Rip Van Winkle

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the center of supernatural creatures lives and their plans? I read a part two version of a book called The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith. Officially, a new vampire, Elena is learning how to live her new life after she passed away by driving off a bridge. She was lucky to have vampire blood in her system, otherwise, she would have never come back from the dead. Stefan Salvatore, her boyfriend who is also a vampire, helps Elena survive despite…

I enjoyed many experiences on our study tour to Salzburg and Vienna, but my favorite experiences were the guided visit of the Mozart House in the Vienna City Center, the tour and concert of the Mozarteum and Mozart’s opera “La Clemenza di Tito”. I really loved the guided visit of the third Mozart house we went to, the one in Vienna. Not only did it have some really interesting Mozart stuff, but I also loved the exhibition on “Rock Me Amadeus” in the basement of the house. I loved the tour guide…

All these characteristics of romanticism that were shaped by the evolutionary changes made by the composers were also appeared in the requiems of the time. Requiem was now an independent musical form; the form of the concert requiem, which replaced the traditional liturgical one. The romantic requiems were performing in the concert halls and opera stages, and that was mainly because of their extended length. Although some composers such as Gounod, Liszt, Faure and Bruckner followed the…

Widely considered to be one of the prime examples in music history besides Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is none other than Ludwig van Beethoven. Exceptionally known for being a child prodigy, struggle during his childhood, inevitable loss of hearing and also breaking out of the norms from the Classical Period and venturing out to the Romantic Era in European music, with him being the first. With no doubt, Beethoven has left his own mark on the World and is still one of the most respected and…

Timeless and inspiring music was born in the Baroque Era. Some of the most prestigious pieces from that time include Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons: "Spring", George Frideric Handel's Messiah ("Hallelujah") and Water Music. All three pieces reflect the beauty of the Baroque Era and its music. Vivaldi's piece has the ability to stand on its own, but can also be used to represent all of the season's cycles when paired with his concertos "Fall," "Winter," and "Summer." Handel's oratorio Messiah…

Anthony Van Dyck created the painting Charles, I at the Hunt and later Thomas Gainsborough created The Blue Boy after being inspired by Van Dyck’s artwork. Both pieces share similarities, as well as distinct differences. Van Dyck created Charles, I at the Hunt in the images of King Charles I in 1635 during the Baroque era. The canvas is 89 inches X 81.5 inches and covered in oil paint. The painting is currently located in Musée du Louver, Paris, France. Later, Gainsborough came upon Van Dyck’s…

Many consider more abstract art and realism to be very distinct and separate styles of. Artists that painted in more abstract forms wished to display their emotions and views on the world, in contrast to the Realists who displayed the physical world around them and everyday events as they were. What they achieve however, is not so different. Realism aids us in understanding what the world was truly like, and not only what those in charge thought, lived or wanted others to think and live.…

Spanning the years 1765 to 1769, the French artist Jean-Baptiste Greuze painted The Dreamer in oil on canvas. His painting, The Dreamer is a beautiful example of Greuze’s talent in portraying emotion by successfully combining the elements of art which enhance the mood of the image. Greuze creates a well constructed composition through the use of line, color and light to convey the state of being at rest and nearing a peaceful slumber. His use of smooth, flowing lines which curve with the…

Artists Gustave Caillebotte and Clide Hassam are rewound painters who spent their careers depicting scenes of everyday life in various levels of impressionism. Combined, the two provide for an excellent comparison of how specific techniques used for their works elicit different emotions and interpretations. Specifically, Caillebotte’s Paris Street: Rainy Day and Hassam’s A Rainy Day of Fifth Avenue capture similar scenarios in roughly an analogous time frame, allowing viewers to focus strictly…

On Sunday, October 30th, I attended a live performance by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk as a part of their 2016 U.S. tour. When I walked into the concert hall, there was an electric atmosphere as a crowd of people was waiting in anticipation to find their seats and settle down to enjoy the show. In order to have a better idea of what I was about to experience, I read the playbill that explained how the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra is the premiere musical…