Latest news with #Baroque
Irish Independent
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Hidden Wicklow nature sanctuary to host ‘Music in the Forest' festival
Dorlindon Nature Sanctuary is a little-known spot situated between Roundwood and Kilmacanogue. It blends magical, fantasy‑themed handcrafted elements—like elven domes, log bridges, shrines, and rustic stone structures—with pristine forest and wetland habitats. Forest warden Brendan Hyldbrand said: 'We have been operating for the past seven years at Dorlindon Nature Sanctuary, and continue to develop and rewild the site. We want it to be accessible but without comprising too much at the same time. It's about giving space to nature, and the compromise involved. Once humans are involved in nature, there has to be a compromise as well. 'I suppose you would call me the owner, but really we don't own anything as we won't be around forever. I rewilded the place and included a number of structures, which I crafted myself.' Music in the Forest will run over weekends in July and August, bringing together live performances of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music, performed in a mythical forest environment. Brendan added: 'This is our first time hosting a festival like this and it is something we are very excited about. We have hosted events such as weddings, yoga retreats and school treasure hunts before. The weddings we hosted were pretty low key and involved lovers of nature. 'The festival dates will have a maximum of 135 people permitted as we want to limit the potential impact on biodiversity. It's a rare opportunity to gather, listen, and reflect in a place where music, imagination, and tradition meet. A contribution from the proceeds will go to the Children's Health Foundation.' The festival will feature 3pm to 5pm daytime concerts in a natural forest amphitheatre. Things got underway on Saturday, July 19, with Catherine Rhatigan, Treasa Ni Mhaoilean and Eileen Carr. On Saturday, July 26, a selection of Renaissance sacred polyphony from Josquin Desprez sacred music, performed by the Renaissance music vocal ensemble based in Dublin. Join Traditional Arts Collective on Saturday, August 2, for an afternoon of traditional music, myth, dance and song. You will hear tales from Irish mythology and be introduced to ancient instruments including Irish bronze age horn, flute, harp, voice and bodhrán along with sean-nós dancing demonstrations. Kathleen Loughnane and Cormac Cannon will explore 17th- and 18th-century Irish and Scottish repertoire on Sunday, August 3, drawing from the manuscripts of early music collectors. With her harp arrangements and Cormac's deep dive into the piping traditions of past uilleann masters, their programme blends solo and collaborative pieces. Cormac joins on pipes, flute, and whistle for a selection of tunes that bring old sounds vividly to life. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Paul Dooley and Kseniya Rusnak present an eclectic selection of traditional tunes from Ireland and Ukraine on Saturday, August 9,, including music from the old Irish harper composers and the medieval harp repertoire, songs and some contemporary pieces. On Sunday, August 17, Ravensdale will present compositions that include a variety of inspirations from the Early Medieval period and are sang in Old Norse, Slavic, English and Germanic, in reference to Slavic and Nordic lore. The vocal octet Dynamics Vocal Ensemble presents a selection of choral music ranging from the renaissance to contemporary, from Farmer, Palestrina, Monteverdi, Pärt, Alfven, Kodaly to Irish and German folk songs, on Saturday, August 23. Tickets for each concert can be purchased by visiting
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
31 Home Decor Finds You Won't Believe Are From Amazon
A stained glass wall hanging with floral and dragonfly details that are sure to make your "meh" rental look like the Victorian garden flat of your dreams. A woven pendant light for folks who want to create an upscale, open, and airy vibe in their home that'd make anyone a price that's actually affordable. Promising review: "We love it. We had to get a black mounting plate for the likes of our ceiling but otherwise it's awesome. It looks amazing." —Lady JLJPrice: $79.99 A handmade suitcase portable turntable with a design that suggests you snagged it from the set of Mad Men, even though the tech is anything but old school. This can convert your records into MP3 files, and it's compatible with 33, 45, and 78 rpm records. A giant bamboo wall fan to fill your blank walls well (at a price your bank account is gonna love). A Baroque mirror I can hardly believe is actually on Amazon. Get this in your life (at this price!) before everybody finds out our little secret and it's sold out for good! Promising review: "All I can say is woooow! This mirror is not only affordable, but the quality is amazing. It's heavy and not cheap looking. The gold color is not so tacky, and it's done just right. My main concern was receiving a broken mirror but the packaging was great and arrived in one piece. Don't hesitate buying this gem, you need it!" —Celeste CPrice: $84.99+ (available in five styles and 10 sizes) A retro lamp that'll shine a light on your