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Todd Graham: Head coach, or exorcist?
Todd Graham has some catch phrases he likes to lean on when talking to the media.
"Speaking victory"
"Left lane, hammer down"
They're all part of Graham's vernacular. Another, more recent entry, has been "it's hard to handle adversity, but it's harder to handle success."
On Thursday night in Boulder, the Sun Devils experienced both ends of that maxim.
In the first thirty minutes of the contest, Arizona State looked very much like a team who was having trouble handling success. The 4-1 Sun Devils came into the contest as a 22-point favorite against a floundering Colorado team whose four losses had come by an average of 22.5 points. ASU was generous and unfocused and went to their locker room at Folsom Field up by just three points.
ESPN analysts hinted at a Colorado upset. Mark May said he'd much rather be in the Buffaloes' shoes in the second half as they were the team with the momentum. CU had scored 10 points in the last 24 seconds of the half to shrink ASU's lead to 20-17.
At halftime, the Devils got a chance to reflect and to deal with adversity.
What followed was a nearly-perfect thirty minutes of football. Rashad Ross set the tone by returning the second half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.
The stingy ASU defense allowed Colorado to gain just 89 yards on 33 second half offensive plays. Meanwhile, the offense rolled up 290 yards and scored points on five of their eight possessions. It spelled a 31-0 half that propelled the Sun Devils to an easy 51-17 win, which pushed their record to 5-1 and 3-0 in Pac-12 play.
More importantly, under adversity, ASU came out and played a clean half. Zero penalties. One turnover, early in the fourth quarter with ASU already up 17 points.
"I'm really proud of our guys -- we faced a lot of adversity right there before the half," Graham said following the game. "You've got to give Colorado a lot of credit, they came out with their home crowd and really had a lot of intensity. Our guys responded with great poise and great character. We came out and shut them out in the second half."
Whatever Graham told his team at halftime obviously worked. But it's more than that. Thursday night's second half was further proof of the transformation that's gone on with the Sun Devils' program.
Don't believe me? Let's revisit the ugly five-game skid that ended the Dennis Erickson era. ASU committed 34 penalties for 335 yards, turned the ball over ten times, allowed opponents to gain an average of 498 yards per game and yielded the most points ever in a five-game stretch in school history.
Graham didn't have a culture change to install -- he had an exorcism to perform.
But before "this house is clean", the Sun Devils must apply what they've learned in the first six weeks of the season to the next six, because things get a lot tougher from here on out. Based on the current Jeff Sagarin ratings, the Sun Devils' first six opponents had an average rank of 80.2. The next six have an average rank of 35.5 and there are two teams in the top ten (Oregon and USC).
I'm not going to sit here and say that Arizona State is a great football team -- they don't have victories against quality teams that would put them in that category.
But thanks to what Todd Graham and his coaching staff have instilled in half a season, along with the players applying themselves to these teachings, ASU is conducting itself like a great football team -- and that might be a good chunk of the battle right there.


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Islanders suffer yet another SLC loss
Volleyball team loses focus in pivotal Game 3
Usually it's a term reserved for another sport, but the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team is seeking closers.
The Islanders need players - or plays - to finish off other teams. A&M-Corpus Christi had a chance to gain its first Southland Conference victory, but couldn't find a way to deliver the decisive point.
Texas-San Antonio was down in the pivotal third game, but the Islanders let the Roadrunners off the ropes. UTSA seized that game on the way to a 30-22, 22-30, 30-24, 30-26 victory.
Frustrating A&M-Corpus Christi (1-12, 0-3) was that it was holding a 21-17 advantage in the third game, its largest lead. Then the Roadrunners rattled off 10 of the next 11 points to put away the game.
That was after the Islanders had roared back with a solid Game 2 victory, and had won most of what seemed to be the long rallies that dominated the third game.
"Lack of focus on our part," said A&M-Corpus Christi's first-year coach Kimberly Martinez. "The problem we've been dealing with this season is that it's not just one person making an error, but it's the whole team contributing to that. That's what's hurting us."
Islanders setter Paula Araujo, who had 39 assists and five kills, felt the match slipped away because of the team's inability to hold the Game 3 lead.
"We just lose focus," Araujo said. "We (give up) too many points at one time. That third game, I think if we win it, we win the (match)."
UTSA (9-7, 2-1) rolled in the opening game, never trailing. But A&M-Corpus Christi, leaning on four aces in the second game, evened the match.
The Islanders put together two major runs in the second game - a 7-0 spree early and a tear where the team scored seven of eight late in the game. The runs also came when the Roadrunners Connie Picard - who had 17 kills against three errors - was off the floor.
"Extremely tough and consistent serving," Martinez said of the key to Game 2. "It put them out of system. We got a couple aces and that gave us the momentum."
There were a couple of ties the final game - the final at 11-all - but the Roadrunners never trailed in the climatic game. UTSA found a way to close.
UTSA def. TAMUCC 3-2
Kills: Feliz (TAMUCC) 15, Picard (UTSA) 17. Assists: Araujo (TAMUCC) 39, Strickland (UTSA) 42. Blocks: Araujo, Thigpen (TAMUCC) 1.5, Picard (UTSA) 2.5.
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The Germany international, who tasted World Cup glory in Brazil over the summer, is reported to have been identified as a top target by Louis van Gaal after he inherited the managerial reins at Old Trafford.
An approach was made, with United eager to bring world-class talent into their ranks as they seek a reversal in fortune.
Muller admits a move would have been of financial benefit to him, with the money on offer 'astronomical'.
He has, however, taken a decision he believes will be of greater benefit to his long-term career, with the 24-year-old happy and settled at Bayern.
Muller has spent his entire career to date with the reigning Bundesliga champions and sees no reason why he should turn his back on the club to go chasing a bigger pay packet elsewhere.
He told Bild when asked if United had come close to signing him: "Of course.
"I was aware that I could earn more by making that transfer.
"The amount that foreign clubs were offering me was astronomical. But Bayern are my club, a change was not an issue for me."


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The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma held its 14th annual Outstanding Elder Banquet Nov. 1 at the Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant. Outstanding elders from all of the districts were recognized and enjoyed a special evening held in their honor. Two of the nominees were chosen from the tribe's 17 community centers as this year's top male and female elders, judged by a panel of three to be awarded for their exceptional accomplishments. This year's Outstanding Elders are Willie Walley of District 9, Durant, and Carolyn Bohanan of District 7, Wright City.
Recognized from District 7 as Outstanding Felame Elder was: Beatrice Williston, of Antlers.


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'Huge need' for Fiji to sell ginger to Australia
Fiji's Agricultural Marketing Authority says there is a "huge need" for farmers to sell their ginger to Australia, where its exports are currently being scrutinised for biosecurity risks.
Australian farmers have told a senate inquiry that importing Fijian ginger could devastate the local industry, as the overseas crop runs the risk of carrying a pest known as a burrowing nematode.
They say nematodes have been known to wipe out up to 70 per cent of Fiji's crops.
Fiji's Agricultural Marketing Authority's sales manager, Alifereti Yaya, told Pacific Beat the nation has moved to eliminate the pest by steaming mature ginger crops before exporting them.
"The mature ginger needs to be sent fresh to overseas markets and to do this there is a risk of the insects going through," he acknowledged.
"[But] that is why Fiji is revising our biosecurity protocol - so that the risk that's there is eliminated locally before it's being exported."
The Australian inquiry is being led by the Rural and Regional Affairs committee, which is presided over by six Australian senators, to give a chance for stakeholders to share their views on policy and legislation.
The senate inquiry will then produce a report based on its findings, due on November 29.
Aside from fearing pest infestations, local farmers have raised concerns cheap foreign imports will undercut local growers' prices.
"At the moment, it's more a competition thing between Australian growers and Fiji," says Mr Yaya.
But he says for many Fijian farmers, exporting crops to Australia is their only option.
"There is a huge need for Fiji farmers to sell their mature ginger and we don't have that market locally," he said.
"So the only option for us is to export to Australia."
Topics: agricultural-crops, fiji, pacific, australia
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To be notified when details about New Year's Eve at Polly Esther's are available, along with updates about other events for New Year's Eve Las Vegas, please join our mailing list.
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New Year's Eve 2008
Polly Esther'sDecember 31st, 2007 8:00 am -
Tickets: FREE
New Years' Eve at Polly Esther's includes:
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Be safe when you celebrate. Our New Years Eve safety tips are always worth repeating.


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School districts are firing more teachers since new collective bargaining laws eliminated job protections granted by union contracts three years ago, according to the state's teachers' union and school board association.
School districts are firing more teachers since new collective bargaining laws eliminated job protections granted by union contracts three years ago, according to the state's teachers' union and school board association.
With the closing of nearly 50 Chicago schools, many people are worried about what will become of the boarded-up buildings in poor neighborhoods.
Facing a still-massive deficit, the Philadelphia School District will not open on time unless it has assurance by Aug. 16 that it will receive $50 million from the city, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. says.
Seattle School Board candidates Suzanne Dale Estey, Sue Peters, and Stephan Blanford received the most votes in their respective districts in the recent primary election. The general election will be held in the fall.
Jim Merrill, Wake County School's new school superintendent, takes over for Tony Tata, who was fired last fall. Merrill is the North Carolina district's third superintendent in as many years and is now running the state's largest school district.
Norm Ridder, superintendent of Springfield (Mo.) Public Schools, announced that he and his wife want to move west to be closer to family. He will step down June 30, after nine years as head of the district.
North Atlanta High School, notable for both its beauty and its cost—$147 million compared to $38.5 million, the median cost of a new high school in the Deep South—opens this week in a district still recovering from a cheating scandal.
The district worked deep into the summer to fill the openings in its struggling Innovation Zone schools. Because of their low test scores, the seven "iZone" schools were required by the state and federal governments to come up with plans to turn themselves around.
The Sioux City school district is among many in the state struggling to diversify its workforce, especially as Iowa's demographics continue to shift.
The declaration will set in motion a process that could end with drastic options that include bankruptcy or an emergency manager.
Beginning this school year, every Flagler County student in grades 5-12 will be issued a MacBook or iPad to give them 24/7 access to engaging and interactive technology and digital curriculum resources.
Just two weeks after the position was officially created, the Board of Education for the Auburn (N.Y.) Enlarged City School District has approved the appointment of a chief information officer who will oversee the district's use of data and technology.
Jeanice Kerr Swift has accepted the Ann Arbor school board's offer to become the next superintendent of the Ann Arbor Public Schools.
Portsmouth School Superintendent Lynn Krizic has resigned, according to a statement released by the school district Thursday.
Courted heavily by the Lakeshore Public Schools in Stevensonville, south of St. Joseph, and offered its superintendent position, Muskegon Public Schools Superintendent Jon Felske has decided to stay in Muskegon.


