition to the Prologue and three Entrées he includes an earlier discarded version of the second one which Rameau substantially revised following criticism of his original.
Nicholas Anderson | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/opera/rameau-les-fetes-dhebe/ | 2022-08-11T22:55:42Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/opera/rameau-les-fetes-dhebe/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Rossini: La scala di seta
Claudia Urru, Meagan Sill, Michele Angelini, Remy Burnens, Emmanuel Franco; Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra/José Miguel Pérez-Sierra (Naxos)
Published:
Rossini
La scala di seta
Claudia Urru, Meagan Sill, Michele Angelini, Remy Burnens, Emmanuel Franco; Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra/José Miguel Pérez-Sierra
Naxos 8.660512-13 88:25 mins
You marvel at the self-assurance of the 20-year-old Rossini. The overture to La scala di seta, composed for Venice in 1812, positively fizzes us into an intrigue ultimately derived from Hogarth’s sequence Marriage A-la-Mode.
A pair of lovers – two of whom, Dorvil and Giulia, are secretly married – and a suitor, Blansac, who transfers his romantic allegiance to cousin Lucilla, all hope to escape the eagle eye of the girls’ tutor Dormont with the help of a silken rope ladder. And all might have been well had not a dunderhead servant, Germano, lumbered into the plot and got the wrong end of the ladder, so to speak.
There’s elegant singing here from a youthful cast – notably the tenor Michele Angelini as Dorvil sounding like a young Bruce Ford. The women demonstrate a satisfying degree of vocal agility, with Claudia Urru’s Giulia allowing real feelings to break into her aria ‘Il mio ben sospiro e chiamo’. Emmanuel Franco’s Germano begins well, but he lacks a gift for vocal comedy – more bluff than buffo. He might have been funnier if José Miguel Pérez-Sierra had kept the Krakow Philharmonic dancing on their toes, although the Finale is a tour de farce. Less pleasing is the fortepiano continuo which crashes about like a bull in a music shop.
Christopher Cook | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/opera/rossini-la-scala-di-seta/ | 2022-08-11T22:55:48Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/opera/rossini-la-scala-di-seta/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Telemann: Pastorelle en musique
Lydia Teuscher, Florian Götz, Alois Mühlbacher; Vocalconsort Berlin; Ensemble 1700/Dorothee Oberlinger (DHM)
Published:
Telemann
Pastorelle en musique
Lydia Teuscher, Florian Götz, Alois Mühlbacher; Vocalconsort Berlin; Ensemble 1700/Dorothee Oberlinger
DHM 19658701132 110:11 mins (2 discs)
Telemann’s Pastorelle en Musique was discovered in 2001 by Kirill Karabits. It formed part of the archive of the Berlin Sing-Akademie which had disappeared in 1945, but which turned up in Kyiv in 1999. This is the second live performance on disc, the earlier one being conducted by Karabits himself in 2004. Inspired by Molière’s Les Amants magnifiques, the dimension and generous scoring of this delightful Arcadian frolic, probably dating from Telemann’s Frankfurt period prior to his move to Hamburg in 1721, suggests it was intended for an important event – a society wedding, perhaps.
A well-sung quintet of shepherds and shepherdesses is accompanied by an impressive instrumental arsenal of oboes, recorders, bassoon, horns, trumpets, timpani, strings and lute. As well as revealing Telemann’s fluent blend of styles from France, Italy and Germanic countries, Pastorelle adopts a north/mid-German trait in its varied use of German and French in the arias and choruses. Enchantments include Amynta’s ‘Lässt uns Liebesrosen brechen’ and ‘Vergnüge dich’; Caliste’s ‘Dir ahnet was’ with its alluring oboe solo; and the drowsy choral siciliano ‘Dormez beaux yeux’. Dorothee Oberlinger directs with expressive warmth and stylistic assurance.
Nicholas Anderson | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/opera/telemann-pastorelle-en-musique/ | 2022-08-11T22:55:54Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/opera/telemann-pastorelle-en-musique/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Beethoven • Steven Stucky: Silent Spring etc
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/Manfred Honeck (Reference Recordings)
Published:
Beethoven • Steven Stucky
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6; Steven Stucky: Silent Spring
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/Manfred Honeck
Reference FR-747 (CD/SACD) 56:02 mins
Manfred Honeck’s speedy tempo for the first movement of the Beethoven isn’t always complemented by sharp articulation, and changes of tempo conspire to rob the music of pulse and momentum. But things improve in the complex textures of the Andante, where flexibility is more in keeping with the flowing brook, and the bird calls are finely characterised. The energy in the Peasants’ Merrymaking and Storm is fiercely controlled, and the final Thanksgiving, if also on the fast side, moves steadily towards its conclusion, with colourful sonorities and a balanced texture.
Stucky’s Silent Spring was commissioned by the Pittsburgh SO for the 50th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking environmental book. A tone poem in four linked sections, it moves from the depths of ‘The Sea Around Us’, through the desolate majesty of ‘The Lost Wood’, to the manic scherzo ‘Rivers of Death’. The musical language has tonal roots, and there’s a powerful melodic sense weaving its way through the piece, but it’s not always a comfortable listen: the countryside that Beethoven knew is compromised by pollution, and the chorus of birds and insects in the final section is slowly snuffed out. A committed performance caught live, like the Beethoven.
Martin Cotton | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/beethoven-steven-stucky-silent-spring-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:56:00Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/beethoven-steven-stucky-silent-spring-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Brahms: Symphony No. 2; Tragic Overture etc
National Symphony Orchestra/Rimma Sushanskaya (Quartz)
Published:
Brahms
Symphony No. 2; Tragic Overture; Haydn Variations
National Symphony Orchestra/Rimma Sushanskaya
Quartz QTZ2146 77:25 mins
Founded in the 1940s as a versatile professional freelance outfit , the National Symphony Orchestra has recently signed the Russian, David Oistrakh-trained violinist Rimma Sushanskaya as its principal associate conductor. This all-Brahms disc was recorded in Henry Wood Hall under socially distanced conditions as recently as last May. For those seeking this particular sequence of works, it provides decent readings in decent sound; but only intermittently – in a burnished horn solo here, or a swell of passion there – anything more special.
The Second Symphony’s opening movement, for instance, tends to plod in a steady 3/4 time, never really generating the slow, one-in-a-bar pendulum swing essential to carrying Brahms’s vast paragraphs forward – one is relieved that the exposition repeat is not taken. On the other hand, the strange, uneasy slow movement is delivered with a genuinely searching expressivity, and Sushanskaya resists the usual tendency to rush the jubilant finale.
The two shorter works are both acceptably delivered but, as with the Symphony, the discography is vast and formidable; and over and again one is reminded of previous recordings where detail is more crisply articulated, more subtly nuanced, or simply more sonorously beautiful. And yet achieving perfect ensemble under socially distanced conditions is no easy task; maybe the Henry Wood acoustic is more favourable to smaller groupings than full orchestras; and the salient matter surely remains the variety and richness of the works themselves.
Bayan Northcott | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/brahms-symphony-no-2-tragic-overture-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:56:07Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/brahms-symphony-no-2-tragic-overture-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Estonian Premieres
Estonian Festival Orchestra/Paavo Järvi (Alpha Classics)
Published:
Estonian Premieres
Works by Tauno Aints, Tõnu Kōrvits, Ülo Krigul, Lepo Sumera and Helena Tulve
Estonian Festival Orchestra/Paavo Järvi
Alpha Classics ALPHA 863 58:35 mins
Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi has long championed his homeland’s orchestral composers, and the combination of his tautly expressive Estonian Festival Orchestra (EFO) and the five creatively diverse voices here is captivating. All are aged between 44 and 53 – except for the much-missed Lepo Sumera (1950-2000), whose Olympic Music I makes a poignant album close. Written for a 1980 Moscow Olympics opening ceremony, its intriguing contrasts helped lay the groundwork for the robust, surging soundscapes of younger peers while looking forward to his own six symphonies to come.
Tauno Aints (b1978) is more overtly muscular in his 2014 Ouverture Estonia, composed for the Pärnu Music Festival which had birthed Järvi’s EFO three years before. Yet the celebration is initially overcast by clouds which only slowly dissipate. The ‘shadow behind you’ becomes a starting point for Helena Tulve (b1972), in whose L’ombre derrière toi a flickering, undulating string orchestra supports and envelops a resonant solo trio of viola and two cellos (Máté Szücs, Indrek Leivategija and Marius Järvi).
