NCDOT NOW for August 10th, 2018

RALEIGH – The following are highlights from this week at the N.C. Department of Transportation. The stories below are also featured inNCDOT Now, the department's weekly newscast.

Driving in Severe Weather

Bad weather can strike at any time, creating hazardous driving conditions so it’s imperative that motorists are familiar with some important safety tips in order to stay safe.

•    Prepare ahead of time by checking to make sure vehicle tires and brakes are in good condition.

•    If you must drive, stay alert and be ready for sudden stops. Allow for at least twice the normal following distance between vehicles when the road is wet;

•    If your vehicle starts to hydroplane, take your foot off the gas, lightly apply the brakes and then steer in the direction of the skid;

•    Remember that state law requires you to turn on your headlights when using your windshield wipers;

•    For those with automatic headlights, check and make sure they’re on when it’s raining, but possibly not dark enough for them to turn on; and

•    Avoid driving through standing pools of water or flooded areas. A foot of rushing water can carry away many vehicles, while two feet of rushing water can carry many pickups and SUVs. Most flood-related drownings occur when someone drives through standing or rushing water and their vehicle is swept away.

Slowing down and taking a few extra minutes can save lives. For more severe weather driving tips, visit ReadyNC.org.

N.C. Drone Summit

This week, hundreds of leaders from the research, commercial and public safety communities came together for the first annual North Carolina Drone Summit. Speakers, exhibitors and flight demonstrators from across the globe showcased the present and future of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or drone, industry.

Some of the session topics discussed ways to use drones for coastal water rescues, new technologies with a public safety focus and envisioning what the future of mobility with drones could look like.

Drone racing and over a dozen flight demonstrations showed attendees some of the many practical applications of drones, including collision reconstructions, bridge inspection, law enforcement and digital mapping.

Governor’s School Supply Drive

While doing back to school shopping, people are encouraged to consider buying an additional item for the Governor’s School Supply Drive that’s running until Aug. 17.

Typical supplies such as paper, pens, pencils, spiral notebooks and tissues can be dropped off at all State Employee Credit Union branches across the state. The supplies collected will then be delivered to schools across the state.

For more information about NCDOT Now, contact the NCDOT Communications Office at (919) 707-2660. Additional news stories from throughout the week can be found on NCDOT.gov.

***END NCDOT NOW SEGMENT***

CROWDFUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES


If you receive value from what Macon Media provides to the community, please consider becoming a supporter and contribute at least a dollar a month.



Become a Patron!
If you have a business or event you are interested in sponsorship opportunities or underwriting coverage, send an email to editor@MaconMedia.com for more information. Serious inquiries only. Macon Media rewards early sponsors/underwriters with lifetime guaranteed low rates while newer sponsors/underwriters pay higher rates based on the date they first support Macon Media.

Thank You to the people who have been sending in donations and those businesses who are underwriting coverage of news and events. You have kept Macon Media online.


Published at 11:20 am on August 10, 2018

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NCDOT Now for January 5, 2018 Winter Weather Q & A

RALEIGH – The following are highlights from this week at the N.C. Department of Transportation. The stories below are also featured in NCDOT Now, the department's weekly newscast.

Winter Weather Q&A

North Carolina experienced its first big winter storm of the season this week. During these events, we receive a lot of questions about how the NCDOT prepares for and responds to winter storms. We thought this would be an opportunity to answer some of those questions.

Why Does NCDOT Sometimes not Pre-treat the Roads?

Our crews often treat roads with a salt and water mixture called brine that helps prevent ice from forming on the roads at the beginning of the storm.

To be most effective, the brine must be applied on dry roads when the temperature is above 18 degrees. So, if the forecast calls for an event to begin as all rain, the crews won’t pre-treat because the brine would be washed away. Interestingly, brine is about half the cost of rock salt.

When Will my Road be Cleared?

DOT is responsible for more than 163,800 lane miles of roads, so it must prioritize which roads to target first. Interstates and U.S. routes are cleared first because they are essential for connectivity.

Once those roads are clear, crews shift to N.C. routes, then lower-volume primary routes, secondary roads then subdivisions.