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Nautica set sail in 1983 as a retailer specializing in men's outerwear. Since then, the company has expanded to offer customers a wide range of men's and women's clothing and fragrances, as well as a full line of accessories and a home collection. The company remains a leading lifestyle brand with an ever-growing selection of high-quality products at discount prices with Nautica coupons.
The success of Nautica's fragrance line can at times eclipse the company's other offerings, but savvy shoppers know that Nautica brings the same level of dedication apparent in its colognes and perfumes to its entire line of merchandise. It may even surprise some people to know that the Nautica product line includes:
Nautica's passion for coastal living and conservation is embodied in its Ocean 2 Ocean campaign, which highlights national efforts to protect coastlines. Shoppers can enjoy these stories on the website and get involved in the conversation via the Nautica blog.
Shop with a Nautica coupon and experience the quality and comfort of one of America's most iconic brands.


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Learn more about the history of Walton County
Growing to meet the needs of the community
One of only two perfectly round lakes in the world
Built in 1920, completely restored, the perfect place to stay!
THIS CHEVROLET RUCK ended up on its side after flipping over another vehicle on June 25 at the corner of Sycamore Drive and Hwy. 20 in Choctaw Beach. The driver was taken to a local hospital. (Photo by Jeffrey Powell)
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Written by Beth Lennon, "Mod Betty" of RetroRoadmap.com
The lunch counter at Sine's 5 & 10 Cent Store in Quakertown, Pa.
In the heart of Quakertown, Pa. -- just an hour north of Philadelphia -- the cheery red exterior of Sine's 5&10 Cent Store has been the gem in the crown of the downtown district for over 100 years.
It's not only a variety store where you can still buy everything from notebook paper and sewing notions to toys and hardware supplies, but you can also enjoy a meal or a sweet ice cream treat at their popular lunch counter and soda fountain.... Read More →
The National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America's historic places. Join us today to help protect the places that matter to you.
Beth Lennon
Beth Lennon is the creator of the website RetroRoadmap.com. As "Mod Betty," she delights as the retro travel "hostess with the mostess," scouting out cool vintage places and sharing them with the world.


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MBP Restarts on Lid Close Activated Sleep
My MacBook Pro (Core 2 Duo) running 10.4.8 restarts every once in awhile when it close the lid to put it to sleep. I'll close the lid and then hear the restart sound and think "crap". (since I had a bunch of apps open and was working on stuff...)
Anyone else have this problem? I'm wondering if it has to do with a combination of putting it to sleep (Hibernation Mode 3) while putting the laptop in my bag and thus activating the Hard Drive Motion Detect sensor which then shuts off access for writing temporarily. By shutting off HD access, the sleep doesn't know what to do so it panics and restarts the computer...
I've had that happen once in two and a half months. No idea what did it, but like you I heard the restart sound and like you I thought "crap." :)
If it keeps happening, I'd recommend a trip to the Apple Store.
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Because life is about living
No 1 Langford Gardens,
Richmond Road, Bangalore- 560 001
The Studio Executive provides style and unique design features with modern amenities. The kitchen is equipped with modern appliances and the stylish living area, dining area, bedroom and bathroom are fitted with contemporary furnishings. Stay in one of these quality Bangalore serviced apartments to make the most of your visit to the city. For business or leisure, wireless internet access, air conditioning and housekeeping services are also provided.
* The third person is chargeable with an extra sofa bed.


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Click Here to Watch the Whole Video in HD at Straight Naked Thugs
Check out StraightNakedThugs.com and see what REAL thugs do for cash when they're fresh out of jail! Real straight naked bad-boys who aren't just playing thug for a day!
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Dear Sir,
I have been using Camstudio to record an important working session on MSN conference.
But unfortunately my computer went down close to the end of the recording.
As the program was stopped before AVI file creation, I have only a few files that were created at that time on the temp directory.
The largest one (roughly 1 G) is named mci52.tmp and seems to be the Camstudio file.
A few others files ~DFXXXX.tmp were created at roughly the same time, but their sizes are either 16KB or 1856 KB.
I tried to rename the mci file as mci.avi and to play it on different players, without success.
I tried also to fix it using Avifixed, but it replies: file format unknown.
Virtualdub cannot open this file.
I submitted the mci52.tmp file to a format analyzer (Trid) that replied:
TrID/32 - File Identifier v2.02 - (C) 2003-06 By M.Pontello
Definitions found: 2400
Collecting data from file: e:\e\mci52.tmp
91.3% (.SPU) Spectrum 512 bitmap (160000/1)
2.2% (.GRA) OpenGL object (4003/2)
1.1% (.WK*) Lotus 123 Worksheet (generic) (2005/4)
0.7% (.HSC) HSC music composer song (1267/141)
0.6% (.GMC) Game Music Creator Music (1130/43)
I modified the mcixxx.tmp file extension to .spu but neither Xnview nor Graphics converter pro v6 can open the file.
Checking the Camstudio process I noticed that:
1) it creates a ~DFXXX.tmp at start (688KB : OLE2 multistream compound file
2) When recording starts, it creates a mcixxx.tmp file, that keeps growing with the data being recorded.
3) -When the recording is stopped, Camstudio suppresses mcixxx.tmp file after producing a ~temp.avi and a ~temp001.wav file in the Camstudio directory (these files can be played)
4) Then a Compression audio phase starts:The final avi file (audio+video) is being created.
5)At the end ~temp/avi and ~temp001.wav are deleted.
6) ~DFXXX.tmp remains until camstudio is closed.
From this, I guess that the job that I need to do is to find a way to extract avi and wav files from the micxxx.tmp.
(I submitted the case to the forum, but the advices I received assumed my tmp file was avi format, so it does not work)
Could you please give me some suggestions on any possible ways to retrieve AVI from mcixxx.tmp?
Many thanks for your help.
S Groesz
Logged In: YES
Originator: NO
Thank you for the VERY thorough analysis of your problem! I am not involved with the development of the program, so my help may be limited. If you understand anything at all about programming, you might try to look at the source code to determine how the tmp file may be assembled during recording. It may well be that the temp file doesn't resemble either wav or .avi, but is somehow a raw dump of the video and audio data. In the future, it may be a good idea to update the program to output directly to AVI and WAV separately, or even MPG, which is a more popular format, IMO.
I can understand how having a computer crash during a recording can be frustrating, as sometimes a lot of work can go into making a recording! I'm almost tempted to move this to the feature request section...
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Deep Knowledge is an diversified financial service bank and is independent of all financial institutions. Deep Knowledge's absolute commitment to integrity, quality and independent research, focusing on competence, discretion and rapid execution, are our core competitive advantages.
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Have you ever wanted one of those Roman Bathrooms that seemed like it is part bathroom and part palace. Then have you considered having your home remodeled, during a remodel you can create whatever dream land that you want. When you remodel your home you get to make choices that you did not get to make during the original construction phases. Sat you want to have a completely different feel to the kithcen and or bathroom then when you remodel you can have it change to be what you wanted. Or possible you are wanting to make your home home eco friendly. that can be done too, by adding skylights and using LED lights instead of the standard lights that are used in most cases.
Whatever reason you ahve for want to remodel your home oyu will need a professinal that has the years of experience and the trained professional staff the handle whatever your needs are. Give us a call today and see hwat we can do for you!
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eso1531 — Science Release
First Detection of Lithium from an Exploding Star
The chemical element lithium has been found for the first time in material ejected by a nova. Observations of Nova Centauri 2013 made using telescopes at ESO's La Silla Observatory, and near Santiago in Chile, help to explain the mystery of why many young stars seem to have more of this chemical element than expected. This new finding fills in a long-missing piece in the puzzle representing our galaxy's chemical evolution, and is a big step forward for astronomers trying to understand the amounts of different chemical elements in stars in the Milky Way.
eso1530 — Science Release
ALMA Witnesses Assembly of Galaxies in the Early Universe for the First Time
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has been used to detect the most distant clouds of star-forming gas yet found in normal galaxies in the early Universe. The new observations allow astronomers to start to see how the first galaxies were built up and how they cleared the cosmic fog during the era of reionisation. This is the first time that such galaxies are seen as more than just faint blobs.
eso1529 — Science Release
Jupiter Twin Discovered Around Solar Twin
An international group of astronomers has used the ESO 3.6-metre telescope to identify a planet just like Jupiter orbiting at the same distance from a Sun-like star, HIP 11915. According to current theories, the formation of Jupiter-mass planets plays an important role in shaping the architecture of planetary systems. The existence of a Jupiter-mass planet in a Jupiter-like orbit around a Sun-like star opens the possibility that the system of planets around this star may be similar to our own Solar System. HIP 11915 is about the same age as the Sun and, furthermore, its Sun-like composition suggests that there may also be rocky planets orbiting closer to the star.
eso1528 — Organisation Release
Huge New Survey to Shine Light on Dark Matter
The first results have been released from a major new dark matter survey of the southern skies using ESO's VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. The VST KiDS survey will allow astronomers to make precise measurements of dark matter, the structure of galaxy halos, and the evolution of galaxies and clusters. The first KiDS results show how the characteristics of the observed galaxies are determined by the invisible vast clumps of dark matter surrounding them.
eso1527 — Science Release
Biggest Explosions in the Universe Powered by Strongest Magnets
Observations from ESO's La Silla and Paranal Observatories in Chile have for the first time demonstrated a link between a very long-lasting burst of gamma rays and an unusually bright supernova explosion. The results show that the supernova was not driven by radioactive decay, as expected, but was instead powered by the decaying super-strong magnetic fields around an exotic object called a magnetar. The results will appear in the journal Nature on 9 July 2015.
eso1526 — Photo Release
Buried in the Heart of a Giant
This rich view of an array of colourful stars and gas was captured by the Wide Field Imager (WFI) camera, on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. It shows a young open cluster of stars known as NGC 2367, an infant stellar grouping that lies at the centre of an immense and ancient structure on the margins of the Milky Way.
eso1525 — Science Release
Giant Galaxy is Still Growing
New observations with ESO's Very Large Telescope have revealed that the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87 has swallowed an entire medium-sized galaxy over the last billion years. For the first time a team of astronomers has been able to track the motions of 300 glowing planetary nebulae to find clear evidence of this event and also found evidence of excess light coming from the remains of the totally disrupted victim.
eso1524 — Science Release
Best Observational Evidence of First Generation Stars in the Universe
Astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope have discovered by far the brightest galaxy yet found in the early Universe and found strong evidence that examples of the first generation of stars lurk within it. These massive, brilliant, and previously purely theoretical objects were the creators of the first heavy elements in history — the elements necessary to forge the stars around us today, the planets that orbit them, and life as we know it. The newly found galaxy, labelled CR7, is three times brighter than the brightest distant galaxy known up to now.
eso1523 — Science Release
A Celestial Butterfly Emerges from its Dusty Cocoon
Some of the sharpest images ever made with ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) have, for the first time, revealed what appears to be an ageing star giving birth to a butterfly-like planetary nebula. These observations of the red giant star L2 Puppis, from the ZIMPOL mode of the newly installed SPHERE instrument, also clearly showed a close companion. The dying stages of stars continue to pose astronomers with many riddles, and the origin of such bipolar nebulae, with their complex and alluring hourglass figures, doubly so. This new imaging mode means that the VLT is currently the sharpest astronomical direct imaging instrument in existence.
eso1522 — Science Release
Sharpest View Ever of Star Formation in the Distant Universe
ALMA's Long Baseline Campaign has produced a spectacular image of a distant galaxy being gravitationally lensed. The image shows a magnified view of the galaxy's star-forming regions, the likes of which have never been seen before at this level of detail in a galaxy so remote. The new observations are far sharper than those made using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, and reveal star-forming clumps in the galaxy equivalent to giant versions of the Orion Nebula in the Milky Way.
16 July 2015 — ann15058
Paranal Observatory First Choice to Host World's Largest Array of Gamma-ray Telescopes
19 June 2015 — ann15045
Contract Signed for Final Design and Construction of Largest Adaptive Mirror Unit in the World