vivid, crayon-inspired color scheme brilliantly. A floor mattress you can use all on its own. Eliminate bland bed frames from your life and create an open, organic vibe in your bedroom with this beautiful bedding solution instead. A coffee syrup dispenser set complete with premade flavor labels for turning your kitchen into the intimidatingly chic cafe you, sigh, don't have in suburbia. Interlocking Teak tiles I'm pretty certain were made specifically to turn rentals into brag-worthy homes. You don't need tools to install them as long as they're going on a hard, flat surface. That means you'll be able to simply take them apart and pack them up the next time you move! Promising review: "Living in Hawaii you have to select wise items that are weather-, salt-, and red dirt-proof, etc... In total, I ordered 11 boxes to complete my yoga deck. I have a few left over to make steps on the back. Very pleased and happy. May order more for an outdoor shower project!" —AdeliaPrice: $77.48 for a pack of 10 tiles (available in smaller sets and samples) A disco ball you're gonna need to bounce light all around your room if you're still deep into your Folklore era and want those "Mirrorball" vibes IRL. Promising review: "My apartment gets very little sunlight, but every single night I look forward to when the sun sets so I can watch the light dance around the room. This simple little mirrored ball has brought me so much joy. Definitely recommend! Yes, there are areas where the mirror pieces are applied a little haphazardly but it's mostly at the bottom and quite frankly I don't care considering how affordable this thing is." —HollyPrice: $14.99+ (available in two colors and two sizes) A pearl lamp so dang darling it'd practically be ~shellfish~ to not get it for your home! The battery-powered pearl light can be removed from the ceramic shell base and carried around, making this a great choice for children who like having a night-light nearby. Promising review: "This is a pretty and unique light, but be aware, the battery only lasts about 48 hours, so I removed one star. It is quirky and unique mood lighting." —T3268Price: $20.99 (available in two colors) An artificial olive tree for folks who love *window* shopping at Pottery Barn and West Elm, but prefer getting clever and creating the vibe at half the cost. A roll of metallic-gold leopard-print peel-and-stick wallpaper to add some glam to your place. Some people like beige as a base color. But if you, like me, love that maximalist doesn't stand a chance. Promising review: "I love love love this!! SO easy to work with and gorgeous quality. I just adore this product and can't say enough about it." —Stephanie's StuffPrice: $25.74 A quilted chenille floor pillow for anyone in an apartment so small, "furniture" is a word that needs a little wiggle your apartment has none at all. Promising review: "This comes just as pictured and described. It is comfortable and looks luxurious. It's great for floor seating." —AKhanPrice: $39.99 (available in eight colors) A cheery shower curtain that's gonna add some much needed color to your bare bathroom and make things look downright peachy! Promising review: "This is just like Urban Outfitters. It's exactly as pictured and described. Very cute!" —ShanicePrice: $19.99 A bendable halo projector lamp with FIVE halo bulbs in total — get this, and you can make your late-night study sessions entertaining in an instant. A pair of rainbow drip candles to display inside a vase, wine bottle, or candleholder. These colorful candles will brighten up your room even better than the flame you light 'em with! Promising review: "These have to be the coolest thing I have ever purchased. I have them in an empty wine bottle. I will be buying many more to cover the entire bottle in wax." —BrePrice: $5.52 An iridescent mini shelf with six different levels that'll keep your skincare, jewelry, and sunglasses on a dazzling display. A pair of plush velvet pillow covers, because the last tenant painted the walls solid black and adding rich jewel tones can help add depth and interest. Plus, plush materials like velvet are gonna organically give that dungeon a dark, romantic aesthetic. A metal mirror with an open black frame — this piece is sure to step up the aesthetic of any room it rests in. With a mirror like this, whatever reflects in it is sure to look like a piece of art. Oh, it's your face? Gorgeous! Get on the phone with Guggenheim! A pair of linen café curtains reviewers use both over their windows as a way to create privacy (while still getting light!) *and* as a gorgeous upgrade to unsightly storage spaces. If you find yourself glaring down at the packaged foods and mismatched dishes you have underneath your kitchen island, set these curtains up and hide that all away *while* making your kitchen look chic as can be! A tissue box holder for providing even the most mundane of home necessities with a chance to look overwhelmingly lovely in your place. Plus, it helps you know when to restock! An ultra soft faux-fur rug sure to feel luxurious every time you get out of bed and have this fancy fuzz between your toes instead of the cold wood floors beneath your feet. A framed canvas painting sure to create a cozy, lived-in touch in empty nooks