“Ah why refuse the blameless bliss? Can danger lurk within a kiss?” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The memory of our first kiss can stay with us throughout our life and sometimes may colour a gray moment. Whether it was really as beautiful as what we remember it as being is debatable, but nevertheless, we hold it in a dear place within our heart. Here is a short extract from the movie I reviewed last Movie Monday, “The Choir of Haritonas” (2005) by Greek director, Grigoris Karantinakis. It captures beautifully the magic moment of that first innocent kiss. The music is by Nikos Platyrachos.
“Cookery has become a noble art, a noble science; cooks are gentlemen.” - Robert Burton
The pavlova is a very popular dessert in both Australia and New Zealand. It is named after Anna Pavlova, the famous Russian ballerina who toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926 and Australia again in 1929. In 1934, the chef of the Hotel Esplanade in Perth, Western Australia, Herbert Sachse, created the pavlova. The dish is sweet, light, foamy white and delicious. A truly poetic interpretation of a great dancer’s angelic stage presence in sugar and egg-white.
There is some controversy over which country it originates from - both Australia and New Zealand claim the Pavlova as their national dish. The Meringue Cake was common in NZ in the early 1930s. In 1973, Sachse stated in a magazine interview that he sought to improve the Meringue Cake recipe that he found in the Women’s Mirror Magazine on April 2, 1935. That recipe was contributed by a New Zealander.
TRADITIONAL PAVLOVA
Ingredients 5 egg whites pinch salt 250 g caster sugar/sugar (equal parts) 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence 2 level teaspoons cornflour (Please note the following equivalents: Caster sugar or fine/super fine sugar; corn flour or cornstarch) Whipped cream Fruit to decorate: Sliced kiwifruit, peaches, strawberries, blueberries and passionfruit pulp.
Method Preheat oven to 200˚C. Lightly grease oven tray, line with baking paper or use non-stick cooking spray. Beat the whites of eggs with a pinch of salt until stiff (until peaks form). Continue beating, gradually adding sugar, vinegar and vanilla, until of thick consistency. Lightly fold in cornflour. Pile mixture into circular shape, making hollow in centre for filling. (Mixture will swell during cooking). Electric oven: Turn oven to 130˚C and bake undisturbed for 1.5 hours. Gas oven: Bake at 200˚C for ten minutes, then turn oven to 130˚C and bake a further hour. Fan forced oven: temperature and time needs to be adjusted accordingly. Turn oven off, leave pavlova in oven until cool. Top with whipped cream and decorate with fruit.
When seeing the dessert, it is easy to understand why some people say it was inspired by one of Pavlova’s famous tutus, draped in green silk cabbage roses. The basic shape was provided by a meringue case, while the froth of the net was suggested by whipped cream with slices of kiwifruit for the green roses. I must say that while in Perth I enjoyed a delicious slice of pavlova, home made too! Thank you, Rosanne!
"You owe me five farthings" say the Bells of St. Martin's – Folk rhyme
I’m still in Perth and this morning I enjoyed a walk down by the river. The Swan Bells, situated on the banks of the Swan River close to the city centre of Perth, are housed inside this futuristic tower with armadillo-like shells enclosing a glass and steel spire. It contains 18 bells, 12 of them (cast in 1724) from St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London, and the Perth tourist bureau speak of this carillon construction as one of the world's biggest musical instruments. They really do sound majestic as one walks by and are a great focal point in the Swan River foreshore park. The bells had to be removed from the London church because they were vibrating so vigorously every time they pealed that they caused structural damage and would have shaken the old building into eventual ruination. They were then sent to Australia as a gift during the bicentennial in 1988.
The tower and the bells have become a monument synonymous with Perth, the sound of its success ringing proudly through the city. The tower is within the redeveloped cafe, restaurant and shop-filled Barrack Square. The square also features entertainment areas, offices, cycling and walking paths, boat ramps, jetties and function areas within a landscaped garden and has become a focal point for residents and tourists alike. The tower was designed by architects Hames Sharley and is highlighted by innovative illuminations that show it sitting in a pool of water lit at night and refracting sunlight during the day.
The noise emitted by the bells is such that it has to be controlled. Soundproof louvers and doors were used to muffle the sound and can be manoeuvred to direct the noise towards either the city or the river. The 18 bells have a combined mass of about nine tonnes and when rung, exert forces of several times their mass on the support structure. To achieve the required stiffness, the six-storey bell chamber is made with reinforced concrete that was cast in-situ.
The 80m high glass clad spire is designed using the same concept as a bicycle wheel, laid horizontally. The spokes radiate from the centrally-positioned axle, the form declining in width as it rises to a point. The solid steel columns of the spire are rectangular. The concrete bell chamber is enveloped in 30m high, armadillo-like copper sails and glass.
carillon |ˈkarəˌlän; -lən|noun a set of bells in a tower, played using a keyboard or by an automatic mechanism similar to a piano roll. • a tune played on such bells. DERIVATIVES carillonneur |ˌkarələˈnər| |ˈkarɪljəˈnəː| |-ˈrɪlə-| |kə-| noun ORIGIN late 18th cent.: from French, from Old French quarregnon ‘peal of four bells,’ based on Latin quattuor ‘four.’
