Johannes Brahms

If you’re looking for objectivity, you won’t find it here. I’m a psychologist by profession and an amateur violinist. So the following list and the explanations are purely subjective, not the opinion of a professional musician or musical scholar, and will probably change by the time I finish writing this. Nevertheless, as of today, here are the top 10 violin concertos of all time (in rank order), and why I think so.

Number 1 — Ludwig van Beethoven, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, Opus 61, written in 1806.“The Gentle Giant.” A serene piece of music made of the simplest materials but of immense scope and structure. One of the greatest cultural achievements of Western civilization. Listen particularly for the 5-beat element present almost everywhere in the 1st Movement.

Number 2 — Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Opus 35, written in 1878.“A true blockbuster.” This is the most popular violin concerto ever written, and with good reason. Written in a burst of happy inspiration, it has been on the best-seller list of audience favorites for over 125 years, and shows no signs of disappearing.

Number 3 — Johannes Brahms, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Opus 77, written in 1878.“Depth and romanticism.” The ideal combination of classical form and romanticism from the unique voice of classical music’s most introspective poet. He had to have been in love when he wrote this one.

Number 4 — Niccolo Paganini, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in B minor, Opus 7, written in 1826.“Dramatic, theatrical, virtuosic, and seductive.” Italian opera with the violin solo as a kind of super-soprano voice. You can almost see the curtains opening at the opening orchestral introduction. The ultimate combining an operatic aesthetic with spectacular instrumental virtuosity by perhaps one of the greatest virtuosos and underrated composers of all time.

Number 5 — Jean Sibelius, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Minor, Opus 47, written in 1903.“Emotional, majestic, and exciting.” This has been an audience favorite ever since it was popularized by the great Jascha Heifetz. The rugged nature of the two outer movements is in complete contrast to the exquisite beauty of the slow movement, which has a long melody played only twice.

Number 6 — Felix Mendellsohn, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E Minor, Opus 64, written in 1844.“Seamless elegance and heart.” The model of what a violin concerto should be. Pure song from beginning to end. It actually sounds as if it was never actually “composed,” but always existed in the atmosphere somewhere, only to be plucked out of the sky by Mendellsohn and written down for others to play.

Number 7 — Bela Bartok, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra #2, written in 1939.“Animalistic fury from the heart of the Eastern European backwoods.” This concerto is simultaneously in classical sonata form, a theme and variations, and with all of the inspiration of an improvised fantasy. Its nature is deep and stark, just as the turmoil of the world the composer lived in.

Number 8 — Dmitri Shostakovich, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, #1, Opus 99, written in the 1950’s.“The darkness of the 20th Century.” Unusual in being in 4 movements, whereas most concertos are in 3. Introspective and vibrant. The 3rd Movement, “Passacaglia,” is a theme and variations of almost agonizing intensity.

Number 9 — Edward Elgar, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in B Minor, Opus 61, written in 1910.“Victorian pomp and emotional sensitivity all rolled into one.” This is one of those “old-fashioned” concertos that keeps popping up as timeless. The depth of emotion, genuine sentimentality, regal dignity, and consummate virtuosity inherent is this music is all perfectly combined and direct from the composer’s heart.

Number 10 — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Violin Concerto #4 in D Major, K. 218, written in 1775.“Purity, song, and perfection.” How can you have a top-10 list and not include Mozart? In fact, how can Mozart possibly have sunk to 10th place? The 3rd and 5th Concertos may be more popular, but to me this one has such sheer beauty, liveliness, and heart, that it never fails to move me.

Originally published here.

Sander Marcus, Ph.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Certified Professional Resume Writer in Chicago. He has over 3 decades of experience in providing career counseling, aptitude testing, job search coaching, and resume writing to tens of thousands of individuals. He is the co-author of 2 books on academic underachievement, various tests, and numerous articles. Contact him at marcus@iit.edu, 312-567-3358. www.center.iit.edu

Imagine a villa set high on the hillside in Taormina, Italy on the east coast of Sicily. It’s been your family’s home and hotel property for generations, a villa with gardens full of hibiscus, roses and lemon trees, with magnificent 180 degree views of the Mediterranean and snow capped Mount Etna.