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Sen. Joseph Lieberman says that the partisanship over Medicare has gotten so bad that "it is enough to make you want to become an independent." Since he is registered as one, the senator from Connecticut believes he is in a good position to come up with a solution, which he outlined in the Washington Post today.
Lieberman says his five-pronged approach will "preserve Medicare without privatizing it by saving at least $200 billion in Medicare spending over the next 10 years and extending Medicare's solvency by approximately 20 years." It's a fix he hopes will be a compromise between Democrats, who oppose changing the program's premium and benefit structure, and Republicans, who oppose pumping more money into the program.
The plan calls for: raising the Medicare eligibility age every year starting in 2014 by two months until it reaches 67 in 2025; reforming the benefit structure; raising the prices of premiums for all new enrollees for doctor's services and prescriptions; reforming Medigap policies; and asking the richest Americans to pay an additional 1 percent of every dollar they earn over $250,000 to help pay for the program.


text:
I received a few questions about the Minnesota Wild through Twitter, Facebook and email. I will answer those questions in this article.
If you have a question about the Wild, submit it on Twitter to my handle (@JGuntherExaminr), on Facebook or email it to me through the contact link in my profile.
Our power play is horrible. What is wrong and how can it be fixed?
Movement is the answer to both questions. The lack of movement allows the Blackhawks killers to stand in the shooting lanes and block shots. The easiest power plays to stop are the ones that have little movement.
The first unit especially needs to get the Blackhawks moving around. Someone will get out of position and a shooting lane will come open. Capitalizing is the final step.
Why hasn't this team lived up to the expectations?
There appears to be an identity crisis. When they are aggressive, see game three of the series, they are as good as anyone. Two days later, game four, they look more afraid to make a mistake than they are to make a play.
I know you recently said that you don't believe Mike Yeo will be fired. Has that changed or are we stuck with him for another year?
Yeo's future with the Wild could very well hinge on game five. If the Wild go down swinging, he could be back. If the Wild get steamrolled like it did in games two and four, then I expect a coaching change. If the Wild win three straight, he definitely will be back.
How much better would this team be with Dany Heatley? His absence looks like it is making a difference.
Having another proven playoff scorer would help. Exactly how the lineup would be different is difficult to predict.
What do the Wild need to do to duplicate the 2003 playoff run?
That is interesting because this is a more talented Wild team than the 2003 squad. The 2003 Colorado Avalanche was just as good as this Blackhawks squad. So it is possible. The Wild showed what it needs to do in game three. Be physical, aggressive and pressure the Blackhawks - especially on the forecheck.


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Absinthe Review: Absinthe Eichelberger Brut 83.2 Festival Edition
Absintheur: Ádám Oláh 14.05.2012
Amazingly smooth yet clean taste with loads of well counterbalanced anise and a slight, natural candy-like touch (peppermint and calamus, maybe?), completed by vague herbal notes adding some extra smoothness to the taste. The louche and mouth-feel are just unbeatable (if not by pre-ban). I personally prefer the original Eich\' 80 Brute with its even cleaner taste, but 83.2 is a wonderful version on its own right.
Absintheur: Anders Damgaard Nielsen 22.03.2012
I hate to sound like Janice from \"Friends\", but OH MY GOD!!! This Absinthe is just absolutely wonderful. It has a high alcohol percentage, but you can\'t neither smell nor taste it, it is THAT smooth. The louche is thick as the London fog, but as clean as a swizz mountain lake. I. love. it. If you want an absinthe, with a full body, a fulfilling smell and a smooth finish, get this one. It\'s worth every drop.
Absintheur: Benjamin Sawyer 17.04.2010
Addendum to my previous review: To elaborate on the flavors; There is a fabulous woody, floral experience on the palate! There are the flavors of Melissa, lemon, mild cedar, wormwood and a delicious (almost funky) fresh chlorophyll, fresh herb flavor! totally magnificent! Of the 15 various Absinthe's I have tried this is the best to date! You need to keep a bottle of this on your Absinthe bar! It is worth every cent (or Euro, as the case may be) you pay for this!
Absintheur: Benjamin Sawyer 05.04.2010
I tried this because it is undiluted from the Alembic. There is a strong anise flavor (which I like). The louche is thick and has a wonderful creamy mouth feel that continues to release the delicious burn of the anise oils for a long time. The alcohol is incredibly smooth! I expected a burn from the high alcohol content. There isn't any! The wormwood and other herbs are perfectly balanced to be supportive throughout the drink opening across the palate and provide a complex subtlety to the drink. Magnificent Absinthe! I will buy much more!
Absintheur: Jack Thompson 24.07.2009
I'm a big fan of all the Eichelbergers, but I've got to say this is the best. It's even better that the Brut 80 (which is one of my favorites). It has a wonderful aroma, thick louche, and an amazing flavor where the alcohol doesn't overshadow the herbs. I hope Alandia has this one around for a while as I want more!
Absintheurs who bought this product also bought the following products:


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Posts filtered on Tag
Déjà vu: Astros stink, cyclists cheat, and a great video
As they head across the border tonight, the Astros' record matches that of 2005, when they started 15-29, lost again to slip to 15-30, then started playing well and advanced to the World Series. It could happen again, right? Yeah, right. Hold up. Wait. (RIP Nate Dogg.) They say you're not paranoid if they're really […] [Read More]
Astros' odds improving; Texans-Cowboys pillow fight
Bookmakers say there are five MLB teams with worse chances at winning the World Series. Hey, last year, there were only four teams considered more of a long shot than the Astros. Yeah, baby! That's progress. Like passing somebody in the welfare line. I do like the over on Pence's home runs and Bourn's steals. […] [Read More]
Are the Texans a smart organization; money and sports have to mix
Since NFL teams will be forbidden from talking to players during the lockout (should there be one), I had a crazy idea that the Texans defensive players should hire a former assistant on Wade Phillips' staff to walk them through the intricacies of the new defense. I'm not talking about full-scale workouts, which would be […] [Read More]
Castro out for season, or should be, that is
Bad news got much worse for the Astros, as Jason Castro is now almost certainly out for the season with surgery this morning on a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Tough blow for the young man, who was the No. 10 pick in the 2008 draft. The team is officially saying he could be back in […] [Read More]
Pence thinks 'Stros can shock the world
Jerome Solomon / Chronicle • • • KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Before the season begins, it is standard for fans (and media) to be overly optimistic about a team's chances. Here at spring training, you could talk yourself into the Astros shocking the world and having a special year. Hey, the phrase "shook up the world" […] [Read More]
Astros ticket prices: no complaint; Haynesworth's breasts
You're not going to get me to complain about the Astros raising ticket prices. Hey, I pay for tickets sometimes too. My 93-year-old grandmother can go to a game on me whenever she asks. Mama Mary used to take me to see those sorry rascals when I was little, so the least I can do […] [Read More]
Atlanta is a miserable sports town; Is Houston worse?
This may seem like another "kick 'em while they're down" entry, but it is not. This is something Houston sports fans should embrace. I say let's step into the ring against all these wannabe losing sports cities and wear our non-championship belt proudly. Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Mark Bradley, an otherwise fine gentleman I am sure, […] [Read More]
Let's count down the Houston sports year: 15 … 10 … 5
Here we are at the end of another wonderful sports year in the great City of Houston. Can it get any better than this? Well, yeah, but let's try to make the best of a bad situation. Oh, I know some of you expect me to be negative all the time, but I have no […] [Read More]
100 things you can do to make Houston a better sports town
The Texans are on the brink of a collapse, the Rockets are getting dusted every night, the Astros stink, UH can't beat Rice in football and Rice can't beat anybody else. Sports-wise, things are so bad here these days that even the Dynamo — the lone title winner in these parts in recent years — […] [Read More]
Only one question for Brett Favre: The King's weekly NFL picks
Why is it taking so long for the NFL to investigate the Brett Favre situation? He had to have a face-to-face meeting with NFL Vice President of Security Milt Ahlerich? Why? Isn't there just one question to ask? "Is that your tallywhacker?" I mean, as Beulah Balbricker said when she proposed a pants-down lineup when […] [Read More]
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Good Government, Bad Government
This blog will explore the proper role of government in society — an issue about which Americans have disagreed since the beginning of the nation. Conservatives (like their Jeffersonian predecessors) want less government; liberals (like their Federalist predecessors) want more government. What's the proper balance?
Monthly Archive for February, 2011
Thanks to Government we have …
Conservatives love to hate government, but look at all the things that we have thanks to government, either directly or indirectly (from government-funded research). [Read More]


text:
Ex-Kids Zone operator arrested
Christina Perera was wanted after failing to appear for court hearing.
Published: Friday, April 9, 2010 at 6:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, April 9, 2010 at 1:28 a.m.
Former Kids Zone USA operator Christina Perera was arrested Thursday afternoon, three weeks after she failed to show up for a court hearing.
Ocala Police Detective Steve Thibodeau said Perera was spotted by officers driving near, of all places, the Marion County Judicial Center.
Officers quickly realized that she was wanted on a warrant for failing to appear in court and stopped the vehicle. They searched the vehicle and then started driving Perera to jail.
On the way to the Marion County Jail, Perera told officers her chest was hurting. She was deemed fine by emergency medical technicians, Thibodeau said, but was taken by officers to the hospital as a precaution.
Thibodeau said he went to check to make sure it was her at the hospital. He said Perera "yelled obscenities at me when I left."
A warrant for the arrest of Perera, 45, was issued when she failed to show up on March 15 for a pre-trial conference on her two felony cases. The judge issued a bench warrant for her arrest and revoked her bond.
It was the second time this year a warrant was issued for Perera, who earlier failed to show up for her trial on grand theft charges. In that case, she is accused of using another woman's identity to buy a security system for Kids Zone.
She has three other pending criminal cases: two misdemeanor drug cases, stemming from arrests in December and January; and another grand theft charge for reportedly failing to pay for Botox treatments.
Up next for Perera is a bond forfeiture hearing, during which a judge will decided whether Perera - and/or her bonding agency - must forfeit the bail money put up to guarantee she would appear in court. That is scheduled on April 27.
In January, Ocala attorney Melanie Slaughter was appointed to represent Perera. Attempts to contact Slaughter on Thursday were not successful.
Perera was the subject of the Star-Banner's recent "Trail of Deception" series, which revealed how the Ocala woman used religious-exempt laws to her advantage to run Kids Zone. She used a litany of false documents, addresses and applications connected with her Kids Zone USA day care center and related operations.
The three-part series told how Perera opened the day care and transferred it to Rock Ministries, a church later deemed bogus by the Florida League of Christian Schools.
Perera created another religious agency, called Florida CROSS, to accredit her day care. Then she took over an agency that issued Kids Zone its "Gold Seal" status.
Her actions have prompted state lawmakers and several local and state agencies to review religious-exempt laws that allowed her to operate.
Contact Joe Callahan at 352-867-4113 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


text: Product Images Alternate Views prev next Share: Email $29.95 - $32.95 Rating 0.00 of 5 (0 Reviews) Please Select a Size Please select your bike Sorry, this item is no longer available. You may be interested in some of the items below. Product Information Throttle Threads Parlay Deluxe T-Shirt New soft tough fashion fit T-shirt with flocking and screen print designs **Closeouts are limited to stock on hand** Item # 46020 Product Reviews Be the first to review this product. Review It Related Links All Throttle Threads Shirts All Throttle Threads Casual Men's Clothing View All Casual Shirts


text: UAH partnering with MadCap to bring new software to technical communications students OCT 04, 2013 HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Oct. 4, 2013) - The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is joining forces with MadCap Software to ensure that students pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Technical Communication have a competitive advantage when entering the workforce. Through the MadCap Scholar licensing program, students will learn how to use MadCap Flare to create technical documentation for online help, software documentation, policy & procedure manuals, knowledge bases, and user guides. "I really appreciate MadCap helping us to become a great resource for students to prepare themselves for a career in technical communications," says Dr. Ryan Weber, UAH's Director of Business and Technical Writing. "It's exciting to get this recognition from a company that is so integral to the technical communications market." Anthony Olivier, MadCap founder and CEO, says he is equally happy with the partnership. "We are thrilled to work with UAH in helping students reach new levels in developing their technical communication skills, and we are looking forward to having these students successfully generate dynamic online help." *** The Graduate Certificate in Technical Communication requires four graduate English courses, plus two graduate courses in an allied field, selected in consultation with the Director of Business and Technical Writing. MadCap Software Inc. is a leading technical communication software firm specializing in integrated applications for end-to-end content development, delivery and management. Learn more about MadCap Software at www.madcapsoftware.com. For more information, contact: Dr. Ryan Weber 256.824.6934 firstname.lastname@example.com Diana LaChance 256.824.6878 firstname.lastname@example.com You may also be interested in: UAH's Graduate Certificate in Technical Writing UAH's College of Liberal Arts SHARE Related News {{article.title}} Popular Stories {{article.title}}


text:
Gear Review
Susan Rogers
Easy peasy touring binding
- Gender: Female
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
Love this binding - the switch from tour to ski is super simple (just flip the switch!) Replaced my 22Designs Bombshells with these (great binding, just not awesome for touring use) and am never changing bindings again.
Uphill performance is amazing: free-pivot, low-friction, feels like I'm floating. Downhill is wonderful too.
Fits just fine on my 21.5 mondo boots, which is always a concern. The narrower heel design on the women's specific model is clutch.
If you're looking for a downhill-only, hard-charging binding, this isn't for you. If you want all-mountain on and off piste versatility, get 'em!
View More Details on Voile Switchback Telemark Ski Binding - Women's