“A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” - Lao Tzu
Greetings from Perth! I am here for work and enjoying the very pleasant Autumn weather with beautiful sunny days with temperatures in the high twenties. Lots of things to do for work, but also some opportunities for walking around the City and perhaps a dinner in one of the nice restaurants here.
A poem by Emily Dickinson for you today: V THE SUN just touched the morning; The morning, happy thing, Supposed that he had come to dwell, And life would be all spring.
She felt herself supremer,— A raised, ethereal thing; Henceforth for her what holiday! Meanwhile, her wheeling king
Trailed slow along the orchards His haughty, spangled hems, Leaving a new necessity,— The want of diadems!
The morning fluttered, staggered, Felt feebly for her crown,— Her unanointed forehead Henceforth her only one. Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” - Albert Einstein
The powerful forces of nature have yet again wreaked havoc, and the death toll in Myanmar is rising and rising with each news report I hear. An international relief effort has begun and it is perhaps just as well that the junta has appealed to the international community for help, because clearly the infrastructure is unable to cope with the magnitude of the devastation. The disaster is the worst cyclone to hit Asia since 1991, when 143,000 people died in Bangladesh. Presently, the death toll stands at 15,000 with 30,000 people reported missing. No doubt the death toll will rise in the next few days.
It is as though humanity is being punished for its hubris. We strut about and parade our discoveries, our science and technology, the control we exert over life and death and yet we cannot do anything about the weather… Our activities on this planet are proving to be increasingly deleterious and our pullulating masses are causing climate change, extinctions of plants and animals, destruction of the biosphere in a degree unprecedented until the present time.
We have started to react, sluggishly and half-heartedly and in the meantime, disasters such as the Myanmar destruction, recent tornadoes in the USA, droughts and floods around the globe are driving home the point that we may be reacting too little and too late. How can we avert disaster at this stage? We are bombarded with the bad news on a global level and yet our sphere of influence is only local. The message must get through to everyone and it is only by changing behaviour on the local level that we can expect to see benefits globally. Perhaps not in our lifetime but in our children’s or grandchildren’s generations.
Our government here in Victoria has a list of ten things that everyone can do to help the environment and help in long-term sustainability. This is a good start and may help each and every one of us to “think globally and act locally”:
1. Take a four-minute power shower 2. Take reusable bags with you when you go shopping 3. Turn off lights and appliances at the switch when not in use 4. Sign up to Green Power with your electricity supplier 5. Buy the most energy and water efficient appliances you can afford 6. Put your food or plant scraps in the compost or worm farm 7. Look for products without unnecessary packaging 8. Walk, cycle or use public transport when you can – and leave the car at home 9. Grow plants native to your area in your garden 10. Go green when you clean.
An interesting period piece of the 1960s, a coming of age story and the story of a friendship between a young boy and an old man. The movie is an adaptation of a Stephen King book, or rather the first novella in the book, “Low Men in Yellow Coats”. It is a beautiful movie, slow and full of period touches, good acting with the two leads, Anthony Hopkins and Anton Yelchin certainly carrying the movie. Although we enjoyed the movie, it is also one that is easily forgotten and on reflection not as profound as it first strikes one. Worth seeing, 6.5/10
In this Italian film set in a farming community in the 19th century, poverty-stricken Italy, nothing much happens and the film lasts for three hours. Yet the masterly film-making manages to involve the viewer into four seasons with the humble families in Lombardy, immersing one into the back-breaking work, the joys and sorrows and the relentless cruelty of a rich landowner, who controls the lives of his serfs. A beautiful film, rich in historical detail, with non-professional actors making of it almost a documentary of another time and place, that manages to make one smile, cry, laugh and sob. The soundtrack of Bach organ works is just right for the mood. Get hold of it and watch it! 8.5/10 3) “The Disorderly Orderly” (1968 – Directed by Frank Tashlin)
I first watched this Jerry Lewis film many years ago when I was 10 or 11 and I remember I laughed till I was sore. By chance I got hold of the DVD and we watched it again. Not as funny as I remembered it, but nevertheless, still managed to make me chuckle. It is slapstick and derivative, but nevertheless, manages to highlight Lewis’ comedic talents and as a farce it is one of Jerry Lewis’ best. Lewis play s Jerome Littlefield who wants to be a doctor. But he is very clumsy, and a hypochondriac (whatever symptoms he hears described, he gets). So he must settle for being an orderly. Dr. Howard, who runs the Whitestone Sanatorium where Jerome works, has faith in Jerome, but nobody else it seems... Alice Pearce is great playing a woman with many medical conditions (the description of her “Gall bladder just dripping and dripping” is hilarious). It all ends well and boy gets girl. Fun and games. 5.5/10
A well-made Greek film, set in the late 1960s at the time of the military dictatorship. It is set in a small town in Corfu, where the annual tradition of the competition of the choirs has many choral groups in the city competing for the prize, a chocolate statuette of Venus. A leftist headmaster, Hariton, trains the school choir, but he soon crosses sword with Major Dimitriou, the town's new National Guard Commandant, who trains the army choir. They both vie for the affection of Helen, the maths teacher, while the adolescent Gregory who is in love with a fellow student is the great hope of the school choir who have their hopes set on his pure voice to win them the trophy. Intrigue, mystery, love, sex, humour, slapstick, pathos, it’s all a mixture and rather well carried off! 7/10
This Sunday is called St Thomas’ Sunday in the Greek Orthodox faith as it commemorates one of Christ’s apostles who is best remembered for his lack of faith. St. Thomas is best known for his role in verifying the Resurrection of his Master. Thomas' unwillingness to believe that the other Apostles had seen their risen Lord on the first Easter Sunday merited for him the title of "doubting Thomas." Eight days later, on Christ's second apparition, Thomas was gently rebuked for his scepticism and furnished with the evidence he had demanded - seeing in Christ's hands the point of the nails and putting his fingers in the place of the nails and his hand into His side.