Why Did a Snowplow Drive by my House With its Plow Up?

Drivers have specific routes they are assigned, so the driver was likely on the way to that route or back to the maintenance yard to replenish salt supplies.

Can I Get Home?/How Do I Get Home?

The best way to get information about specific road conditions is to go to DriveNC.gov. There you can search by route, region or county. You can also view traffic cameras and find links to other important information.

What is Black Ice and How do You Treat It?

Black ice is snow or ice that has melted and refrozen into thin layers. Because it looks like a wet spot on the road, it appears black like the pavement. To treat it, the department applies rock salt to aid in melting. Sand is sometimes added to help increase traction and break down the ice.

NCDOT does its best to treat areas it knows are prone to black ice, but because it is in isolated spots and forms quickly, it’s not possible to treat every spot. The best way to avoid black ice is to stay off roads unless you absolutely must go out. If you do, drive slowly and leave plenty of space between vehicles in front of you.

Winter Weather Safety Tips

Leaving space between vehicles is good advice anytime we have inclement weather. Below are some additional important safety tips to keep you and your family safe.

Staying off the roads during snow and ice is the best option, but if you must travel:

•Slow down. Speed is the primary cause of wrecks in winter weather;
•Approach bridges and overpasses with extreme caution as they become icy first. Don’t apply your brakes while on a bridge;
•Treat intersections where traffic signals are out as a four-way stop;
•Stay at least 200 feet behind active plows. This also allows them to do their job; and
•Drive smoothly without sudden accelerating, braking or turning.
•You can find additional advice on weather preparation by downloading the state’s Ready NC app or going to ReadyNC.org. For real time traffic updates and road closures, visit DriveNC.gov.

WEATHER SPONSOR

Adams Products, a Division of Oldcastle is underwriting the daily weather briefing & public safety updates for the month. 

Open 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, M-F, located at 895 Hickory Knoll Road, Franklin, NC. Visit our Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/Adams.Oldcastle.Franklin.NC/

All your masonry needs are available. Phone number is 828.524.8545, public is welcome, we’ll help with your with your next project.   

CROWD FUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

If you receive value from what Macon Media provides to the community, please consider becoming a supporter and contribute at least a dollar a month.

If you have a business or event you are interested in sponsorship opportunities or underwriting coverage, send an email to editor@MaconMedia.com for more information. 

Serious inquiries only. Macon Media rewards early sponsors/underwriters with lifetime guaranteed low rates while newer sponsors/underwriters pay higher rates based on the date they first support Macon Media.

Thank You to the people who have been sending in donations and those businesses who are underwriting coverage of news and events. You have kept Macon Media online. 

You can find out more information on how to do that and some of what I plan to accomplish if I reach certain levels of funding at https://www.patreon.com/MaconMedia

Published at 12:05 pm am on January 5, 2018

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NCDOT Now November 14, 2013

This week on “NCDOT Now”:

•The leaves haven’t even finished changing color yet, and we’ve already seen snow flurries in parts of the state. See how our crews prepared for this first brush with winter weather.

•This time last year, NCDOT lost one of its own in a tragic accident on N.C. 12 in Dare County. We’ll show you how Brad Stevenson’s co-workers, family and friends created a lasting memorial in his honor at the maintenance yard where he worked.

•NCDOT dedicated the new I-85 bridge over the Yadkin River last week to veterans who have served our country in the past and those who continue to serve today. Hear why Secretary Tata said the bridge is a proper symbol to honor their sacrifice.

•Riding the train in North Carolina just got even easier. Find out how our new website makes buying your tickets quicker and more convenient.


“NCDOT Now” is posted every week. A video podcast version is available via iTunes. People with digital media players, such as iPods or iPads, as well as smartphones, can download “NCDOT Now” directly to their devices and play them back anytime, anywhere and get automatic updates of new programs. Subscribe for free by clicking here.

“NCDOT Now” is also available on the department’s YouTube page. Current and past editions of the broadcast are easily accessible by clicking on “Playlists” and selecting “NCDOT Now.”