What would you do when the government took your home and business away from you not once…but twice?

This is the story of how through fierce determination the Schuler family won two battles against governments who confiscated their property in Taormina, Italy.

While on an Italian cooking and volcano walking tour with Mama Margaret in Sicily recently, we stayed at lovely, pink Hotel Villa Schuler in Taormina and were awestruck by the colour and beauty surrounding us.

The present hotel owner and manager, Gerhard Schuler is a quieter man, but when I said to him, “This property looks like a historic building beautifully renovated. What’s the story behind it?” his face lit up. “I’ll give you our book.”

I read “The One Hundred Year Story Of Villa Schuler” and the hotel took on a whole new character and depth.

In 1886 Eugen Schuler left Germany for warmer Sicily for health reasons. In a few years he was running a successful jewelry and antiques store, was happily married to a German woman, Anna and had a son.

They bought a small villa in Taormina on the present Villa Schuler property. In 1905 suddenly Eugen died at 39. What was a widow with a 12 year old son to do? She had a good business head and turned their home into a B & B.

Taormina was becoming famous among artists and intellectuals in Germany and northern Europe, looking to enjoy warm winters in Sicily for weeks or months. Soon they were staying at Villa Schuler.

Beautiful Taormina became a mecca for the rich and famous like Johannes Brahms, Oscar Wilde, D.H. Lawrence, British kings, Greta Garbo, Christian Dior.

Anna had just got her business running well when World War I broke out. The Italian government confiscated property belonging to enemy Germans, like Villa Schuler. Anna and her 22 year old son, Eugen fled to Germany where they spent the war.

After the war, Eugen took his wife, Thea and mother to Taormina. Villa Schuler was up for sale at an auction.

However the local Italian bidders got together and decided to withdraw their offers so the Schulers were the only bidder and could buy their property back. The Schulers had a good reputation and good friends in Taormina!

Soon Villa Schuler was doing brisk business again. In the 1920’s Eugen’s wife and one of his two children died, leaving him and his mother running Villa Schuler where loyal guests stayed for months.

In 1926 Eugen’s wife, Thea and their daughter died, leaving one son, Heintz and Eugen to run Villa Schuler.

World War II broke out and the now larger villa was expropriated again. The Nazis arrived in Sicily, occupied Taormina and turned Villa Schuler into a liason centre for the German army.

When the Germans left Taormina in 1943, following the Allies’ liberation of Sicily, the British army occupied the villa. The Schulers fled to Bolzano in northern Italy.

The British turned the villa into a rest home for soldiers. They bricked in all the balconies so drunken soldiers wouldn’t fall off them. Because it was a German house, before they left, they ripped out all the plumbing and wiring and smashed many rooms.

After the war, the Italian government owned the ruined property and housed bombed out and homeless civilians in the empty rooms. They raised chickens and rabbits in the gardens.

Eugen brought his mother and son, Heintz back to Taormina and got a job managing a large hotel in a nearby town. He was 61 and didn’t want to give up his parents’ home or make a new life.

His luck came back in 1953. He convinced the Italian government to give him back the family home in ruins, this time for free.

His mother had died, so he went back to his broken down house with his son and daughter-in-law, who were not interested in running a hotel and moved away. Restoring the building was too big a project for him. He spent a sad year all alone making little progress.
His luck was about to change again.

Meanwhile in Germany, a young nurse, Marta had got stressed out during the war and was in a sanitarium with persistent stomach ulcers. A doctor told her to change her life and got her a job as a private nurse to a lady in Taormina. Through her, this intrepid nurse met Eugen, 31 years older. They married in 1954.

With some local workers, they restored the desolate house bit by bit. In the first five years, there were no electrical appliances. They opened the hotel anyway.

