“In tough times… expensive items have to be worth their price, particularly if those who buy are buying less. It would be a mistake to lower prices, craftsmanship and service, or cut R&D. A high-end product has to be constantly reinforced with quality and innovation — it cannot depend on the brand to justify its price."
- Francois-Henri Pinault, luxury czar and CEO of PPR
Prada Transformer evolves for Nathalie Djuberg in Seoul
The Prada Transformer is in the third cycle of transformation in Seoul in Korea this season. From August 15th to September 13th, next to the sixteenth-century Geyonghui palace, the Fondazione Prada is holding an exhibition of artist Nathalie Djurberg entitled ‘turn into me’, in the rotating building designed by Rem Koolhaas. The Swedish artist has draped the walls with rippling white felt making for a cave like look, wherein her installations are supported by video projections on the walls. Reportedly, Djurberg has created videos that are short, animated films made with the stop motion technique and feature plasticine figures that move about and create a surreal and often grotesque narrative. The music that accompanies all of the artist’s works is written by the young Swedish composer Hans Berg. Nathalie Djurberg lives and works in Berlin, Germany and was recently honored with the silver lion for the best young artist at the 53rd Venice biennale, 2009.
Two new childhood creations of Mozart identified in Austria
No one ever had doubts about the musical genius of Mozart, and yet the recent identification of an extensive concerto movement and a fragmentary prelude as childhood creations of Mozart has further reinforced his child prodigy status. Ulrich Leisinger, head of research at the International Mozarteum Foundation after a presentation of the pieces said, "We have here the first orchestral movement by the young Mozart _ even though the orchestral parts are missing _ and therefore it's an extremely important missing link in our understanding of Mozart's development as a young composer." It would seem the 600 pieces that Mozart wrote in the short span of his life before he died of rheumatic fever were not enough. Scholars have rated the new findings as ‘technically demanding and at times furiously paced’. It is being assumed that the new pieces were composed when Mozart was seven or eight years old. Mozart had started composing music by the time he was five, but since he was not well versed with notations his father Leopold transcribed the notes while the young genius played. Experts have ruled that it is indeed Mozart who has composed the pieces taking note of his distinctive style of composition, and not his father Leopold in whose writing the pieces are written. Robert D. Levin, a pianist and Harvard University professor recognized for his completion of Mozart fragments said, "What the composer expects of the player in racing passagework, crossed hands and wild leaps is more than a bit crazy."
Emaar to inaugurate world's tallest tower on Dec 2
The Dubai based real estate developer, Emaar Properties is to throw open the Burj Dubai to the public on Dec 2. This coincides with UAE’s National Day. The Burj Dubai will become the world’s tallest structure. Estimated at over 818 meters, its exact height is being kept confidential for now. The Armani Hotel, which is part of the building, will welcome its first guests on the same day. It is unclear whether other parts of the building will be accessible as well. More than 1,000 specially commissioned pieces of art will adorn the interiors of Burj Dubai.
Auction of a rare vivid pink diamond by Christie’s Hong Kong
Christie’s is gearing for the sale of a rare 5 carat vivid pink diamond mined in South Africa. The media release from the New York based auction house describe the diamond in superlative terms- “The Vivid Pink" shows no traces of a secondary color, displays even color depth and distribution, as well as balanced saturation and tone, qualifying the stone for a Fancy Vivid color grading from the Gemological Institute of America. Only one in 100,000 diamonds possess a color deep enough to qualify as fancy. Jewelrs Graff Diamonds have set the stone in a ‘cushion-cut’ ring. The expected price for this rare gem is in the range of $5-7 million. The existing world record for auction of a pink diamond is $7.4 million for a 19.66-carat stone that sold in Geneva in 1994. Hong Kong is the favored venue for such a sale keeping in mind the buying power of the top jewelry collectors based in Asia. Prior to the sale, The Vivid Pink will be on display in the following cities: New York, Oct. 17-20 at Christie's Rockefeller Center Galleries; Singapore, Oct. 29-30 (by appointment only); Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 11-12 (by appointment only); Geneva, Nov. 15-17 at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues; Taipei, Taiwan, Nov. 21-22 at the Fubon Life Assurance Building; and Hong Kong, Nov. 27-Dec. 1 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Deathbed confession returns rare clocks to Jerusalem museum
The Mayer Museum for Islamic Art in Jerusalem lost its entire collection of 106 priceless rare clocks to a burglar back in 1983. No trace of the whereabouts of the stolen items emerged for two decades. In 2004 the thief, as he lay breathing his last, told his wife about the heist. This subsequently led to attempts to sell the pieces bringing the police on its tail and eventual recovery of the rare clocks and watches from their hiding places around the world. With the entire collection now back at the museum, it was put on display last month just short of 10 of the timepieces.