An RSS feed of the program is also offered for those who want to subscribe and receive automatic updates via email each time a new edition is posted.

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The Linux Action Show: Wrath of Cron

Here is one of my favorite Linux Podcasts, The Linux Action Show, which is part of the Jupiter Broadcasing network of shows.


An overview of cron, the little soldier in your computer performing duties for you every single day. Plus our ideas to play with cron, and the powerful things it's used for in the Enterprise.

Plus Steam officially launches for Linux, and Valve turns on the love lamp for Linux gamers. Munich responds to Microsoft's outrageous study, Ubuntu Phone images are on the way, a look at Chrome OS's recent successes...

AND SO MUCH MORE! 

All this week on The Linux Action Show!

Show notes & Download: http://bit.ly/las248

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The Linux Action Show: Podcasting on Linux

Here is one of my favorite Linux Podcasts, The Linux Action Show, which is part of the Jupiter Broadcasing network of shows.


We cover the state of media production on Linux, and share our tips to get your own podcast, powered by Linux, off the ground! And we answer a very popular audience question: how to record Skype calls under Linux.

Plus: A mini-review of KDE 4.10, Gabe claims Linux is a "get-out-of-jail free pass" for the gaming industry, Carmack says skip native the native port and focus on WINE, we share the great news for new Linux laptop users...

AND SO MUCH MORE!

All this week on, The Linux Action Show!

Find out more about this show at The Linux Action Show.

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Music Monday: Tchaikovsky Symphony 4, Op. 36.

In this installment of Music Monday, we turn to Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 4. The performance embedded here is by the Sydney Youth Orchestra Family Concert, which is composed mostly of high school students.



Tchaikovsky Symphony 4, Full Length, Op. 36. Complete 4th Symphony in HD. Brian Buggy conducting SYO Philharmonic. 

Starting times of movements are:

1. Starts at 00:02 - Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima (F minor, 424 bars)
2. Starts at 10:05 - Andantino in modo di canzona (B♭ minor, 304 bars)
3. Starts at 28:00 - Scherzo. Pizzicato ostinato. Allegro (F major, 414 bars)
4. Starts at 34:05 - Finale. Allegro con fuoco (F major, 293 bars)

More information about this work can be seen at Wikipedia.

All his life, Tchaikovsky retained a love for this symphony. At the end of 1878 he wrote: "I adore terribly this child of mine; it is one of only a few works with which I have not experienced disappointment". Ten years later, when referring to the symphony, he wrote "it turns out that not only have I not cooled towards it, as I have cooled towards the greater part of my compositions, but on the contrary, I am filled with warm and sympathetic feelings towards it. I don't know what the future may bring, but presently it seems to me that this is my best symphonic work" 

Source: Tchaikovsky Research

Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony was a great success when it premièred in February 1878.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётръ Ильичъ Чайковскій) May 7, 1840 -- November 6, 1893 was a Russian composer of the Romantic era. His wide-ranging output includes symphonies, operas, ballets, instrumental, chamber music and songs. He wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the classical repertoire, including the ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, the 1812 Overture, his First Piano Concerto, his last three numbered symphonies, and the opera Eugene Onegin.

Famous recordings of Tchaikovsky Symphony 4 include: Herbert von Karajan - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein - New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) - San Francisco Symphony, Evgeny Svetlanov - USSR Symphony and Valery Gergiev, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Pink Floyd's hit song "Wish You Were Here" opens with the finale of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony being tuned on David Gilmour's car radio. "Wish You Were Here", Pink Floyd's album with the same title, sold an estimated 13 million copies worldwide.
The symphony is scored for piccolo, flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, violins, violas, cellos and double bases.

Most of the performers here are High School students.

Recorded live at the Sydney Youth Orchestra Family Concert, December 3, 2011 at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

The orchestra's website is http://syo.com.au

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Linux Action Show: Google Docs Alternative

The Linux Action Show is one of my favorite video podcasts about all things Linux.


From the video description:

Google Docs has some powerful features, collaborative editing being chief among them. This week we'll show you why Etherpad Lite is more than just multiplayer notepad.