and crannies that could use a little somethin' special. An electric candle warming lamp that'll do far more than its fair share. Light this little device up with an unlit candle underneath, and it'll evenly melt the wax (it has both a dimmer and a timer), helping your candles last longer even if they've started tunneling. Make upcoming autumnal nights cozy as can be by turning off your overhead and cuddling up beside this bright little warmer. A luxury-scented candle comparable to Le Labo's Santal 33 (we're talkin' rich notes of jasmine, oud, and sandalwood) for folks who are old enough now to want their home to have its very own signature scent. Sigh, it's such a satisfying stage in life — I'm right there with you. And this candle is about to be with ME. A wireless library light you can use to highlight favorite books or pieces of art in your home. It has both warm and cool light settings, so it can easily match your seasonal aesthetic shift. A cheerful fruit bowl with a spiffy secret — it's also a colander — for keeping your produce on display. Fresh produce on the counter looks so lovely *and* reminds you to eat your rutabagas before they go bad. A pair of ceramic vases in a Nordic neutral color. These'll add a tasteful mix of earth tones and industrial geometry to any surface you place them on. A pair of battery-operated sconces that'll instantly create a cozy, romantic, Nora Ephron-approved aesthetic in your living room. A terribly cool Tetris-esque lamp that's actually stackable! Adjust this '80s-era light whenever you get the hankering for a game of furniture Tetris. You're getting older, old enough to remember when Tetris came out... give your back a break.
Epoch Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
Peter Paul Rubens: Loves in Art and Matrimony
Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) was the consummate polymath: an erudite diplomat who spoke six languages fluently, an astute and successful entrepreneur, and one of the greatest artists of the Baroque movement. The variety of his oeuvre is astounding. Helming a large studio, his output included altarpieces, portraits, history paintings, landscapes, drawings, large-scale decorative schemes for interiors, tapestry designs, and book illustrations. Rubens's paintings employ bravura brushstrokes, dynamic movement, rich color, and dramatic lighting effects. They commemorate heroic stories from mythology, venerate Catholic iconography, and portray royals from throughout Europe.
Time Business News
7 days ago
- Business
- Time Business News
Fabrizio Moretti - Art Dealer Faces Global Art Fraud Probe
The allure of fine art has captivated the world's wealthiest individuals for centuries. Today, celebrities, financiers, and tech billionaires compete for the chance to own pieces by legendary painters and cutting-edge contemporary artists. For these elite buyers, art represents far more than a creative expression, it's a financial hedge, a vehicle for prestige, and often, an appreciating asset immune to inflation and currency fluctuations. Collectors are willing to pay astronomical sums for works that may never see the light of a museum wall, often tucked away in climate-controlled vaults or freeports. The combination of high value and low visibility has created a market ripe for misuse. Behind the glamour and sophistication of gallery openings and auction houses lies a shadowy undercurrent of fraud, forgery, and financial crime. Nowhere are these concerns more evident than in the ongoing legal battles surrounding Italian dealer Fabrizio Moretti , a once-celebrated gallerist with locations in Monaco, Florence, and London. Moretti is facing growing scrutiny across Europe, both from law enforcement and civil litigants, who allege he systematically sold forged artworks and manipulated provenance records. Investigators believe his network of galleries, including the Monte Carlo location operated by Blue Art Limited, may have been used to facilitate the movement of millions in illicit funds through high-end art transactions. An explosive turning point in Moretti's case came after a mysterious fire in 2024 destroyed a storage facility in the United Kingdom. The blaze was said to have obliterated paintings worth more than $40 million. However, forensic investigators later uncovered that at least seven of those artworks were sold to private buyers a full year after the fire, suggesting the disaster may have been staged to commit insurance fraud or hide the movement of inauthentic pieces. Two of the incinerated paintings were proven to be forgeries, while others remain under examination. Compounding Moretti's troubles is his past legal entanglement in the United States. In 2016, he filed a lawsuit in New York seeking $6 million from prominent art dealer David Zwirner over a Jeff Koons sculpture. Moretti claimed the work, which he had agreed to purchase for $2 million, had never been delivered. Zwirner countered that the sculpture had been completed and made available for collection, but that Moretti simply failed to follow through. A judge eventually dismissed the case, labeling Moretti's accusations as baseless. Zwirner's legal team framed the suit as an attempt to recoup money after the buyer experienced remorse. While the