Two works by Ülo Krigol (b1978) colourfully explore ambiguities of title and sound: Chordae – chords, accord, a string – and The Bow – string-playing, a physical gesture of acknowledgement. Most striking and affecting, Tõnu Kõrvits (b1969) offers an exquisite paean To the Moonlight. Written as a lockdown ‘Three Blues for Symphony Orchestra’, his smudged harmonies and melting textures fashion melancholy into something radiant – and thrillingly distinctive.
Steph Power | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/estonian-premieres/ | 2022-08-11T22:56:13Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/estonian-premieres/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Gluck: Don Juan; Sémiramis
Le Concert des Nations/Jordi Savall (Alia Vox)
Published:
Gluck
Don Juan; Sémiramis
Le Concert des Nations/Jordi Savall
Alia Vox AVSA9949 55:69 mins
Whether the recent complete set of Beethoven’s symphonies or the lavishly produced conversations between different musical cultures, Jordi Savall relishes a large-scale project. His latest offering might be more modest as he accepts ‘an invitation to the dance’ from Gluck, but it’s typically thoroughgoing. Better remembered today for his ‘reform’ operas, Gluck was an important figure in the development of ballet as it sought to transcend the decorative in pursuit of heightened characterisation and dramatic depth. Staged in Vienna in 1761 Don Juan was a landmark whose ambitions were amplified by Sémiramis – a dark cocktail of double murder with an incestuous twist improbably conceived for the wedding celebrations of Emperor Joseph II in 1765.
The story of Don Juan, familiar from Mozart’s Don Giovanni – or the Molière on which the ballet is based – was originally unfolded across 16 movements; but (like Tafelmusik on Sony) Savall opts for the later expanded version, and sets it on its way with a Sinfonia full of aristocratic swagger. He understands the subtleties of Gluckian grace and studied simplicity, while Le Concert des Nations respond to the fast numbers with gutsy, incisive aplomb – the famous Dance of the Furies from the Paris incarnation of Orfeo ed Euridice first appeared in Don Juan incidentally. For all that the music is delivered with stylish affection – the thrumming guitar and clicking castanets of the Fandango a case in point – the procession of mostly short numbers dilutes an experience that might better have been served by a fully-staged choreography on DVD.
Paul Riley | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/gluck-don-juan-semiramis/ | 2022-08-11T22:56:19Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/gluck-don-juan-semiramis/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
JS Bach: Ouvertures-Suites
Ensemble Masques/Olivier Fortin (Alpha Classics)
Published:
JS Bach
Ouvertures-Suites, BWV 1066-1069
Ensemble Masques/Olivier Fortin
Alpha Classics ALPHA 832 77:31 mins
From solo instrumental works to introductory choruses in cantatas, Bach revelled in the seductive style of the French Overture. His four orchestral Overtures, as these suites were known in Germany, have a variety and scintillating approach to instrumentation that puts them on a par with the Brandenburg Concertos.
Ensemble Masques, directed by Olivier Fortin from the harpsichord, comprises ten players. Their slender forces and predominantly fast tempos may not appeal to listeners favouring the ‘grand manner’ in these works, but these performances are both vibrant instrumentally and wonderfully responsive, as is clearly evident at the start of the first Overture with understated dotted rhythms underpinning some beautifully-shaped phrasing in the upper voices. The instrumental contribution is delightful throughout with plenty of ear-catching detail, notably Julien Debordes’s superb bassoon playing. Mathieu Loux, the oboe soloist – rather than the customary flute – in the second Overture, is also magnificent; his subtly unequal phrasing in the famous ‘Badinerie’ is a rare delight.
Jan Smaczny | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/js-bach-ouvertures-suites/ | 2022-08-11T22:56:25Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/js-bach-ouvertures-suites/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mozart • Vořıšek: Symphony in D etc
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/Herbert Blomstedt (Accentus)
Published:
Mozart • Vořıšek
Mozart: Symphony No. 38, ‘Prague’; Vořıšek: Symphony in D
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/Herbert Blomstedt
Accentus ACC30574 60:16 mins
Leipzig’s Gewandhaus Orchestra was founded in the 18th century, and at 95 this year, Herbert Blomstedt is one of his profession’s more seasoned conductors. So this is a venerable performing combination in more senses than one, and its presence explains a brand of music-making in these two works that will be resisted by period-instrument fundamentalists. The orchestral sound is full and warm, with evidently large-ish string sections and rich bass sonorities – qualities in line with a particular kind of traditional Austro-German approach, namely that all music is played as if it’s by Brahms.
Then again, if you can accept the stylistic premise, in their own terms these are superbly handsome performances, with an amplitude relating to the grand manner of the Prague Symphony in particular, and with recorded sound to match. In line with the New Mozart Edition of the score, Blomstedt includes all the section repeats in the opening movement and finale – not just those of the initial exposition in each case, but also of the development and reprise, so that the symphony’s dimensions expand to almost Beethovenian length, yet with plenty of Mozartian joy and verve along the way.
Similar performing qualities grace Jan Václav Vořišek’s only symphony, written in 1821, and showing obvious fingerprints of a composer from Beethoven’s and Schubert’s generation; the symphony’s outer movements explore little beyond that territory. A much more individual voice is heard in the Andante second movement, whose expressive early Romanticism is then followed by the Scherzo’s pre-Mendelssohn turbulence (a little self-conscious, but impressive nonetheless).
Malcolm Hayes | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/mozart-vorisek-symphony-in-d-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:56:31Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/mozart-vorisek-symphony-in-d-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Respighi: Pini di Roma; Belkis, Queen of Sheba etc
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Alessandro Crudele (Linn Records)
Published:
Respighi
Pini di Roma; Belkis, Queen of Sheba; Impressioni brasiliane
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Alessandro Crudele
Linn Records CKD692 67:26 mins
A cascading energy and brilliant darts of light suffuse conductor Alessandro Crudele’s view of the Villa Borghese at the opening of his new Pini di Roma. Textures are light yet pulsatingly alive, with hyper-alert responses from the London Philharmonic players. In ‘Pines near a catacomb’ Crudele rightly prefers a solemn slow-burn to lugubrious melodrama, and principal trumpet Paul Beniston plays a beautiful solo.
‘Pines of the Janiculum’ has a lissome sensuality, with gorgeous contributions from the violin and cello sections. And in ‘Appian Way’ Crudele cleverly makes the approach of the consular army just as interesting as its arrival, the procession evoking pleasure, not a mindless decibel assault. This is a richly informative Pini, and more than holds its own among the many rival versions.
The couplings are also interesting. Impressioni brasiliane is a less coherent work than Pini, but the LPO players clearly relish the slithering serpents and wry ‘Dies irae’ quotation in ‘Butantan’, and the traipsing ‘Canzone e Danza’ finale. The suite from Respighi’s ballet Belkis, Queen of Sheba closes the recording, and Crudele again impresses by giving soloists room to express themselves while also firmly marshalling the big ensemble moments. In Belkis these come in the ‘Danza guerresca’ and ‘Danza orgiastica’, where the LPO dispatch the complex syncopations with bracing accuracy.
Throughout the programme Mike Hatch’s engineering plays a major part in harnessing both clarity and amplitude from London’s Henry Wood Hall acoustic. The 24-bit download format provides especially thrilling results.
Terry Blain | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/respighi-pini-di-roma-belkis-queen-of-sheba-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:56:38Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/respighi-pini-di-roma-belkis-queen-of-sheba-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Schoenberg • Webern: Symphony, Op. 21 etc
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne/Heinz Holliger (Fuga Libera)
Published:
Schoenberg • Webern
Schoenberg: Kammersymphonie, Op. 9; Sechs Kleine Stücke, Op. 19 (arr. Holliger); Webern: Symphony, Op. 21; Fünf Sätze, Op. 5
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne/Heinz Holliger
Fuga Libera FUG794 53:22 mins
Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony Op. 9, beginning with its horn calls striding up energetically in fourths, is one of the most exhilarating pieces he ever composed. It’s in one of those continuous designs he favoured in his earlier years, from Verklärte Nacht onwards, forging the traditional movements of a symphonic form into a unified whole. It calls for considerable virtuosity from each of its 15 solo players, and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra under Heinz Holliger acquits itself very well. There have perhaps been even more incisive performances – Simon Rattle and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group on EMI, for instance – but Holliger and his players reveal every detail of the complex score, even if it’s at the expense of a slightly over-analytical recording. Rattle’s more generous acoustic lends the music a warmth that isn’t always there in this new recording.
