The Swan of Tuonela

https://youtu.be/HjyLWoJvtME Tuonela, as per Finnish mythology, refers to the land of the dead. The Swan of Tuonela glides on the dark waters of a lake there and it sings while it glides. This symphonic tone poem is taken from the series of poems Sibelius wrote for his `Legend’ in 1893. These poems were inspired by the Finnish national epic of `Kalevala’. This is part of the Lemminkainen Suite. Sibelius has combined two themes – one is the melody assigned to the swan which is played by the English horn or the Cor Anglais and another is a theme which is initially played by the cello and it is alter transcribed in the swan melody and developed further. Strings are also divided into several parts. They offer a vibrant background to the melody of the swan. The poem rises to a climax of pathos with a solemn reinstatement of the melody and sinking back to the atmosphere created at the opening.

The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy The Death of Ivan Ilyich The Death of Ivan Ilyich was published in 1886 after a period of depression and personal intellectual turmoil (1875-1878) that ended with Tolstoy's conversion to Christianity. A Summary During an interval in a trial, some legal professionals converse in a private room. Peter Ivánovich, the protagonist’s closest friend, reads in the obituaries that Iván Ilyich has died. Iván Ilyich had been terminally ill for some time. He was the colleague of the men present. The men immediately think of how Iván Ilyich's death may result in promotion for them all. Each man thinks gratefully that Iván Ilyich is dead and not himself. They also think of how they will be forced to go through all the tedious business of paying respects and visiting the family. Flashback Iván Ilyich is the second son of a bureaucrat. He attends law school. He admires all those people who are in a high station in life and tries to imitate them, in whichever way he can. After law school, he qualifies for a position in the civil service. After a career setback, Iván Ilyich fights for a post with high salary and ends up with a job in Saint Petersburg. He throws himself into decorating. One day, when draping the hangings, he slips and bumps his side. The pain goes away before long. But then, it grows in his left side and he has a chronic unpleasant taste in his mouth. He becomes more irritable and sees a physician who diagnoses his illness as an appendix problem. He is forced to take opium to fight the pain and his mental anguish becomes more terrible as he fights the realization that he has wasted his life. He has dreams of a black sack with no bottom into which he is endlessly being pushed. (Sherlock Holmes also has dreams like these when he is in the possession of cocaine in the Seven Per Cent Solution). When the end seems near, at his wife's behest, Iván Ilyich takes communion and becomes a Protestant Christian. During the last three days of his life, Iván Ilyich screams in agony. But on the third day, he has a revelation. As his son touches his hand, Iván Ilyich finally recognizes that the way he has lived his life has been hypocritical and empty. He falls through the bottom of his dream's black sack and sees a great light. The light is comforting. He accepts that compassion is the key to correct living and tries to ask his wife for forgiveness. He feels no hatred now for others but pities them. He retreats into his inner world at the end. Though he seems to be in agony, internally Iván Ilyich is at peace when he dies. Like death or abandonment, alienation is one of the deepest-rooted fears experienced by human beings. As social creatures, humans have the need to identify themselves as one of a group, whether that group is a family, a culture, or a religion. Alienation is the central theme in Tolstoy's 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich' as it is in Kafka's `Metamorphosis' and Albert Camus’ `Stranger'. “He in his madness prays for storms, and dreams that storms will bring him peace”. “They had supper and went away, and Ivan Ilyich was left alone with the consciousness that his life was poisoned and was poisoning the lives of others, and that this poison did not weaken but penetrated more and more deeply into his whole being.” “With this consciousness, and with physical pain besides the terror, he must go to bed, often to lie awake the greater part of the night. Next morning he had to get up again, dress, go to the law courts, speak, and write; or if he did not go out, spend at home those twenty-four hours a day each of which was a torture. And he had to live thus all alone on the brink of an abyss, with no one who understood or pitied him.” As a writer, Leo Tolstoy was deeply concerned with the idea of the meaning of life. He recognised that what conventional society mistakes for life's meaning -- success, social position, political or corporate power -- were ultimately meaningless in the great scheme of things. Also, Tolstoy saw tremendous irony in the fact that our human lives are so transitory and our fortunes are subject to the whims of fate; yet, we act as if we will live forever with ultimate control over the progress of our existence. He illustrates this in his story ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich.'

Fourth Symphony by Ives

https://youtu.be/-xXv55ARtsM The fourth symphony of Charles Ives was started by the composer in 1910 and completed by 1924. This symphony is recognized for its diverse layers of complexity as it requires two conductors for its performance. It involves large multi-layered orchestration. It combines elements and techniques that are innovative. It is one of the most important works of the twentieth century. It has been also hailed as Ives' climactic masterpiece. This symphony did not get its complete performance until Leopold Stokoswki conducted it with the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York City on 26th April, 1965, almost eleven years after the death of Charles Ives. It was also recorded on the Columbia Label.

