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March 12
Yehudi Menuhin was one of the century"s greatest violinists
1999: Violinist Yehudi Menuhin dies
England have
One of the 20th century"s finest musicians Yehudi Menuhin has died, aged
82.
Lord Menuhin was in Berlin, Germany, to conduct a concert when he fell ill
with bronchitis . He died in hospital after a brief illness.
His musical career spanned more than seven decades. He made his debut in
San Francisco as a child prodigy aged seven and by the age of 13, had performed
in London, Paris and Berlin.
He went on to develop his talents as a violinist, conductor and teacher,
founding the Yehudi Menuhin School, in Surrey, for gifted young musicians in
1963.
Menuhin was born in New York of Russian Jewish parents. But he came to
settle in Britain in 1985 - drawn, he said, by his love for the music of the
English composer Sir Edward Elgar.
Human Rights campaigner
At the age of 16 the young violinist was conducted by Sir Edward in a now
famous recording of the composer"s violin concerto, made in 1932.
His performances of classical works, like Beethoven"s violin concerto were
rapturously received. Albert Einstein famously said after hearing him play: "Now
I know there is a God in heaven."
But he was also keen to experiment and played duets with the renowned jazz
violinist, Stephane Grappelli, as well as the sitar star Ravi Shankar.
Menuhin became a campaigner for human rights. His biographer, Humphrey
Burton, said: "He was never just a musician, from very early on he wanted to do
other things, to make his music work for humanity."
The violinist went to Germany after World War II to play for the survivors
of the Belsen concentration camp and he was also the first Jew to perform with
the Berlin Philharmonic after the war.
He married his second wife ballerina Diana Gould in 1947 and she is
credited as being a guiding force in his work.
A minute"s silence was held at the Yehudi Menuhin school today. One of the
school"s most famous pupils, violinist Nigel Kennedy, paid tribute to Sir Yehudi
as an "inspiration".
The virtuoso told the BBC in 1997: "I really think music is a birthright
that belongs to every child, I put it on the same level as breathing air."
He was knighted in 1987 and became a life peer in 1993.
President of the American Teamsters Union James Hoffa
1964: Hoffa faces eight years behind bars
Artificially 1969:
The The president of the powerful American Teamsters union has been
sentenced to eight years in jail on bribery charges.
James Hoffa has also been fined $10,000 (?,570) for trying to bribe a
Federal Court jury which was hearing a conspiracy charge against him in
1962.
He was accused of attempting to secure an acquittal on a charge of "shaking
down" a local haulage company owner for a million-dollar contribution to the
union funds in return for 18 months of workforce co-operation.
This was Hoffa"s first conviction - although he has now stood trial on four
previous occasions. Past charges include trying to bribe a lawyer to spy on a
Senate Committee and tapping the telephones of his subordinates in the Detroit
office of his union.
Hoffa will remain free on bail pending an appeal.
If the sentence is upheld, it could mean the loss of his job as head of the
1.7 million strong American Teamsters union - the nation"s largest.
US District Judge Frank Wilson told Hoffa: "You stand here convicted of
corrupting the administration of justice, of having struck at the foundation of
this nation. Without fair, lawful administration of justice, there would be no
civilisation in this country.
Hoffa replied: "I am not guilty. I believe this will be substantiated when
the evidence is ultimately considered coolly and calmly."
Hoffa and three others were found guilty on 4 March of trying to fix a jury
which could not agree on a verdict in his 1962 trial on a conspiracy charge.
The other three have been sentenced to three years each. They have not
received fines. They include Ewing King, former president of the Nashville
Teamsters local; Larry Campbell, a Detroit Teamsters official and Thomas Ewing
Parks, a handyman from Nashville.
Grounds for appeal include allegations that US marshals plied the jury with
alcohol. Staff of the hotel where several jurors were confined during the trial
have supported these claims.
As head of the Teamsters union, Hoffa commands a salary of $75,000, has an
unlimited expense account and presides over an empire with pension and welfare
funds worth $1bn.
Hoffa and Attorney General Robert Kennedy have had a running feud for
years.
Mr Kennedy later issued a statement congratulating the prosecutors who won
the conviction.
Vocabulary:
bronchitis: Chronic or acute inflammation of the mucous membrane of the
bronchial tubes.(支气管炎) |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:20:48