"Dreams and Deeds" and other Dualities: Nielsen and the Two-Movement Sympony

It is well known that Nielsen’s two-movement Fifth Symphony is strongly dualistic in character. The composer himself commented that ‘A title such as “Dreams and Deeds” [Drøm og Daad] could maybe sum up the inner picture I had in front of my eyes when composing’. But it is by no means clear at what level that duality and others he mentioned are actually embodied in the work, or where it stands in relation to other two-movement symphonies composed before and after. Building on an essay by David Fanning in Carl Nielsen Studies 4, the present article fi rst considers these questions in the light of the model for symphonism proposed by the Russian scholar Mark Aranovsky. The Fifth Symphony and those two-movement symphonies found to contain the most fundamental and polarised dualities are then variously related to religious and philosophical traditions that stress dualism – from Zoroastrianism, through Yin and Yang, to Sufism, touching in passing on the philosophy of the mind and on Jung. The aim is to gain a richer and clearer picture of the uniqueness of Nielsen’s Fifth in relation both to symphonic tradition and to the history of ideas

Akimov and Shostakovich’s Hamlet: a Soviet ‘Shakesperiment’

When in 1932 the young theatre artist Nikolay Akimov made his directing debut with Hamlet, nobody expected to witness one of the biggest scandals of Russian/Soviet theatrical history. Akimov’s production for the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow had every element of the famously controversial style of Vsevolod Meyerhold (Russia’s Bertolt Brecht), including an apparently irreverent score by the equally young Dmitry Shostakovich. Yet even Meyerhold criticised the show severely. With Ophelia portrayed as a drunken prostitute, and Hamlet as a short, fat comedian, it is hardly surprising that critical opinion should have been sharply divided, agreeing only that Shostakovich’s music was the best thing about the production. Over the years Western views – without the benefit of access to materials in Moscow’s theatre archives – have become rigid and reductionist. As a case study for Soviet appropriation of Shakespeare, this paper suggests an understanding of Akimov’s intentions more grounded in documentary evidence, not least in relation to the socio-political and cultural climate of the time and to Shostakovich’s music, which, paradoxically, may have been too skilful for the good of the production.Lorsqu’en 1932 le jeune artiste Nikolaï Akimov fit ses débuts comme metteur en scène en montant Hamlet de Shakespeare, personne ne s’attendait à l’un des plus grands scandales de l’histoire du théâtre russe/soviétique. La mise en scène d’Akimov au théâtre de Vakhtangov de Moscou avait tous les éléments typiques des œuvres de Vsevolod Meyerhold (le « Bertolt Brecht russe »), y compris une musique de scène excentrique et apparemment hors sujet du jeune Dimitri Chostakovitch. Pourtant, même Meyerhold critiqua sévèrement cette « Shakespérience » d’Akimov. En réinterprétant Ophélie en prostituée et Hamlet en bon vivant, la mise en scène d’Akimov suscita des réactions partagées de la part des critiques. Cependant la musique de Chostakovitch fit l’unanimité. Sans bénéficier d’accès aux documents d’archives, les études occidentales de cette mise-en-scène sont souvent réductionnistes et rigides. Dans cette communication, en m’appuyant sur les sources primaires et les matériaux des archives et en se tenant compte du contexte politico-culturel de pays soviétique, je cherche à mieux comprendre les intentions artistiques d’Akimov pour son Hamlet et à souligner les points de convergences et de divergences avec la musique de scène de Chostakovitch. Enfin la question se pose de savoir si une musique de scène, dont la fonction est d’accompagner un spectacle, peut le desservir par sa qualité même

'Hamlet' in the Stalin Era and Beyond: Stage and Score/ Les mises en scène et mises en musique d’Hamlet à l’ère stalinienne et après

Hamlet has long been an inseparable part of Russian national identity. Staging Hamlet in Russia during the Stalin era, however, presented particular problems connected with the ideological framework imposed on the arts and culture as well as with Stalin’s own negative perceived view of the tragedy. The two major productions of Hamlet in Russia during this period were those directed by Nikolai Akimov (1932) and Sergei Radlov (1938). Thorough re-examination of these productions, as undertaken in the central chapters of this dissertation, reveals much previously unknown detail about their conception, realisation, reception and afterlife. It highlights the importance of the role of music composed for them by Dmitry Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev, respectively, and it suggests a complex interaction of individual and institutional agendas. This work has been made possible by numerous visits to Russian archives, which contain invaluable documents such as production books and stenographic reports of discussions, previously unreferenced in Western scholarship. These central chapters are preceded by a historical overview of Hamlet in Russia and of music and Shakespeare in general. They are followed by a survey of major adaptations of Hamlet in the late-Stalin era and beyond, concentrating on those with significant musical contributions. The outcome is a richer and more complex account of the familiar image of Hamlet as a mirror of Russian/Soviet society

What Did Hamlet (Not) Do to Offend Stalin?

