Latest news with #LudwigvanBeethoven
The Irish Sun
22-04-2025
- The Irish Sun
The European resort sunshine spot with year-round good weather and spa city, €1.80 pints and Ryanair flights from €25
IF you're looking for a relaxing getaway this summer, look no further than Slovakia. Located in the Trnava Region in the western part of the country is a gorgeous spa town. 8 Spa city in Piestany Credit: Alamy 8 Travertine lake with hot thermal water in spa city Credit: Alamy 8 The area is a hotspot in Slovakia Credit: Alamy The thermal resort of Piešťany is highly regarded as one of the hotspots in It's the most visited thermal resort in the country, and has a stunning picturesque landscape. Its location allows for ideal natural conditions for year-round recreation. And it's temperate climate means that the READ MORE IN TRAVEL In the resort part of the town, mineral water springs and healing mud deposits are located on the streets. It is home to many prestigious hotels and spas, with gorgeous architecture. There's a Thermal Park with stunning gardens, paths, and outdoor thermal swimming pools. Here you can find a stunning park, and a lake with water lilies which is home to different fish including a rare African Victoria Regia. Most read in City If you're looking for a And for history buffs, there is a range of museums to spend time in. VARIETY OF MUSEUMS You can head to Winterova Street, which is the main historical zone in the town. Visit the Museum of Military History, which is housed in the old military building at Piestany airport. Opened in 2004, it focuses on aircraft and vehicles used in the Czechoslovak army between 1945 and 1992. It has almost 10,000 items on show, including MiG-29s, MiG-21s, MiG-23s, different Sukhoi aircrafts along with T-34, T-55 and T-72 tanks. The Balneological Museum is the largest and most popular in the town, and has been open since 1928. The building is made in a Classical style with walkways and picturesque statues. Inside, you can see samples of the flora and fauna of the area, folk life, clothing and embroidery, archaeological finds and the reconstruction of the old peasant house of Piestany. ARTISTIC BRIDGE Here, you can also see an exhibition on German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who visited the resort. Or head to see Colonnade Bridge, which reaches over the Vah river, connecting the town to the Spa Island. It is the longest covered bridge in Slovakia and has many precious art objects. The Eko Park features many zoo animals, restaurants and activities - making it the perfect day out for the little ones. On the slope of the mountains in the resort is Povazhsky Inovec, a curious karst cave - a recognized natural monument. Many archaeological discoveries were made inside the cave, which showed traces of ancient settlements. Ryanair offers flights to Bratislava from €25, which takes approximately two hours and 40 minutes. From here, it's a 50 minute journey to the town. 8 The Colonnade bridge to spa island Credit: Alamy 8 The place is perfect for relaxing Credit: Alamy 8 Visitors can get a pint from €1.80 Credit: Alamy 8 The year-round good weather allows for recreation at any time Credit: Alamy 8 There are a number of prestigious hotels and spas Credit: Alamy
South China Morning Post
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Beethoven meets space battles in ‘first manga opera' at 2025 Hong Kong Arts Festival
One of the more unlikely pairings in this year's Hong Kong Arts Festival is that of Ludwig van Beethoven and manga. Advertisement The composer, born in 1770, and Japanese graphic novels, popular since the late 19th century, do not usually keep cultural company. But in this week's Beethoven Wars: A Battle for Peace – described as the 'first manga opera' – Japanese-style animation unfurls a tale of intergalactic strife to live orchestral music written by the German genius. It is no coincidence that when it premiered in Paris in 2024, half the audience was under the age of 20 – a youth market that is the Holy Grail of arts programming. The manga mash-up is the brainchild of French conductor Laurence Equilbey, who will be in Hong Kong to conduct the Insula Orchestra, which she founded in 2012, from March 26-28. A scene from Beethoven Wars: A Battle for Peace. Photo: HKAF The word insula – Latin for 'island' – refers to both the orchestra's home base in Paris, on Seguin Island on the Seine river, and to a mysterious, island-shaped area of the brain that connects emotion and consciousness.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
DNA From Beethoven's Hair Reveals Surprise Nearly 200 Years Later
One stormy Monday in March, 1827, the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven passed away after a protracted illness. Bedridden since the previous Christmas, he was attacked by jaundice, his limbs and abdomen swollen, each breath a struggle. As his associates went about the task of sorting through personal belongings, they uncovered a document Beethoven had written a quarter of a century earlier – a will beseeching his brothers make details of his condition known to the public. Today it is no secret that one of the greatest musicians the world has ever known was functionally deaf by his mid-40s. It was a tragic irony Beethoven wished the world understood, not just from a personal perspective, but a medical one. The composer would outlive his doctor by nearly two decades, yet close to two centuries after Beethoven's death a team of researchers set out to fulfill his testament in ways he would never have dreamed possible, by genetically analyzing the DNA in authenticated samples of his hair. "Our primary goal was to shed light on Beethoven's health problems, which famously include progressive hearing loss, beginning in his mid- to late-20s and eventually leading to him being functionally deaf by 1818," biochemist Johannes Krause from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany explained in a press statement in 2023, when the results were unveiled. The primary cause of that hearing loss has never been known, not even to his personal physician Dr Johann Adam Schmidt. What began as tinnitus in his 20s slowly gave way to a reduced tolerance for loud noise, and eventually a loss of hearing in the higher pitches, effectively