Plus why Valve's Gabe Newell thinks Apple might be a big threat, the major new feature landing in Ubuntu 13.04, and the tasty gift Google gave to some UK schools!

AND SO MUCH MORE!

All this week on, The Linux Action Show!

Visit Jupiter Broadcasting to see all the other shows they offer.

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Music Monday: The Vienna Philharmonic 2013 New Year's Concert

Here is the traditional concert celebrating the new year by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.



Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst
Part 1
- Josef Strauss: The Soubrette, Fast Polka, op. 109
- Johann Strauss, Jr.: Kiss Waltz, op. 400
- Josef Strauss: Theater Quadrille, op. 213
- Johann Strauss, Jr.: From the Mountains, Waltz, op. 292
- Franz von Suppé: Overture to the Operetta "Light Cavalry"

Intermission: Honeymoon

Part 2
- Josef Strauss: Music of the Spheres, Waltz, op. 235
- Josef Strauss: The Spinstress, Polka française, op. 192
- Richard Wagner: Prelude to Act III of the Romantic Opera "Lohengrin", WWV 75
- Joseph Hellmesberger, Jr.: In Confidence, Polka mazur, op. 15
- Josef Strauss: Hesperus' Paths, Waltz, op. 279 Josef Strauss: The Runners, Fast Polka, op. 237
- Joseph Lanner: Styrian Dances, op. 165
- Johann Strauss, Jr.: Melodies Quadrille, op.112
- Giuseppe Verdi: Prestissimo from the Ballet Music in Act III of the Opera "Don Carlo"
- Johann Strauss, Jr.: Where the Lemon Trees Bloom, Waltz, op. 364
- Johann Strauss, Sr.: Memories of Ernst or The Carnival of Venice, Fantasy, op. 126
- Johann Strauss Jr.: Beautiful Blue Danube, Waltz op.314
- Johann Strauss Father: Radetzky-March, op.228

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Connections - The Trigger Effect

I'm going to spend 2013 presenting the world of science, culture and technology as explored by James Burke on his television series Connections, The Day The Universe Changes, Connections², Connections³ and Re-Connections every Thursday.

Connections explores an "Alternative View of Change" (the subtitle of the series) that rejects the conventional linear and teleological view of historical progress. Burke contends that one cannot consider the development of any particular piece of the modern world in isolation. Rather, the entire gestalt of the modern world is the result of a web of interconnected events, each one consisting of a person or group acting for reasons of their own motivations (e.g. profit, curiosity, religious) with no concept of the final, modern result of what either their or their contemporaries' actions finally led to. The interplay of the results of these isolated events is what drives history and innovation, and is also the main focus of the series and its sequels.

To demonstrate this view, Burke begins each episode with a particular event or innovation in the past (usually Ancient or Medieval times) and traces the path from that event through a series of seemingly unrelated connections to a fundamental and essential aspect of the modern world.


This episode is "The Trigger Effect" and it details the world’s present dependence on complex technological networks through a detailed narrative of New York City and the power blackout of 1965. Agricultural technology is traced to its origins in ancient Egypt and the invention of the plow. The segment ends in Kuwait where, because of oil, society leaped from traditional patterns to advanced technology in a period of only about 30 years.

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Music Monday: A Three Tenors Christmas Concert

The Christmas Season is a lovely time of year for lovers of music. In this week's installment of Music Monday, I'm sharing a recording of a Christmas Concert that took place in Vienna Austria in 1999. I hope you enjoy it.


Recorded live at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, on December 23, 1999, the three most popular male vocalists in contemporary opera - Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and Jose Carreras.

Track Listing:

1. White Christmas
2. Let It Snow
3. Oh Tannenbaum
4. Ay! Para Navidad
5. Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle
6. Carol Of The Drum (The Little Drummer Boy)
7. Ave Maria, Dolce Maria
8. Wiegenlied I
9. Jingle Bells
10. Children Of Christmas
11. La Virgen La Panales
12. I'll Be Home For Christmas
13. Adeste Fideles
14. Cantique De Noel (O Holy Night)
15. Amazing Grace
16. Feliz Navidad
17. Silent Night
18. Paregaria (El Can de L'Anima a La Verge)
19. Winter Wonderland
20. Wiegenlied II
21. Sleigh Ride
22. Susani
23. Un Nuevo Siglo
24. Dormi O Bambino
25. Happy Christmas/War Is Over

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This Week in Tech #383: Mennonite Madness

Here is TWIT-TV's weekly show that discusses the week in tech...