Holliger gives a meticulous account of Webern’s enigmatic Symphony Op. 21, with its intimate series of canons; and the same composer’s Five Movements Op. 5, more familiar in their original string quartet version, also come off well. But perhaps the most fascinating item here is Holliger’s own arrangement for chamber orchestra of Schoenberg’s Six Little Piano Pieces Op.11, so imaginatively and inventively done that they almost amount to entirely new pieces. Particularly effective are the menacingly growling basses in the slow third piece; and the final number, inspired by Mahler’s funeral in 1911 (Schoenberg also painted a picture of the event), where Holliger transforms the distant resonance of bells into something very different but no less haunting.
Misha Donat | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/schoenberg-webern-symphony-op-21-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:56:44Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/schoenberg-webern-symphony-op-21-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos 6 & 9 (BBC NOW)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Steven Lloyd-Gonzalez (FHR)
Published:
Shostakovich
Symphonies Nos 6 & 9
BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Steven Lloyd-Gonzalez
First Hand FHR120 60:18 mins
Each unique in its symphonic structure, these two symphonies are as remarkable as the other true masterpieces in the Shostakovich canon (4, 8, 10 and the last three). With a conductor unknown to me – Steven Lloyd-Gonzalez – and an orchestra which doesn’t always flame as it might, I feared a possible opportunity wasted. How wrong I was: the sonorous directness at the start of the Sixth is up there with the best – most recently Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra – and Lloyd-Gonzalez doesn’t miss a trick or dynamic in Shostakovich’s encylopedia of moods and contrasts.
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales has never been on finer form, assisted by the stunning production from Andrew Walton and Debs Spanton in Cardiff’s BBC Hoddinott Hall. A special halo may have been put around the strings, but you can’t simply engineer horn playing of full-throated magnificence like this, nor the nuances of superb wind soloists (E flat and other clarinets, flute, bassoon). There’s only one tempo I’d take issue with – the slower-than-moderato pace for the Ninth’s second movement, proven to work at a relatively fast speed in the best recordings when I did a BBC Radio 3 Building a Library on that symphony. No doubt about it, though, this one would have been up there with the best, and the articulation of the central Presto is astonishing; likewise the contrasts between the heartache of the big first movement in the Sixth and the comic-grotesque romps which follow.
David Nice | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/shostakovich-symphonies-nos-6-9-bbc-now/ | 2022-08-11T22:56:51Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/shostakovich-symphonies-nos-6-9-bbc-now/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Winterberg: Sinfonia drammatica; Rhythmophonie etc
Jonathan Powell (piano); Berlin Radio Symphony/Johannes Kalitzke (Capriccio)
Published:
Winterberg
Sinfonia dramatica; Piano Concerto No. 1; Rhythmophonie
Jonathan Powell (piano); Berlin Radio Symphony/Johannes Kalitzke
Capriccio C5476 64:42 mins
The music of Hans Winterberg (1901–91) was almost completely unknown until relatively recently. Born into a Jewish family in Prague, Winterberg’s compositional development was inevitably disrupted after the Nazi invasion of 1939 and his internment in Terezín. Yet ironically, his position became even more precarious following Germany’s defeat in 1945. As a German-speaking Czech, he was now regarded as a persona non grata in his native country and, two years later, sought refuge in Bavaria, where he spent the rest of his life.
The three works featured here stem from different periods, but share a similar concern, as outlined in Michael Haas’s indispensable booklet notes, to forge a stylistic link between the Slavic East and the Austro-German West. In the Sinfonia drammatica of 1936, Winterberg’s musical language is more closely aligned to the Second Viennese School, emulating a Bergian level of expressionism in its most intense moments. The pulsating percussive writing of the First Piano Concerto dating from 1948 suggests a stronger affinity with Bartók and Prokofiev. Undoubtedly, the most substantial piece is Rhythmophonie (1967) which, as its title suggests, exploits complex and often intriguing rhythmic patterns clothed in some colourful orchestration.
Thanks to his penchant for writing short and succinct movements. Winterberg’s tough, gritty and uncompromising music never outstays its welcome. It certainly receives persuasive advocacy from Johannes Kalitzke and the Berlin Radio Symphony, and Jonathan Powell does a terrific job in projecting the piano concerto’s dynamic energy.
Erik Levi | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/winterberg-sinfonia-drammatica-rhythmophonie-etc/ | 2022-08-11T22:56:57Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/winterberg-sinfonia-drammatica-rhythmophonie-etc/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A snippet preview via Bank of Montreal, focusing on potential messaging from Federal Reserve Chair Powell:
- this forum has historically been used by policymakers to attempt to shift the broader macro narrative for investors.
- Much has been made about the event as a potential inflection point for Powell to declare victory on inflation and imply the forward path for hikes will be limited from current levels. While we are sympathetic to the elegance of the late-summer timing; the single point of inflation moderation represented by the July CPI print isn't going to be sufficient to warrant a shift at this stage. Perhaps by offering more details around the Committee's reaction function to moderating consumer price pressures, the Chair could set the tone for a less hawkish Fed in the second half - but even that would be data-dependent.
- It goes without saying that the official line of 'it depends on what inflation and employment do' has been unsatisfactory for many investors and further stoked the type of volatility evident today. | https://www.forexlive.com/centralbank/central-bank-conference-at-jackson-hole-is-august-25-27-preview-what-will-powell-say-20220811/ | 2022-08-11T23:02:31Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/centralbank/central-bank-conference-at-jackson-hole-is-august-25-27-preview-what-will-powell-say-20220811/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The International Energy Agency (IEA)lifted its demand outlook partly due to power generators switching to oil:
"Natural gas and electricity prices have soared to new records, incentivising gas-to-oil switching in some countries"
That's from its monthly oil report published Thursday. In it the IEA raised its outlook for 2022 oil demand by 380,000 barrels per day
- also warned about looming supply disruptions, forecasting a further 20% fall in Russian output by the start of 2023
In other oil news:
- 6 oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico were shut after a leak at a Louisiana booster station halted two pipelines
- the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cut its 2022 forecast for growth in world oil demand - expects 2022 oil demand to rise by 3.1 million bpd, down 260,000 bpd from the previous forecast. OPEC cited the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, high inflation and efforts to contain the pandemic. | https://www.forexlive.com/news/icymi-international-energy-agency-raised-its-oil-demand-growth-forecast-for-this-year-20220811/ | 2022-08-11T23:02:38Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/icymi-international-energy-agency-raised-its-oil-demand-growth-forecast-for-this-year-20220811/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Food Price Index (FPI) is a m/m indicator that measures the change in the cost of food, and food services, purchased by New Zealand households.
Inflation in New Zealand has been rising for many many months now, as have interest rates. The RBNZ is exp[ected to hikle again next week (meeting is August 17) | https://www.forexlive.com/news/new-zealand-food-price-inflation-index-rises-21-mm-in-july-prior-12-20220811/ | 2022-08-11T23:02:44Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/new-zealand-food-price-inflation-index-rises-21-mm-in-july-prior-12-20220811/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA) said multiple people were arrested this week in three separate animal cruelty cases.
Three-time animal cruelty suspect arrested again
Scott Ellis, 21, and his girlfriend Danielle Lefrancois, 22, were both charged with three counts of unnecessary cruelty to animals after officials seized 36 animals.
This marks Ellis’s third animal cruelty case in 2022, according to the RISPCA. In May, he was charged with unnecessary cruelty and overwork, mistreatment or failure to feed animals. Investigators seized seven rabbits, a parrot, a lizard and numerous rodents from his apartment.
He is currently being held in Pawtucket for violating the conditions of his bail.
Providence man charged with training animals to fight
The RISPCA said a Providence man was arrested August 9, after a three-year investigation with the Foster Police Department into a cockfighting group.
Chue Her was charged with one count each of animal fighting and training animals to fight.
Officials seize emaciated Great Dane
Michael A. Pinto, 39, was charged with one count of unnecessary cruelty, one count of overwork, mistreatment or failure to feed animals, and one count of care of dogs.
The RISPCA said officers found a “severely emaciated and neglected Great Dane” on July 29. Officials took the dog, named Buddy, to an emergency veterinarian. Despite undergoing treatment, the dog did not survive, according to the RISPCA.
Pinto was arraigned and released on $3,000 surety bail. He is barred from having custody of any animals. | https://www.wpri.com/news/crime/rispca-makes-4-animal-cruelty-arrests/ | 2022-08-11T23:04:20Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/crime/rispca-makes-4-animal-cruelty-arrests/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — A developer in Warwick is facing backlash from neighbors for allegedly stockpiling hazardous waste near the Pawtuxet River.