At this, St. Thomas became convinced of the truth of the Resurrection and exclaimed: "My Lord and My God," thus making a public Profession of Faith in the Divinity of Jesus. St. Thomas is also mentioned as being present at another Resurrection appearance of Jesus - at Lake Tiberias when a miraculous catch of fish occurred.
This is all that we know about St. Thomas from the New Testament. Tradition says that at the dispersal of the Apostles after Pentecost this saint was sent to evangelise the Parthians, Medes, and Persians; he ultimately reached India, carrying the Faith to the Malabar coast, which still boasts a large native population calling themselves "Christians of St. Thomas." He capped his left by shedding his blood for his Master, speared to death at a place called Calamine. He is the patron of architects.
The painting I’m showcasing today is an illustration is by the masterly Caravaggio painted in 1600. It is oil on canvas, 230 x 175 cm and is in the Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del Popolo, in Rome. The drama of disbelief of the tale of St Thomas seems to have touched Caravaggio personally. Few of his paintings are physically so shocking. This depiction of Thomas pushes curiosity to its limits before he will say, 'My Lord and my God.' The classical composition carefully unites the four heads in the quest for truth. Christ's head is largely in shadow, as He is the person who is the least knowable. He also has a serene beauty that is lacking in the furrowed faces of the apostles. The shocking image of the digit exploring the depths of the lance wound is mitigated slightly by the guiding hand of Christ, which seems to push Thomas’ finger deep into the wound. There is no doubt that this is supreme proof of Godhead.
“The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.” Alexander Chalmers
A Greek song for you today by the talented Mihalis Hatziyannis. It is called “Pio Poly” (Much More).
Much More Music Mihalis Hatziyannis; Lyrics Nikos Moraitis
Ask me whatever you want about love Whether it will exist after we are gone. Ask me about the ends of the world, All the difficult questions you want answers to, my darling.
Only don’t ask me if I would die for you As the answer is easy for me to give you.
Much more than you can imagine Much more than you are afraid of Much more than you can dream In my arms when you’ll sleep; I love you much more than I love myself.
Ask me whatever you want about the moon, Maybe one day it’ll come and take us. Ask me if our love will last If it runs around the clouds.
Only don’t ask me if I would die for you As the answer is easy for me to give you.
Much more than you can imagine Much more than you are afraid of Much more than you can dream In my arms when you’ll sleep; I love you much more than I love myself.
“If people take the trouble to cook, you should take the trouble to eat.” Robert Morley
Spring has sprung in the Northern hemisphere and autumn is well and truly here, in the South. We’ve had a couple of really autumnal days with cold, rain and leaden skies. It was good to see the rain come down, although I dare say we need much more… Nevertheless, I had some delicious strawberries yesterday, flown all the way down from Queensland. The strawberries were red and fragrant, fully ripened. Each berry perfect and shiny, picked at its peak. When I bit into it, the flesh was firm yet yielding, the juice aromatic and so sweet. Here is a recipe for strawberry tart.
STRAWBERRY TART Ingredientsfor the pastry
350 g flour
175 g butter cut in small pieces
90 g caster sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoonful Marsala
1/2 teaspoonful ground cloves/cinnamon
zest of one lemon, pinch of salt. for the filling
1 punnet of strawberries
3 tablespoonfuls strawberry jam
3 tablespoonfuls caster sugar
1 teaspoonful ground cloves/cinnamon/ginger
Method
Sift the flour on a wooden board and make a well in the centre. Within the well add the butter, sugar, egg yolks, Marsala, lemon peel and salt. Work the dough well and quickly, shape it into a ball, cover it with wax paper and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. Then roll out l of the dough into a thin sheet and line a 23 cm buttered flan tin. Spread the bottom of the tart with the strawberry jam and then arrange the washed, hulled, drained and halved strawberries thickly on the tart base. Sprinkle the fruit with the sugar and spice mixture. Roll out the remaining 3 of the dough into a sheet and cut thin strips. Weave these strips into a lattice which is used to cover the tart. Neaten the dough edge of the tart by scalloping and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake the tart in a hot oven 210˚ C for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown in colour. The tart is best eaten after 24 hours. Enjoy your weekend!
“Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.” – Victor Hugo
Today is Mayday, traditionally a day associated with the welcoming in of Spring. In many countries this was the day when people had a holiday, going out into the fields enjoying nature and when the young lads and lasses flirted with each other, their courting mimicking the couplings of the rest of the animal kingdom. Shakespeare in his play “As You Like It”, has this to say:
It was a lover and his lass — With a hey, and a ho, and a hey-nonny-no — That o'er the green cornfield did pass In springtime, the only pretty ring-time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding. Sweet lovers love the spring.
Between the acres of the rye — With a hey, and a ho, and hey-nonny-no — These pretty country folks would lie In springtime, the only pretty ring-time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding. Sweet lovers love the spring.
This carol they began that hour — With a hey, and a ho, and hey-nonny-no — How that a life was but a flower In springtime, the only pretty ring-time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding. Sweet lovers love the spring.
And therefore take the present time — With a hey, and a ho, and a hey-nonny-no - For love is crowned with the prime In springtime, the only pretty ring-time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding. Sweet lovers love the spring.
The holiday from work on Mayday assumed a rather more serious purpose in the 19th century and this was the observance of Labour Day in many countries around the world. International Workers’ Day commemorated on May 1st is for the people involved in the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago, Illinois. As the culmination of three days of labour unrest in the USA, the Haymarket incident was a source of outrage and admiration from people around the globe. In countries other than the United States and Canada, residents sought to make May Day an official holiday and their efforts largely succeeded. In some European countries, working people continue to use May Day parades as an opportunity to show disapproval with the government or to protest cuts in social programs. Although May Day received its inspiration from the United States, the U.S. Congress designated May 1 as Loyalty Day in 1958 due to the day's appropriation by the Soviet Union. Alternatively, Labor Day traditionally occurs sometime in September in the United States.
“Mayday” is also the international distress call which is used by ships and aircraft on radio when life-threatening emergencies strike them. It has nothing to do with the 1st of May, but rather is the phonetic spelling of the French words for “help me”.
Mayday |ˈmāˌdā| (also mayday) exclamation an international radio distress signal used by ships and aircraft.
Noun: a distress signal using the word “Mayday”: We sent out a Mayday | [as adj. ] a Mayday call. ORIGIN 1920s: representing a pronunciation of French m'aider, from venez m'aider ‘come and help me.’
“This is how it feels when it's all over This is just the way a true love ends” – John Denver
The last night of April tonight and this poem I wrote some years ago, seemed apropos. If for nothing else, at least in memoriam, as an anniversary offering.
April Showers
April speaks with words of rain Uttering watery farewells Crying through peals of laughter As he leaves me.
April says goodbye His hollow words carefully chosen, His false tears duplicitous As his rainy days run out.
April leaves me once again, Wounding, healing, promising much, Giving little, taking all; Dreams run, dissolving in his rain.
April is over, tonight his last night April finishes and my love for you A tired traveller, wearily stumbling Exhausted, stopping finally by the wayside.
April ends my hopes He kills my every fantasy, Destroys my world, dissolves the sugary images Of happinesses he promised me would come.
April speaks with words of rain Uttering watery farewells Crying through peals of laughter As he leaves me.
“To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment.” - Jane Austen
There is a special kind of activity that is quite common in the business world and which is called the “Offsite” meeting or the “Retreat”. This is an occasion where selected staff are taken away from their normal work environment and stay away for a couple of days (and nights) in order to work through an agenda and resolve current issues, plan for the future and set future directions. The rationale behind this is that while away from the normal work environment, staff are able to disengage from routine and distractions, thus being able to concentrate fully on agenda items and be able to devote their activities and collective intellectual resources on resolving the issues at hand.
I am currently taking part in an executive “retreat” fro a couple of days and it is a strategic meeting designed to analyse our current activities, identify areas of concern and prioritise intervention strategies in order to be able to effectively plan ahead. I was pleasantly surprised by how much we achieved in these couple of days and how much better we were able to work together as a team and to function effectively as an executive body that set directions for future developments and growth.
We are at a very nice conference and spa centre about 60 km to the north of Melbourne, called Macedon Spa. The setting is lovely, right in the middle of Victoria’s spa country and at the foothills of Mt Macedon. Hanging Rock (the very atmospheric setting for the 1975 Australian film “Picnic at Hanging Rock” is only about 5 km from here and there is a real tranquility in the crisp, clean country air. Autumn has really arrived and the temperatures plummet down to single figures for the night, although the days are sunny and still quite pleasant.
It is a good balance, the work and the relaxation, the social conviviality and the resolution of the problems at hand. Getting to know one’s co-workers in this type of environment is a really good exercise and it does contribute to a better organization.