Hosts: Leo Laporte, Patrick Norton, Jolie O'Dell, and John C. Dvorak.

Tim Cook talks, G4 Esquire, assassins everywhere, Ingress data mine, badge lust, and more.

Download or subscribe to this show at twit.tv/twit.

Running time:: 2:08:49

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Music Monday: Richard Arnell Symphony No. 3 "The New Age"

Here is a piece of music that I haven't heard in a long time, Richard Arnell's "Sympnony No 3 The New Age."




Composer: Website  Wikipedia Works CD Universe  Works on Amazon

The Conductor: Website  Wikipedia

The Orchestra: Facebook  Youtube Wikipedia

From the video description:

Conducted by Martin Yates with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Painting Info - "Emperor at Dusk" by ~ChaoyuanXu on deviantart.
I. Andante - 00:00
II. Allegro Assai - 7:02
III. Andante - 21:27
IV. Presto - 36:50
V. Andante Maestoso - 42:25
VI. Allegro - 44:06

Richard Anthony Sayer ("Tony") Arnell was an English composer of classical music. Arnell composed in all the established genres for the concert stage, and his list of works includes six completed symphonie and six string quartets.

Arnell was born in Hampstead, London. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London from 1935 to 1939, and was taught there by John Ireland (composition) and St John Dykes (piano). He was awarded the Farrar Prize for composition during his final year at the college. At the outset of the Second World War, attending the New York World Fair, Arnell (along with other English composers, e.g. Arthur Bliss) was stranded in New York, and stayed on until 1947, thereby finding himself in the position of having an established reputation in the U.S., but remaining relatively little known in his homeland. During his American soujourn, Arnell was the Music Supervisor for the BBC in North America, and was commissioned to compose (to a text by Stephen Spender) a cantata, The War God, in celebration of the opening of the United Nations, as well as a fanfare to greet Winston Churchill's arrival in New York. His music has been championed by Thomas Beecham, Leopold Stokowski and Bernard Herrmann, among others and most recently by Martin Yates (one of his composition students at Trinity). Between 1947 and 1987 he taught at Trinity College of Music in London, where his students included Peter Tahourdin (1949-52).

Arnell composed the music for The Land (1942), a 45-minute documentary film directed by Robert J. Flaherty for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was also commissioned by the Ford Motor Company to compose a symphonic suite inspired by the workers in the factory at Dagenham. The resulting work accompanies a film entitled Opus 65. Arnell established and headed the Music Department at the London International Film School until his retirement in the late 1980s. He established a reputation as a major composer for the ballet stage through collaborations with choreographers of the stature of George Balanchine, John Cranko and Frederick Ashton. His many ballets have been successfully staged in both New York and London. His score for Punch and the Child was recorded by Sir Thomas Beecham with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a recording which has seldom been out of the catalogue.

Arnell is acknowledged as being one of the most masterful orchestrators of the twentieth century, Sir Thomas Beecham describing him as the best orchestrator since Berlioz.

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The No Words Cooking Show Episode One: Potato, Onion and Eggs

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Music Monday: Siegmund von Hausegger - Nature Symphony

Composer: Siegmund von Hausegger [Wikipedia] [Siegmund von Hausegger: pan-German Symphonist] [Allmusic]

Conductor: Ari Rasilainen [Wikipedia] [Allmusic]

Performers:

WDR Sinfonieorchester Koln [Web]
WDR Rundfunkchor Koeln [Web]

More information:

Conducted by Ari Rasilainen with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Koln and the WDR Rundfunkchor Koeln.

Paintng Info - "Fantasy Landscape" by ~juananibalcanto on deviantart.