Storm Quintet of Beethoven

The `Storm' string quintet was composed in 1801. It is in C Major. It is actually a viola quintet as it is scored for the conventional string quartet with an additional viola (2 violins, 2 violas and a cello). It has four movements - Allegro moderato; Adagio molto espressivo; Scherzo; Allegro Presto. It is Beethoven with his simplicity of expressions; they unfold with effortless ease. The work is cheerful and confident sounding. It has a great lyrical flow and reminds you of the serene chamber works of Haydn and Mozart. The first violin has been given a soaring part in this quintet. The opening Allegro sets the mood of this work with its lyricism and ease of flow, making up two major themes. It has a shade of melnacholy in few places. The slow movement is melodic with a theme that is played over pizzicato. The flow is interrupted by expressions from minor keys. The scherzo is taken at a foot stomping pace and has a lyrical trio. The finale starts off with a tremolo that is utterly dramatic and it turns into a melody that rises to the violin's upper range of register. There is a fugal passage that extends across all the instruments to bring the composition to a close. It is a gem of a string quintet. https://youtu.be/8pgC6CX9oBA

Divergent

This is a trilogy by Veronica Roth. It is not in the same vein as the Hunger Games trilogy but remains quite close. It is a science fiction film that is set in a futuristic community after wars have destroyed most of the world population. In this film, societies are divided into five separate factions, representing different virtues. At 18, children have to decide their particular faction based on a test that highlights their inclinations and they have to choose a faction for the remainder of their lives. The protagonist, Beatrice (Tris) Prior has to make a her choice that surprises everyone. This is a good thriller, not as good as Hunger Games,set in a place where people have to pick factions before blood. Tris is warned that she is a divergent, meaning that she does not fit into any slot. Along with Four, a character from the Dauntless faction, she has to unearth a conspiracy by Jeanine (Kate Winslet) to eliminate all divergents. Tris has to understand what makes divergents so dangerous. The character development has been handled well by Director Neil Burger. Good performances by Shailene Woodley as Tris and Kate Winslet.

A Television Remote Control can help you access Energy Consumption Information

Control4 Energy Management System Cheyenne helps you save energy by using a programmable thermostat control, load disconnect measurement and control and lighting control. All these can be accessed through a television remote control. As per research done by Nielsen Media, today’s average household contains 2.73 television sets per house which is actually more television sets than people as people’s average per household is only 2.55. An average American spends about four hours per day using television. So, many of us are familiar with how a television works. We are more familiar with how a television remote control works than any other electronic device in our home. Through this remote control, you can have the power to access real time information on energy consumption and electricity costs.

Greatest Spinner that played for India

Bishen Singh Bedi was born in Amritsar on 25th September 1946. He was inducted in the Northern Punjab team when he was just fourteen. He made his mark as a slow orthodox left arm spinner from this early age. He went on to become India’s greatest spinner. He played Ranji Trophy for Northern Punjab from 1961 to 1967. Then he played for Delhi between 1968 and 1981. He also played for the County of Northamptonshire between 1972 and 1977. Bishen Singh Bedi played test cricket for India between 1966 and 1979. He made his test debut on 31st December 1966 against the West Indies. He played his last test against England on 30th August 1979. He made his one day debut against England on 13th July 1974 and played his last one day match against Sri Lanka on 16th June 1979. He played 67 tests during his career scoring 656 runs with a top score of 50 not out against New Zealand at Kanpur in 1976. He has taken 266 test wickets, taking more than five wickets in an innings fourteen times. He played ten one day matches and 370 first class matches with a total wicket haul of 1,560 wickets, taking five wickets or more in an innings for one hundred and six times, making him the greatest spinner to emerge from India. No bowler has reached his tally of 1,560 wickets in India. When he played for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy season of 1975, he has picked up a record sixty four wickets in a season. Bishen Singh Bedi was part of the famous spin quartet. He used to lead them from the front. He was Captain for the Indian team in twenty two test matches. He is well known for wearing a colourful Sikh head knot gear known as `patka’. Like Lala Amarnath, he is recognised for his outspoken nature on cricket issues as well as his blunt views. Bishen Singh Bedi’s bowling was known for his artistic style of delivery that was backed with beauty, grace and guile. He was an expert flighter of the ball, inviting the batsman to come down the crease and lift him. He was fully capable of either hurrying the ball or holding it back. His strategic variations in spin got him many wickets as batsmen found him difficult to play. He was able to bowl in all the three sessions, sometimes covering the full day with total control and rhythm. In fact, the pace bowlers would just complete the formalities of taking the shine away from the ball by bowling just about fourteen overs when Bedi would start the spin proceedings. He was of great value to all the Indian captains before he took charge himself in 1976 taking over from Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. During the Australian tour of 1978, he picked up 31 wickets in that series that India lost marginally by 2-3. Bobby Simpson had come back from retirement to lead Australia to victory. Bedi’s best test bowling was 7/98 against Australia at Calcutta in 1970. Though Kumble took more wickets than him and even got ten wickets in an innings, he could not replace the artistry of Bishen Singh Bedi. Also, in Kumble’s days, India would be playing four times more number of tests than in the previous years when Bedi was in the team. His first test victory as Captain was against the West Indies at Port of Spain in the 1976 series when India made a record 406 runs in the fourth innings to win that test. He also became the first Indian Captain to concede an international one day match in November 1978 against Pakistan at Sahiwal. India was requiring twenty three runs from two overs and Bedi recalled the batsmen from the crease and conceded the match in protest at the bowling of Sarfaraz Nawaz who bowled four bouncers in succession without a single ball being declared a wide by the umpires. It was not in good sporting spirit and Bedi drove the point home. It is another matter that India may not have scored those twenty three runs in the twelve balls remaining. He was a man of principles and played a gentleman’s game as cricket demanded. He started a cricket academy and pointed out that it was necessary for the limbs to be supple for good spin bowling. Hence, he always washed his clothes with his own hands and recommended it as the best exercise for the fingers and shoulders. Bishen Singh Bedi, India’s greatest spinner, has accused one day cricket and small cricket grounds as the murderers of classical spin bowling in India. He refers to T20 cricket as a vulgar display by hooligans.