State Rep. Joseph McNamara, who represents Warwick and Cranston, wrote a letter calling on the R.I. Department of Environmental Management (DEM) to order the immediate removal of PVC and high-density polyurethane pipes and tanks that are allegedly being stockpiled at 175 Post Road.
The DEM issued a violation in May to the owners Alba Properties and A-Star Oil for noncompliance with the state’s Freshwater Wetlands Act.
Warwick City Planning Director Thomas Kravitz told 12 News the 15-acre property has environmental restrictions that haven’t been followed.
“The issue with the site really is the proximity to the Pawtuxet River and flood zone,” Kravitz explained. “A potential threat if there was a flood on the property and [waste is] carried away downstream, they could clog.”
The developers are looking to build contractor storage space in the Pawtuxet Industrial Park. Their plan for a 68,000 square-foot facility was struck down at a board meeting in June. Kravitz said the developers need a smaller-scale project and updated plans to move forward.
Neighbors said the owners are now commandeering the Pawtuxet River Trail as a bargaining tool. Signs marking the trail, which intersects the property, have been replaced with warnings of “Private Property” and “Do Not Enter.”
“A lot of the community is up in arms about it because they love this trail,” neighbor Rees Robinson said.
The developers have not responded to requests for comment.
McNamara cited concerns of a fire hazard and contamination in his letter to the DEM.
“If these materials were ever ignited, a fire would result in the release of dioxins in the ash and contaminated soot that would endanger the health of the surrounding neighborhoods,” McNamara wrote. “These items have become an attractive nuisance to both the environment and to the health and safety of the citizens living in the surrounding communities.”
Community group Pawtuxet Green Revival, which looks to protect the area near 175 Post Road, cites concerns of flooding in regards to the hazardous waste.
“Just from a little bit of rain, we have now this area gets flooded very quickly,” neighbor Jeff Sutton told 12 News.
Kravitz said he hopes the city, state and developers will come to an agreement, but added that the construction likely will not start this year. | https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/west-bay/flood-fire-concerns-spark-calls-for-cleanup-of-pawtuxet-river-site/ | 2022-08-11T23:04:32Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/west-bay/flood-fire-concerns-spark-calls-for-cleanup-of-pawtuxet-river-site/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
One of the funniest aspects of the FBI raid on Donald Trump’s house, insofar as there’s anything funny about a one-man crime wave having served as the president of the United States, is the matter of “the warrant.” In their rush to blindly defend Mr. Mar-a-Lago, many of Trump‘s allies have spent the week demanding that the government make public the legal document the feds obtained in order to search the Palm Beach residence, suggesting that the failure to do so is evidence the government has nothing on the former president and the raid was a craven attempt to politically persecute him. This was a bizarre strategy to take for two reasons, with the first being that Trump himself has had a copy of the warrant this entire time, but—curiously!—refused to make it public. The other reason? Because after all the insinuations and hysteria, Attorney General Merrick Garland ultimately called their bluff.
Yes, in an incredible turn of events, Garland announced during a press conference on Thursday that the Justice Department has filed a motion for the court-authorized warrant that gave the FBI permission to search Mar-a-Lago to be unsealed. This, you may have deduced, is not great news for the former president.
For starters, as Elie Mystal, an attorney and justice correspondent for The Nation notes, the warrant “will lay out all the probable cause to search” Mar-a-Lago, i.e. the reasons the government believed the search could uncover evidence of a crime. (In its request, the DOJ also asked for two attachments to the warrant to be unsealed, as well as the property receipt for the items the agents removed.) Then there’s the fact that Trump and his attorneys are now in the position of having to decide if they should fight the document being unsealed, which would make it look like they have something to hide, or just let it happen, which they probably also don’t want to do. (If they did, they would have released it already.) Sadly for the former guy, even if his lawyers decide to argue against the warrant being unsealed, the judge reportedly could decide to do so anyway.
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Elsewhere in Garland‘s remarks, which lasted just a couple minutes, the attorney general confirmed that he personally approved the decision to seek the search warrant. He added that the department “does not take such a decision lightly” and that “where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to a search, and to narrowly scope any search that is undertaken.” In other words, if Garland—who has made it clear that protecting the integrity of the Justice Department is his number one priority—had thought there was another way to do this, he would have taken it. As The New York Times reported on Thursday morning, Trump had received a subpoena this spring for the documents investigators believed he had kept a hold of, after the National Archives retrieved 15 boxes from Mar-a-Lago. The subpoena, the Times noted, suggested “that the Justice Department tried methods short of a search warrant to account for the material before taking the politically explosive step of sending F.B.I. agents unannounced to Mar-a-Lago.” Two people familiar with the matter said the classified documents investigators believed Trump failed to return “were so sensitive in nature, and related to national security, that the Justice Department had to act.”
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This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from. | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/merrick-garland-donald-trump-fbi-warrant | 2022-08-11T23:04:37Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/merrick-garland-donald-trump-fbi-warrant | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
46 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Ex-Virginia cop sentenced over 7 years in prison for Capitol riot
A former Virginia police officer was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on Thursday for his role in the Capitol riot, The Washington Post reports.
Driving the news: A federal judge sentenced Thomas Robertson to 87 months in prison, matching the longest sentence handed down to a Capitol rioter so far, per the Post.
- "You were not some bystander who just got swept up in the crowd," Judge Christopher Cooper said at Robertson’s sentencing hearing, according to the Post. "It really seems as though you think of partisan politics as war and that you continue to believe these conspiracy theories."
The big picture: Robertson, 49, joined the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, at one point using a large wooden stick to block police, according to the Post. He was later fired from his position as a police officer in Rocky Mount, Virginia.
- Robertson was initially released after being charged in January 2021. However, he was rearrested in July 2021 for illegally stockpiling weapons.
- In April, a jury found Robertson guilty on all charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding, disorderly and disruptive conduct, impeding law enforcement, destroying evidence, and entering and remaining on restricted grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon. | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/11/capitol-riot-cop-sentenced | 2022-08-11T23:07:21Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/11/capitol-riot-cop-sentenced | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Crying CEO selfie goes viral on LinkedIn, sparks debate on messaging
A CEO's post about his own feelings from a recent round of layoffs, which featured a selfie of him with tear-stained eyes, has gone viral on LinkedIn.
Why it matters: There's been a growing number of CEOs posting about company layoffs on the professional networking platform, according to LinkedIn.
- "They’re being more transparent than ever on their take on business trends, sensitive company news, and their own advice on leading," Andrei Santalo, LinkedIn's Head of Community Management, previously told Axios Communicators author Eleanor Hawkins.
Catch up quick: "I just want people to see, that not every CEO out there is cold-hearted and doesn't care when he/she have to lay people off," Braden Wallake of Hypersocial wrote in a post earlier this week.
- The post generated more than 41,000 reactions and comments in two days, ranging mostly from support and empathy to bewilderment and disgust.
The big picture: The post comes amid (and refers to) an increase in layoff announcements in the U.S. — with executives frequently citing "macroeconomic" challenges and uncertainties among reasons.
- There was a 36% increase in announced job cuts in July compared to last year, recent data from outplacement firm Challenger Gray shows.
In Wallake's post, he said specifically that his "few" layoffs were due to his own mistakes.
- "And because of those failings, I had to do today, the toughest thing I've ever had to do," he said.
Among the most popular comments to his post: "Why not decrease your own salary/overall comp in order to keep your employees?" one person wrote.
- "This is to gain sympathy I am assuming, which in itself is wrong, as the sympathy should be with those let go ... It's not about you," wrote another.
Wallake himself responded to the backlash: "[M]y intent was not to make it about me or victimize myself. I am sorry it came across that way," he wrote Wednesday.
- "What I want to do now, is try to make better of this situation and start a thread for people looking for work," he added — echoing some of the comments saying he could use this viral moment to do some good.
Of note: Wallake's company HyperSocial specializes in helping businesses grow through LinkedIn content.