“My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.” - Henry Ford
We watched a wonderful French movie at the weekend. It was Patrice Leconte’s “My Best Friend” (2006 ), a tragicomedic film which makes a important comment about modern society. The basic premise of the film is how we view friendship in today’s world and how we define that most elusive of relationships: “My best Friend”…
The movie begins at a funeral which is very sparsely attended and in which Monsieur François Coste (Daniel Auteuil), an antiques dealer, finds himself because he has unfinished business with the deceased and wishes to close a deal with the widow, even at a funeral. This puts François’ character in context and makes the viewer of the film regard him as a anti-hero.
François superficially seems to have a perfect life: A young daughter doing well at her studies at University, a girlfriend who seems to love him, a successful business with an astute partner (Catherine played by Julie Gayet), an engagement calendar full of lunch dates and meetings with business associates. However, despite this seemingly perfect existence, François realizes that he has serious gaps in his life.
The pivotal point is the whimsical purchase of an ancient Greek vase at auction, which François buys, even though it is not the sort of thing he trades in, and it is something he and his business cannot afford, and it is against the wishes of Catherine, his partner. The vas is special because it is a funerary offering of one man to the memory of is dearest and best friend. At a dinner with his associates he is hit with the hard truth that none of these people, would come to his funeral. He is forced to admit that not only does he have no friends but also that no one likes him.
Being arrogant, and egotistical, valuing “things” more than people, he denies that he has no friends, and in a silly bet, accepts a challenge from Catherine to prove this hard truth false. The prize is the Greek vase. In the process of finding a "best friend" within 10 days, to win the bet, Coste learns what friendship means, and just how wrong he really was in his values. Instrumental in François’ epiphany is a taxi driver called Bruno (Dany Boon) who is the catalyst in François’ change of character and life.
The film is not amongst the best of Leconte, but it is warm, engaging, earnest, and with the right mixture of comedy and drama, making for satisfying viewing. The acting is very good, restrained and almost phlegmatic in parts, but nevertheless expressive and moving. Highly recommended film!
The icon of the Anastasis – the Descent of Christ into Hell and His Resurrection – is a sacred image that was created and developed by Christian artists of the Orthodox Byzantine Church. It is one of the favourite themes in Eastern Christian Art and the traditional Byzantine icon for the Resurrection. The Anastasis image was created in the late seventh century and continued to evolve until it reached its final form in the eleventh century.
The Liturgy of the Hours, evolved over the whole lifetime of the Orthodox Church is a source of the iconography of the Resurrection. It is rather difficult to ascertain which came first, the Liturgy of the Hours prayers, or the awareness of the Anastasis event. What is certain however is that there are many references to the Anastasis event in the Liturgies of Great and Holy Saturday of both the Western Latin Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
In the Matins of Great and Holy Saturday, the priest chants: “O Messiah, Jesus,Whom are you seeking in the depths of hell?Hell’s foundations quaked and trembled, seeing YouOpening the graves of mortal men.When devouring HadesEngulfed the Rock of Life,In great pain he burst asunder,And the dead, held captive from all agesWere released.”
Epiphanius of Salamis, writes this piece, now forming art of the Vespers for Holy Saturday: “Yesterday he was stricken,Today, he strikes the abode of Hades,With the lightning of his divinity;Yesterday he was bound up,Today, he ties down the tyrant in indissoluble bonds;Yesterday he was condemned,Today, he presents freedom to the condemned.”
Christ, standing on the broken gates of hell and the scattered symbols of sin’s enslavement, takes both Adam by the hand and hauls him out of his tomb, with Eve watching awe-struck behind him. It is a very dynamic image. Christ’s knees are bent but he is not walking in either direction. Rather, the sense of movement is up. The action is all Christ’s. Adam and Eve are being pulled from their tombs towards Christ and towards redemption.
John the Baptist and King David (left) as well as angels and other figures from the Scriptures watch the miracle of the resurrection in acknowledgement of Christ’s divinity, their gestures an affirmation of the miracle they are witnessing.
HAVE A PEACEFUL AND HAPPY EASTER! ΚΑΛΟ ΠΑΣΧΑ! ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ!
“A song will outlive all sermons in the memory.” - Henry Giles
Johann Sebastian Bach is one of my favourite composers and his music is as close to perfection as we humans can get. In his music one can hear all of the emotions, all of the human condition, all of our joys and sorrows. This cantata that I have selected today is one of consummate artistry and genuine feeling.
It is Johann Sebastian Bach’s "Christ lag in Todes Banden" (BWV 4 – Christ Lay in Death’s Bonds) and is very apt for this Easter Eve.
1. Sinfonia.
2. Choral.
Christ lag in Todesbanden Für unsre Sünd gegeben, Er ist wieder erstanden Und hat uns bracht das Leben; Des wir sollen fröhlich sein, Gott loben und ihm dankbar sein Und singen halleluja, Halleluja!
Christ lay in death's bonds given over for our sins, He has risen again and brought us life; therefore we should be joyful, praise God and be thankful to Him and sing Hallelujah, Hallelujah!
