The Power of Hvorostovsky

Russian operatic Baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky may not be a household name to many,

but I can't help thinking that he might have been better know had his life not been sadly

cut short at only the age of 55 in 2017.

Here he is in the climax of Giuseppe Verdi's three act opera Rigoletto written in 1851.

And it's these big finishes that gets my blood pumping and my heart racing, especially

those rolling drums at the end that always remind me of those night time Summer

thunderstorms that terrified me as a child. Imagine having a front row seat for this

performance with the orchestra pit right in front of you.

And I particularly like how at the end, during the death of Gilda played by Laura Claycomb,

there's a sudden eerie silence before the storm. And that's when the power of Hvorostovsky

is let loose in a moment of grand finality.

Video kindly uploaded to Youtube HERE.

Madonna.......In Better Days

Above and below is Madonna as seen in better days performing on her 1993 World Tour

Down Under in Australia during The All Girlie Show.

And she certainly picked a handsome cast

of dancers for that Tour.

On Sunday this week Madonna celebrated her 68th Birthday.

VIDEO KINDLY UPLOADED TO YOUTUBE

BY Pedro Proniewicz

Hadrian and Antinous

The history of the Roman Empire is always a fascinating subject to read and hear

about. But I don't ever remember it as being part of our School curriculum. And so

in this cleverly created video put together by the people at Royalty Now, we learn about

the life of one of Rome's great Emperors, Emperor Hadrian who succeeded Trajan.

Of course I'm familiar with the name Hadrian as his name did pop up in some of our

School history lessons when learning about the building of Hadrian's Wall which cut

off Scotland from Northern Britain and which still exists today as a World

Heritage site.

And so in the 123 AD Emperor Hadrian met his muse Antinous who was eventually to

become his lover. And together they travelled surveying the corners of the Empire. But while

participating in the Festival of the Nile, the body of Antinous was found floating in the River in

suspicious circumstances.

Emperor Hadrian never got over his loss and so had over two thousand statues created

in the memory of Antinous, as if to cement a God like legacy.

The final part of this video above creates a digital image of what Hadrian and Antinous might

have really looked like.

ROYALTY NOW STUDIOS

Below: A bust of Antinous from my last visit to

The British Museum in 2019

HERE

It's a Gif......Re-Post

Here's a few classic comedy film clips that were begging to be giffed. And as old as the clips

are, they still manage to tickle my funny bone.

Top row: Laurel & Hardy in 'Them Thar Hills.

Plus Laurel & Hardy in 'Swiss Miss.'

Middle row: The Three Stooges in 'Brideless Groom.'

And Laurel & Hardy in 'Twice Two.'

Bottom row: Charlie Chaplin in 'Modern Times.'

Above:  Laurel & Hardy and a funny but

overacting Cop.

Our Partial Solar Eclipse 2026

Yesterday evening hundreds gathered at the top of Parliament Hill in Hampstead for the

Partial Solar Eclipse. And just after 7.00 pm the crowds gave out a loud cheer with clapping

as 90% of the Sun's light was blocked by the passing Moon, creating a twilight moment.

And although it was only a Partial Eclipse, Spain, Iceland and Greenland were beneficiaries

of a Total Eclipse.

Of course our last Total Eclipse was back in August 1999 just before the Millennium. And it

was best viewed down in Cornwall, and in the very week that I had booked a holiday there.

But sadly the Eclipse was not visible due to the build up of clouds. But we did experience that

eerie darkness as all the nearby coastal town's lights came on while all the seabirds suddenly

went very quiet.

Below are just a few pictures of yesterday's Partial Eclipse using my special and rarely used

Eclipse filter.