ending his career as a performing artist. For a musician, nothing could be more ironic. In a letter addressed to his brothers, Beethoven admitted he was "hopelessly afflicted", to the point of contemplating suicide. It wasn't just hearing loss the composer had to deal with in his adult life. From at least the age of 22 he is said to have suffered severe abdominal pains and chronic bouts of diarrhea. Six years before his death the first indications of liver disease appeared, an illness thought to have been, at least in part, responsible for his death at the relatively young age of 56. In 2007 a forensic investigation into a lock of what was believed to be Beethoven's hair suggested lead poisoning could have hastened his death, if not have been ultimately responsible for the symptoms that claimed his life. Given the culture of drinking from lead vessels and medical treatments of the time that involved the use of lead, it's hardly a surprising conclusion. This latest study, published in March 2023, debunks the theory, however, revealing that the hair never came from Beethoven in the first place, but rather an unknown woman. More importantly, several locks confirmed as far more likely to be from the composer's head demonstrate his death was probably the result of a hepatitis B infection, exacerbated by his drinking and numerous risk factors for liver disease. As for his other conditions? "We were unable to find a definitive cause for Beethoven's deafness or gastrointestinal problems," said Krause. In some ways, we're left with more questions on the life and death of the famous classical composer. Where did he contract hepatitis? How did a lock of woman's hair pass as Beethoven's own for centuries? And just what was behind his gut pains and hearing loss? Given the team was inspired by Beethoven's desire for the world to understand his hearing loss, it's an unfortunate outcome. Though there was one more surprise buried among his genes. Further investigation comparing the Y chromosome in the hair samples with those of modern relatives descending from Beethoven's paternal line point to a mismatch. This suggests extramarital sexual activity in the generations leading up to the composer's birth. "This finding suggests an extrapair paternity event in his paternal line between the conception of Hendrik van Beethoven in Kampenhout, Belgium in c.1572 and the conception of Ludwig van Beethoven seven generations later in 1770, in Bonn, Germany," said Tristan Begg, a biological anthropologist now at the University of Cambridge in the UK. It could all be a little more than a younger Beethoven bargained for, considering the fateful request he put to paper. Never would he have dreamed of the secrets that were being preserved as his friends and associates clipped the hair from his body in the wake of that somber stormy Monday night in 1827. This research was published in Current Biology. An earlier version of this article was published in March 2023. Crucial Feature of Human Language Emerged More Than 135,000 Years Ago Mysterious Twist Revealed in Saga of Human-Neanderthal Hybrid Child Venting Doesn't Reduce Anger, But Something Else Does, Study Reveals
Globe and Mail
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Beethoven or birds? European Central Bank seeks ideas for new banknote designs
The European Central Bank is seeking a new design for euro banknotes, with possible subjects including great cultural figures like German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, or birds and rivers. The first revamp of euro banknotes since their launch 23 years ago is designed to make them more appealing and relatable. They currently feature nameless bridges and windows. Designers can choose from two alternative sets of motifs: European culture or a combination of rivers, birds and European institutions. Under the former, the fronts of the euro's six banknote denominations will feature famous Europeans. In ascending order of banknote value, these are: Greek opera singer Maria Callas, Beethoven, Polish-French scientist Marie Curie, Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci and Austrian peace activist Bertha von Suttner. These names, put forward by a group of independent experts and then picked by the ECB, might prove controversial as only six of the euro zone's 20 countries are represented. The reverse will feature cultural events or facilities such as a song festival or a library. The alternative motif will feature birds and rivers on the front of the notes, and European institutions including the ECB itself on the reverse. The ECB will open the contest this year and select the design in 2026 although the new banknotes will only go into circulation several years later.
The Independent
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Euro banknote designs to be changed for first time in 23 years
The European Central Bank is revamping euro banknotes for the first time since their launch 23 years ago. The Bank is seeking a new design for the banknotes, with possible subjects including cultural figures like German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, or birds and rivers. The revamp is designed to make them more appealing and relatable. They currently feature nameless bridges and windows. Designers can choose from two alternative sets of motifs: European culture or a combination of rivers, birds and European institutions. Under the former, the fronts of the euro's six banknote denominations will feature famous Europeans. In ascending order of banknote value, these are: Greek opera singer Maria Callas, Beethoven, Polish-French scientist Marie Curie, Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci and Austrian peace activist Bertha von Suttner. These names, put forward by a group of independent experts and then picked by the ECB, might prove controversial as only six of the euro zone's 20 countries are represented. The reverse will feature cultural events or facilities such as a song festival or a library. The alternative motif will feature birds and rivers on the front of the notes, and European institutions including the ECB itself on the reverse. The ECB will open the contest this year and select the design in 2026 although the new banknotes will only go into circulation several years later.