Hendrick's Horseless Carriage of Curiosities rolls out
In a first of its kind, Hendrick’s Gin has organised a unique summer experience for the public in Britain, wherein a train carriage from 1890 has been restored and transformed into the quaint ‘Hendrick's Horseless Carriage of Curiosities’, which is described as an evolving collection of oddities, a mad scientist’s laboratory and an eccentric dining room. The public is invited to contribute their oddball curious collections to the carriage in return for Hendrick’s Gin, which itself is an unusual Scottish spirit infused with rose and cucumber. At night the carriage transforms, with the aid of an ingenious system of pulleys and levers, into a private salon and dining room. Further insights into peculiarity will be served to dinner guests in a bizarre feast prepared by Bompas & Parr, who are culinary creatives and jelly mongers.
As engrossing and stimulating as the carriage itself will be the ‘Hendrick’s Grand Degu-Station’ where strange delicacies such as an edible rose bush and candied rose petal starter, guinea-fowl pyramid served with marmalade and a glow in the dark Hendrick's Gin and tonic jelly with bergamot and cucumber ice cream will be served. Don’t expect anything but the unusual, even if it is the array of cocktails being served with the dinner. They are developed by the brand ambassadors of Hendrick’s Gin, Louis Xavier Lewis-Smith. Donors of the ten finest objects every day will be awarded a bottle of Hendrick’s Gin from carriage curators. The unique inventions and oddities that already form the permanent collection of this traveling homage to eccentricity includes an ingenious teacup stirring engine, a semaphore typewriter which predated the use of emoticons by 100 years, the only collection of Japanese warrior butterflies in Europe, a gin-cooled high-speed ticket punch, and a Dodo bird-caller. All those interested are invited to register their curiosity at www.hendricksgin.com/carriage, whence the registered item can then be presented at one of these events in exchange for a tour of the Hendrick’s Horseless Carriage of Curiosities and a delightful Hendrick’s Gin and tonic. Most of the successful run through July is already over but for those wanting a piece of this action yet, the schedule of the Hendrick’s Horseless Carriage of Curiosities in Britain this summer is as follows. Edinburgh (Bristo Square, EH8) from 9th – 12th July; Manchester (The Great Northern, M3) from 30th July – 2nd August and London (Manchester Square Gardens, W1U) from 1st – 4th October.
The Rolls-Royce returns to entice the new Maharajas
The legend of the Rolls never dies, not in India anyway, where every vintage rally will flaunt at least one antique Rolls Royce resplendent and hooting along just fine. While the era of the royalty of yore that owned stables full of Rolls Royce to match their gun salutes, the UK based automobile, Rolls-Royce Motor Car Company, has yet again claimed that India will be its most important market for the next 5 – 10 years. A Rolls-Royce car is custom-made at its Goodwood factory in UK and sold on the basis of pre-determined quotas in low-volume markets. The Company has also shed some starch and is no more queasy about using parent BMW’s supplier network in India to source components. Tom Purves, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Car Co. said, “In the long term India represents a phenomenal business opportunity because we have seen a general movement of our business from the West to the East—to markets like India and China that have played a crucial part in the growth Rolls-Royce has enjoyed.” Despite the dropping global sales graph that showed a slide of nearly 25%, the auto maker sold 14 of its jewels in India and is already edging towards the number 20. It is being projected that the launch of the new Ghost at the Frankfurt Auto Show will see the sales number hit 50. The delivery of the Ghost will begin in India in spring of 2010, a full season after the bookings that will open this fall. The price tag of Rs2.7-3 crore is no deterrent to the new pashas of business. Purves said, “Indians like our positioning… the personalised touch appeals to their sense of style.”