- Which leads us to this thought bubble: It doesn't matter what any of us, including his employees, thinks about his post. He knew exactly what he was doing — the CEO equivalent of Gal Gadot singing to soothe people during the pandemic. | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/11/crying-ceo-selfie-goes-viral-on-linkedin-sparks-debate-on-messaging | 2022-08-11T23:07:24Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/11/crying-ceo-selfie-goes-viral-on-linkedin-sparks-debate-on-messaging | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
RECENTLY, the Lagos State police command asked the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to hand over two of its officers to the command over their alleged involvement in an incident which led to the death of one Modibo Usman, a hypertensive Bureau de Change operator. According to reports, Modibo was being conveyed by his son to the Foremost Radiology Consultant Hospital in Surulere, Lagos State, to obtain a test result for his daughter, preparatory to a visit to his doctor in the Lekki area of the state on the same day. On the way, however, the duo were stopped by LASTMA officers for allegedly disobeying traffic lights, and all entreaties over their medical emergency were ignored by the officers, who allegedly demanded a N50,000 bribe to release their vehicle. The LASTMA officers reportedly followed the duo to the Surulere hospital, after which they took the vehicle away. Sadly, the victim died of shock thereafter. The LASTMA officers have since been arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yaba. The LASTMA spokesman, Olumide Filade, however said that the agency did not have any record that its personnel demanded a bribe.
Stories of extortion, violence and other criminal activities by LASTMA personnel are of course routine. For instance, in May this year, the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) wrote the Lagos State government, lamenting extortion by LASTMA officials and officials of some local government in the state, including the committee set up for the removal of abandoned trucks. In a letter signed by Chief Remi Ogungbemi, the chairman of AMATO, the truckers lamented that they had been paying between N100,000 and N200,000 to these officials to secure the release of their trucks. With regard to LASTMA officials, the truckers specifically said: “They go about like hawks searching for chickens to catch. They arrest drivers of trucks who have not committed any traffic infraction indiscriminately and unnecessarily, day and night. In most cases, they don’t correct drivers on following the right way. If a driver misses or is about to miss his way, instead of correcting the driver, they would rather hide and wait for the driver to enter the wrong way before coming out to make arrest and impose heavy penalty.
“They arrest and slam penalty on any broken down mechanism, including trucks. No amount of maintenance can totally prevent the breakdown of any mechanism anywhere in the world. The breakdown has become their means of bread and butter. They always impose N100,000- N150,000 just for removing a broken down truck from the road, whereas we normally pay N20,000 to N30,000 to private towing operators to move our broken down trucks depending on the location and distances.” Indeed, a recent report by a correspondent who disguised as a hawker and sold popcorn and face masks in traffic at the Berger-Isheri area of Lagos revealed that for hours, LASTMA officers and policemen exploited motorists seeking to connect the Lagos-Ibadan expressway from the Berger-Isheri road. And only last month, shippers, truckers and clearing agents reported a loss in the region of N10.6 billion between 2016 and 2021 following extortion along the port access roads. The corrupt practices were allegedly perpetrated by security personnel including the Nigeria Police, LASTMA and other task force teams stationed to control traffic around the port corridors.
To be sure, as a traffic agency, LASTMA has, since its formation following the return to civil rule in 1999, made significant gains in ensuring smooth flow of traffic in the typically hectic Lagos. Because many motorists would rather break the law at will, LASTMA officers had been known over the years to brook no dissidence from errant drivers. However, over time, they have been credibly accused of excesses in the discharge of their duties. It is a fact that LASTMA personnel, perhaps taking a cue from other security agencies, have often visited untold agony on drivers and engaged in acts of harassment, extortion, intimidation and even physical attacks. LASTMA personnel have been known to cause accidents while trying to hunt down erring motorists. As a matter of fact, they have chased many people to their deaths.
It is a tragedy that LASTMA has copied extortion from the police. It has carried on as if it is all about punishment, lurking in the shadows to arrest motorists instead of giving them directions when or where required. It has demonstrated an appalling lack of civility. Instead of a traffic agency, it has carried on like a traffic affliction. This must not continue. In the instant case, the police would of course be interested in listening to the LASTMA operatives to know what really transpired during the incident, but it is significant to note that LASTMA operatives do not have an appealing record of good behaviour in the discharge of their responsibilities on Lagos roads. Reports about their unconscionable acts are legion. We expect the police to get to the root of this matter and not pander to the excesses of the LASTMA operatives. Ultimately, the LASTMA management must, going forward, take strict measures to regulate the public behaviour of its operatives and ensure that they exhibit greater professionalism in their conduct on the roads. The current incident must be investigated dispassionately and the accused charged to court if found culpable.
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- Safety precautions to observe at the airport | https://tribuneonlineng.com/lastmas-excesses/ | 2022-08-11T23:11:27Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/lastmas-excesses/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Traditional rulers vital to credible election ― INEC REC
THE Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kano State, Professor Shehu Arabu Risqua, has said the traditional rulers are a group of respected Nigerians who enlighten the public on INEC’s procedures and processes.
He said sometimes these types of people even intervene using their intellect and energy to mobilise the electorate to vote wisely according to the laid down rules and regulations of the commission.
Professor Shehu made this assertion on Thursday when the INEC appointed the Oba of Yoruba in the state, Alhaji Murtala Alimi Otisese, as the commission’s peace ambassador.
According to him, the conferment “is in line with the policy of INEC to recognise outstanding people who sacrifice, educate and crown those who contribute to peace to reign in the society.”
He said INEC has passed through various forms of crisis that the commission usually faces during elections many of which are avoidable.
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“You cannot have an election in an atmosphere that is not peaceful and you must have in any society people who preach peace and interject at any interval of breach of peace,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Oba Yoruba Kano described the title as another plumage to his turban and would further spur him to do more in ensuring that the forthcoming election in 2023 became successful.
Oba Yoruba then called on Nigerians to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), saying this is the best way to elect their representatives during the 2023 general elections.
He also charged the electorate not to sell their votes, noting that selling their vote automatically indicates that they have mortgaged their future. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/traditional-rulers-vital-to-credible-election-%E2%80%95-inec-rec/ | 2022-08-11T23:11:33Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/traditional-rulers-vital-to-credible-election-%E2%80%95-inec-rec/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LANSING, Mich. — A survey released Thursday is shedding more light on the impact that changes to Michigan's No-Fault Auto law have had on medical providers and the patients they serve.
This is the second survey conducted by the Michigan Public Health and commissioned by the Brain Injury Association of Michigan.
“The purpose of the survey is to track the long-term deterioration of care that is occurring right now" said Tom Constand, president and CEO of the Brain Injury Association of Michigan.
“It's a crisis of care, and it has to stop.”
While the law was aimed at lowering the state's sky high car insurance rates, it has also impacted the care existing crash survivors have been able to access.
According to CPAN, a group focused on preserving our previous no fault auto system, there have been at least eight people who have died since the changes went into effect, because of losing access to some care.
Under the new law, which took effect on July 2, 2021, any medical service not already covered under our federal Medicare law, which includes in-home caregivers and transportation to medical services, will now only be reimbursed by insurance companies at 55% of what they were back in 2019. The law also caps the number of hours that family members can provide care to just 56 hours a week.
There are roughly 18,000 Michiganders currently receiving medical benefits from their auto no-fault policies.
According to the new report released Thursday, 6,857 crash survivors have been discharged from local care providers, and 4,082 health care workers have lost their jobs.
They found that 10 care companies have had to close their doors completely since the changes took effect, while 14 more companies expect to close in the next 12 months.
You can see what they found during their first survey at this link HERE.
The changes are impacting people such as Laurie Oleksa's 31-year-old son Danny.
“As of June 30 of 2021, we had full staff. We had nurses that had been with us since he left the hospital in ’04,” she said Thursday.
The company that was providing Danny's in-home caregivers prior to June 2021 let them go after the changes took effect. They were then temporarily picked up by another company that was trying to help them out.
She is currently going back and forth with a company based out of Livonia, desperate to find caregivers for her son.
For now, she is taking care of her son 24 hours a day, all on her own.
"So, I usually am able to lay down at about 11:30, lay down till 12:30 when I need to get up and catheter him, lay back down around 1:00, get back up around 2:15, lay back down at 2:45, get back up at 4:20,” she explained.
It's been like this since July 27.
The hope is for lawmakers in Lansing to pass legislation that will guarantee the care they were promised when they purchased and paid for their insurance.
Until then, advocates believe the situation will only get worse.
"We urge the legislators to do something... We urge legislative leadership to listen to look at the facts and act," Constand said Thursday.
"And finally, we encourage the Governor to do the same.”