After all their guests had gone through in the war, they didn’t mind staying in such a magnificent location in basic rooms with “hot and cold running water”.

Word spread and the tourists came back to Villa Schuler, some of them children of guests in the 1920s. How to promote the hotel now that the days of long stays were gone? Eugen got German consulates and embassies around the world to recommend the hotel to diplomats, judges, politicians and actresses.

Eugen and Marta had two sons, Gerhard and Claudio. Marta ran the hotel with four staff. In such a family run place, they made friends with their guests and often celebrated their birthdays and anniversaries at the villa.

By the 1960s their business was booming and they added a third floor to the villa to make 27 rooms.

The 1970’s saw the start of mass tourism in Italy and international guests arrived. Marta ran Villa Schuler as Eugen took a less active role in the business to pursue his passion, Mount Etna.

Like his father, Eugen accompanied scientists up to the volcano rim. He became an acknowledged expert at the Volcanological Research Institute in Catania, the capital of his province. He died happy in Taormina at age 82.

Eugen and Marta’s son Gerhard, now manages Hotel Villa Schuler.

The Villa Schuler story inspired me in many ways. Over generations the Schuler family persevered through a series of hardships to keep and operate what was important in their hearts.

They maintained vast social networks of people they treated well and worked together to build the lifestyle and business they love to this day.

Originally published here.

Margaret Cowan of Vancouver, BC owns a tour company, Mama Margaret Italian Cooking Holidays at http://www.italycookingschools.com/sicily.html

They ran their first Italian cooking, wine and walking tour in 1995. Margaret and her local Italian tour partners offer tours from north to south in Italy.

There are many reasons why you should visit Germany. You may be going to Germany on a business trip, a seminar, a summer holiday with your kids – it doesn’t matter what your reasons are – Germany is one of the best places that you can go to. If you plan to visit Germany in the near future, you should definitely consider hiring a car. You’d be able to fully enjoy exploring the country and its cities if you have a car that you can use to get around. One of the best things about hiring a car in Germany is the sheer convenience of hiring one.

Car rental Germany is fairly easy and quite simple. It does not require a lot of your time or effort. Online car rental companies have also made it possible for you to hire a car even before you reach Germany. So, once you’ve reached the country, you can just pick up your car and then proceed to visiting the various wonderful cities that Germany has to offer.

One of the many cities that you can visit in Germany is Hamburg. Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany. It is located a hundred of kilometers away from the banks of the River Elbe. The city is densely populated with more than a million inhabitants. Hamburg is a harbor city and it is the second biggest harbor city in the whole of Europe. Ironically, it is also the greenest city in the country. Majority of the whole territory of Hamburg is dotted with parks. You’d find a lot of lakes and tree-lined canals in the whole city.

Unlike other cities in Germany, however, Hamburg has little of what’s left of the last century. The Great Fire of 1842 has almost fully robbed off the city of its old splendor. The city, however, takes refuge from its strength – its commerce. Through this, the city has fully restored its beauty although the buildings that line the streets of Hamburg are far cry from the once majestic classical buildings that once stood.

Regardless of what Hamburg has lost, it is not without doubt that the city still has a long history that it can boast of. If you could secure a Car Hire Hamburg, you’d be able to visit the various tourist spots in Hamburg. You would surely enjoy the city that was the home of Johanne Brahms. You’d be able to hop in your rented car and visit the 15th century altar in the Cathedrals of St. Jacobi. Afterwards, you can drive straight to St. Michael and check out what a Baroque church looks like.

If you are seriously considering visiting Hamburg, you will not have difficulty at all reaching the city by plane. If you are of need of a car the minute you land, you can take advantage of a Car Hire Hamburg Airport. Once you have your car, you can then proceed to visiting Hamburg and checking out all that the city has in store for you.

Originally published here.

When traveling in Ireland avail yourself of Car Rental Germany . You can visit the city of Hamburg and see it in a Car Hire Hamburg or a Car Hire Hamburg Airport