Schubert's song-cycle The winter journey (Die Winterreise) is, without a doubt, the most desolate, dark, devastating work of art I have ever met. It starts from shattering heartbreak - described in a way that every lover will recognize - and works its way down. Its final song, The organ-grinder, can be said to describe a despair beyond death. In ( Read more... )

One of Britain's big food manufacturers wanted to market a new coffe-based product. They figured that Italian coffee has a good image and wanted to make use of that. So they invented (they thought) a trademarked new brand name with the requisite Italian sound ( Read more... )