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Time of India
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Auerbachs Keller: Haunt of Luther and Goethe turns 500
Representative Image Auerbachs Keller in Leipzig is one of the most famous restaurants in the world. Every year, 36,000 homemade beef roulades are eaten here. About 90,000 liters (190,000 pints) of beer and just as much wine are also served. "We have around 300,000 guests a year, many of them from abroad," Tanja Pieper, spokeswoman and anniversary ambassador for the storied cellar restaurant, told DW. Even more impressive than the quantities consumed at the venue is the fact that, about 250 years ago, Auerbachs Keller partly inspired the first part of the great drama "Faust: A Tragedy," by the poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The scene from "Faust" that takes place in the restaurant attracts Goethe admirers from all over the world to Leipzig to this day. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Auerbach: A friend of Martin Luther 's During Easter 1525, Leipzig physician and university professor Heinrich Stromer von Auerbach served wine to students in his Keller — German for cellar — for the first time. He was friends with the church reformer Martin Luther, who also frequented Auerbachs Keller in the early 16th century and is said to have hidden there from his enemies at times. The key 500-year anniversary celebrations were held during Easter this year, and included the so-called great feast. "We copied this from Goethe," Pieper said. "There is a big 'Schlampamp,' a feast, the trinity of eating, drinking and good company." "We celebrate at long tables like in the old days," Pieper said, describing how food is served on boards and in bowls as in the 18th century. Goethe's 'Faust' set in Auerbach's Keller Goethe's drama is about the aging melancholy teacher Heinrich Faust, who sells his soul to the devil Mephisto to become a young man: the "Faustian bargain." Faust gets a new zest for life but is not free of Mephisto's evil. When Faust seduces and impregnates the young Margarete, for example, she kills her illegitimate child, is arrested and waits in prison for God's redemption. Mephisto is also up to mischief in the scene set in Auerbachs Keller. Wanting to bring Faust "into merry company," he conjures up delicious wine in front of a few drinking companions before riding out of the cellar on a wine barrel. For 30 years, actor Hartmut Müller has been taking guests through a popular "barrel cellar ceremony" tour in the restaurant's barrel cellar, 9 meters (30 feet) below ground. As the "barrel cellar master," he guides visitors through the history and vaults of the building. "At an advanced hour, we then go through a separate door from this barrel cellar back down to the witches' kitchen," Pieper said, describing a small hovel 12 meters underground. This is where the guests — like Faust in Goethe's drama — are given a rejuvenating drink. Inspired by the Dr. Faustus legend Goethe did not invent his Faustian barrel ride; the idea is derived from an early-16th-century folk tale of the magician Dr. Faustus, who sells his soul to the devil for special powers. In the barrel cellar, Goethe saw two wooden panels from 1625 illustrating Dr. Faustus' legendary barrel ride. He is said to have observed how transporters tried to maneuver an overweight barrel out of the wine cellar and made fun of them. He bet that he could ride the barrel out. "Goethe was so fascinated by these two wooden panels that hung there that he wrote us into the 'Faust' drama," Pieper said. In the 18th century, the restaurant was still purely a wine bar. In those days, wine was not bottled, but served from barrels stored in the cellar. There was no cooking in Auerbachs Keller until the 19th century, Pieper said. 'Bach's Faust' at the Leipzig Bach Festival One of the anniversary events is "Bach's Faust," a kind of musical comedy by Bach Festival director Michael Maul. Johann Sebastian Bach was Cantor of St. Thomas' Church in Leipzig from 1723 until the end of his life in 1750. His daily commute to work also took him past Auerbachs Keller. Every year in June, the city celebrates the Bach Festival in Bach's honor. "A lot of music is mentioned in Goethe's Faust, without Goethe specifying exactly what it is," Maul told DW. Goethe greatly appreciated Bach's music, said Maul, whose play is appropriately accompanied with chorales and cantatas by Bach. The world premiere of "Bach's Faust" with singers, musicians and actors will take place as part of the Bach Festival on June 15 in the large hall of Auerbachs Keller. The anniversary of the historic restaurant will be celebrated throughout the year.
