Many consider Dmitri Shostakovich the greatest composer of the 20th century. Born September 25, 1906, he might not have lived past his teens if he hadn't been talented. During the famines of the Revolutionary period in Russia, Alexander Glazunov, director of the Petrograd (later Leningrad) Conservatory, arranged for the poor and malnourished Shostakovich's food ration to be increased. Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1, his graduation exercise for Maximilian Steinberg's composition course at the Conservatory, was completed in 1925 at age 19 and was an immediate success worldwide. He was The Party's poster boy; his Second and Third Symphonies unabashedly subtitled, respectively, "To October". (celebrating the Revolution) and "The First of May". (International Workers' Day).
His highly emotional harmonic language is simultaneously tough yet communicative, but his expansion of Mahlerian symphonic structure, dissonances, sardonic irony, and dark moods eventually clashed with the conservative edicts of Communist Party officials. In 1936 he was viciously denounced by Pravda...
His highly emotional harmonic language is simultaneously tough yet communicative, but his expansion of Mahlerian symphonic structure, dissonances, sardonic irony, and dark moods eventually clashed with the conservative edicts of Communist Party officials. In 1936 he was viciously denounced by Pravda...
- 9/26/2016
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Convicted killer Robert O. Marshall, whose life inspired the best-selling true-crime book Blind Faith and whose upcoming parole hearing divided his sons over whether he was innocent or guilty of the 1984 murder-for-hire of their mother, has died in prison, his son says. Christopher Marshall, speaking to the Asbury Park Press, says his father died Saturday after more than 30 years behind bars in New Jersey. Christopher, 48, and his brother Roby, 49, firmly opposed their father's possible release after he was convicted of the contract killing of his wife Maria, then 42, allegedly to collect a $1.5 million insurance policy. Their youngest brother, John, 44, has...
- 2/23/2015
- by Jeff Truesdell, @jhtruesdell
- PEOPLE.com
Convicted killer Robert O. Marshall, whose life inspired the best-selling true-crime book Blind Faith and whose upcoming parole hearing divided his sons over whether he was innocent or guilty of the 1984 murder-for-hire of their mother, has died in prison, his son says. Christopher Marshall, speaking to the Asbury Park Press, says his father died Saturday after more than 30 years behind bars in New Jersey. Christopher, 48, and his brother Roby, 49, firmly opposed their father's possible release after he was convicted of the contract killing of his wife Maria, then 42, allegedly to collect a $1.5 million insurance policy. Their youngest brother, John, 44, has...
- 2/23/2015
- by Jeff Truesdell, @jhtruesdell
- PEOPLE.com
Christopher Eccleston and Vicky McClure are among the actors who will read war poetry on More4 during Remembrance Weekend.
On November 9 and 10, More4 will mark Remembrance Sunday with a weekend of poetry and other programming.
This year's coverage will include material that focuses on conflicts from World War I to the present day.
Noel Clarke, McClure and Eccleston will read works by Seamus Heaney, John Agard, Carol Ann Duffy and Dunya Mikhail in short films to be broadcast between programmes.
Last year's poems about World War I will also be featured once again, with readings by Gemma Arterton, Sean Bean, Stephen Graham and Sophie Okonedo.
Other programming will include docudrama The Somme, World War I documentary War Horse: The Real Story, and a first-person retelling of the Falklands' Most Daring Raid.
More4 Commissioning Editor in Specialist Factual John Hay said: "It's easy for those of us who have never been...
On November 9 and 10, More4 will mark Remembrance Sunday with a weekend of poetry and other programming.
This year's coverage will include material that focuses on conflicts from World War I to the present day.
Noel Clarke, McClure and Eccleston will read works by Seamus Heaney, John Agard, Carol Ann Duffy and Dunya Mikhail in short films to be broadcast between programmes.
Last year's poems about World War I will also be featured once again, with readings by Gemma Arterton, Sean Bean, Stephen Graham and Sophie Okonedo.
Other programming will include docudrama The Somme, World War I documentary War Horse: The Real Story, and a first-person retelling of the Falklands' Most Daring Raid.
More4 Commissioning Editor in Specialist Factual John Hay said: "It's easy for those of us who have never been...
- 11/8/2013
- Digital Spy
The 2012 Soul Train Awards nominations were announced Wednesday (Sept. 19), earning R&B artist R. Kelly a place in history as he brought his nominations total to 21 for his career, more than any other artist.
Usher received the most for 2012, with five nominations. Kelly received two noms, while the late Whitney Houston was nominated for Best Gospel Inspirational Performance and the late Amy Winehouse was nominated for Best International Performance.
The awards will be held Nov. 8 at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer. They will air on Bet on Nov. 25.