spotlight is currently on Moretti, he is far from the only figure to have exploited the opacity of the art market. In the early 2000s, Eduardo 'Eddie' Eskenazi, a flamboyant London-based dealer, was exposed for orchestrating an international ring that peddled counterfeit Renaissance and Baroque paintings to unsuspecting collectors. Authorities discovered that Eskenazi had manufactured false documentation, created fake auction histories, and placed these forgeries with seemingly legitimate dealers to build credibility. Over a span of a decade, he is believed to have profited tens of millions of dollars before eventually facing prosecution. Another striking case involves Jean-Pierre Roussel, a Parisian gallerist who specialized in early 20th-century avant-garde art. Roussel operated under a veneer of respectability, but in reality, he sourced imitations from obscure studios across Eastern Europe. These works, crafted in the style of major modernists like Modigliani and Chagall, were sold to galleries and collectors across France, Belgium, and Switzerland. Authorities finally caught up with Roussel when discrepancies in brushstroke analysis and pigment testing revealed the fraud. His downfall sent ripples through European art circles and exposed just how sophisticated forgery networks had become. One of the most infamous cases of art deception in American history remains the collapse of Knoedler , a revered gallery in New York City that had operated for more than 160 years. In 2011, the gallery abruptly closed its doors after it was revealed that over 40 paintings it had sold, claimed to be newly discovered works by Abstract Expressionist giants, were fabrications. The forgeries had been introduced by dealer Glafira Rosales, who had falsely claimed they came from a secretive collector. In truth, the paintings were created by Pei-Shen Qian , a Chinese artist living in Queens, New York, who was paid modest sums while Knoedler resold the works for millions. As the dust settled, lawsuits against Knoedler and its former associates continued for years, and some are still unresolved. In a twist that stunned investigators, several individuals familiar with Fabrizio Moretti's activities have alleged, under the condition of anonymity, that he too may have collaborated with Qian during that time. If true, it would mean that Moretti knowingly distributed forged works crafted by the same hand that brought down one of America's oldest and most respected galleries. Investigators are reportedly examining connections between Moretti's inventory and Qian's stylistic trademarks. What all these cases reveal is a disturbing pattern: a lack of oversight, few enforceable regulations, and an overwhelming reliance on trust and reputation. In an industry where billion-dollar deals can be struck on a handshake, and provenance documents can be manufactured with relative ease, the opportunities for deception are limitless. Experts within the field continue to warn of the dangers. Dr. Helena Roth, a former senior advisor on art fraud for the European Commission, notes that 'the current system invites abuse. Until we implement centralized registries, mandatory authentication protocols, and proper due diligence, the art market will remain a target for criminals.' Similarly, Marcus Lowell, a forensic archivist based in London, adds, 'Art fraud isn't about faking paint it's about faking trust. And too many players in the game are willing to believe what they want to believe.' As more layers of the Fabrizio Moretti case are peeled back, and as new scandals emerge across the globe, the fine art market faces a critical reckoning. Whether it will resist reform or finally embrace transparency remains an open question, but the stakes, both financial and cultural, could not be higher. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
ABC News
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Inside the world of musicians playing period instruments from history
People often say that classical music is a centuries-old tradition. But scratch under the surface, and you'll quickly discover that classical music has been around since before Bach and Mozart were alive, and has continued to evolve. Instruments like violins and clarinets have changed more than you might think. Others from earlier times such as crumhorns, cornetti and shawms disappeared from most stages for centuries. In one corner of the music world, a group of musicians known as period instrumentalists are dedicated to making music with historical research. Comprising players, academics and instrument-makers, they unearth manuscripts written centuries ago, learn to play using older techniques, even reproducing instruments from paintings and copies of museum pieces. Baroque violinist Madeleine Easton says entering this world is like "getting in a TARDIS, going back in time and discovering all this different music, different instruments and different tunings." Many Australian musicians who are drawn into period instruments have pursued their studies in Europe, where archives and old instruments are more readily available. Some have founded groups of like-minded musicians to champion the music they love for Australian audiences. When she discovered baroque violin during