‘Despised and rejected,' she personified resurrection in ‘Messiah'
Charles King, a professor of international affairs and government at Georgetown University, is the author of 'Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel's Messiah.'
Eighteenth-century composers were not accustomed to undertaking greatest-hits tours — but George Frideric Handel may have invented the concept. A German immigrant to London, Handel was the most renowned public musician of his day. His 'Water Music' accompanied King George I on a lavish boating party. His anthems ushered George II to his coronation. But in his late-fifties, obese and fond of unfashionably large wigs, Handel needed a revival.
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Los Angeles Times
8 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Miami City Ballet brings ‘Swan Lake' to Segerstrom
The origins of 'Swan Lake' are difficult to trace, though most audiences accept the story has roots in Russian and German folktales and most ballet companies base their productions on the 1895 revival of it. From June 20 to 22, Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa presents a particularly captivating version of it performed by Miami City Ballet. The ballet is choreographed by renowned dancemaker Alexei Ratmansky. He reconstructed this version of 'Swan Lake' using historical notations and archival material that dates back to that 1895 revival performed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov at Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, creating an 'historically informed' presentation of the iconic ballet. Miami City Ballet premiered this staging of 'Swan Lake' in 2022 under longtime artistic director Lourdes Lopez. 'Every major ballet company performs a version of 'Swan Lake' as it is truly considered the epitome of classical ballet,' Lopez said in a statement about the original run. 'Add Ratmansky's genius and being witness to the genuine love and dedication he put into restoring the ballet's original intent, we are simply honored and extremely excited for our audiences to experience the greatest of all classical ballets.' Ratmansky specializes in revising 19th- and early 20th-century ballet repertoire and Segerstrom Center has presented his versions of 'The Sleeping Beauty,' 'Whipped Cream' and 'Giselle' on its stage. 'Swan Lake' depicts themes of love, romance and betrayal while following the doomed love of Prince Siegfried and Princess Odette, as they thwart the evil Baron Von Rothbart, who has placed a curse on young women, making them swans by day and human by night. Ratmansky's version with the the Miami City Ballet premiered to much acclaim and executive director Juan José Escalante expressed his excitement about bringing the production to Costa Mesa in a statement. 'Miami City Ballet is honored to share Alexei Ratmansky's magnificent 'Swan Lake' with audiences beyond Florida for the first time since its creation in 2022,' said Escalante. 'This production has been a labor of love and performing it at the Segerstrom Center is a thrilling milestone for the company.' Founded in 1985 by Miami philanthropist Toby Lerner Ansin and headquartered in Miami Beach, Miami City Ballet is one of the country's most renowned dance companies, recognized for its artists' athleticism and vibrancy. The five performances this weekend will also feature support from Orange County's own Pacific Symphony, performing the music of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Lopez, who established herself as a cultural figure at the New York City Ballet, ends her 13-year tenure at Miami City Ballet at the end of the current season, making this limited performance even more essential. 'Over the past 13 seasons with the company, I have watched our dancers grow artistically and technically and it is a thrill to see them take on this challenging ballet,' said Lopez. Miami City Ballet's 'Swan Lake' runs at Segerstrom Center for the Arts at 600 Town Center Dr, Costa Mesa June 20 to June 22. Tickets, which start at $55.37, are available at
Newsweek
16 hours ago
- Newsweek
Mom and Daughter Play With Balloon—Then Their 82lb Doberman Gets Involved
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A lively Doberman pinscher named Diesel has won hearts across Instagram after a video of him interrupting a mother-daughter balloon game in a hilarious way went viral on the platform. In the clip, shared on Tuesday under the username @diesel_dobie, the poster, Hanny Thomas, and her daughter, from Palm Springs, California, can be seen playing back and forth with a balloon when Diesel decides it's time to get involved. The enthusiastic pup charges at the balloon with the strength of his 82lb body, fatally pawing the balloon, which he eventually ends up popping. "This is the fun you get when you live with an 82 lbs kid," reads layover text in the clip. The poster adds in the caption: "Balloons don't stand a chance around here. Wasabi in the background just taking all in what is going on here." Screenshots of the viral clip show Diesel and his owner, Hanny, playing with a balloon in their living room. Screenshots of the viral clip show Diesel and his owner, Hanny, playing with a balloon in their living room. @diesel_dobie Thomas told Newsweek that Diesel loves a balloon play session with them, and he always gets excited to get involved but also to pop the balloon. "His energy and happiness bring so much joy to our lives. I just want to encourage fellow pet owners to get their dog involved in fun activities as much as possible. They truly love being included—it means the world to them," she said. Doberman pinschers are strong, agile dogs, known for their intelligence and loyalty. But did you know that they were bred on purpose, as safety dogs? In the late19th-century, German entrepreneur and tax collector Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann decided to breed the perfect dog to keep him safe while doing his job, which at the time came with some risks. While it is not certain what breeds were used to achieve this extraordinary canine, the American Kennel Club suggests that they may have used the intelligence, biddability, and stamina of a German shepherd; the strength of the Rottweiler; the pluck and speed of the German pinscher; and the scent ability of the Weimaraner. The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 57,600 views and 3,264 likes. One user, Dragonfire4evr, commented: "He's having so much fun!" said: "We love playing this game, gets intense." Filiuk.l added: "His fur is so shiny i feel like i need this hair care." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Nurses ‘secretly keep a bad baby name book' to make fun of parents' bizarre choices: ‘Unhinged'
Name and shame. NICU nurse Victoria has seen a lot in her career — including bad baby names. One night, when she was 'bored,' she posted a TikTok video asking others in her line of work to share the strangest monikers they'd ever heard. 'And I'm not talking, like, Naveah. I'm talking so unhinged it would send the Social Security office into a coma,' she captioned the video. The nurse knew of babies named Dracula, Messiah, Bronze and Gold. But other professionals chimed in with even wilder monikers. 'Some of the names people commented were borderline unbelievable,' Victoria admitted to TODAY. According to Victoria's comments section, there are babies named Arealtruemiracle — all one word — Sheep, Narwhal, Phelony and Blessica. Another nurse claimed to have had a child named Lucifer in her care at the same time a baby named Messiah was in the ward. There were also some interesting twin pairings. For example, Brock Lee and Callie Flower, Abracadabra and Alacazam, and Canon and Crystal Ball. Looking at triplets, one person claimed to know a threesome named Lincoln, Mercedes and Bentley. Meanwhile, another chimed in saying they knew of a new mom and dad who got very flavorful with their name choice — especially the ones who named their child Frijoles Guacamole. 'On my life not joking. We secretly keep a bad baby name book to remind us of all the crazy first and middle names,' the nurse, who met the child with the delicious name, declared. One can only hope most of these are jokes waiting to be used in a prank call. Unlike countries like Iceland, which requires names to be pre-approved or New Zealand, which bans names like 'Justice' and '4Real,' the United States is basically the Wild West of baby naming. However, some states have banned certain wonky monikers. cites 11 names that have been made illegal by the courts, including King, Queen, Jesus Christ, III and Santa Claus. Fortunately, for the children of America, these wild names are still rare. The classic Liam and Olivia were announced as the top baby names for 2024 — the sixth year in a row.