I. Gehalten un mit Dehnung - schnell - 00:00 to 18:30
II. Langsam und gedehnt - 18:30 to 38:04
III. Stürmisch bewegt - 38:04 to 45:44
IV. Sehr breit, mit größter Kraft - 45:44 to 56:38

Siegmund von Hausegger was an Austrian composer and conductor.

Siegmund was born in Graz, the son of Friedrich von Hausegger (1837-1899), a lawyer and writer on music. According to Siegmund's own account, Friedrich was "one of the first in Austria to recognize the greatness of Richard Wagner and to exert himself to the utmost in propagating his music and his ideas". According to one account, the young von Hausegger may have been made the vehicle of his critic-father's ideals. Siegmund studied music initially under his father, and a strong Wagnerian tinge is found in his own compositions, which included masses, operas and symphonic poems as well as many choruses and songs.

At the age of nineteen, von Hausegger composed a Mass for chorus and orchestra that he described as "my first serious composition". Originally intended to be performed at his college, the work proved too challenging for his fellow-pupils. His father helped him arrange a private performance before an invited audience. This event marked von Hausegger's debut both as a conductor and as a composer.

Hausegger conducted orchestras in many German and Austrian cities including Graz; Munich, where he shared the conductorship of the Kaim Orchestra with Felix Weingartner; Frankfurt (1904-6); Berlin (Blüthner Orchestra, 1910-15); and Hamburg (1910-20). After the First World War he served as conductor of the Scottish Orchestra in Glasgow and Edinburgh before returning to Munich as conductor of the Munich Philharmonic and president of the Munich Academy of Music. In 1920 he succeeded Max von Schillings as president of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Musikverein.

He was the first conductor to perform Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 in its original form. The symphony had been posthumously premiered in a version which had been substantially edited by Ferdinand Löwe. Löwe made changes to the harmonies, dynamics and phrasing in a bid to make the symphony more acceptable to the public. 0n 2 April 1932, Hausegger presented a concert in which the symphony was performed twice by the Munich Philharmonic; first in Löwe's version then using Bruckner's original autograph. Today the symphony is almost always presented in Bruckner's original form. Hausegger assisted Robert Haas and Alfred Orel in preparing the edition of Symphony published as Volume 9 of Anton Bruckner: Sämtliche Werke and he also made the first commercial recording of the symphony with the Munich Philharmonic in 1938 for HMV, using that edition. He retired from conducting in the same year. He died in Munich.

Source: GoldieG89 

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All About Android Episode 85

Hosts: Jason Howell, Eileen Rivera and Ron Richards

Nexus sells out, Droid DNA, Apple and HTC make up, movie themed games, and more.

Download or subscribe to this show at twit.tv/aaa.

We invite you to check out the full show notes for today's episode here.

Running time: 1:22:01

For even more fun tech shows, please visit Twit TV.

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Linux Action Show: s24e05

It's been a while since I've posted a show from Jupiter Broadcasting, so I'll correct that error right now...

We go hands on with the Steam for Linux beta, look at the big picture, cover the beta lockout workaround, and a timeline from rumors to launch! Plus our observations and thoughts from our tests.

Then: The good news for Nvidia users, a new Linux tablet, a big batch of your emails...

AND SO MUCH MORE!

All this week on, The Linux Action Show!

Show Notes & Download: http://bit.ly/tlas235


These guys put out a plethora of tech related shows and you can find them at Jupiter Broadcasting.

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Music Monday: Hans Pfitzner - Piano Trio Op. 8

Here is another composer that not many people have heard today. Among his students were Sem Dresden, Ture Rangström, Otto Klemperer, W. H. Hewlett, Heinrich Jacoby, Czesław Marek, Charles Münch, Felix Wolfes, Carl Orff and Heinrich Sutermeister. 

This piece is performed by the Robert Schumann Trio, who no website that I can find. Members of the group are Jozef De Beenhouwer, Kees Hülsmann and Marien Van Staalen.