Medieval Monks at the Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York recently held an exhibition, “Pen and Parchment: Drawing in the Middle Ages” that has created quite a buzz. A rare selection of 50 art works spanning five centuries of the medieval dark ages, from the 6th century onwards, have traveled across the seas to be put on display for the first time. These are mostly sketches and drawings by clerics in medieval monasteries who worked as scribes in scriptoria to produce intriguing and spontaneous images that are spiritual or scientific or those that delve into the natural world. This was the crucible of time clearly where the influences for the Renaissance period that followed a few centuries later. The obsessive details of the human form, if only to pencil details of a heavenly body, the ink rendering of a facade of Strasbourg Cathedral from around 1260, a sinuous ink image from the late ninth century of St. Paul lecturing an agitated crowd of Jews and gentiles rendered by a Swiss monk with a special talent for depicting hair, a manuscript from a Benedictine monastery in 12th-century Germany that shows the human anatomy, tracing five systems of the body in separate images; this show organized by Melanie Holcomb, an associate curator, and Elizabeth Williams, a research assistant, both in the Met’s department of medieval art, illuminates an era generally associated with a void vis a vis art and now found to be ‘not true’.
It’s about getting to know your malts and blends better By Neelima Mishra Agrawal
You have a discerning palate, you love your whisky, and you like to try out new recommendations. But can you really translate the claims on the label- or tell a single from a blended variety? The most primary requirement for all Scotch whisky, whether malt, grain or blended is a minimum maturation period of three years. Let’s take it from the top – the rare and exalted Single Malt Scotch whisky. A single malt is the purest form of Scotch, brewed using only barley as the grain ingredient, distilled by a single distillery in a pot still and matured in oak casks. The ultimate whisky, ‘single-single’, is a single cask single malt. Other Scotch whiskies are blended malt/vatted malt, blended Scotch and single grain.
The blended malt whisky or vatted malt whisky is a blend of single malt whiskies from more than one distillery and may be of different ages. The label carries the age of the youngest of the whisky used in the blending. These are also referred to as pure malts and are not the common variety of Scotch. Most of the whisky being bottled in Scotland is the blended Scotch whisky, containing both malt whisky and grain whisky, probably distilled at various breweries. The artistry of the master blender plays a role in blending the various types to produce a consistent ‘brand style’, using a rough blend of about 2/3 grain whisky with about 1/3 malt whiskies from several different distilleries. This brings down the price considerably. The single grain whisky earns the tag ‘single’ by virtue of having been distilled at a single distillery from water, malted barley and with or without whole grains of other cereals like wheat and maize. The barley used is part germinated or malted and part unsprouted or unmalted barley. It is practically distilled continuously using ‘Coffey Still’. Care is taken so that it does not meet the same requirements as a Single malt.
The IB marking on a bottle is the acronym for Independent Bottler. The independent bottler buys whisky by casks from various distilleries and these whiskies may sometimes be bottled as single malts by independent firms. The distillery’s name is often mentioned on the label. Those vatted whiskies bottled by the distillers themselves are marked OB for ‘official bottling’. Independent bottlers are not very popular with distillers. An independent bottler will provide all such details as year of distillation, a year of bottling, even cask number and wood type used. The official bottler will just make do with providing the age of the youngest cask.
A Scotch whisky bottle also indicates the region of its distillery. Scotland is divided into five major malt whisky regions, Speyside, Highlands, Lowlands, Islay and Campbeltown that are further subdivided. Each of the regions is supposed to have its own distinct character. Speyside was once considered part of the Highlands and half of the total distilleries are located in this region.
A whisky bottle marked 'Scottish' whisky or Scotch 'whiskey' is certainly not the real thing. Also law enforces that whisky has to be between 40% and 46% abv. If it is marked over 50% abv then it is cask strength and if below 40%, it is cheap whisky. An important point to note is that whisky once bottled stops maturing. So if you have that 18 year old single malt sitting for the past five years at the back of your bar, no it will not count as 23 years old.
The concept of Abstract Art is not confined to being a sophisticated movement of our time or some intellectual affectation for a circle of insiders, but rather relates to a pictorial tradition that is brutal, vernacular and instinctive, dating back to the beginning of time: rock painting without any kind of human representation whatsoever or like the Gate of Babylon which highlights a pictorial dialectic made up of symbols and animals or the ancient frescoes of the Lascaux caves. These representations, because of their mystery and their origins that are so remote, leave enormous room for poetry. Whether it’s the funerary art of the Pharaohs with its hieroglyphics or the cave paintings or the early writings of Sumer in Mesopotamia, there is always the same mystery and an invitation to dream, similar to what happens in the Abstract art of the Twentieth Century. This latter vigorously rejects the figurative academicism of the Nineteenth Century that never stopped reproducing, with a romantic monotony, relative reality with its still-lifes, portraits and landscapes.