Times
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
LPO/Gardner review — Mahler's Eighth Symphony, with added visuals
Mahler conducted plenty of operas but never wrote one. He probably thought he had put enough drama, life, love and mortal terror into his symphonies. The question raised by this concert-hall staging of Mahler's gigantic Eighth Symphony — that philosophically eccentric but sonically overwhelming amalgam of an ancient Catholic hymn and the last part of Goethe's Faust — was whether all that symphonic anguish and ecstasy is enhanced or confused by stage movements and big-screen video images. It's fair to say that the musical performance — by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, the London Symphony Chorus and Tiffin Boys' Choir under Edward Gardner's high-voltage direction — would probably have been just as thrilling if absolutely nothing had happened visually. With the two adult choruses
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Trump is moving at light speed with no plan in sight
President Trump is acting more like Goethe's 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' than as president of the United States. For nearly a month, Trump has operated at what must be the political speed of light, signing dozens of executive orders to alter the government and holding almost daily press conferences. Trump has taken an unprecedented amount of air time to relate with the public. He ran the deck with his nominees for cabinet and sub-cabinet positions. He set Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency loose, first on the U.S. Agency for International Development and then on the Education Department. No doubt the Pentagon is next. The aim of DOGE is to make massive cuts in spending while transforming the efficiency of government to close and reduce the $36 trillion in debt and this year's $2 trillion budget deficit with spending of $7 trillion and revenues of $2 trillion. In terms of foreign policy, Trump has turned conventional thinking on its head several times over. He has proposed that Gaza can be turned into a Paris or Miami of the eastern Mediterranean. All that needs to be done is to transpose some 2 million Palestinians to undetermined locations where glorious housing and other facilities will magically appear. Who will pay for all the demolition and destruction of ordnance is unknown, as are the costs and time it will take to turn rubble into roses. Clearly, Egypt, Jordan and the rest of the Arab world are not convinced of the efficacy of this vision. And how many Palestinians are willing to leave Gaza and will resist forcible ejection? Trump rightly wants to end the war in Ukraine and stop the killing. These are noble efforts. The question is how is this to be done, as the issues for producing a truce or peace treaty are formidable. Russia started the war and now occupies all of Crimea and about 20 percent of eastern Ukraine in the Donbas and Donetsk. The cost to repair and rebuild a country devastated by war could approach hundreds of billions of dollars or more. Who will pay for it? And what guarantees will Ukraine have to prevent future Russian aggression? Since Trump has rejected NATO membership for Ukraine and proposed that Europe guarantee its security, is that remotely viable? Internationally, Trump is imposing reciprocal tariffs to balance trade and reduce the huge U.S. deficits in the current account that measures the outflow and inflow of goods and services. This ignores the capital account that measures foreign investment. Here, the U.S. has a huge surplus that is financing the debt. But tariffs will increase inflation for the short and probably long term. That flies in the face of Trump's promise to reduce prices dramatically. And does anyone recall the infamous 1930 Smoot-Hawley Act that raised tariffs, leading to a trade war and substantial contributing to economic collapse and the Great Depression? The sorcerer is clearly at work. But where is the strategy and plan to integrate and coordinate these efforts? Has the White House at least thought about the consequences, both likely and unintended, of this panoply of actions? The record of past attempts to reform government has a common outcome. At best changes at the margin were achieved. Why? The fundamental cause of inefficiency and building debt is a combination of Congress, government disorganization and the massive burden of federal and defense regulations. In 30 years, Congress has only once passed a budget and funded the government through regular order. That means authorization for spending and appropriations are never in balance, leading to deficits and debt. Is DOGE going there? Further, the government has no chief operating officer. It needs one. And as long the acquisition regulations are not codified and streamlined, it is clear what that means. DOGE may be uncovering what may be many millions of dollars in spending that make no or little sense. Yet while seemingly massive amounts of money, remember that a trillion is a million millions. One hopes and wishes the sorcerer will succeed. Yet without a strategy and plan and attacking the sources of inefficiency and too much spending, DOGE will go the way of past commissions and reforms. Donald, are you listening? Harlan Ullman Ph.D. is United Press International's Arnaud deBorchgrave Distinguished Columnist, senior advisor at Washington D.C.'s Atlantic Council, chairman of two private companies and principal author of the shock and awe military doctrine. His next book, due in 2025, is 'The Great Paradox: Strategic Thinking in an Unstrategic World.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
17-02-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Trump is moving at light speed with no plan in sight