her university studies, Easton had to unlearn everything she thought she knew, from the way she was holding her instrument to using a baroque bow. Similarly, historical clarinettist Nicola Boud says hearing Mozart's music played by a wind ensemble specialising in the music of his era was a revelation. "It makes perfect sense to play the music of Mozart on the instrument that he knew," Boud says. The clarinet during Mozart's time was a simpler instrument with fewer keys and constructed from a lighter type of wood than its modern counterpart. "They're made mostly of boxwood, the same decorative hedges you see in gardens and plant nurseries," Boud explains. To play them, "you use something called cross-fingerings." Concert venues were much smaller and instruments were softer in the 18th and early 19th-centuries. This means contemporary audiences at historical performances also have to listen differently. "Audience ears often have to come towards the ensemble instead of the ensemble throwing out the sound," Boud says. Easton says even though the violin's body remains the same since its conception in the late 15th-century, virtually every other part of the instrument has been modified. "The neck, the fingerboard, the bridge and the tailpiece have evolved over the years," she says. Easton specialises in playing music written during the baroque period between 1600 to 1750. So playing baroque violin as opposed to a modern instrument gives Easton a better understanding of the sound world of those times. Boud says notes on the classical clarinet have more character, which is why it's her instrument of choice to play Mozart. Many period instrumentalists are aware these slight differences might sound nit-picky to casual listeners so they try to balance their passion for historical accuracy with a sense of humour. But ultimately they want to highlight how adding an understanding of history can enrich audiences' experience of music. Pursuing his research of historical wind instruments took musician Matthew Manchester to libraries and museums across Europe. "I spent an afternoon playing a pair of cornetti that were commissioned for James II's visit to Oxford in 1605," Manchester shares. Manchester has also played other museum pieces, including natural trumpets from the late 17th century. "[it's] like a long single pipe that loops back over itself before ending with a bell," Manchester describes. To understand how these old instruments work, Manchester poured over archives of musical manuscripts, as well as letters and other documents written by musicians. Interest in medieval, renaissance and baroque music rose in the latter half of the 20th-century, with makers reconstructing surviving instruments. They even recreated instruments from paintings. Manchester owns copies of bagpipes historically found in Germany, Belgium and England. These places aren't known for bagpipe traditions, but the bagpipers were featured in paintings and documents across Western Europe. "Bagpipes don't keep particularly well because they were literally made from guts of animals, so they tend to wear out," Manchester says. "But there's a whole repertoire of amazing dance music that survives." There were trials and errors with modern reproductions. "Modern makers used to 'fix' what they thought were problems when they were making copies," Manchester says. "But actually, those problems turned out to be the things that give those instruments their characters." Sometimes, instruments from the past can even make a comeback. "The plastic recorders we all played as kids are copies of a really great baroque recorder," Manchester says. There are several ensembles in Australia dedicated to specific periods in musical history or championing works by particular composers. Easton is the Artistic Director of the Bach Akademie Australia, an ensemble which almost exclusively perform the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. "There are more than 300 dedicated Bach ensembles around the globe, more than any other composer," Easton says. It takes a certain kind of player to play Bach's music the way Easton envisions, which "requires you to be a little bit Buddhist." "You need to have someone who is super nerdy, but who also has the capacity to play straight from their heart to the audience," Easton says. Manchester regularly performs with historically-informed ensembles and choirs in Australia and the UK. He says although we can never recreate exactly how music in the past sounded, the sharing of research and knowledge has its own rewards, including rediscovering music which hasn't been heard for centuries. "There's hundreds of years of western music before the romantic revolution got into the groove with the [classical] cannon," Manchester says. Boud, who is currently touring Australia, regularly performs with European ensembles specialising in the classical and romantic periods of music history. She has made the Netherlands her home. "I went on to study with the historical clarinettist from the Mozart concert I attended all those years ago," Boud says. "[After he retired], I took up his position teaching in The Hague." Nicola Boud is touring Australia with Musica Viva in July. Hear her Melbourne concert on ABC Classic later in 2025.