Soon after its arrival in a Russia in 1748, Hamlet and its chief protagonist became inseparable parts of Russian national identity, prompting such remarks as William Morris’s: “Hamlet should have been a Russian, not a Dane”. However, at the outbreak of the Second World War, the play seems to have disappeared for more than a decade from the major stages of Moscow and Leningrad. Thus was born the ‘myth’ of Stalin and Hamlet. Today virtually every mention of Hamlet in the Stalin era refers to the dictator’s hatred for this tragedy and his supposed banning of it from all Soviet stages. Notwithstanding the efforts of theatre directors such as Sergei Radlov with his heroic production of Hamlet in 1938, there is no doubt that Hamlet was problematic in the context of the paradigm of Socialist Realism. And it was certainly not the most suitable play for a war-stricken country. Moreover, from Stalin’s own pejorative reference to ‘an indecisive Hamlet’ in connection with Eisenstein’s ill-fated depiction of Ivan the Terrible (Part II), it is evident that for the dictator the character of Hamlet had negative connotations. The chequered history of Hamlet in the Soviet Union from the outbreak of the War to the death of Stalin in 1953 and the flood of new productions almost immediately after this date, together with the myth of Stalin’s ‘ban’, deserve more nuanced and broadly contextualised study than they have received to date, based on concrete historical facts, memoirs and official documents.Peu après son arrivée en Russie en 1748, Hamlet (et son personnage principal) devient inséparable de l’identité nationale russe, au point de faire dire à William Morris : « Hamlet aurait dû être russe, pas danois ». Pourtant, lorsque éclate la Seconde Guerre Mondiale, la pièce semble avoir disparu depuis plus d’une décennie des scènes principales à Moscou et à Leningrad. Ainsi est né le « mythe » de Staline et Shakespeare. La grande majorité des études consacrées à Hamlet pendant l’ère stalinienne mentionnent la haine du dictateur à l’égard de cette tragédie et l’interdiction de sa représentation qu’il aurait imposée sur toutes les scènes soviétiques. Malgré les efforts (parfois héroïques) de metteurs en scène comme Sergueï Radlov en 1938, Hamlet pose indubitablement problème par rapport au paradigme du Réalisme socialiste. En outre, ce n’est sans doute pas la pièce la plus adéquate pour un pays en guerre. Enfin, la référence péjorative de Staline à « l’indécision » de Hamlet à propos de l’infortunée représentation d’Ivan le Terrible par Eisenstein (IIe partie) montre clairement que le personnage de Hamlet avait des connotations négatives pour le dictateur. L’histoire en dents de scie de la réception de Hamlet en Union Soviétique du début de la guerre à la mort de Staline en 1953 (suivie immédiatement d’un déluge de nouvelles mises en scène), ainsi que le mythe de son « interdiction » par Staline, doivent recevoir un traitement plus nuancé que celui qui leur est habituellement réservé, fondé sur l’étude de faits historiques concrets, de mémoires et de documents officiels

Ten-year plateau phase in human immunodeficiency virus induced motor neuron disease upon antiretroviral therapy: a first case from Eastern Africa.

We report an individual with rapidly progressive motor neuron disease (MND), phenotypically compatible with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The patient described in this case report proved positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and was initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Following ART he clinically stabilised over 10 years and deteriorated again due to noncompliance or ART resistance. HIV infection can give rise to an MND mimic, HIV-ALS. The improvement in response to ART supports the notion that HIV-ALS is a treatable entity also in Africa. This is the first case report of a patient with HIV-ALS and long term follow up in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report raises the suggestion that an additional (retro)virus can play a role in the aetiology of ALS

Conducting a Large Public Health Data Collection Project in Uganda: Methods, Tools, and Lessons Learned

We report on the implementation experience of carrying out data collection and other activities for a public health evaluation study on whether U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) investment improved utilization of health services and health system strengthening in Uganda. The retrospective study period focused on the PEPFAR scale-up, from mid-2005 through mid-2011, a period of expansion of PEPFAR programing and health services. We visited 315 health care facilities in Uganda in 2011 and 2012 to collect routine health management information system data forms, as well as to conduct interviews with health system leaders. An earlier phase of this research project collected data from all 112 health district headquarters, reported elsewhere. This article describes the lessons learned from collecting data from health care facilities, project management, useful technologies, and mistakes. We used several new technologies to facilitate data collection, including portable document scanners, smartphones, and web-based data collection, along with older but reliable technologies such as car batteries for power, folding tables to create space, and letters of introduction from appropriate authorities to create entrée. Research in limited-resource settings requires an approach that values the skills and talents of local people, institutions and government agencies, and a tolerance for the unexpected. The development of personal relationships was key to the success of the project. We observed that capacity building activities were repaid many fold, especially in data management and technology

District Health Officer Perceptions of PEPFAR’s Influence on the Health System in Uganda, 2005-2011