President Trump is acting more like Goethe's 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' than as president of the United States. For nearly a month, Trump has operated at what must be the political speed of light, signing dozens of executive orders to alter the government and holding almost daily press conferences. Trump has taken an unprecedented amount of air time to relate with the public. He ran the deck with his nominees for cabinet and sub-cabinet positions. He set Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency loose, first on the U.S. Agency for International Development and then on the Education Department. No doubt the Pentagon is next. The aim of DOGE is to make massive cuts in spending while transforming the efficiency of government to close and reduce the $36 trillion in debt and this year's $2 trillion budget deficit with spending of $7 trillion and revenues of $2 trillion. In terms of foreign policy, Trump has turned conventional thinking on its head several times over. He has proposed that Gaza can be turned into a Paris or Miami of the eastern Mediterranean. All that needs to be done is to transpose some 2 million Palestinians to undetermined locations where glorious housing and other facilities will magically appear. Who will pay for all the demolition and destruction of ordnance is unknown, as are the costs and time it will take to turn rubble into roses. Clearly, Egypt, Jordan and the rest of the Arab world are not convinced of the efficacy of this vision. And how many Palestinians are willing to leave Gaza and will resist forcible ejection? Trump rightly wants to end the war in Ukraine and stop the killing. These are noble efforts. The question is how is this to be done, as the issues for producing a truce or peace treaty are formidable. Russia started the war and now occupies all of Crimea and about 20 percent of eastern Ukraine in the Donbas and Donetsk. The cost to repair and rebuild a country devastated by war could approach hundreds of billions of dollars or more. Who will pay for it? And what guarantees will Ukraine have to prevent future Russian aggression? Since Trump has rejected NATO membership for Ukraine and proposed that Europe guarantee its security, is that remotely viable? Internationally, Trump is imposing reciprocal tariffs to balance trade and reduce the huge U.S. deficits in the current account that measures the outflow and inflow of goods and services. This ignores the capital account that measures foreign investment. Here, the U.S. has a huge surplus that is financing the debt. But tariffs will increase inflation for the short and probably long term. That flies in the face of Trump's promise to reduce prices dramatically. And does anyone recall the infamous 1930 Smoot-Hawley Act that raised tariffs, leading to a trade war and substantial contributing to economic collapse and the Great Depression? The sorcerer is clearly at work. But where is the strategy and plan to integrate and coordinate these efforts? Has the White House at least thought about the consequences, both likely and unintended, of this panoply of actions? The record of past attempts to reform government has a common outcome. At best changes at the margin were achieved. Why? The fundamental cause of inefficiency and building debt is a combination of Congress, government disorganization and the massive burden of federal and defense regulations. In 30 years, Congress has only once passed a budget and funded the government through regular order. That means authorization for spending and appropriations are never in balance, leading to deficits and debt. Is DOGE going there? Further, the government has no chief operating officer. It needs one. And as long the acquisition regulations are not codified and streamlined, it is clear what that means. DOGE may be uncovering what may be many millions of dollars in spending that make no or little sense. Yet while seemingly massive amounts of money, remember that a trillion is a million millions. One hopes and wishes the sorcerer will succeed. Yet without a strategy and plan and attacking the sources of inefficiency and too much spending, DOGE will go the way of past commissions and reforms. Donald, are you listening? Harlan Ullman Ph.D. is United Press International's Arnaud deBorchgrave Distinguished Columnist, senior advisor at Washington D.C.'s Atlantic Council, chairman of two private companies and principal author of the shock and awe military doctrine. His next book, due in 2025, is 'The Great Paradox: Strategic Thinking in an Unstrategic World.'
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
CT man arrested after search turns up two loaded firearms as well as multiple types of drugs
A Waterbury man was arrested Thursday after authorities searched his residence and his vehicle, finding multiple types of drugs as well as two guns and a high-capacity magazine. The target of the searches was identified as 43-year-old Thomas Goethe, according to Lt. Ryan Bessette of the Waterbury Police Department. Bessette said Goethe's residence on Wildwood Avenue and a Dodge Magnum he is known to drive were searched by the police department's Vice and Intelligence Unit, Crime Prevention Unit, Gang Task Force as well as the Connecticut State Police Violent Crime Task Force and Auto Theft Unit. Officers located Goethe and his vehicle in the area of Bronson Street shortly before the residence was searched. During the search, police found 145 glassine bags of heroin, 244 grams of crack cocaine, 61 controlled substance pills, two 9mm handguns, a high-capacity magazine and over 200 rounds of ammunition, Bessette said. They also found various packaging materials indicative of street-level drug sales and more than $2,000. Goethe was charged with possession of narcotics with intent to sell, possession of 1⁄2 ounce or more of cocaine freebase form, possession of a hallucinogenic substance with intent to sell, criminal possession of a pistol or revolver, criminal possession of a firearm or ammunition, illegal possession of a large-capacity magazine, illegal sale/transfer of a firearm and tampering with evidence. Bessette noted that Goethe is a previously convicted felon. He was held on a $100,000 bond.
