Word: backdrop
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...against a backdrop of growing Islamist militancy and economic insecurity, fears are growing that the current clash between political rivals could push the country further toward the precipice. Senior U.S. and British envoys have attempted to pull the two sides back. In the most high-profile intervention yet, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made phone calls to both Zardari and Sharif on Saturday. According to a statement from the Pakistani President's office, Clinton "discussed the prevailing situation in Pakistan and said the U.S. was keen to see a stable and democratic system strengthened in the country." Earlier...
...serene intimacy of a wood-paneled gallery at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, two slender violin bows dipped up and down against the backdrop of a 15th century Italian painting last Friday afternoon. The violinists, dressed elegantly in black with splashes of red and white, focused intently on the delicacy of their work. A small audience of museum-goers stood and perched on folding stools nearby, while others calmly perused the surrounding artwork. Even gallery security guards stretched their beats slightly to watch the performance. In adjoining rooms, the airborne cadences of concertos reached statues, portraits, vases, and painted panels...
...dire backdrop of the economic crisis may not seem like the most celebratory theme to use for a self-titled ‘launch party,’ but the Harvard International Review did just that when it released its Winter 2009 issue last night at a soiree in CGIS cafe. Approximately 40 students gathered for the event, which doubled as a symposium, featuring economics professor Benjamin M. Friedman ’66 as the keynote speaker. Friedman touched on the current trend of corporate layoffs of foreign employees and fielded questions about protectionism, government intervention and China?...
...Polonaise No. 6 in A-flat Major, his final number. The treacherous double thirds at the beginning were no obstacle to the pianist, who zipped through the chromatic introduction to settle into the stately main theme. In the military march, accented with crisp dotted rhythms and a precise backdrop of octaves, Lang brought out Chopin’s desire to incite Polish patriotism, though the pianist adopted a much faster tempo than is customary.In appreciation for the double curtain calls after every piece and the standing ovation at the end of the recital, Lang played Chopin’s delightful...
...group of songs, but not an exciting record.The churning title track opens the album with a catchy, upbeat riff over a wash of twinkling electricity, providing a level of intensity the subsequent tracks fail to maintain. The song explodes over pounding drums that grow more distant behind the whirling backdrop of fuzz. The lyrics, punctuated by Bono’s floating woah-oh harmonies, get sillier, hinting at the rest of the album’s lack of depth: “She said, ‘time is irrelevant, it’s not linear’ / Then...