FOX 17's Coverage of No-Fault Auto Reform Care Crisis
May 17, 2021 — New Law Could Have Devastating Consequences
June 2, 2021 — "We're Paying the Price With Our Lives": FOX 17 Extended Coverage
June 9, 2021 — Hundreds of Survivors Protest at Capitol
June 10, 2021 — Rep. Berman Introduces Bill to Prevent Cuts
June 23, 2021 — Advocates Rally Again at Capitol
June 26, 2021 — House Approves $10M Fund
June 30, 2021 — Advocates Say $25M Isn't Enough
July 7, 2021 — Family Scared to Lose Caregivers
July 23, 2021 — Providers Begin Closing their Doors
Aug. 4, 2021 — Patients Continue to Lose Care
Sept. 24, 2021 — Changes Causing Chaos for Survivors
Sept. 27, 2021 — 'We Can't Wait' ArtPrize Entry Highlights Care Crisis
Oct. 4, 2021 — Protest Outside Business of SML Shirkey
Oct. 14, 2021 — Some Insurers Not Following Intent of Law
Oct. 27, 2021 — New Round of Bills Announced
Jan. 11, 2022 — Report Says No Fault Reform Created Crisis of Care
July 1, 2022 — 1 Year Under the New Auto No-Fault Law | https://www.fox17online.com/news/in-depth/no-fault-auto-reform/look-at-the-facts-and-act-2nd-report-on-impact-of-no-fault-law-changes-is-released | 2022-08-11T23:13:47Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/in-depth/no-fault-auto-reform/look-at-the-facts-and-act-2nd-report-on-impact-of-no-fault-law-changes-is-released | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that the investigation into the shooting death of a crew member by actor Alec Baldwin on a movie set last October is nearing its conclusion.
Investigators say they are holding out for Baldwin's phone records, which the Suffolk County Police Department are assisting New Mexico authorities with obtaining, the sheriff's office said.
"The district attorney's office has been working with Suffolk County PD, and Baldwin's lawyer to acquire the phone records. Once Suffolk County PD completes its agency assist and sends those records to New Mexico law enforcement, our detectives will need to then thoroughly review those phone records for evidentiary purposes," Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said.
It's been nearly nine months since Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a gun meant to be used as a prop. They were part of a crew filming the Western Rust in the outskirts of Santa Fe.
Since then, New Mexico's Occupational Health and Safety Bureau fined the film production company behind Rust $136,793 for firearms safety failures. Hutchins' family has also sued Baldwin and the producers of the film.
But police and prosecutors still have not issued any conclusion regarding potential criminal charges associated with Hutchins' death.
Mendoza's office said Thursday that the investigators must comb through a recently-received report from the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator. The OMI used forensic reports from the FBI to complete their investigation, according to the Santa Fe sheriff's office.
"Once Sheriff's detectives complete their review of the OMI reports, and once the phone records are received and reviewed by detectives, the final Sheriff's Office investigative case file will be forwarded to the District Attorney for review and final charging decisions," the Santa Fe sheriff's office said.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-08-11/police-say-the-investigation-into-rust-movie-shooting-is-nearing-the-end | 2022-08-11T23:14:39Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-08-11/police-say-the-investigation-into-rust-movie-shooting-is-nearing-the-end | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Construction update, US-31W Rich Pond area
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - If traveling in the morning or afternoon takes you down US-31W near South Warren Middle and High Schools, you might want to leave the house or work a little earlier than usual. Construction for the widening project is still in affect, and heavy traffic is expected with school back in session.
Wes Watt, Public Information Officer for Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 3, says, “We are really progressing with the paving now. Then we have to move onto the signage and some other things. As we progress, the congestion and the traffic impacts will get less and less, which is great news, but anyone traveling through this area in the short-term, in the next few weeks or even in the next month or so, should expect heavy traffic congestion and traffic delays.” He adds, “It’s going to get a little bit easier and a little bit better each day.”
KYTC District 3 says the construction project is coming full-circle. It is expected to be complete by late fall or early winter of 2022.
“Thankfully we’re at the tail end. When we’re finished, we are going to have a much improved and upgraded road in a very fast growing busy area. Not only with business and residentials, but we also have the school system here and they’ve got some projects out here, too, so it’s going to be a wonderful project, but we just have to go through the pains of getting it constructed,” Watt says.
The transportation cabinet is trying to combat the difficulty for those who have to travel through that area. Watt adds, “We have modified some of our construction schedule so that early in the morning and then later in the afternoon when school’s getting out, we’re going to try not to have the flaggers out flagging the road and things like that.”
Remember to slow down and be cautious in construction zones.
Copyright 2022 WBKO. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbko.com/2022/08/11/construction-update-us-31w-rich-pond-area/ | 2022-08-11T23:25:52Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/2022/08/11/construction-update-us-31w-rich-pond-area/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This morning, California Governor Gavin Newsom named former City of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the role of Infrastructure Advisor to the State of California. The California Transit Association issued the following statement:
"Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is an inspired choice for the role of Infrastructure Advisor to the State of California," said California Transit Association Executive Director Michael Pimentel. "By selecting Villaraigosa, Governor Newsom has once again broadcast to the nation his intent to transform California's infrastructure, with a heightened focus on sustainability, equity, and economic progress for all Californians. When Mayor of Los Angeles (2005 – 2013), Villaraigosa took on the herculean task of transforming California's largest and famously car-centric city's transportation network by championing investment in public transportation and bicycle and pedestrian projects. His leadership in support of Measure R, Los Angeles' landmark transportation funding measure, delivered billions of dollars for transit and rail capital projects and operational upgrades that increased the frequency and reliability of public transportation, forever improving Los Angeles County. Now, thanks to his appointment by Governor Newsom, Villaraigosa is poised to share his knowledge, expertise, and political acumen with the State of California to ensure that the availability of new federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is effectively leveraged to deliver on California's goals."
The California Transit Association is comprised of more than 220 member organizations, including all the state's largest urban transit operators, as well as dozens of transit agencies in suburban and rural areas. Its membership also extends to include commuter rail agencies, transit support groups, national and international transit suppliers, and government agencies. The Association is the leading advocate on behalf of public transit in California, representing transit's interests before the California State Legislature, the Governor and regulatory agencies on the local, state and federal levels.
CONTACT
Virginia Drake
Public Affairs and Communications Director
California Transit Association
M: 916-446-4656 x1135
Email: virginia@caltransit.org
View original content:
SOURCE California Transit Association | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/california-transit-association-applauds-appointment-former-la-mayor-antonio-villaraigosa-infrastructure-advisor-state-california/ | 2022-08-11T23:26:44Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/california-transit-association-applauds-appointment-former-la-mayor-antonio-villaraigosa-infrastructure-advisor-state-california/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kunchacko Boban and his family watched the first-day first show of 'Nna Than Case Kodu'. While the actor and crew came in the morning, his wife and son came later. On seeing his father Izahaak instantly shifted to his arms.
The film directed by Ratheesh Balakrishna Poduval is one of the big-budget films in Kunchacko Boban’s career. The film depicts the life of people in villages as well as a socially relevant theme with satirical tones.
The film is produced by Santosh T Kuruvilla under the banner of SDK Frames. Kunchacko Boban has also co-produced the film under the banner of Kunchacko Productions and Udaya Pictures. Sherin Racheal Santosh has also co-produced the film. The film also marks the Malayalam debut of Tamil actress Gayathri Sankar (think 'Super Deluxe' and 'Vikram'). Unnimaya and Basil Joseph are the other actors in the film. | https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2022/08/11/kunchacko-boban-nna-thaan-case-kodu-izahaak-ratheesh-poduval-theatre.html | 2022-08-11T23:27:48Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2022/08/11/kunchacko-boban-nna-thaan-case-kodu-izahaak-ratheesh-poduval-theatre.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Cpt. Jordan Thompson, assigned to the 20th Special Forces Group Headquarters and Headquarters Company takes part in a Helocast Jump from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter into Lake Margrethe at Camp Grayling, Mich., Aug. 11, 2022. Northern Strike is designed to challenge approximately 7,400 service members with multiple forms of training that advance interoperability across multicomponent, multinational and interagency partners. (Michigan Army National Guard video by Sgt. Robert Douglas).
This work, Special Forces make a splash at Northern Strike 22, by SGT Robert Douglas, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/video/853963/special-forces-make-splash-northern-strike-22 | 2022-08-11T23:28:05Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/video/853963/special-forces-make-splash-northern-strike-22 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Skating with Spooky event Sunday is fundraiser for haunted house
Stelios Stylianou wants to open a haunted house in Monroe.
To raise money, he’s offering three Skating with Spooky events. This first one will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Dixie Skateland, 5179 N. Dixie Highway.
Tickets are $7 for adults and free for children age 8 and under.