text:
Go the F**k to SleepHardback
List price $15.59
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Additional formats available
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- CD-Audio $6.16
- Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
- Format: Hardback | 32 pages
- Dimensions: 198mm x 254mm x 10mm | 141g
- Publication date: 16 June 2011
- Publication City/Country: Edinburgh
- Edition statement: Main
- Illustrations note: Fully illustrated throughout
- Sales rank: 253
Product description
Go the F**k to Sleep is a bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes don't always send a toddler sailing blissfully off to dreamland. Profane, affectionate, and radically honest, California Book Award-winning author Adam Mansbach's verses perfectly capture the familiar and unspoken tribulations of putting your little angel down for the night. In the process, they open up a conversation about parenting, granting us permission to admit our frustrations, and laugh at their absurdity. With illustrations by Ricardo Cortés, Go the Fuck to Sleep is beautiful, subversive, and pants-wettingly funny. A book for parents new, old, and expectant. You should NOT, however, read it to your children.
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Adam Mansbach's novels include The End of the Jews, winner of the California Book Award, and the bestselling Angry Black White Boy, a San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2005. His fiction and essays have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Believer, Poets & Writers, the Los Angeles Times, and many other publications. He is the 2011 New Voices Professor of Fiction at Rutgers University. His daughter, Vivien, is three. Ricardo Cortes has illustrated books about marijuana, electricity, the Jamaican bobsled team, and Chinese food. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, New York Magazine, The Village Voice, the San Francisco Chronicle and on CNN and FOX News. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, where he is working on a book about the history of coffee, cocaine, and Coca-Cola.
Customer reviews
By Renai 23 Jun 2011
Some of you have obviously misplaced your sense of humour!! This book is lighthearted and funny and in know way meant to be used as a tool to get your kids to sleep!
As for parenting advise from other reviewers what a joke! I love this book, dont swear at my children and infact never let them know my frustration even though miss five has not slept a night through since she was born! I quiet often put her back to bed for the millionth time and curse "go the F***k to sleep" when I return to my bed/lounge.
Lighten up people :)
By Ali 21 Jun 2011
Dear Pathetic,
Hahahahahahah what?
I don't know if you have read the book, but it is a joke aimed at adults. You won't find it in the parenting section.
Oh my, your post has given me such a giggle on an otherwise boring day, thanks.
By Liz Ward 19 Jun 2011
How pathetic that someone had to title a book as such...
It is easy to get your kids to go to sleep (in many cases). After 6-12 weeks (the parent can be the best judge of when) put the child in a room at the other end of the house and let them cry themselves to sleep. (Be careful they are not crying for other reasons, obviously, but with so many stupid people, this needs to be said.) Many people have used this simple technique and it works great. After two night they will be straight to sleep -- well, that was our experience and the experience of many others who have used it.
By Katy 18 Jun 2011
@Sheri, Mansbach simply wrote a book illustrating the frustration with getting a child to go to sleep. It represents many parents frustrations on the issue, and although many parents may not say "Go the F#%* to sleep" directly to their child or children, many may have thought it. So, finally a book comes out that many parents can relate too & possibly have a laugh at. It dosnt mean they dont love their children, or dont see them as a blessing. Sometimes parents get worn down too, its called being Human. Not every human is like you. So good on you for not getting worn down enough to the point you just wished your child would go the f to sleep. Would you rather he yelled at the child, and resorted to violence or wrote this book? Mansbach channelled the frustration. If he was the only one who experienced this for himself, the book would not have been published. Its far from what you say it is... 'disgusting, filthy, nasty, and bordering on child abuse' (Shari 2011). Its not a childs book. Its an adults book classified as humour. Humour isnt for everyone is it. You said "Deal with it" and "Wah Grow Up", maybe Mansbachs next book can be about children coming to their parents with problems and their mother can tell them to 'deal with it themselves' and to 'Wah, Grow Up'.
Review: So for my review, Mansbach was able to capture the essence of one of many parental frustration of an adults mind, and illustrate this under the guise of a childs book. You have to have a sense of humour to relate and appreciate the book. Well done, and well overdue.
By sherri 17 Jun 2011
I think this is the most horrible disgusting book i have ever read. It borders on child abuse. You should never refer to a child in those terms ever. There are so many people out there that wishes their child would wake up, there are those that have lost children and those that can never have children, do you think they would appreciate a filthy nasty book berating a child for not going to sleep. So it inconvenienced you because your child kept you awake. Wah, grow up. I would never think that about my children. Every minute they were awake was a joy to me, even in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning. My children were always a blessing. I just can`t comprehend a grown man writing this book about an innocent little child. Maybe you shouldn`t have had any children if you can`t deal with a few sleepless nights. Deal with it.
Review quote
"* 'Total genius.' - Jonathan Lethem, father of two, author of MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN * 'A children's book for grown-ups! I really did laugh out loud-hilarious!' - David Byrne, father of one, musician, artist * 'This is the most honest children's book ever written. And it's f*cking hilarious.' - A.J. Jacobs, father of three, author of THE YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY * 'I wish this book had been around during my daughter's overly protracted sleep rituals! Finally, someone tells it like it really is. This is no-guilt funny and a godsend!' - Cristina Garcia, mother of one, author of THE LADY MATADOR'S HOTEL * 'Go the Fuck to Sleep is the secret anthem of tired parents everywhere. Adam Mansbach's homage to the tropes of bedtime stories is pitch perfect, and Ricardo Cortes's stunning illustrations will keep grown-ups and kids alike returning to these pages again and again!' - Bliss Boyard, author of ONE DROP: MY FATHER'S HIDDEN LIFE"


text: I jus seen a CNN show on Mexixan drug cartel on AC360. They said that a certain type of Marijuana from Mexico is called "brick weed" and is imported into Arizona, NewMex, Utah, then makes its way up to midwest and all over. This weed is produced and distributed by the drug cartels of Mejico. These dudes do major violence against the poor folks of Mexico, Tijuana, and such and the disabled people. So, do we Inadvertently support terrorism of the drug cartels if we buy and smoke mexican brick weed? Anybody know about this issue?


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8 bedroom detached house to rentDartmouth House, Dartmouth Place, Chiswick W4
A truly unique eight bedroom house set within a walled garden offering complete privacy in Chiswick. On the ground floor you will find an extravagant reception room, state of the art eat in kitchen, stylish dining area and a study room. More details
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Marketed by Thorgills - Chiswick, W4. Call 020 3318 8390


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Hollis - The Kendals in All for Her.
Globe - Still Alarm.
Tremont - Sol Smith Russell.
Boston - Country Circus.
Columbia - Jane.
Museum - Princess of Erie.
Bowdoin - The Hustler.
Grand Opera House - Clevelands Minstrels.
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Change lives. Change organizations. Change the world.
Kiva empowers individuals to support international development via an innovative, grassroots philanthropy mechanism. By allowing people to lend money online to entrepreneurs across the globe — in increments as small as $25 — Kiva is creating a global microfinance community that deals in up to $2 million in loans per month. In this audio lecture, Kiva cofounder Jessica Jackley shares with Stanford MBA students in Professor Jennifer Aaker's class, "The Power of Social Technology" (PoST), the journey that led her to create Kiva, and the challenges and triumphs she has experienced along the way. In PoST, a new experiential class from Stanford Graduate School of Business, students learn to leverage social media for social good.
Jessica Jackley is a founder of Kiva.org. In just three years, Kiva, which means "unity" in Swahili, has helped raise nearly $100 million and connected thousands of people in 180 countries through peer-to-peer lending. Kiva is responsible for a loan every 12 seconds. Jackley has worked in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda for Village Enterprise Fund and Project Baobab on impact evaluation and program development. She also worked in the Stanford Center for Social Innovation to launch the inaugural Global Philanthropy Forum, and at Amazon.com, Potentia Media, the International Foundation, and World Vision. Jackley has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
A social psychologist and marketer, Jennifer Aaker is the General Atlantic Professor of Marketing at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Her research spans time, money and happiness. She focuses on questions such as: What actually makes people happy, as opposed to what they think make them happy? How do small acts create significant change, and how can those effects be fueled by social media? Her research has been published in both marketing and psychology journals, and has been featured in a variety of media. She is the author of The Dragonfly Effect: Quick, Effective, and Powerful Ways To Use Social Media to Drive Social Change.


