Let There Be Peace on Earth

Peace Concert Held at Korea’s DMZ

August 16, 2011

Daniel Barenboim, the world-renowned conductor and pianist, led a peace concert performed by the West -Eastern Divan Orchestra in Imjingak near Korea’s Demilitarized Zone on the country’s Independence Day.

Part of the WEDO’s tour in Seoul, this finale concert was organized in efforts to bring “understanding, patience, courage and curiosity to listen to one another,” the 69-year old conductor said in a video message prior to Monday’s concert amid high tensions between the two Koreas. The WEDO performed the Beethoven symphony cycle during its three-day concert in Seoul, culminating in No. 9 in D minor “Choral” at the Korean border.

Beethoven’s 9th symphony, also known as “Ode to Joy,” was chosen to deliver a message of peace and “strength of humanity,” according to Barenboim as Beethoven composed this widely celebrated piece while losing his hearing abilities. . . .

 

http://abcnews.go.com/International/daniel-barenboim-conduct-peace-concert-koreas-dmz/story?id=14314750

Video of 1960′s Tour de France

This is a great video of the Tour:

It shows the people waiting for the riders to come by, the caravan, and the riders. It’s a time capsule of an era gone by. The old cameras with the flash bulbs. The racers running into a pub to get beers. The fans helping push the riders up the gravel mountain roads. The race unites, then and now. It was amazing to be there in 2010 and experience it first hand.

The credit date at the end is 1966, but I’m not sure of the exact date of this Tour. Jacques Anquetil won in 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964. It looks like him on the podium. Is that Poulidor in second place in the Mercier jersey? In any case, I love watching this video, and I’m glad that it was posted on vimeo.