3. Duett.
Den Tod niemand zwingen kunnt Bei allen Menschenkindern, Das macht' alles unsre Sünd, Kein Unschuld war zu finden. Davon kam der Tod so bald Und nahm über uns Gewalt, Hielt uns in seinem Reich gefangen. Halleluja!
No one could defeat death among all humanity, this was all because of our sins, no innocence was to be found. Therefore death came so soon and took power over us, held us captive in his kingdom. Hallelujah!
4. Choral.
Jesus Christus, Gottes Sohn, An unser Statt ist kommen Und hat die Sünde weggetan, Damit dem Tod genommen All sein Recht und sein Gewalt, Da bleibet nichts denn Tods Gestalt, Den Stach'l hat er verloren. Halleluja!
Jesus Christ, God's son, has come in our place, and has done away with sin, thereby taking from death all his rights and power, nothing remains but death's form; he has lost his sting. Hallelujah!
Cantus Cölln. Dir. Konrad Junghänel.
1. Choral.
Es war ein wunderlicher Krieg, Da Tod und Leben rungen, Das Leben behielt den Sieg, Es hat den Tod verschlungen. Die Schrift hat verkündigt das, Wie ein Tod den andern fraß, Ein Spott aus dem Tod ist worden. Halleluja!
It was a strange battle, that death and life waged, life claimed the victory, it devoured death. The scripture had prophesied this, how one death gobbled up the other, a mockery has been made out of death. Hallelujah!
2. Arie.
Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm, Davon Gott hat geboten, Das ist hoch an des Kreuzes Stamm In heißer Lieb gebraten, Das Blut zeichnet unsre Tür, Das hält der Glaub dem Tode für, Der Würger kann uns nicht mehr schaden. Halleluja!
Here is the true Easter-lamb, offered up by God, which was, high on the cross' stalk roasted in hot love, the blood marks our door, faith holds it against death, the strangler can no longer harm us. Hallelujah!
3. Duett.
So feiern wir das hohe Fest Mit Herzensfreud und Wonne, Das uns der Herre scheinen läßt, Er ist selber die Sonne, Der durch seiner Gnade Glanz Erleuchtet unsre Herzen ganz, Der Sünden Nacht ist verschwunden. Halleluja!
So we celebrate the high festival with joy of heart and delight, which the Lord radiates upon us, He himself is the sun, that through the splendor of his grace illuminates our hearts completely, the night of sin has disappeared. Hallelujah!
4. Choral.
Wir essen und leben wohl In rechten Osterfladen, Der alte Sauerteig nicht soll Sein bei dem Wort der Gnaden, Christus will die Koste sein Und speisen die Seel allein, Der Glaub will keins andern leben. Halleluja!
We eat and live well on the true Easter bread, the old leaven shall not exist next to the word of grace, Christ will be our food and nourish the soul alone, faith will live in no other way. Hallelujah!
“We understand death for the first time when he puts his hand upon one whom we love.” - Madame de Staël
A solemn day today on many counts. On 25 April every year, Anzac Day is a special commemorative day for Australians and New Zealanders. It commemorates the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. The date, 25 April, was officially named ANZAC Day in 1916.
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. In 1917, the word ANZAC meant someone who fought at Gallipoli and later it came to mean any Australian or New Zealander who fought or served in the First World War. During the Second World War, ANZAC Day became a day on which the lives of all Australians lost in war time were remembered. The spirit of ANZAC recognises the qualities of courage, mateship and sacrifice which were demonstrated at the Gallipoli landing.
Commemorative services are held at dawn on 25 April, the time of the original landing, across the nation, usually at war memorials. This was initiated by returned soldiers after the First World War in the 1920s as a common form of remembrance. The first official dawn service was held at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1927, which was also the first year that all states recognised a public holiday on the day. Initially dawn services were only attended by veterans who followed the ritual of 'standing to' before two minutes of silence was observed, broken by the sound of a lone piper playing the 'Last Post'. Later in the day, there were marches in all the major cities and many smaller towns for families and other well wishers.
Today it is a day when Australians reflect on the many different meanings of war. Gatherings are held at war memorials across the country.
For Greek Orthodoxy, today is Good Friday, the most solemn and melancholy day in the Church calendar. On Good Friday morning, at the service of the Royal Hours, we remember all the Old Testament prophesies that foretold the coming, teaching, suffering, and death of Christ. In the afternoon, the wooden icon representing Christ’s dead body is taken down from the Cross, and wrapped in a white sheet for burial. A cloth icon of the deceased body of Christ, called the Epitaphion, is carried in a procession around the Church and placed on the flower bedecked and canopied Bier called the Kouvouklion. We have prepared Christ’s body for the wake or the viewing.
On Good Friday evening we gather to mourn the Service of the Lamentations. We sing three lamentation hymns with many verses. The great paradox is that Christ, who is the Son of God and the source of all life, is now seen dead before us. We sing “E Zoe en tafo”, that is, “O Christ, you, who are Life, You are now laid in the tomb, and ranks of angels were amazed, glorifying your condescension.” Then the funeral procession takes place. The Bier/Kouvouklion is carried in sacred procession and, upon its return to church, the icon of the dead Christ is placed on the Altar.