text:
Abegg Variations. Intermezzi. Etudes symphoniques. Bunte Blätter. Nachtstücke, Faschingsswanck aus Wien
Finghin Collins (piano)
CLAVES 50-2806/07 (2 CDs: 147)
Irish pianist Finghin Collins, born in 1977, studied with John O'Conor and Dominique Merlet and won first prize in the 1999 Clara Haskil International Competition. His highly-praised first recording in Claves's Schumann piano series contained the Humoreske and the Fantasiestücke. The present disc is a worthy successor, attuned to all the sudden mood shifts, arresting harmonic shifts, and rhythmic delights that Schumann composed into his early music. Pedaling is judicious and the touches are varied, so that even in sections with fastest harmonic rhythm the textures are kept unusually clear. The performance of the Abegg Variations is up with Kissin's fine live one (on his Carnegie Hall debut), and the six whimsical Intermezzi are perfectly characterized and paced, except for a too-fast No. 4. The Etudes symphoniques are played with a great deal of imagination and flair, with the five posthumous variations dropped in at various points to relieve the otherwise long stretches of chordal writing. Again, comparison with Kissin is fitting, and Collins might actually have the edge in the more coloristic moments, including the subtle Variation No. 9. The Bunte Blätter (Multi-colored Leaves) is an uneven collection dating from Schumann's later years, but it contains some pages of brilliance, wit, and wonderful intimacy. It, like the Faschingsswanck aus Wien (Carnival Jest from Vienna), used to be a specialty of Richter's, but I think Collins's playing is every bit as masterful. Compare, for example the tender No. 6, the mysterious No. 7, and the brash No. 14 from the Bunte Blätter or the highly impulsive Nos. 1 and 5from Faschingsswanck.
The Clara Haskil Competition has a history of picking winners who turn out, like Clara herself, to be exceptional Schumann players. Think of Richard Goode, Mitsuko Uchida, Michel Dalberto, Cynthia Raim, Steven Osborne, and Marie-Josèphe Jude. Finghin Collins cerftainly belongs in this elite company, and Schumann-lovers should not hesitate for a moment to acquire this set. I look forward to his next installment in this series from Claves.
Charles Timbrell
"The Complete Works for Piano, Volume 3"
Theme and Variations on the name "Abegg", Op. 1. Six Intermezzi Op. 4.
Etudes symphoniques, Op. 13. Nachtstücke Op. 23.
Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26.
Bunte Blätter, Op. 99.
Finghin Collins (piano)
Claves 50-2806/7 (146' DDD)
Collins's refreshing pianism makes a welcome return to this Schumann survey
The Swiss label Claves has struck gold with Finghin Collins, the Irish pianist who won the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in 1999. Vol 1 was glowingly reviewed in these pages (A/06) and, while Vol 2 was given to another pianist (Cédric Pescia; 3/07), Claves has returned to Collins for Vol 3, a selection of works mostly from the late 1830s, in performances that are likely to be received equally favourably. Collins plays Schumann in a refreshingly direct, unfussy manner, with a warm-hearted tone full of telling touches and refined rubato. Listen, for instance, to the way he subtly shapes the melody of the first of the "Three Little Pieces" of Bunte Blätter (the whole set is a joy, not least the concluding "Quick March") and sings his way over the energetic semiquaver accompaniment in the Intermezzo from Faschingsschwank aus Wien, a preferable performance to the hard-driven and flinty Piotr Anderszewski in his recent Carnegie Hall recital (8/09).
My only quibble is with the Etudes Symphoniques into which Collins inserts the five posthumous variations that Schumann suppressed on the grounds that the work would be too long with their inclusion (they were not published till 1873). Most pianists take the composer's advice and play the revised 1852 version, though admittedly it means missing out the exquisite posthumous variation No. 5. Cortot in 1929 and Kissin in 1990 are among those who interpolate the five in their own random sequence; others append them as a separate entry; Collins presents them in numerical order [sic] in a performance that lasts 40 minutes, as opposed to 25 without the extras. This is, after all, The Complete Schumann.
Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone Magazine, September 2009
Robert Schumann
Werke für Klavier Vol. 3
Abegg-Variationen, Intermezzi Op. 4, Sinfonische Etüden, Op. 13 u.a.
Finghin Collins, Klavier (Steinway D) Claves Records 50-2806/07 (2CDs)
(Vertrieb: Klassik Center)
Schon auf der ersten Schumann-CD dieser bei Claves Records begonnenen Gesamteinspielung der Klavierwerke Schumanns zeigte der irische Pianist Finghin Collins eine Gestaltungspersönlichkeit, die man von solch jungen Pianisten nur selten hört. Doch der Clara-Haskil-Wettbewerbsgewinner von 1999 ist eine Ausnahme und begeistert auch auf dieser zweiten Doppel-CD, die mit ihm in dieser Reihe als dritte Folge erscheint. Und das, obwohl er so schwierige Zyklen wie die Abegg-Variationen, die "Sinfonischen Etüden" oder die "Bunten Blätter" Op. 99 gestaltet. Doch er bezwingt die Formen durch einen wundervollen inneren Zusammenhalt der Zyklen, durch die klangvolle und technisch faszinierende Gestaltung en miniature, so dass jedes Stück, jede Phrase, ja jede Note Sinn macht. Selbst den schwierigen "Faschingsschwank" weiß er mit Leben und Freude zu füllen. Ein grandioser Pianist!
Carsten Dürer, Piano News, Juli / August 2009
Already on the first Schumann-CD of Claves Records' complete survey of Schumann's piano music, the Irish pianist Finghin Collins showed a creative personality which one hears rarely from such young pianists. But the winner of Clara Haskil Competition in 1999 is an exception and impresses also on this second double album, which appears as the third volume in this series. And he achieves this despite approaching such difficult cycles as the Abegg Variations, the "Symphonic Etudes" or the "Bunte Blätter". He masters the forms of these cycles with a wonderful inner cohesion and shapes each detail with playing which is at once sonorous and technically fascinating, so that every piece, every phrase, indeed every note makes sense. He even manages to fill the difficult "Faschingsschwank" with vitality and joy. A superb pianist!
Carsten Dürer, Piano News, July / August 2009
Complete Works for Piano, Volume 3.
Theme and Variations on the name "Abegg", Op. 1. Six Intermezzi Op. 4.
Etudes symphoniques, Op. 13. Nachtstücke Op. 23.
Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26.
Bunte Blätter, Op. 99.
Finghin Collins (piano)
Claves 50-2606/07 (full price, two discs, 2 hours 26 minutes), Website www.claves.ch. Producer Johannes Kammann, Engineers Ines Kammann, Johann Günther. Dates October 13th-15th and November 17th-19th, 2008.
Etudes Symphoniques:
Kempff (DG) 471 312-2 (1972, four discs)
Perahia (Sony Classical) SMK89716 (1978)
This is very distinguished Schumann playing, of a type one rarely encounters these days, but of such quality that I have spent several days spread across a number of weeks trying to analyse why it should be so. I have concluded that the early Romantic language, of which Schumann was the greatest master in all its structural and emotive terms, was, essentially, a combination of the strains of Celtic and Germanic expressionism, such as is comprehensively demonstrated by Jean Markale in his masterly study Les Celtes et la civilisation Celtique (Payot, 1992), a combination which stood to one side of the Austro-Germanic school but which was none the less related to it. It is curious to note that Brahms (who could hardly be described as a Romantic composer), while grasping what the Romantic movement was all about, resisted the descriptive feelings of Empfindsamkeit to the full at the same time as appreciating Schumann's originality totally.
Schumann's unique genius, coming when it did, being a combination of the poetic and the ebullient, the elated and the withdrawn, requires an artist fully congisant of the dualities which lie behind the expression. That Finghin Collins is an artist of Celtic stock almost goes without saying; he is one of those very gifted Irish pianists who have emerged in recent years and in this the third volume of his projected complete traversal of Schumann's solo piano music, he gives outstanding accounts, especially of the Intermezzi, Op. 4, in the fourth of which he delivers interpretative playing of very high quality. In this version of the Etudes symphoniques (in which he incorporates the posthumous variations) he shows himself to be a very rare artist in that the fearsome technical difficulties are surmounted seemingly without effort, at the same time as the poetic nature of his interpretations place him in the highest class, alongside Perahia and Kempff. Where Collins scores so admirably is that his combination of those elements are placed wholly within a profound understanding of the underlying structural mastery of the studies - a demonstration of the Celto-Germanic revelation. At times, it would be hard to imagine more sensitive pianism (such as the posthumous Variation IV) or more controlled virtuosity (as in the succeeding Variation VI, Allegro molto) or more technical-expressive virtuosity (as in the ninth Etude). This is deeply impressive playing throughout.
On the second disc, Collins tackles music that is often considered (by those who haven't taken the trouble to investigate further) to show Schumann at a lower creative ebb. Collins brings to the Bunte Blätter (always a difficult work to hang together) such degrees of distinction that - apart from this artist's at times quite amazing clarity and technical command (namely, No. 5) - his informed and musically sensitive playing is a joy to hear, a rare combination of almost classical purity and restraint allied to poetic playing of Romantic expressive elegance and power when called for. These qualities are also to be heard in abundance in Collins's accounts of the Nachtstücke and the Faschingsschwank aus Wien, especially in the latter work, which is given with a superb combination (once more) of sensibility, thoughtfulness and inner vitality.
The recording quality throughout is admirable and, overall, this is a quite outstanding issue.
Robert Matthew-Walker, International Record Review, June 2009
"L'oeuvre pour piano", Vol. III: Variations Abegg. Intermezzi Op. 4. Etudes symphoniques et Variations poshumes. Nachtstücke. Carnaval de Vienne. Bunte Blätter.
Finghin Collins (piano).
Claves 50280607, distr. Intégral (2CD), 2008, TT: 2h 26', DDD
Parrainéee par le concours Clara-Haskil, cette intégrale s'est jusqu'à présent partagée entre Finghin Collins, premier prix 1999 (Volume 1), et Cédric Pescia, membre régulier du jury (Volume II). On avait gardé un si bon souvenir de ses premiers essais, et notamment d'une Humoreske parmi les plus extraordinaires qu'il ait été donné d'entendre depuis longtemps, qu'on se réjouit de voir le jeune Irlandais reprendre la main. Car Finghin Collins, doté d'un jeu d'une loyauté parfaite, d'une précision qui autorise aussi bien la grandeur que le raffinement, d'une simplicité naturelle qui rejette les effets sans interdire l'expression, possède les moyens de ses ambitions. Au delà de ce bagage pianistique, il démontre à nouveau, dans les pages connues que sont les Variations Abegg, les Etudes Symphoniques, ou le Carnaval de Vienne, qu'il a tout d'un grand schumannien, avec ce que cela doit comporter d'imagination sans excès, de goût, et de vie sonore. Dans les Intermezzi op. 4, les sublimes Nachtstücke op. 23 ou les Bunte Blätter op. 99, partitions moins illustres, il pourra sembler ponctuellement moins communicatif ou moins transcendant que tel ou tel de ses grands aînés. Mais globalement, Finghin Collins est le premier à donner, dans le cadre d'une intégrale, autant d'unité stylistique et une même richesse intérieure à des oeuvres aussi dissemblables: voilà qui mérite d'être salué.