Background: Vertically oriented global health initiatives (GHIs) addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), have successfully contributed to reducing HIV/AIDS related morbidity and mortality. However, there is still debate about whether these disease-specific programs have improved or harmed health systems overall, especially with respect to non-HIV health needs. Methods: As part of a larger evaluation of PEPFAR’s effects on the health system between 2005-2011, we collected qualitative and quantitative data through semi-structured interviews with District Health Officers (DHOs) from all 112 districts in Uganda. We asked DHOs to share their perceptions about the ways in which HIV programs (largely PEPFAR in the Ugandan context) had helped and harmed the health system. We then identified key themes among their responses using qualitative content analysis. Results: Ugandan DHOs said PEPFAR had generally helped the health system by improving training, integrating HIV and non-HIV care, and directly providing resources. To a lesser extent, DHOs said PEPFAR caused the health system to focus too narrowly on HIV/AIDS, increased workload for already overburdened staff, and encouraged doctors to leave public sector jobs for higher-paid positions with HIV/AIDS programs. Conclusion: Health system leaders in Uganda at the district level were appreciative of resources aimed at HIV they could often apply for broader purposes. As HIV infection becomes a chronic disease requiring strong health systems to manage sustained patient care over time, Uganda’s weak health systems will require broad infrastructure improvements inconsistent with narrow vertical health programmin

A thermal-optical analysis of a compound parabolic concentrator for single and multiphase flows, including superheat

A thermal and optical analysis of the performance of a refrigerant charged Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) for solar applications operating in non-boiling, boiling and super-heated regimes is presented. The performance of the CPC working under these single and multiphase conditions is governed by the axial fractional channel lengths of the non-boiling and the superheating regions. The overall thermal loss coefficient, the dimensionless capacitance rate and collector efficiency factors for various CPC operating regions are defined. A new “Generalized Heat Removal Factor“, ℱ s for solar collectors under any operation mode is developed. The thermal efficiency of a CPC and flat-plate collector, whether under non-boiling, boiling or superheated conditions, is evaluated using ℱ s which enables the selection of a suitable collector design and concentration ratio at some specified operational temperature. It is shown that, in general, a CPC has a greater thermal conversion efficiency than a flat-plate for a given operating condition. Es wird eine thermische und optische Analyse des Verhaltens eines Verbund-Parabol-Kollektors für die Anwendung der Sonnenenergie vorgestellt, der mit Kältemittel im nichtsiedenden, und übehitzten Bereich arbeitet. Das Verhalten dieses unter ein- und mehrphasigen Bedingungen arbeitenden Kollektors wird bestimmt durch den axialen Anteil der Kühl-kanallängen im nichtsiedenden und im überhitzten Zustand. Es werden der mittlere thermische Verlustkoeffizient, die dimensionslose Wärmekapazität sowie die Kollektorwirkungsgrade für verschiedene Zustandsbereiche dieses Parabolspiegels definiert. Ein neuer „verallgemeinerter Wärmeabflußfaktor“, ℱ s , für Sonnenkollektoren, die unter beliebigen Betriebsbedingungen arbeiten, wurde entwickelt. Mit diesem ℱ s Faktor werden der thermische Wirkungsgrad des Parabolkollektors und eines Platten-kollektors bei einphasiger flüssiger Strömung beim Sieden und für überhitzten Dampf berechnet, wodurch es möglich wird, eine geeignete Kollektorauslegung und das dazugehörige Konzentrationsverhältnis bei vorgegebenen Betriebstemperaturen zu wählen. Es wird gezeigt, daß im allgemeinen der parabolische Kollektor einen höheren thermischen Wirkungsgrad besitzt als der Platten-kollektor bei identischen Betriebsbedingungen.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46656/1/231_2005_Article_BF01377577.pd

Facilitating Next-Generation Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Clinical Trials Using HIV Recent Infection Assays: A Consensus Statement from the Forum HIV Prevention Trial Design Project

Standard-of-care HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly efficacious, but uptake of and persistence on a daily oral pill is low in many settings. Evaluation of alternate PrEP products will require innovation to avoid the unpractically large sample sizes in noninferiority trials. We propose estimating HIV incidence in people not on PrEP as an external counterfactual to which on-PrEP incidence in trial subjects can be compared. HIV recent infection testing algorithms (RITAs), such as the limiting antigen avidity assay plus viral load used on specimens from untreated HIV positive people identified during screening, is one possible approach. Its feasibility is partly dependent on the sample size needed to ensure adequate power, which is impacted by RITA performance, the number of recent infections identified, the expected efficacy of the intervention, and other factors. Screening sample sizes to support detection of an 80% reduction in incidence for 3 key populations are more modest, and comparable to the number of participants in recent phase III PrEP trials. Sample sizes would be significantly larger in populations with lower incidence, where the false recency rate is higher or if PrEP efficacy is expected to be lower. Our proposed counterfactual approach appears to be feasible, offers high statistical power, and is nearly contemporaneous with the on-PrEP population. It will be important to monitor the performance of this approach during new product development for HIV prevention. If successful, it could be a model for preventive HIV vaccines and prevention of other infectious diseases