The intention was to take over reality in a rational faithful way, It was with an almost neurotic toughness, this was ruled by a fear of seeing the unknown, so one thus stripped away, at the same time, the poetic, symbolic and magical dimension of creation and the surrounding world. This obsessively figurative vision reflected human confinement that cut us off from the original myth of Narcissus, which on the contrary gave everyone the opportunity to be in a permanent state of metamorphosis.
“You have to dive into the unknown to find the new” was the battle cry for Baudelaire in the well-mannered bourgeois Nineteenth Century. All painters or artists who were committed to the Abstract view aimed at rebirth with this Paradise Lost which corresponded to the very nature of the poetic topos. Whether it be a work by Miro or by Kandinsky or the dark and mysterious atmosphere of a film by Alfred Hitchcock, lit up by the presence of a star like Grace Kelly at the peak of her sublime goddess beauty, it is the same dialectic of a mystery in search of a transcendent fugitive moment, but to which we can devote a lifetime. The search for the Sublime is inextricably linked to the abstract approach. This metaphysical form which follows just after the original form, whether in design like the wonderful black and white sketches of Christian Dior featuring an ideal of refined elegance that suggested more than it imposed and gave birth to the “New Look”, the name given by Caramel Snow, editor of the celebrated Harper’s Bazaar. But make no mistake, under this apparent simplicity; Christian Dior once again made Paris, like a phoenix from the ashes, the world capital of fashion just after the Second World War. It is similar in the purity of the constructions on blank backgrounds by the painter Mondrian in the 40s: silence embodied in the colour white, itself symbolizing a window onto the breath of the imagination and mouthfuls of oxygen from an emptiness that is healthy and calming, taking us to a perfectly-structured geometric space.
André Courrèges later took up these themes again in his minimalist dresses in the 60s which were highly graphic. The first, although this is still subject to controversy, was Mary Quant from Great Britain with her creation of the mini-skirt which sold by thousands in her shop in the King’s Road in 1965. Mary Quant represents a perfect example of that era when mechanization was at the service of creativity: faced with a voracious enormous demand, the answer was by infinitely producing and reproducing and to use this to make the industrial tools available through Taylorism.
In this Modernist era, America reigns supreme and imposes its laws.
On the same subject of global success: at the 1959 American Toy Fair in New York, Ruth Handler presented the first Barbie. The doll-woman exactly corresponded to the aesthetic canons of the pin-ups of the 50s. The fatal carnal beauty of the sex-symbols of the 50s makes themselves seen, embodying life and its physical appetites. America, the country that rescued Europe from horror and destruction, often had the lead in World War II hero figures. Its all-time stars had no rivals and this period invented the feminine ideal: platinum-blond hair, wasp waists, wide hips and large breasts. From Rita Hayworth to Ava Gardner, from Liz Taylor as Cleopatra at her peak, through Grace Kelly who radiated the glow of her very aristocratic more discreet beauty.
This Modernist and Post Modernist movement, two sides of the same coin, embodies everything and its opposite: the frantic sensuality of this post-war period mingled with invention and the development of the applied arts, pre-announcing the bulimic consumption of the 60s. From the phantasmagorical elegance of Kenneth Lane, inventing delirious jewellery for well-bred American WASPs while drawing his inspiration from a bestiary of animals or going back to a new Ancient Egyptian purity with his grand Cleopatra-like wrist pieces.
A world where Hollywood has its importance and television has already announced the warning signs of “all virtual” which, that on the eve of 2010, occupies a growing space in the field of communication and contact of any kind. +
The elite palate of the whisky aficionado is in for a treat as distillers William Grant & Sons has just unveiled one of its rarest and most exclusive single malt whiskies, the Glenfiddich 50 Year Old. The rare manna is going to be bottled in 500 individually numbered and hand-blown glass bottles. To add to its value as a collector’s item, each of these bottles will be packaged in a hand-made oak box with a brass plaque along with a leather-bound book which details the history of the whisky and will have spare pages for the owner to make their own tasting notes. Additionally, each bottle is signed by Alexander Grant Gordon, former chairman of William Grant & Sons Ltd and great-grandson of Glenfiddich distillery founder William Grant. The proud owner of each of these bottles is issued with a Certificate and appointed a Freeman of the Glenfiddich Distillery. The Glenfiddich Distillery described the 50-Year rare as “the pinnacle of our whisky-making excellence”. It is to be bottled in lots of 50 bottles to be distributed over 10 years. Each of these bottles is likely to cost $10,000.