Today is also St Mark’s Feast Day. Most of what we know about Mark the Evangelist, comes directly from the New Testament. He is usually identified with the Mark of Acts 12:12. (When Peter escaped from prison, he went to the home of Mark's mother.) Paul and Barnabas took him along on the first missionary journey, but for some reason Mark returned alone to Jerusalem. It is evident, from Paul's refusal to let Mark accompany him on the second journey despite Barnabas's insistence, that Mark had displeased Paul. Later, Paul asks Mark to visit him in prison so we may assume the trouble did not last long.
The oldest and the shortest of the four Gospels, the Gospel of Mark emphasizes Jesus' rejection by humanity while being God's triumphant envoy. Probably written for Gentile converts in Rome—after the death of Peter and Paul sometime between A.D. 60 and 70—Mark's Gospel is the gradual manifestation of a "scandal", that is, a crucified Messiah.
This is also Pesach, or Passover, for the Jews. This springtime holiday always begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. The basic theme of the holiday is the exodus from slavery in Egypt; the various rituals and texts associated with Pesach help to establish and understand this crucial narrative of Jewish communal memory. The basic story is found in the book of Exodus, chapters 1-15. Chapters 12-15 contain details of the observance of the holiday itself.
The name Pesach comes from a Hebrew word meaning "to pass through" or "to pass over". It refers to the story of how God "passed over" the houses of the Jews during the plague of the Death of the First Born. "Pesach" is also the name of the sacrificial offering (a lamb) that was made in the Temple on this holiday. Pesach is also sometimes called the Chag Ha-Aviv "Holiday of the Springtime," or Zman Cherutenu "the Season of our Freedom."
On the first night of Pesach (first two nights for many traditional Jews outside Israel), there is a special meal filled with ritual to teach the significance of the holiday. This meal is called a Seder, from a Hebrew word meaning "order." There is a set of texts that are to be discussed in a specific order. The Seder also includes rituals of eating matzah and bitter herbs, singing holiday songs, and asking questions. It is a multi-media Jewish ritual event! The texts, prayers and instructions for the evening are found in a volume called the Hagaddah, which means 'telling.' The point of the evening is not to read the Hagaddah, but to use it as a springboard to 'jump off the page.'
The most well-known observances of Pesach are the holding of the Seder meal on the first night (or nights) and the prohibitions against the eating of Hametz - leavened foods. Leavened foods include anything made from five basic grains: wheat, barley, spelt, rye, and oats. This includes anything made from these products, including beer and grain alcohols. The only acceptable way to eat these grain products is in the form of Matzah, or unleavened bread, which is baked very quickly so that the dough does not rise. This helps to remember the speed with which the Israelites left Egypt. The Bible says that they did not have time for their bread to rise. Other kinds of foods can be made from ground-up matzah, including cakes and confections, but these are prepared especially for Pesach.
Jews of Ashkenazic (European) descent often also refrain from eating a category of food called kitniyot. These are products made from seeds and beans, including rice, corn, and legumes. The concern is that the prohibited foods may be confused with these items in processed form. Many Sephardic Jews will eat kitniyot, but customs vary widely. Biblically, Pesach lasts for seven days, but, since Rabbinic times, many communities observe eight days. The prohibition against eating leavened foods lasts until sundown after the final day of the holiday. Today is the sixth day of Pesach.
Enjoy your weekend, and if Orthodox, Happy Easter! If Jewish, Happy Passover!
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” - Lewis B. Smedes
This week is Holy Week for the Orthodox people and Orthodox Easter is this Sunday. Today is Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, which is the Thursday before Easter Sunday, observed by Christians in commemoration of Christ's Last Supper. The name Maundy is derived from mandatum (Latin, "commandment"), the first word of an anthem sung in the liturgical ceremony on that day. Another derivation is from the Latin mundo, "I ritually cleanse," referring to Christ's washing the feet of the apostles.
In many churches, the Eucharist is celebrated in a liturgy that includes Holy Communion. During the Roman Catholic liturgy, the ceremony of the washing of the feet, or pedilavium, is performed: the celebrant washes the feet of 12 people to commemorate Christ's washing of his disciples' feet. In England a custom survives of giving alms ("maundy pennies") to the poor; this recalls an earlier practice in which the sovereign washed the feet of the poor on Maundy Thursday. In most European countries, the day is known as Holy Thursday.
The feast of Maundy (or Holy) Thursday solemnly commemorates the institution of the Eucharist, where Christ blesses bread and wine which miraculously transubstantiate .This is the oldest of the observances peculiar to Holy Week.