“The event will have a 'Stranger Things' theme,” Stylianou, 31, said. “We will have ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s' cosplay along with indie wrestler Kenny Urban and Goose coming by to take pictures with the kids. We will be doing raffles all night for giveaways and prizes. Prizes include Spooky Films merchandise, ‘Stranger Things’ movie posters and collectible action figures from ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s.'”
Food and drinks also will be sold. The event is for all ages.
“It is a family friendly event. We will have Halloween decorations put up, but nothing that will frighten the kids," Stylianou said.
Stylianou co-owns and co-operates We Handle Candles, a home-based candle business and is a vendor at Flashback Antiques and Crafts at the Mall of Monroe. For the last 10 years he’s also owned the Michigan-based Spooky Spooky Films and worked as a videographer, director and set designer.
“I do much work in Monroe, filming with Brainjerk & the Development Group,” Stylianou said. “The skating event itself is based on Spooky Films. I do my best to incorporate my brand as much as possible.”
Proceeds from Skating with Spooky will help Stylianou create a haunted house this fall at the Robert A. Hutchinson Fraternal Order of Police Lodge, 1051 Strasburg Rd., Monroe.
“With any money raised, I plan to reinvest into a haunted house I will be hosting in Monroe in October. This is my first time hosting, but I will make it a yearly event from here on out,” Stylianou said. | https://www.monroenews.com/story/entertainment/events/2022/08/11/sunday-skating-event-fundraiser-haunted-house/10245851002/ | 2022-08-11T23:31:50Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/entertainment/events/2022/08/11/sunday-skating-event-fundraiser-haunted-house/10245851002/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Monroe County approves additional resource officers for school districts
Three additional school districts in Monroe County will be patrolled by Monroe County Sheriff's deputies this upcoming school year, and one district will have a second officer on duty after county commissioners unanimously approved the requests last week.
Ida Public, Jefferson, and Mason Consolidated Schools have all entered into three-year agreements with the county to have School Resource Officers (SROs) stationed within their districts starting this fall, while Airport Community Schools will now have two.
In a letter to the county commissioners, Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough said that all four districts' boards of education have already approved the contracts.
"The funding plan to pay the costs associated with each school resource officer will come from each school district paying 66.6% of the total employee cost and the County of Monroe paying the remaining share of 33.4%," Goodnough wrote. "This cost-sharing arrangement allocates costs for the school and Sheriff’s Office based on the time the deputy is assigned to the school or assigned to the Sheriff’s Office and duties not related to a school resource officer.
"The addition of these deputy positions will greatly enhance the safety of the student body, as well as staff and guests at each school district. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office supports entering into these agreements as part of our mission to provide law enforcement services in our communities."
The maximum cost the county will incur for these four additional SROs in 2022 is $77,978. Goodnough wrote that it is currently not known if his office's budget can absorb the full cost of the county's share for these additional officers.
"As other operational costs including fleet gasoline and food costs have impacted the budget, we want to be clear that we cannot assure you we can cover these increased operational costs and the new SRO positions," he wrote. "We will continue to endeavor to save expenditures where we can however, at year-end, if there are not sufficient funds to cover the additional officers, (it may be necessary) that a supplemental appropriation is made to the Sheriff’s Office budget to cover any projected cost center shortfall.
Goodnough also wrote that the sheriff's office will need additional funding to cover its obligation to the SRO agreements as the county plans for its 2023 budget. | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/education/2022/08/11/more-resource-officers-approved-monroe-county-school-districts/10286216002/ | 2022-08-11T23:31:54Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/education/2022/08/11/more-resource-officers-approved-monroe-county-school-districts/10286216002/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Starbucks taking over former Cold Stone Creamery near CSU in Fort Collins
Starbucks is brewing up a second chance for itself along Laurel Street.
Years after shuttering its former location at the southeastern corner of Laurel Street and College Avenue, the coffee chain recently confirmed plans to open a new location just down the block, a Starbucks spokesperson told the Coloradoan Wednesday.
Starbucks will open a mobile-order-focused shop at 112 W. Laurel St. on Sept. 23, taking over the long-vacant former home of Cold Stone Creamery.
The building has sat empty since late 2018, when Cold Stone Creamery closed the Laurel Street location over its limited foot traffic and parking concerns that stemmed from its neighboring pay-to-park lot. It reopened in its current Campus West location a few months later.
The new Starbucks will employ 15 people, the spokesperson said.
More restaurant news:Mr. Yo's Donut opens Fort Collins location | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/life/food-drink/2022/08/11/starbucks-to-open-new-fort-collins-shop-in-former-cold-stone-building/65399053007/ | 2022-08-11T23:32:02Z | coloradoan.com | control | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/life/food-drink/2022/08/11/starbucks-to-open-new-fort-collins-shop-in-former-cold-stone-building/65399053007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Your guide to watching the Perseids meteor shower despite this week's supermoon
A popular meteor shower is set to peak this week, but something else is stealing its spotlight.
The Perseids, a meteor shower that's visible for several weeks every summer and typically peaks around Aug. 12 and Aug. 13, will be far less detectable this year as it coincides with both a "sturgeon moon" and "supermoon."
The moon reached peak illumination Thursday night, according to USA Today, but will remain bright enough over Friday and Saturday to obstruct visibility of the Perseids' fainter meteors.
While viewers of the Perseids can typically see 50 to 100 meteors in the sky, this year they might only be able to spot about 10 or 20, according to Greg Halac of the Northern Colorado Astronomical Society.
What is a supermoon?Sturgeon moon and supermoon light up night sky
Because of this, Halac said the society won't be hosting any special events or meteor shower viewings like they've done in years past.
"Expectations are low," Halac said.
Where to try to spot the Perseids meteor shower, go stargazing in the Fort Collins area
If you still want to give it a shot, Halac recommended scouting out a viewing spot that has an unobstructed view of the sky and is at least a little outside of town. Horsetooth Mountain Open Space is a favorite among the Northern Colorado Astronomical Society, Halac said.
Other popular star and sky gazing spots include Soapstone Prairie Natural Area, Red Mountain Open Space, Coyote Ridge Natural Area, the stargazer Observatory at Observatory Village in southeast Fort Collins and the Sunlight Peak Observatory at Front Range Community College.
Eyes to the skies5 popular stargazing spots near Fort Collins
"Get away from street lights, bright things ..." Halac said. "You want your eyes to be sensitive to faint things."
If you're taking in the vast night sky with no luck, train your gaze to the northeast sky, where the Perseids will be coming from, Halac said.
What not to do on when looking for the Perseids meteor shower
While it might sound tempting, don't bring any special gear on your hunt for the Perseids. Instead of trying to use telescopes or binoculars, "unaided eyes take in the most sky," Halac said.
There is, however, one piece of equipment Halac recommends: a lawn chair. "Get to a fairly open area away from bright lights, sit in a lawn chair and look up," he said.
When is the best time to spot the Perseids meteor shower?
While you can try to spot some of the meteors earlier in the night, your best bet for catching them is waiting until after midnight, Halac said. | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2022/08/11/perseids-meteor-shower-where-to-watch-fort-collins/65400592007/ | 2022-08-11T23:32:14Z | coloradoan.com | control | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2022/08/11/perseids-meteor-shower-where-to-watch-fort-collins/65400592007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
'Is this how we want to be known?' Wellington residents discuss possible book ban
Extra chairs and palpable tension filled the board room of Wellington's community center Tuesday night as residents walked through the doors of the town's public library and into its Board of Trustee's meeting.
The room quickly filled with roughly 40 people, many of whom were there to comment on a list of books some residents want banned from Wellington Public Library.
Though a book ban wasn't officially on the board's agenda Tuesday, a list of public records requests from Wellington residents in recent months was made publicly available ahead of the meeting. Among those requests was an inquiry by Christine Gaiter — the wife of Trustee Jon Gaiter — asking when 14 book titles were purchased and made available for checkout. Some of the books on the list were popular titles like E.L. James' "Fifty Shades of Grey," Stephen Chbosky's "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye."
The request gained traction on a Facebook page, Wellington Town Conversations, where several residents speculated there would be an effort to ban books from the library.
Their suspicions were confirmed at Tuesday's meeting, where multiple people asked for several books to either be banned or made less accessible at the library.
Wellington News:Despite community pleas, Wellington won't get another school resource officer
In her comments Tuesday, Christine Gaiter did not call for an outright ban. She asked the Board of Trustees to remove a list of 19 books from the shelves of the public library and put them where children would not be able to access them without permission from an adult.
The list Christine Gaiter shared with the Board of Trustees is available at the end of this story.