A mere sketch of an embellished Chambord bottle
The image alongside that you are looking at is merely the sketch of the real thing, a rare Chambord bottle adorned with diamonds and gold and pearl and all, which has been designed by jeweler Donald Edge. The real thing will be launched at London Fashion Week on 22nd September and put up for display on the opening night of Breakfast at Tiffany's, starring Anna Friel, in the Chambord bar at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. The price tag on the bottle will read $ 2million. Enjoy your cocktail.
Super yacht Maltese Falcon ready to change hands
Tom Perkins, the American venture capitalist and owner of the Maltese Falcon has finally found a buyer for his 289 ft beauty of a yacht. Sure it took one year and a price cut of nearly $ 65million to clinch the deal at $100million, but it would be expected in these times. While in waiting for the sale, the super yacht clocked upward of 60,000 miles while it was chartered in Balearic Islands for more than £300,000 per week. The Maltese Falcon is unusual since Perkins has reportedly designed it such that it can run on engines as well as on giant sails and fully automated so that it can be operated by a single person via a computerized console. The identity of the new buyer is yet a secret.
Nature never goes out of fashion. How can it? Designers continue to be inspired by the stripes and spots of the jungle kings or the electric colors and shapes of the assorted bugs and butterflies. Kenneth Jay Lane is one such jewelry designer who has been called a ‘living legend’ for the beauties that he creates. Equally exotic are the hand made gem laden designs of Butler & Wilson.
Return of the chic Harem Pants
Reruns of fashion are happening all the time as designers time-travel often enough to re-import a trend from some past decade. But those that are huge on elements of comfort and cool never really drop out. One such is the hot new avtar of the harem pant. Ralph Lauren’s spring-summer 09 urban safari-style theme used metallic fabrics in muted colours. Alice Temperley used animal prints for her jumpsuit with the harem shape for the trouser. The theme recurred on the global fashion runways. Print, solids, floral or spotted, the cinched waist and flare flatters all figures.
Classic elegance and the perfect octave – two farewells
It was the season of loss, this month of July. Two legends, the graceful Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur and Gangubai Hangal, the singer whose perfect rich notes enchanted all, have moved on to be with the angels. Irreplaceable both, these two national treasures each so perfect and now gone forever.
She was to the manor born; royal lineage, fiery genes, beautiful face, a determined and sharp mind leading to her eventually becoming the third wife of the scion of one of the richest royal houses-Sawai Man Singh of Jaipur. But that was not what defined princess Ayesha of Cooch Bihar. Maharani Gayatri Devi, as she was later called, transcended the stereotypical and mesmerised all with her grace and style, going on to become an icon and holding her own through her entire life span of ninety years. Once hailed as one of the ten most beautiful women in the world, she also ruled the hearts of her people, setting a Guiness World record by winning the elections by the largest margin. Certainly Gayatri Devi’s was a pretty face but what really made her stand out was her serene poise and grace, her impeccable sense of style and dress, and most importantly her earthiness and genuine warmth. On July 29th, 2009 just two months past her 90th birthday, this epitome of grace and elegance breathed her last. An era has ended and the void will be hard to fill.
Gangubai Hangal’s mellifluous notes belied her inner steel. Trained in the traditions of the Kirana Gharana in the ‘Guru-Shishya parampara’ under none other than Sawai Gandharva, she busted the male bastion by becoming an exponent of Khayal gayaki and demanded the same respect as accorded to the male classical singers. Her honey laden and husky voice enchanted all with the perfections of note and pitch. The mesmerised admirers could only heap awards at her doorstep, a Karnataka Sangeet Nritya Academy Award in 1962 followed by a Padma Bhushan in 1971 and a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1973. All this and more capped with the so prestigeous Padama Vibhushan in 2002. Battling bone cancer since that year, she dodged the inevitable and returned to singing in 15th December, 2005. The list of her fans has such names as Kishori Amonkar, Prabha Atre, Lata Mangeshkar et al, while the legendry Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was her Guru-Bhai. Just three years short of a century, the nightingale breathed her last in Hubli on 21st July 2009 at the ripe age of 97. The air will no more vibrate with her perfect pitch and notes.
Stand up and speak out for your art Maqbool!
