Sun Quan (182 – 252), formally known as Emperor Da of Wu (literally “Great Emperor of Wu”), was the founder of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdomsperiod. He inherited control of the warlord regime established by his elder brother, Sun Ce, in 200. He declared formal independence and ruled from 222 to […]
Music Inspired by Tolkien
Today is the 99th Anniversary of the birth of J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and many other works. His works have served as the inspiration to painters, musicians, film-makers and writers, to such an extent that he is sometimes seen as the “father” of the entire genre of […]
The Flint Street Nativity
For our first Christmas Day blog, I thought that you might enjoy a remembrance of all those primary school nativities that are always such a part of the modern celebration of Christmas. The Flint Street Nativity from 1999 (a kinder gentler time!) directed by Marcus Mortimer, written by Tim Firth, and showcasing a host of […]
Hallelujah – Best Version?
Another in our occasional series of post where I offer you a variety of versions of a well know piece of music and ask you to choose your favourite. Today we listening to “Hallelujah” a song written by Canadian singer Leonard Cohen, originally released on his album Various Positions (1984). “Hallelujah”, in its original version, […]
Fairy Tail
One of David’s favourite Manga/Anime series was that of Fairy Tail. The soundtrack from the anime is superb and we often used to listen to it separately from the episodes. It was written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine from August 2006 to July 2017, with the individual […]
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York and active until 1991. The band was composed of David Byrne (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Frantz (drums), Tina Waymouth (bass), and Jerry Harrison (keyboards, guitar). Described as “one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the ’80s,” the group helped to pioneer […]
Who’s On First
“Who’s on First?” is a comedy routine made famous by American dou Abbott and Costello. The premise of the sketch is that Abbott is identifying the players on a Baseball team for Costello, but their names and nicknames can be interpreted as non-responsive answers to Costello’s questions. For example, the first baseman is named “Who”; […]
Cindi Lauper
Lauper was born in Brooklyn to a Catholic family. Her father, Fred, was of German and Swiss descent. Her mother, Catrine, is of Italian descent. Lauper’s siblings are younger brother Fred and older sister, Ellen. Lauper’s parents divorced when she was five. Her mother remarried and divorced again. Lauper grew up in the Ozone Park […]
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history. His music forms a great part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Russia, Berlin arrived in the United States at the age of five. He published his first song, “Marie from Sunny Italy”, in 1907, receiving […]
Summertime
As promised, I am following yesterday’s post on George Gershwin with one of my occasional ‘Which version do you like best?’ entries. Summertime from Porgy and Bess has become a jazz standard and has been covered by many artists since it’s composition in 1934. The song is sung several times throughout Porgy and Bess. Its […]