Etienne Moreau, Diapason, juin 2009
Sponsored by the Clara Haskil Competition, this complete recording has so far been shared between Finghin Collins, first prize-winner in 1999 (Volume I) and Cédric Pescia, regular member of the jury (Volume II). We had such good memories of his first outing, notably of a Humoreske among the most extraordinary to have been released in a long time, that we were looking forward to see the young Irishman retake the reins. Because Finghin Collins, gifted with playing of perfect loyalty, playing of a precision which affords grandeur and refinement in equal measure, playing of a natural simplicity which rejects effects without getting in the way of expression, possesses the means of his ambitions. Over and above this pianistic baggage, he demonstrates again, in the well-known pages of the Abegg Variations, the Etudes Symphoniques and the Faschingsschwank aus Wien, that he has everything of a great Schumannien, with all that that entails - imagination without excess, taste and sound-world. In the less illustrious works, the Intermezzi Op. 4, the sublime Nachtstücke op. 23 and the Bunte Blätter op. 99, he might seem marginally less communicative or transcendant than some of his great forbears. But globally, Finghin Collins is the first to offer such a level of stylistic unity in the context of a complete recording and the same quality of inner richness to such disparate works - that is what is worthy of praise.
Etienne Moreau, Diapason magazine, France, June 2009
Robert Schumann : Variations Abegg, opus 1 – Intermezzi, opus 4 – Etudes symphoniques, opus 13 – Bunte Blätter, opus 99 – Nachtstücke, opus 23 – Carnaval de Vienne, opus 26
Finghin Collins (piano) Enregistré à la Villa Siemens, Berlin (octobre-novembre 2008) – 146'
Un double album Claves 50-2806/07 (distribué par Intégral)
Finghin Collins, d'origine irlandaise, vainqueur au Concours Clara Haskil en 1999, partage avec Cédric Pescia une nouvelle intégrale des œuvres pour piano de Schumann chez Claves. Aucun principe ne semble présider à l'ordre du programme puisque le troisième volume, doté d'une notice trilingue, regroupe des compositions de jeunesse et de maturité et alterne le plus et le moins fréquemment défendu. Toutes ces pages bénéficient d'un soin particulier : totalement maître de son instrument, Finghin Collins en capte le climat avec une hauteur de vue qui constitue la marque des plus grands. Cet ancien élève de Dominique Merlet fait entendre une sonorité magnifique, à la fois profonde et lumineuse, ainsi qu'un jeu vivant, sans saturation ni crispation, ce qui n'a pas de prix dans une œuvre aussi chargée que les Etudes symphoniques. Tout en veillant à la clarté et à la continuité du discours, il rend l'instabilité particulière de cette musique avec un naturel stupéfiant et d'infinies nuances. Dans les juvéniles Variations Abegg comme dans le flamboyant Carnaval de Vienne, sa passion est véritablement communicative et ne compromet jamais la musicalité. Voilà sans nul doute un nom à retenir et un double album auquel on reviendra souvent.
Sébastien Foucart, ConcertoNet.com, the Classical Music Network, le 1er juin 2009
All these works benefit from his particular care: totally master of his instrument, Finghin Collins captures the climate of the music witha nobility of vision which marks out the greatest interpreters. This former pupil of Dominique Merlet produces a magnificent tone, at once profound and luminous, as well as lively playing without saturation or tension, which is invaluable in a work as complex as the Etudes Symphoniques. All the time cognisant of the clarity and continuity of the musical discourse, he renders the particular instability of this music with stupefying ease and with infinite variations of dynamic. In the youthful Abegg Variations as in the flamboyant Faschingsschwank aus Wien, his passion is truly communicative and never compromises the musicality. Here is without any doubt a name to remember and a double album to which one will return again and again.
Sébastien Foucart, ConcertoNet.com, the Classical Music Network, June 1st 2009
Schumann: The Complete Works for Piano
Finghin Collins
(Claves, two CDs)
Three years ago, the Irish pianist Finghin Collins launched Claves's survey of Schumann's complete piano music with a superb pair of discs that showed he had the instincts and technique to become an outstanding Schumann interpreter. If Collins's second contribution to the series isn't quite as remarkable, it still contains playing of real class and perception. The major work is the Etudes Symphoniques, into which Collins integrates the five "posthumous" variations omitted from the first published edition of the score, and which receive perhaps the most complete performance here, though the account of Schumann's Op 1, the Abegg Variations, is delivered with a light touch, too... his dashing way with Faschingsschwank aus Wien is hard to resist. ****
Andrew Clements, The Guardian, May 22nd 2009
The longer works - the Etudes Symphoniques (which includes the posthumous variations) and the Bunte Blätter - find Collins on top form, noble and touching, as do the Nachtstücke and the fully indulged carnivalesque contrasts of Faschingsschwank aus Wien. ****
Michael Dervan, The Irish Times, April 24th 2009
Allegro, Op. 8, Arabeske, Op. 18, Blumenstück, Op. 19, Acht Fantasiestücke, Op. 12, Drei Fantasiestücke, Op. 111, Fantasiestücke (additional movement), Humoreske, Op. 20, Kinderszenen Op. 15, Drei Romanzen, Op. 28, Waldszenen, Op. 82.
Finghin Collins pf
Claves 50-2601/2 (149' - DDD)
Gramophone Editor's Choice
There's nothing clever-clever or self-conscious about Finghin Collins's Schumann. This young pianist obviously has virtuosity to burn, but he turns in direct, almost spare performances. For anyone who feels that Schumann piano interpretations have become rather hackneyed in some quarters, this may just blow off the cobwebs.
A young pianist showing an uncanny and moving empathy with Schumann
Vol. 1 of Finghin Collins's Schumann cycle is revelatory. In this young Irish pianist we have an artist (and I use the word advisedly) of rare poetic empathy, one with an uncanny and moving capacity to arrive at the still centre, the very heart, of Schumann's teeming and frenzied imagination.
Winner of the 1999 Clara Haskil Competition, Collins is here to stay. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that he plays in the spirit of Haskil herself, a great artist who while appearing to do so little ended by doing everything. At his finest his playing is enviably clear and transparent yet touched with a subtle and distinctive eloquence, allowing Schumann's voice to shine through. Hear him in the Waldszenen, capturing the quizzical melancholy in "Vogel als Prophet" and the dark and lighter sides of Schumann's schizophrenic nature in the sinister "Verrufene Stelle" and "Freundliche Landschaft". The storm clouds scud across the sky in the first of the Fantasiestücke, Op. 111, and the B minor Allegro, a souvenir of Schumann's early ambitions as a virtuoso pianist, takes on a new poetic quality and dimension, and never more so than in the glorious sunset coda. Kinderszenen glows with an inner warmth and radiance, "Träumerei" displaying rare musical honesty and "Rocking Horse" set in realistic cantering rather than jet-propelled motion. Humoreske, a notably elusive challenge, is again a marvel of interior light, grace and energy, and if Collins's Fantasiestücke, Op. 12, are less illuminating they include a fascinating final addition, a "Feurigst" normally excluded. Claves's sound is as natural as the playing and this issue deserves a heavenful of stars.
Bryce Morrison, Gramophone Magazine Awards Issue, October 2006
Schumann: Intégrale de l'oeuvre pour piano. Vol 1
Fantasiestücke op. 12, Feurigst (appendice à op. 12), Arabeske, Blumenstück, Humoresque, Scènes d'enfants, Scènes de la forêt, Allegro op. 8, Fantasiesücke op. 111, Romances op. 28.
Finghin Collins (piano)
Claves 502601, distr. Integral (2CD: 39.58 €), 2006, TT: 2h 28' DDD.
Lauréat du Concours Clara Haskil 1999, Finghin Collins n'a pas froid aux yeux. Après avoir fait bonne impression dans des concertos de Beethoven et Mozart (cf. No. 478), il se lance à l'assaut de tout Schumann, un domaine où, si l'on excepte les anthologies, les réussites - Engel, Frankl - commencent sérieusement à dater. Disons-le tout net: si la suite est à l'image de ce premier volume, il se pourrait bien qu'on tienne ici l'intégrale moderne qui nous manque, tant le jeune Irlandais est convaincant dans ces oeuvres très diverses, que seules rassemblent leur dispersion et leur variété. C'est justement par l'unité qu'il leur donne que Finghin Collins convainc, grâce à un jeu d'une loyauté parfaite, d'une précision qui autorise aussi bien la grandeur que le raffinement, d'une simplicité naturelle qui rejette les effets sans interdire l'expression - des atouts rêvés pour une intégrale.
Les Fantasiestücke op. 12 sont la juste illustration de cette
homogénéité. Chaque pièce est caractérisée par des éclairages bien calibrés
(irisé pour Des
Abends, franc pour Aufschwung, coloré pour Warum,
zébré pour Traumes Wirren...), mais leur juxtaposition crée un
ensemble remarquable d'équilibre, que le surabondant Feurigst terminal
ne vient pas déparer. Dans l'épineuse Humoresque, sans cesse partagée
entre ses influences extérieures et ses voix intérieures, Collins parle
sans bavarder, chante quand il faut chanter, pose les bonnes questions
et donne les bonnes réponses, bref la réussite est totale.
Les Scènes d'enfants avancent toutes seules sans s'appesantir sur la description, les Scènes de la forêt respirent profondément sans se départir de leurs mystères, les merveilleuses mais délicates Romances op. 28 sont d'un goût parfait (superbe 3e!), et les oeuvres de pur charme comme l'Arabesque ou le Blumenstück ne manquent jamais de coeur. On est impatient d'entendre le pianiste se confronter aux grandes formes, mais on peut déjà penser que, par sa droiture dans les pages faciles, par sa façon de se jouer de l'Humor et du Phantasieren dans les partitions complexes, par sa facilité à révéler les oeuvres tardives comme ici les Fantasiestücke op. 111, Finghin Collins a tout compris de Schumann.
Etienne Moreau, Diapason, octobre 2006
Winner of the
Clara Haskil Competition in 1999, Finghin Collins has some nerve. Having made
a good impression with concertos of Beethoven and Mozart (see No. 478), he
sets out to conquer all of Schumann, an area where, with the exception of collections,
the successful recordings - Engel, Frankl - are seriously out-dated. Let's
say it clearly: if the rest is anything like this first volume, it could well
be that here we have a modern complete recording which is so badly lacking.
That's how convincing the young Irishman is in these different works, which
are really only united by their differences and their variety. It's exactly
by the unity which he gives them that Finghin Collins convinces, with playing