The Indian Art Summit (IAS) is ready to unfold in a few days at Pragati Maidan and Maqbool Fida Husain’s name is missing from the long list of participating artists. The barefoot artist could not face the heat generated by his nudes titled Bharat Mata, Saraswati, Durga etc, apologised and retreated to London in a self imposed exile since 2006. His name was excluded in the last IAS too and the exhibitors are scared of a backlash from the fascist groups running the streets. The vandalisation of several precious art works of artists who had participated in the exhibition organized by the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust as a protest against Hussain’s exclusion from the art summit has spooked the organizers of IAS and Neha Kirpal, the associate summit director was candid, ‘‘We acknowledge the iconic stature of Husain but are unable to put all the people and artwork at risk.’’ But wherefore is the artist himself? Youthful and brimming with zest, he has moved to Dubai from London, acquired a few houses and half a dozen luxury wheels including a red Ferrari and a Bentley and creates as prolifically as ever, remaining the top grosser at auctions by Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Saffronart. Yet he is homesick and misses out on important family celebrations. Are his 93 years, a mere number for his physical age, finally beginning to affect his young spirit? He did have nearly 800 cases filed against him, a bounty to his head and even had the Indian Government putting checks. But he was vindicated when the Supreme Court quashed the three obscenity cases against him last year and reminded that Hindu iconography, including ancient temples, is replete with nudity. He has powerful friends and admirers and connections in high places and he does agree that Indians by nature are generally ‘tolerant’. So should he not return and stand up for his art, face the consequences, be instrumental in redefining the freedom of expression, which might even lead to formulation of a new law in our constitution on artistic freedom. His supporters far outnumber the rabid vandal and are now ready to raise the cry.
The undisputed ultimate luxury that a person can have is the freedom of expression. The real measure of a developed or advanced society is the unfettered intellectual space it grants its citizens to think, create and express freely. Only an extremist state would destroy the Bamiyan Buddhas or issue ‘fatwas’ against the likes of Salman Rushdie or Taslima Nasreen. Although India has a rich historical legacy of intellectual tolerance at its core, we have our own motley lot of nut cases and extremists. The result it that a celebrated artist, M F Hussain, continues a self imposed exile even though the Indian courts have vindicated him. Orhan Pamuk provoked an outrage in Islamic Turkey by stating an unpleasant historical fact to Western media, claiming that ‘his intent was to draw attention to freedom of expression issues’. Perhaps Mr Hussain could similarily become the key to the change that is waiting to happen in modern India. We hope that his ultimate return will ignite a debate that could change archaic laws and minds.
The realm of the refined art indulges all the five senses. Alongside a beautiful painting and the perfect song is the delicate spirit brewed to perfection. A Glenfiddich 50 Year Old is arriving in India. Omar Khayyam might have penned another ode to this one.
No one ever had doubts about the musical genius of Mozart, and yet the recent identification of an extensive concerto movement and a fragmentary prelude as childhood creations of Mozart has further reinforced his child prodigy status. Ulrich Leisinger, head of research at the International Mozarteum Foundation after a presentation of the pieces said, "We have here the first orchestral movement by the young Mozart _ even though the orchestral parts are missing _ and therefore it's an extremely important missing link in our understanding of Mozart's development as a young composer." It would seem the 600 pieces that Mozart wrote in the short span of his life before he died of rheumatic fever were not enough. Scholars have rated the new findings as ‘technically demanding and at times furiously paced’. It is being assumed that the new pieces were composed when Mozart was seven or eight years old. Mozart had started composing music by the time he was five, but since he was not well versed with notations his father Leopold transcribed the notes while the young genius played. Experts have ruled that it is indeed Mozart who has composed the pieces taking note of his distinctive style of composition, and not his father Leopold in whose writing the pieces are written. Robert D. Levin, a pianist and Harvard University professor recognized for his completion of Mozart fragments said, "What the composer expects of the player in racing passagework, crossed hands and wild leaps is more than a bit crazy." 