Eucharist |ˈyoōkərist| noun The Christian ceremony commemorating the Last Supper, in which bread and wine are consecrated and consumed. • the consecrated elements, esp. the bread. The bread and wine are referred to as the body and blood of Christ, though much theological controversy has focused on how substantially or symbolically this is to be interpreted. The service of worship is also called Holy Communion or (chiefly in the Protestant tradition) the Lord's Supper or (chiefly in the Catholic tradition) the Mass. See also consubstantiation , transubstantiation . DERIVATIVES Eucharistic |ˌyoōkəˈristik| |ˈˈjukəˈrɪstɪk| |-ˈrɪstɪk| adjective Eucharistical |ˌyoōkəˈristikəl| |ˈˈjukəˈrɪstəkəl| |-ˈrɪstɪk(ə)l| adjective ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French eucariste, based on ecclesiastical Greek eukharistia ‘thanksgiving,’ from Greek eukharistos ‘grateful,’ from eu ‘well’ + ‘offer graciously’ (from kharizesthaikharis ‘grace’ ).
Salvador Dalí’s 1955 painting of “The Last Supper” is shown above.
“In a separation it is the one who is not really in love who says the more tender things.” – Marcel Proust
A poem written many years ago when I was coping with a parting of ways, an ending and a separation that was predestined even from before the union that begat it. “Evasion” seems an odd title on first reading, but think about it…
Evasion
My emotions leave me Deserting the confines of the walls of my heart; In single file they abandon me Responding to your wily invitation. And I – I feel empty, deluded and betrayed.
My every thought scatters, Escaping from the cramped prison of my mind In heterogenous gangs they escape, run Behind you, flying, following you. And I – I’m arid, solitary, desolate.
My few joys disappear, Away from my life they vanish; They fade like the few luminous gleams Of the last firework. And I – I’m in the darkness, sad, dejected, melancholy.
My hopes run away from me, They fly like delicate, blue butterflies. My soul, a bare little box Containing only the emptiness of despair, A zero, a null void, a barren waste; And I – I can feel nothing now.
Without you, in my torment, I’m only a carcass Without hopes, joys, thoughts or feelings.
“The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Today is Earth Day, and it is on this day that we make a point of taking heed of the planet’s cries for help. Environment groups all around the world organise demonstrations, special events, lectures, and increase awareness about issues that we should be thinking about every day of the year, not just n Earth Day.
In 1969, as a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson (1916-2005) came up with one of the most powerful ideas of his time: Earth Day. Inspired by the teach-ins dealing with the Vietnam War, Earth Day was an instant success, drawing 20 million participants the first year (1970). American Heritage Magazine called the first Earth Day "one of the most remarkable happenings in the history of democracy." Each year since, Earth Day has been celebrated around the world.
When Senator Nelson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995, President Clinton noted, “as the founder of Earth Day, he is the grandfather of all that grew out of that event— the Environmental Protection Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act. He also set a standard for people in public service to care about the environment and try to do something about it.”
Quite aptly today, an Australian group promoting environmentally-friendly tourism has won an international award. Ecotourism Australia was named winner of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Conservation Award at the eighth Global Travel and Tourism Summit in Dubai. Ecotourism Australia was formed in 1991 as a not-for-profit organisation made up largely of private sector tourism businesses.
The group won praise for its ECO Certification Program, which encourages best practice among tourism providers in ecological sustainability, natural area management and quality of ecotourism experiences. Earlier this month, they declared Queensland's Hidden Valley Cabins and Tours, in the Paluma Range north-west of Townsville, Australia's first fully carbon neutral tourism operator. For the WTTC awards, recognising best practice in sustainable tourism development, 11 international judges chose three finalists in each category before visiting those on the short-list.
I planted a tree today. What did you do for Earth Day 2008?
“In the end, we conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.” - Baba Dioum, Senegalese poet.
“Any subject is good for opera if the composer feels it so intently he must sing it out.” - Gian Carlo Menotti
We watched an opera on DVD yesterday and it proved to be quite a good production. The medium of the DVD certainly lends itself well to opera, with its great video and audio quality, but also with the action so well transported from stage to TV screen. The opera was Claudio Monteverdi’s (1567-1643) “Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria” in Humphrey Burton’s version of 2002. The story is taken from Homer’s Odyssey and concerns the homecoming of Ulysses from the Trojan War.
Monteverdi can be justly considered one of the most powerful figures in the history of music. He was the first to write what we consider nowadays as opera. Monteverdi became known as a leading exponent of the modem approach to harmony and text expression. In 1607 his first opera, “Orfeo”, was produced in Mantua and it was followed by several more. In 1640, “Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria” was composed. This was Monteverdi's first opera for Venice. The opera was very successful in Venice, where it had ten performances, and was then taken to the Teatro Castrovillani in Bologna.
The production in this DVD is French and playing the leads are: Kresimir Spicer as Ulisse, Marijana Mijanovic as Penelope, Cyril Auvity as Telemaco and Joseph Cornwell as Eumete. The settings are a little sparse, but one then tends to concentrate more on the music. Well worth seeing and listening to this!
I have been blogging daily on this platform for several years now. It is surprising that I have persisted as the world is changing and "microblogging" is now the norm. I blog to amuse myself, make comment on current affairs, externalise some of my creativity, keep notes on things that interest me, learn something new and to surprise myself with things that I discover about this wonderful, and sometimes crazy, world we live in.
I sometimes get the impression that I am on a soapbox delivering a monologue, so your comments are welcome.