of perfect loyalty, of precision which allows grandeur as well as refinement,
of natural simplicity which rejects effects without inhibiting expression -
all the dream trump cards for a complete recording.
The Fantasiestücke op. 12 are a good example of this homogeneity. He finds just the right mood for each piece (iridescent for Des Abends, open and frank for Aufschwung, streaky for Traumes Wirren..), but their juxtaposition creates a remarkably well balanced ensemble, which is in no way spoilt by the inclusion of the superabundant Feurigst at the end. In the thorny Humoreske, constantly changing between exterior influences and interior voices, Collins speaks without chattering, sings when he should sing, asks all the right questions, gives all the right answers - in short, the success is total.
The Scenes of Childhood advance by themselves without getting weighed down by detail, the Forest Scenes breathe deeply without losing their mystery, the marvellous but delicate Romances op. 28 are in perfect taste (no. 3 is superb!), and the utterly charming Arabeske and Blumenstück never lack heart. We are impatient to hear the pianist confront the bigger structures, but judging from his upright manner in the simple passages, his way of mixing humour and fantasy in the complex sections and his ability to reveal the later works such as the Fantasiestücke op. 111, we are already of the opinion that Finghin Collins has understood all about Schumann.
Etienne Moreau, Diapason magazine, France, October 2006
Finghin Collins
Schumann The Complete Works for Piano, Vol. 1
Claves 50-2601/02
Il a la judiceuse idée de commencer par nous offrir d'excellentes
interprétations des Fantasiestücke op. 12 et de l'Humoreske op.
20, deux immenses chefs d'oeuvre trop rarement enregistrés et en mal de référence.
Dans les Fantasiestücke, Collins trouve un juste milieu entre la lecture
enlevée et aérienne, sublime mais éminemment personelle de Martha Argerich
(EMI), et la denisté d'Arrau (Philips). Dès "Au Soir", il nous emporte sue
les ailes du rêve. Dans l'Humoreske,.. il égale Michael Endres (Oehms
Classics) pour nous offrir une version de référence.
Partout Collins rivalise avec les solides interprétations de Reine Gianoli et de Claudio Arrau, de telle sorte qu'ils paraissent souvent difficile à départager: comme eux, il possède manifestement le secret du ton schumannien, ce qui n'est pas donné à tout le monde... Finghin Collins emporte cependant notre préférence par sa concentration et sa constance exemplaire: tout demeure toujours impeccable.. ses Kinderszenen.. impressionent de même que les Waldszenen, l'Arabeske et le Blumenstück, par leur sérieux, leur simplicité dépourvue de la moindre mièvrerie, leur délicatesse, leur élégance soignée et leur sincerité expressive. 8/10
Philippe van den Bosch, Classica Répertoire, septembre 2006
He has the judicoius idea of starting by offering us excellent
interpretations of the Fantasiestücke op. 12 and the Humoreske op.
20, two immense masterpieces too rarely recorded and with few benchmark versions.
In the Fantasiestücke, Collins finds a just middle-ground between the lively,
airy, sublime but eminently personal reading of Martha Argerich (EMI), and
the density of Arrau (Philips). From the start of "In the Evening", he transports
us on the wings of the dream. In the Humoreske,.. he matches Michael
Endres (Oehms Classics) and offers us a benchmark recording.
Everywhere Collins rivals the solid interpretations of Reine Gianoli and Claudio Arrau, to such an extent and they often seem difficult to tell apart; like them, he clearly possesses the secret of the Schumann sound, a gift that not everyone receives.. Finghin Collins however gets our preference for his exemplary concentration and consistency: everything remains constantly impeccable... his Kinderszenen ... impress, as do the Waldszenen, the Arabeske and the Blumenstück, with their seriousness, their simplicity devoid of the least sentimentality, their delicacy, their careful elegance and their expressive sincerity. 8/10
Philippe van den Bosch, Classica Répertoire, (France), September 2006
Finghin Collins
Schumann The Complete Works for Piano, Vol. 1
Claves 50-2601/02
..if Finghin Collins's programme makes the greater impact
of the two starting-points for Schumann series represented here [Eric Le Sage
/ Finghin Collins], it is partly because he ranges more widely. Launching with
the Op. 12 Fantasiestücke, Collins at first has a long way to go to
match the inward poetry and tenderness of magisterial Argerich and Perahia.
Yet his fantasy has its own fascination in the lighter numbers - 'Traumes Wirren'
dazzles with deft, even articulation - and the unrest of longer inspirations
like 'In der Nacht' is ballasted by solid consolation.... How far we seem to
have come by the time we reach the lopsided masterpiece that is the Humoreske -
starting in Collins's careful hands, with a haunting shadow-play of the daylight Blumenstücke which
precedes it. Familiar scenes of childhood and forest life on the second disc
are overcast with melancholy, and he asks troubling questions even of the more
outwardly conventional 'Fantasy-Pieces' from the other end of Schumann's all-too-short
creative life.... Collins leaves me wanting to hear more...
David Nice, BBC Music Magazine, September 2006
Finghin Collins
Schumann The Complete Works for Piano, Vol. 1
Claves 50-2601/02
The best known work here is undoubtedly Kinderszenen, to which Collins gives a nostalgic, wistful air, but it's the Op 12 Fantasiestücke that shows off best his credentials as a Schumann interpreter. The opening may be a bit slow to catch fire, but there is real dash and flair about the rest, with the light and shade imaginatively varied. His characterisation of the lesser-known pieces such as the Op. 28 Romances... is equally convincing... ****
Andrew Clements, The Guardian, September 1st 2006
Finghin Collins
Schumann The Complete Works for Piano, Vol. 1
Claves 50-2601/02
The triumph of Collins's playing is that he realizes this dichotomy [Schumann's Eusebius / Florestan] marvellously, in playing of great poetic warmth twinned with necessary outbursts of Sturm und Drang, and whimsy and poignancy and melancholy and much else.. ...Quite apart from the comparisons listed above [Richter / Arrau], I have also checked out some of my other Schumann recordings, and I feel that Collins has little to fear from other pianists, including the best. . . .On the second disc, Kinderszenen has just that quality of inner restraint, almost self-communion, that only the best Schumann players achieve. . . .This is a fine new release, and all Schumann enthusiasts should sit up and take notice of a rare talent.
Piers Burton-Page, International Record Review, July / August 2006
Finghin Collins
RTE Lyric FM CD104
The style is free, fluent and easy, racing and romping in Field's Rondo in E flat and Mozart's Rondo alla Turca, and lingering indulgently in Brahms's Waltz in A flat and Schubert's Impromptu in G flat. The playing is tonally cultured and harmonically reposeful...
Michael Dervan, The Irish Times, May 27th 2005
Finghin Collins
RTE Lyric FM CD104
This is a delightful collection of .. short works for piano. Finghin Collins brings all his mastery to works like the Field E flat Rondo, Handel's 'Harmonious Blacksmith', Debussy's 'Girl with the flaxen hair', Grieg's 'Wedding Day at Troldhaugen', Mozart's 'Rondo alla Turca' and Schumann's 'Arabeske'. He captures the many moods with complete authority and considerable panache. It is sure to charm all listeners and will make an excellent gift, particularly for younger listeners.
Ian Fox, Sunday Tribune, May 15th 2005
Finghin Collins
Mozart, Concerto no. 12 K. 414, Beethoven, Concerto no. 3 opus 37
Claves, 50 - 9910
Depuis 1993, Claves Records recompense les lauréats du Concours Clara Haskil en éditant leurs prestations (Till Felner en 1993, Delphine Bardin en 1997). Le lauréat de 1999, Finghin Collins, s'est imposé avec le Concerto no. 12 K. 414 de Mozart et le Concerto no. 3 opus 37 de Beethoven. Accompagné par l'Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne dirigé par Emmanuel Krivine, le jeune pianiste, âgé de 22 ans, montre d'évidentes qualités expressives. Son Mozart est lumineux, précis dans ses phrasés, délicat sans être manieré dans les passages virtuoses. Le concerto de Beethoven, lui aussi enregistré pendant le concours, témoigne d'une vision post-mozartiennne plus que pré-romantique. C'est cette legerté, ici accentuée par la taille réduite du dispositif orchestral, qui semble caractériser le jeu de Collins. Sûreté du style, expressivité, simplicité, ce premier enregistrement laisse augurer de belles promesses.
Nicolas Duplessis, Piano Le Magazine, janvier-février 2001
Finghin Collins
Mozart, Concerto no. 12 K. 414, Beethoven, Concerto no. 3 opus 37
Claves, 50 - 9910
Since 1993, Claves Records has rewarded the winners of the Concours Clara Haskil by issuing their performances on disc (Till Felner in 1993, Delphine Bardin in 1997). The 1999 winner, Finghin Collins, asserted himself with Mozart's Concerto no. 12 K. 414 and Beethoven's Concerto no. 3 op. 37. Accompanied by the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne conducted by Emmanuel Krivine, the young pianist, 22 years old, shows clear expressive qualities. His Mozart is luminous, with precise phrasing, delicate without being mannered in the virtuoso passages. The Beethoven concerto, also recorded during the competition, displays a post-Mozartian rather than pre-Romantic vision. It is this lightness, accentuated here by the reduced size of the orchestral forces, which seems to characterize Collins' playing. Sureness of style, expressiveness, simplicity, this début recording promises great things.
Nicolas Duplessis, Piano Le Magazine, January - February 2001
Classical Choice
Finghin Collins in Performance from the Clara Haskil Competition
Claves CD 50 - 9910
Last September, 22-year-old Dublin pianist Finghin Collins followed the likes of John O'Conor, Hugh Tinney and Barry Douglas by taking the top prize at an important international piano competition, the Clara Haskil in Vevey, Switzerland. A CD of two of his prizewinning performances has been quick to follow. Mozart's Concerto in A, K414, with a string quintet drawn from the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, was recorded during the semi-final round, and Beethoven's Third, with the full orchestra under Emmanuel Krivine, in the finals. The handling of the Mozart is proficient but not actually especially interesting. The Beethoven is in a different class altogether - youthfully impassioned but with a real glow of grandeur and some finely-balanced phrasing. Though the orchestral playing is not of the finest, Krivine's accompaniment is actually quite sensitive.
Michael Dervan, The Irish Times
September 15th 2000
Classical CDs
Finghin Collins
Claves CD 50-9910
Everyone was thrilled when Finghin Collins shot to international attention when he won the prestigious Clara Haskil Competition in Switzerland last September. The young Dubliner had taken one of the world's most important prizes against stiff competition. The reason why is clear from this delightful CD of his two concerto performances recorded during the contest: Mozart's 12th piano concerto and Beethoven's third. It is a fitting tribute to a great achievement and can only bring joy to the hearts of all music lovers.
Ian Fox, The Sunday Tribune
September 19th 2000