Emaar to inaugurate world's tallest tower on Dec 2
Don’t expect anything but the unusual, even if it is the array of cocktails being served with the dinner. They are developed by the brand ambassadors of Hendrick’s Gin, Louis Xavier Lewis-Smith. Donors of the ten finest objects every day will be awarded a bottle of Hendrick’s Gin from carriage curators. The unique inventions and oddities that already form the permanent collection of this traveling homage to eccentricity includes an ingenious teacup stirring engine, a semaphore typewriter which predated the use of emoticons by 100 years, the only collection of Japanese warrior butterflies in Europe, a gin-cooled high-speed ticket punch, and a Dodo bird-caller. All those interested are invited to register their curiosity at www.hendricksgin.com/carriage, whence the registered item can then be presented at one of these events in exchange for a tour of the Hendrick’s Horseless Carriage of Curiosities and a delightful Hendrick’s Gin and tonic. Most of the successful run through July is already over but for those wanting a piece of this action yet, the schedule of the Hendrick’s Horseless Carriage of Curiosities in Britain this summer is as follows. Edinburgh (Bristo Square, EH8) from 9th – 12th July; Manchester (The Great Northern, M3) from 30th July – 2nd August and London (Manchester Square Gardens, W1U) from 1st – 4th October. 
The legend of the Rolls never dies, not in India anyway, where every vintage rally will flaunt at least one antique Rolls Royce resplendent and hooting along just fine. While the era of the royalty of yore that owned stables full of Rolls Royce to match their gun salutes, the UK based automobile, Rolls-Royce Motor Car Company, has yet again claimed that India will be its most important market for the next 5 – 10 years. A Rolls-Royce car is custom-made at its Goodwood factory in UK and sold on the basis of pre-determined quotas in low-volume markets. The Company has also shed some starch and is no more queasy about using parent BMW’s supplier network in India to source components. Tom Purves, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Car Co. said, “In the long term India represents a phenomenal business opportunity because we have seen a general movement of our business from the West to the East—to markets like India and China that have played a crucial part in the growth Rolls-Royce has enjoyed.” Despite the dropping global sales graph that showed a slide of nearly 25%, the auto maker sold 14 of its jewels in India and is already edging towards the number 20. It is being projected that the launch of the new Ghost at the Frankfurt Auto Show will see the sales number hit 50. The delivery of the Ghost will begin in India in spring of 2010, a full season after the bookings that will open this fall. The price tag of Rs2.7-3 crore is no deterrent to the new pashas of business. Purves said, “Indians like our positioning… the personalised touch appeals to their sense of style.” 
You have a discerning palate, you love your whisky, and you like to try out new recommendations. But can you really translate the claims on the label- or tell a single from a blended variety? The most primary requirement for all Scotch whisky, whether malt, grain or blended is a minimum maturation period of three years. Let’s take it from the top – the rare and exalted Single Malt Scotch whisky. A single malt is the purest form of Scotch, brewed using only barley as the grain ingredient, distilled by a single distillery in a pot still and matured in oak casks. The ultimate whisky, ‘single-single’, is a single cask single malt. Other Scotch whiskies are blended malt/vatted malt, blended Scotch and single grain.
The blended malt whisky or vatted malt whisky is a blend of single malt whiskies from more than one distillery and may be of different ages. The label carries the age of the youngest of the whisky used in the blending. These are also referred to as pure malts and are not the common variety of Scotch. Most of the whisky being bottled in Scotland is the blended Scotch whisky, containing both malt whisky and grain whisky, probably distilled at various breweries. The artistry of the master blender plays a role in blending the various types to produce a consistent ‘brand style’, using a rough blend of about 2/3 grain whisky with about 1/3 malt whiskies from several different distilleries. This brings down the price considerably. The single grain whisky earns the tag ‘single’ by virtue of having been distilled at a single distillery from water, malted barley and with or without whole grains of other cereals like wheat and maize. The barley used is part germinated or malted and part unsprouted or unmalted barley. It is practically distilled continuously using ‘Coffey Still’. Care is taken so that it does not meet the same requirements as a Single malt.
The elite palate of the whisky aficionado is in for a treat as distillers William Grant & Sons has just unveiled one of its rarest and most exclusive single malt whiskies, the Glenfiddich 50 Year Old. The rare manna is going to be bottled in 500 individually numbered and hand-blown glass bottles. To add to its value as a collector’s item, each of these bottles will be packaged in a hand-made oak box with a brass plaque along with a leather-bound book which details the history of the whisky and will have spare pages for the owner to make their own tasting notes. Additionally, each bottle is signed by Alexander Grant Gordon, former chairman of William Grant & Sons Ltd and great-grandson of Glenfiddich distillery founder William Grant. The proud owner of each of these bottles is issued with a Certificate and appointed a Freeman of the Glenfiddich Distillery. The Glenfiddich Distillery described the 50-Year rare as “the pinnacle of our whisky-making excellence”. It is to be bottled in lots of 50 bottles to be distributed over 10 years. Each of these bottles is likely to cost $10,000. 