"My issue is that these books go into too much graphic detail of a sexual act," she said. "They are not appropriate for children. The library should be a safe place for families and kids."
Christine Gaiter also asked the board to develop a review process that every library book has to go through before it's put on the shelf.
"The library is not being inclusive of my Christian ethics," she said. "There are Christians in this town that think like me. You don't have to agree with us, but I do ask that you respect us and include our views in your decision-making process."
Many of the eight public comments in favor of limiting or banning books echoed sentiments she shared around protecting children from adult themes like depictions of rape and sexual assault.
Christine Gaiter used definitions from Wellington's land use code for sexually-oriented businesses to justify her request, saying she believes the books meet the code's definition of adult entertainment and materials that should be in an adult bookstore.
Under Wellington's land use code, a sexually-oriented business is defined as "any business where individuals appear in a state in such a manner as to intentionally display specified anatomical areas or encourages specified sexual activities." The code goes on to exclude performances that include nudity and "taken as a whole, contain serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value."
Eleven people spoke out against efforts to ban or restrict the books, including parents, teachers and a librarian. Many of them expressed disbelief that the conversation was happening in their town.
"The issue of banning books is directly before us tonight," said Heather Zadina, a Wellington resident who spoke out against removing the books from the library. "Is this how we want to be known?"
Zadina spoke about her teenage daughter and how she sees her role as a parent as being there to answer questions her daughter might have while reading. Other parents in the room said they'd rather read the books with their children and discuss the difficult topics and that it's their right to have that option.
"We don't live in a vacuum, these things happen to people whether we like it or not," Zadina said. "Turning a blind eye doesn't prevent them. We're telling victims their voices are not to be heard."
Another resident who spoke out against removing the books was Lauren Reisfeld, an assistant media manager at the Wellington Public Library. Reisfeld said she spoke Tuesday night outside of her capacity as a town employee, but rather as a concerned resident.
"Access is one of the most critical things libraries bring to the world today," Reisfeld said. "Access to resources for people who are in bad situations. Libraries need to be able to provide these books to certain people."
She went on to say that if the board were to ban these books, it would open the door for anyone to remove books they might find distasteful. "This could lead us down a path I don't think anyone wants to go down."
Trustee Jon Gaiter was the only board member to speak about the potential book ban, saying some of the issues residents raised were concerning to him personally.
"We need to set up a time to discuss these issues so our library's role is clear and defined," he said.
Some Wellington residents questioned whether Jon Gaiter should be allowed to take action on the issue, considering it was brought forth by his wife and could be considered a conflict of interest. The board did not say whether it would officially take action on the issue.
Wellington News:Wellington receives $1.8 million to make downtown areas safer
For some, the effort to ban books is another sign of Wellington's growing pains
Several Wellington residents spoke about pervasive divisions in the town illustrated by the possible book ban as well as a series of citizen-led petitions the board recently gave approval to begin gathering signatures. Those petitions include one to limit elections to in-person voting and paper ballots only and another to ban marijuana sales in the town of Wellington after voters in November narrowly approved a repeal of the town's previous ban on dispensaries.
One petition looks to prohibit the town from giving monetary donations to individuals or nonprofit organizations, while another looks to repeal sections of the town's municipal code that dictate permit requirements for water usage and seeks to ban the town from limiting water usage or engaging in water conservation efforts. Christine Gaiter's name is listed on that petition, but she didn't speak about it during her public comment Tuesday night.
Wellington is one of Northern Colorado's rapidly growing towns, having almost doubled in population over the last decade. Residents on either side of the book issue alluded to watching their beloved town change and with it, experience growing pains impacting residents' abilities to come together.
"I've lived in Colorado for 71 years. I love this state but I've seen a lot of problems over the last several years," said John Walsby.
What books do people want banned, restricted at Wellington Public Library?
The titles listed below were provided to the Coloradoan by Christine Gaiter and come from a list she said she shared with Wellington's Board of Trustees. This comprehensive list does not match the list of titles on Gaiter's public records request.
Gaiter said she selected these titles from a list of books she found online after hearing in the news parents were trying to remove these titles from public school libraries. Gaiter said she then searched for titles available at the Wellington Public Library.
- "Speak," by Laurie Halse Anderson
- "Shout," by Laurie Halse Anderson
- "The Testaments," by Margaret Atwood
- "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky
- "Looking for Alaska," by John Green
- "Fifty Shades of Grey," by E.L. James
- "A Court of Mist and Fury," by Sarah J. Maas
- "A Court of Thorns and Roses," by Sarah J. Maas
- "The Bluest Eye," by Toni Morrison
- "Beloved," by Toni Morrison
- "Lolita," by Vladimir Nabokov
- "Lucky," by Alice Sebold
- "This One Summer," by Mariko Tamaki
- "Drama," by Raina Telgemeir
- "The Glass Castle," by Jeannette Walls
- "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," by Jonathan Foer
- "Outlander," by Diana Gabaldon
- "The God of Small Things," by Roy Arundhati
- "Fates and Furies," by Lauren Groff | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/local/2022/08/11/wellington-colorado-residents-respond-to-a-possible-book-ban-at-public-library/65398100007/ | 2022-08-11T23:32:20Z | coloradoan.com | control | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/local/2022/08/11/wellington-colorado-residents-respond-to-a-possible-book-ban-at-public-library/65398100007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
An armed man who was allegedly at the US Capitol on Jan. 6 was shot dead by police after he attempted to storm Cincinnati’s FBI office and fled following an hours-long standoff, according to authorities and reports.
Ricky Shiffer was shot and killed by police Thursday afternoon after he raised a gun toward officers around 3 p.m., said an Ohio Highway State Patrol spokesperson.
The suspect was wearing body armor and was pursued by authorities onto an Ohio highway before he abandoned his car on nearby country roads, officials said.
The man “attempted to breach” the visitor’s screening area of the FBI office and then ran away after agents confronted him, federal officials said.
Once he was on Interstate 71, he fired shots at a trooper who was chasing him, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
In May, a user named Ricky Shiffer replied to a photo of rioters climbing Capitol walls on Jan. 6, claiming he was at the building, according to the New York Times. He also reportedly blamed people who are not Donald Trump supporters on the attack.
“I was there,” the message read, according to the Times. “We watched as your goons did that.”
Shiffer didn’t face charges in connection to the Jan. 6 riot.
It’s unclear if the attack was the result of the FBI’s raid on Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago in Florida this week as the feds have been wary of increased threats against the bureau following a search of the former president’s home.
With Post wires | https://nypost.com/2022/08/11/ricky-shiffer-killed-by-police-after-attempted-breach-of-fbi-office/ | 2022-08-11T23:33:10Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/11/ricky-shiffer-killed-by-police-after-attempted-breach-of-fbi-office/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Marvel’s Ironheart Series Casts Zoe Terakes in a Supporting Role
The upcoming Ironheart series on Disney+ has added a new face to its cast as production continues on its first season. According to Deadline, transgender and non-binary actor Zoe Terakes has booked a supporting role in show, but the studio isn’t revealing the identity of their character just yet.
Terakes most recently showed up in Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers, which marked their U.S. television debut last year. They previously booked their first small-screen role in the Australian TV series Janet King in 2017. Eventually, Terakes went on to appear in other Australian shows like Wentworth and The End.
Dominique Thorne leads Ironheart’s cast as Riri Williams, a teen tech whiz who builds her own Iron Man-inspired armor while attending MIT. But before Ironheart arrives, Thorne’s character will make her first MCU appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever this fall. The film’s first trailer, which debuted during Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con presentation, even appeared to show Riri building an early version of her suit.
RELATED: Ironheart Set Photos Confirm Anthony Ramos Will Play [Spoiler]
Just last week, RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Shea Couleé booked her own mystery role in Ironheart as well. The remaining cast includes Anthony Ramos, Harper Anthony, Manny Montana, Lyric Ross, and Solo: A Star Wars Story’s Alden Ehrenreich. Most of their characters have yet to be announced. But recent set photos seemingly confirmed that Ramos is taking on the villainous role of Parker Robbins/The Hood.
Ironheart will premiere on Disney+ in the fall of 2023.
Do you have any theories about who Terakes might play in the series? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Ironheart Vol. 1: Those With Courage
We are also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. | https://www.superherohype.com/tv/517809-marvels-ironheart-series-casts-zoe-terakes-in-a-supporting-role | 2022-08-11T23:36:11Z | superherohype.com | control | https://www.superherohype.com/tv/517809-marvels-ironheart-series-casts-zoe-terakes-in-a-supporting-role | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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