The full list of nominees:
Best New Artist
Elle Varner
Emeli Sande
J. Cole
Luke James
Robert Glasper
Centric Award
Daley
Esperanza Spalding
Gary Clark Jr.
Leah Labelle
Santigold
Best Gospel/Inspirational Performance
BeBe Winans- "America America"
Fred Hammond- "I Feel Good"
Marvin Sapp- "My Testimony"
Mary Mary- "Go Get It"
Whitney Houston and...
Usher received the most for 2012, with five nominations. Kelly received two noms, while the late Whitney Houston was nominated for Best Gospel Inspirational Performance and the late Amy Winehouse was nominated for Best International Performance.
The awards will be held Nov. 8 at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer. They will air on Bet on Nov. 25.
The full list of nominees:
Best New Artist
Elle Varner
Emeli Sande
J. Cole
Luke James
Robert Glasper
Centric Award
Daley
Esperanza Spalding
Gary Clark Jr.
Leah Labelle
Santigold
Best Gospel/Inspirational Performance
BeBe Winans- "America America"
Fred Hammond- "I Feel Good"
Marvin Sapp- "My Testimony"
Mary Mary- "Go Get It"
Whitney Houston and...
- 9/20/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Peter Strickland's thriller about a home counties sound engineer hired by a 70s Italian horror studio is one of the films of the year
One of the most remarkable British movies of the past couple of years, Berberian Sound Studio is a psychological thriller set entirely in the Kafkaesque offices of a sleazy Italian film company in the 1970s. It brings together a gifted trio of independent British film-makers: producer Keith Griffiths, who has been behind a dozen or more daring, offbeat pictures, including most recently the Cannes Palme d'Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives; the cinematographer Nic Knowland, whose numerous credits since the late 1970s include Tony Palmer's Shostakovich biography Testimony and the Quay brothers' Institute Benjamenta; and writer-director Peter Strickland, a truly European director who made his feature debut in Hungary three years ago with Katalin Varga.
The low-budget Katalin Varga,...
One of the most remarkable British movies of the past couple of years, Berberian Sound Studio is a psychological thriller set entirely in the Kafkaesque offices of a sleazy Italian film company in the 1970s. It brings together a gifted trio of independent British film-makers: producer Keith Griffiths, who has been behind a dozen or more daring, offbeat pictures, including most recently the Cannes Palme d'Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives; the cinematographer Nic Knowland, whose numerous credits since the late 1970s include Tony Palmer's Shostakovich biography Testimony and the Quay brothers' Institute Benjamenta; and writer-director Peter Strickland, a truly European director who made his feature debut in Hungary three years ago with Katalin Varga.
The low-budget Katalin Varga,...
- 9/1/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Director: Martin Scorsese Writer: Laeta Kalogridis Release Date: August 2 2010 Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment Number of discs: 1 Region: 2 Price: From £9.99 Running Time: 133 mins Certificate: 15 Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, John Carroll Lynch, Elias Koteas Before Shutter Island even appeared on mainstream release, Scorsese cleverly played with viewers by using the trailer to trick them into expecting a straight-forward horror film and luring them into a false comfort zone of misplaced preconceived notions. On the surface Shutter Island is about Us Marshall Teddy Daniel's investigation of missing patient, Rachel (Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson) at Ashecliff mental asylum on Shutter Island. Armed with his own agenda, Teddy's investigation is not so straight-forward - Teddy seeks another patient, Andrew Laeddis, the man who burnt down his home and in doing so, killed his wife, Dolores (Michelle Williams). Having previously met an ex-Ashecliff inmate...
- 8/10/2010
- by Salty Or Sweet
- t5m.com
It’s been far too long since I’ve posted on my own blog here at Fangoria Musick, and I feel that now is a perfect time to do so. Fangoria as a magazine is celebrating it's 30th year of publication in 2009, and with Fangoria #284 already out to subscribers, and due to officialy hit the streets on May 19th, I felt it was time to share my own experience with the tenebrous magazine of guts, gore and glory.
In 1987, I was just ending my sixth grade year as a geeky kid in a tiny coastal town in Oregon. So tiny, it really was a blip of a speed bump on the highway that you’d miss if you blinked. Even at that “tender” age, I had become a fan of strange horror movies. I loved how the villains (at least the well written ones) could captivate the audience with their...
In 1987, I was just ending my sixth grade year as a geeky kid in a tiny coastal town in Oregon. So tiny, it really was a blip of a speed bump on the highway that you’d miss if you blinked. Even at that “tender” age, I had become a fan of strange horror movies. I loved how the villains (at least the well written ones) could captivate the audience with their...
- 5/15/2009
- Fangoria
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