Tom Perkins, the American venture capitalist and owner of the Maltese Falcon has finally found a buyer for his 289 ft beauty of a yacht. Sure it took one year and a price cut of nearly $ 65million to clinch the deal at $100million, but it would be expected in these times. While in waiting for the sale, the super yacht clocked upward of 60,000 miles while it was chartered in Balearic Islands for more than £300,000 per week. The Maltese Falcon is unusual since Perkins has reportedly designed it such that it can run on engines as well as on giant sails and fully automated so that it can be operated by a single person via a computerized console. The identity of the new buyer is yet a secret.
She was to the manor born; royal lineage, fiery genes, beautiful face, a determined and sharp mind leading to her eventually becoming the third wife of the scion of one of the richest royal houses-Sawai Man Singh of Jaipur. But that was not what defined princess Ayesha of Cooch Bihar. Maharani Gayatri Devi, as she was later called, transcended the stereotypical and mesmerised all with her grace and style, going on to become an icon and holding her own through her entire life span of ninety years. Once hailed as one of the ten most beautiful women in the world, she also ruled the hearts of her people, setting a Guiness World record by winning the elections by the largest margin. Certainly Gayatri Devi’s was a pretty face but what really made her stand out was her serene poise and grace, her impeccable sense of style and dress, and most importantly her earthiness and genuine warmth. On July 29th, 2009 just two months past her 90th birthday, this epitome of grace and elegance breathed her last. An era has ended and the void will be hard to fill.
Gangubai Hangal’s mellifluous notes belied her inner steel. Trained in the traditions of the Kirana Gharana in the ‘Guru-Shishya parampara’ under none other than Sawai Gandharva, she busted the male bastion by becoming an exponent of Khayal gayaki and demanded the same respect as accorded to the male classical singers. Her honey laden and husky voice enchanted all with the perfections of note and pitch. The mesmerised admirers could only heap awards at her doorstep, a Karnataka Sangeet Nritya Academy Award in 1962 followed by a Padma Bhushan in 1971 and a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1973. All this and more capped with the so prestigeous Padama Vibhushan in 2002. Battling bone cancer since that year, she dodged the inevitable and returned to singing in 15th December, 2005. The list of her fans has such names as Kishori Amonkar, Prabha Atre, Lata Mangeshkar et al, while the legendry Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was her Guru-Bhai. Just three years short of a century, the nightingale breathed her last in Hubli on 21st July 2009 at the ripe age of 97. The air will no more vibrate with her perfect pitch and notes. 
The Indian Art Summit (IAS) is ready to unfold in a few days at Pragati Maidan and Maqbool Fida Husain’s name is missing from the long list of participating artists. The barefoot artist could not face the heat generated by his nudes titled Bharat Mata, Saraswati, Durga etc, apologised and retreated to London in a self imposed exile since 2006. His name was excluded in the last IAS too and the exhibitors are scared of a backlash from the fascist groups running the streets. The vandalisation of several precious art works of artists who had participated in the exhibition organized by the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust as a protest against Hussain’s exclusion from the art summit has spooked the organizers of IAS and Neha Kirpal, the associate summit director was candid, ‘‘We acknowledge the iconic stature of Husain but are unable to put all the people and artwork at risk.’’ But wherefore is the artist himself? Youthful and brimming with zest, he has moved to Dubai from London, acquired a few houses and half a dozen luxury wheels including a red Ferrari and a Bentley and creates as prolifically as ever, remaining the top grosser at auctions by Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Saffronart. Yet he is homesick and misses out on important family celebrations. Are his 93 years, a mere number for his physical age, finally beginning to affect his young spirit? He did have nearly 800 cases filed against him, a bounty to his head and even had the Indian Government putting checks. But he was vindicated when the Supreme Court quashed the three obscenity cases against him last year and reminded that Hindu iconography, including ancient temples, is replete with nudity. He has powerful friends and admirers and connections in high places and he does agree that Indians by nature are generally ‘tolerant’. So should he not return and stand up for his art, face the consequences, be instrumental in redefining the freedom of expression, which might even lead to formulation of a new law in our constitution on artistic freedom. His supporters far outnumber the rabid vandal and are now ready to raise the cry.