Tracks included in this performance are:

I. Kraftig Und Feurig - Nicht Zu Schnell - 8:04
II. Langsam - Nicht Schleppen - 13:41
III. Massig Schnell - Etwas Frei Im Votrag - 6:05
IV. Rasch Und Wild - 16:29

Hans Pfitzner (1869--1949) was born in Moscow of German parents. His father was a professional violinist and he received violin lessons from his father. Later he studied piano and composition at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt. He enjoyed a long career as a conductor and teacher. His music was held in high regard by contemporaries such as Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler. Pfitzner was an avowed opponent of the Second Vienna School with its serialism and atonal music. Instead, he sought new paths for traditional tonality. He composed in nearly every genre and is best known for his operas. He did not ignore chamber music, writing a number of string quartets, a piano trio and a piano quintet.


For more information on the composer:

Wikipedia


Discography at AllMusic

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Music Monday Returns: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor Op. 134 "Hakon Jarl"

Finally, a Music Monday post that actually occurs on a Monday!

Our composer this week is the little-known Carl Reinecke. He has over 300 works to his name, most of them written in his 70s and 80s.


Liner Notes:


Composed by Carl Reinecke


Conducted by Howard Shelley with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

Arrangement:

 I. Hakon Jarl - 11:21
II. Thora - 7:31
III. In Odin's Grove - 5:27
IV. Oluf's Victory - 11:50

Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 134 dates from 1875, although a revised score exists in manuscript from 1888. Unusually, Reinecke adds a preface to the score which suggests that the work was inspired by Hakon Jarl -- a Norwegian historical tragedy by the Danish playwright Oehlenschläger -- although Reinecke insists that it is not to be regarded as programme music. The eponymous hero does battle and wins victory for the Norse god Odin and, at the same time, admires his daughter Thora. Each movement (reflecting characters and incidents from the tale) has a title in the manuscript, as follows:

1. Hakon Jarl
2. Thora
3. In Odin's Grove
4. Oluf's Victory

In a footnote he also emphasises the metronomic precision with which tempo indications within the score were determined but, addressing future conductors of the work, adds that they should be 'imperceptible'

Reinecke had a penchant for slow introductions, a trait he probably learned from Haydn, and indeed the formal perfection of Haydn and Mozart is clearly the model for all four movements. The da capo repeat must be strictly enforced in order to comply with his rigorous application of sonata form. Reinecke's natural melodic gift blossoms in the broadly flowing second subject of this opening movement, with its beautiful horn solos and striking use of exposed wind sonorities. Perhaps this music reflects the hero's romantic yearning.

The second movement, in its implied portrait of the beautiful Thora, has a gentle momentum and a plaintive tone. Chromatic modulation is used throughout and there is a most effective agitato development before the movement returns to the mild undulation of the opening phrases. The third movement is a charming Intermezzo, reminiscent in sound and mood to Brahms's First Symphony which received its premiere the year this work was composed, and which Reinecke must have known. The busy, sprightly central episode could quite conceivably belong in a ballet score.

The last movement of this rather long work begins tentatively before the main theme, confident and ardent, breaks forth in the tonic major, affording relief after the preceding minor keys. The thematic material is exhaustively worked out with, seemingly, every possible variation brought to bear, the final passage contriving to bring about a reprise of the symphony's opening motif. - Chandos

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Countdown to the 2012 RNC Convention: Convention Insider Episode 1

The 2012 Republican National Convention will be taking place from August 27th to August 30th in Tampa, Florida.

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be sharing with you daily a series of videos and other information to help countdown the days to the RNC Convention that will be nominating Mitt Romney to be the nominee of the Republican Party in 2012.

This is the first video of the Convention Insider:



Here are the various ways the RNC Convention has chosen for communications channels:

Twitter


Facebook


YouTube


Google Plus


Convention Blog


Pinterest


Foursquare


Flickr


LinkedIn


Instagram

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Countdown to the 2012 RNC Convention: Meet America's Comeback Team

This is the first in a series of posts counting down to the 2012 RNC Convention. After the convention, I will also be posting a series of action-oriented posts on how you can get involved in this campaign and make a difference.

These last four years have seen higher unemployment, declining incomes, and crushing debt. This cannot be the new normal. America needs a comeback. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan: America's Comeback Team.


Learn more at the following websites:

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