Sir Michael Tippett (1905–1998) was an English composer who rose to prominence during the Second World War. He was considered to rank with his contemporary Benjamin Britten as one of the leading British composers of the 20th century. Among his best-known works are the oratorio A Child of Our Time, the orchestral Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli, and the opera The Midsummer Marriage. Tippett withdrew or destroyed his earliest compositions, and was 30 before any of his works were published. Initial difficulties in accepting his homosexuality led him in 1939 to Jungian psychoanalysis. Until the mid-1950s his music was broadly lyrical in character, before changing to a more astringent and experimental style, open to new influences including jazz and blues. He was much honoured in his lifetime, but uneven critical judgement reserved praise generally for his earlier works. Having briefly embraced communism in the 1930s, Tippett avoided identifying with any political party. A pacifist after 1940, he was imprisoned in 1943 for refusing to carry out war-related duties. He was a strong advocate of music education, a radio broadcaster and a writer on music. (Full article...)
Authorities confirm the discovery of debris and bodies from Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501(aircraft pictured), which crashed en route to Singapore with 162 people on board.
Italian ferry Norman Atlantic catches fire in the Adriatic Sea with 466 passengers and crew on board, killing at least 11 people.
A militant attack on tribal people and subsequent retaliations in Assam, India, result in at least 85 deaths.
Ophelia is an oil painting on canvas completed by Sir John Everett Millais between 1851 and 1852. It depicts the character Ophelia, from Shakespeare's play Hamlet, singing before she drowns in a river in Denmark; this death scene is not seen onstage, but is instead described in a speech by Queen Gertrude. The painting was completed in two stages: first, the setting (drawn from the Hogsmill River in Surrey) then Ophelia (portrayed by Elizabeth Siddal). The painting is now owned by Tate Britain and valued at more than £30 million.
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