#MusicMonday A musical 🎼 tribute to pianist Alfred Brendel (1931-2025)

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Pianist Alfred Brendel died on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. He was 94 years old.

As a tribute, I present Beethoven’s Fantasy for piano, vocal soloists, mixed chorus, and orchestra, Op. 80, as performed by Alfred Brendel and the New York Philharmonic, conducted by the now disgraced James Levine.

The Fantasy is commonly called the Choral Fantasy. Beethoven composed the Choral Fantasy in 1808. Its premiere was on December 22, 1808 in Vienna. That concert also saw the premieres of his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, the Fourth Piano Concerto, and excerpts of the Mass in C major (busy, busy!).

Beethoven wanted a “brilliant finale” that would include all the participants in the program. The first part is an extended piano solo: then, the chorus and orchestra gradually join in, and the Choral Fantasy indeed ends with a brilliant finale.

The Choral Fantasy is viewed as a precursor to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony: listen 🎶 and you’ll understand.

Top Beauty News You Need to Know

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Beauty news from around the Web:

  1. Did you know?
  2. Paris Hilton launches her skincare line
  3. #Beauty on a budget: Fun Finds from Dollar Tree
  4. Leonard Lauder, son of Estée Lauder, passes away

Did you know?

Paris Hilton launches her skincare line

Suddenly, it seems like Paris Hilton is everywhere, with an array of products with her name affixed to them.

#Beauty on a budget: Fun Finds from Dollar Tree

Leonard Lauder, son of Estée Lauder, passes away

Beauty on a Budget: Fun Finds from Dollar Tree ✨

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I recently did a little impulse shopping at Dollar Tree and found a few beauty goodies that were too fun not to share. Are they game-changers? Maybe not. But they’re definitely fun, functional, and surprisingly useful—all for $1.25 each. Here’s what made it into my basket

The Lip Exfoliator looks like a plastic tongue scraper, but it’s for your lips! Nubby surfaces on both sides help buff away dryness. It’s fun to try, but a textured washcloth works just as well.💄

This little makeup sponge holder is made of soft silicone and even has a suction cup base—perfect for sticking to your mirror or sink. It holds a Beautyblender or a dupe (mine’s a Dollar Tree dupe!) and keeps it clean and dry.

The Cuticle Oil Balm Stick is my favorite find of the bunch (with the makeup sponge holder coming in a close second). Super convenient—just swipe it on like lip balm. I like to apply it to all my fingers while waiting for the cuticle remover to soften my thumb cuticles. So handy!

Have you tried any of these? Or scored a Dollar Tree beauty gem that readers should know about? Drop it in the comments! 🛍️💬**

✨ a word about AI

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Why Eurovision Was Better in the 1960s: A Review

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I didn’t watch the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest. Judging from the reports on the BBC and Sky News, I’m glad I didn’t. It’s about spectacle, not song.

Rewind 60 years ago to 1965. Here’s runner-up Kathy Kirby (née Catherine Ethel O’Rourke), who represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Wow. Just wow. I love my female singers. Why hadn’t I heard of her before?

And here is France Gall (née Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall), the winner of the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest. Her entry was Serge Gainsbourg’s song Poupée de cire, poupée de son (wax doll, rag doll):

The good old days, when the Eurovision Song Contest was about music and songs. 🎵

#MusicMonday Remembering Bob Kuban: A St. Louis Music Icon

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I found out that St. Louis bandleader Bob Kuban died on Monday, January 20, 2025 at the age of 84. Bob Kuban and The In-Men’s single “The Cheater” peaked at no. 12 on the national charts in 1966.

Bob Kuban was a fixture in St. Louis. As a St. Louisan, I remember him best for his columns on local musical events in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I was bemused by this clean-cut guy calling Iggy Pop (or was it Iggy Stooge then?), who was due to perform in St. Louis, a “genius.”

When I think about Bob Kuban, I can’t help but think about his singer Walter Scott, whose lurid death has been the subject of true crime TV shows.