1.
Mumbai
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Mumbai is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India and the ninth most populous agglomeration in the world, Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2008, Mumbai was named a world city. It is also the wealthiest city in India, and has the highest GDP of any city in South, West, Mumbai has the highest number of billionaires and millionaires among all cities in India. The seven islands that came to constitute Mumbai were home to communities of fishing colonies, during the mid-18th century, Bombay was reshaped by the Hornby Vellard project, which undertook reclamation of the area between the seven islands from the sea. Along with construction of roads and railways, the reclamation project, completed in 1845. Bombay in the 19th century was characterised by economic and educational development, during the early 20th century it became a strong base for the Indian independence movement. Upon Indias independence in 1947 the city was incorporated into Bombay State, in 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as the capital. Mumbai is the financial, commercial and entertainment capital of India and it is also home to some of Indias premier scientific and nuclear institutes like BARC, NPCL, IREL, TIFR, AERB, AECI, and the Department of Atomic Energy. The city also houses Indias Hindi and Marathi film and television industry, Mumbais business opportunities, as well as its potential to offer a higher standard of living, attract migrants from all over India, making the city a melting pot of many communities and cultures. The oldest known names for the city are Kakamuchee and Galajunkja, in 1508, Portuguese writer Gaspar Correia used the name Bombaim, in his Lendas da Índia. This name possibly originated as the Old Portuguese phrase bom baim, meaning good little bay, in 1516, Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa used the name Tana-Maiambu, Tana appears to refer to the adjoining town of Thane and Maiambu to Mumbadevi. Other variations recorded in the 16th and the 17th centuries include, Mombayn, Bombay, Bombain, Bombaym, Monbaym, Mombaim, Mombaym, Bambaye, Bombaiim, Bombeye, Boon Bay, and Bon Bahia. After the English gained possession of the city in the 17th century, Ali Muhammad Khan, imperial diwan or revenue minister of the Gujarat province, in the Mirat-i-Ahmedi referred to the city as Manbai. By the late 20th century, the city was referred to as Mumbai or Mambai in the Indian statewise official languages of Marathi, Konkani, Gujarati, Kannada and Sindhi, the Government of India officially changed the English name to Mumbai in November 1995. According to Slate magazine, they argued that Bombay was a corrupted English version of Mumbai, Slate also said The push to rename Bombay was part of a larger movement to strengthen Marathi identity in the Maharashtra region. A resident of Mumbai is called mumbaikar in the Marathi language, the term has been in use for quite some time but it gained popularity after the official name change to Mumbai. Mumbai is built on what was once an archipelago of seven islands, Bombay Island, Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli and it is not exactly known when these islands were first inhabited
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Nancy Kovack
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Nancy Kovack is a retired American film and television actress. Kovack became interested in acting when she went to New York City to attend a wedding and became one of the Glea Girls for Jackie Gleason. She has appeared on a number of TV series including Star Trek, Bewitched, Batman, I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, Perry Mason,12 OClock High, the Invaders, Burkes Law, and Family Affair. She appeared in a key role as a sexy, native witchdoctor and femme fatale in one of the most sobering of the original Star Trek episodes, in 1969 she was nominated for an Emmy for an appearance on Mannix. As her profile increased, Kovack began to gain roles in Hollywood movies, most notably as the high priestess Medea in Jason, on Broadway she appeared in The Disenchanted. Her last film role was in Marooned, a science-fiction drama, credited as Nancy Mehta, she played the murder victim in the made-for-TV movie/series pilot Ellery Queen. In 1969, Kovack married conductor Zubin Mehta, then director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Until 2006, the Mehtas spent some months of the year in residence in Munich, Germany, Mehta is currently Music Director for life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Main Conductor for Valencias opera house. Mehta is also the conductor of the Maggio Musicale festival in Florence. Susan McDougal worked as Kovacks personal assistant in the early 1990s, after her employment ended, Kovack took legal action against McDougal for alleged embezzlement. McDougal was acquitted in 1998 on all twelve charges, a suit by McDougal in 1999 for malicious prosecution ended in a settlement. com, accessed February 16,2015
3.
Conducting
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Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. A conductors directions will almost invariably be supplemented or reinforced by verbal instructions or suggestions to their musicians in rehearsal prior to a performance. The conductor typically stands on a podium with a large music stand for the full score. Conducting while playing a piano or synthesizer may also be done with musical theatre pit orchestras, communication is typically non-verbal during a performance. However, in rehearsals, frequent interruptions allow the conductor to give verbal directions as to how the music should be played or sung, Conductors act as guides to the orchestras or choirs they conduct. They choose the works to be performed and study their scores, to which they may make adjustments, work out their interpretation. They may also attend to matters, such as scheduling rehearsals, planning a concert season, hearing auditions and selecting members. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles such as big bands are usually led by conductors. The principal conductor of an orchestra or opera company is referred to as a music director or chief conductor, or by the German words Kapellmeister or Dirigent. Conductors of choirs or choruses are sometimes referred to as director, chorus master, or choirmaster. Conductors of concert bands, military bands, marching bands and other bands may hold the title of director, bandmaster. Respected senior conductors are sometimes referred to by the Italian word, an early form of conducting is cheironomy, the use of hand gestures to indicate melodic shape. This has been practiced at least as far back as the Middle Ages, in the 17th century, other devices to indicate the passing of time came into use. Rolled up sheets of paper, smaller sticks and unadorned hands are all shown in pictures from this period, the large staff was responsible for the death of Jean-Baptiste Lully, who injured his foot with one while conducting a Te Deum for the Kings recovery from illness. The wound became gangrenous and Lully refused amputation, whereupon the gangrene spread to his leg, in instrumental music throughout the 18th century, a member of the ensemble usually acted as the conductor. This was sometimes the concertmaster, who could use his bow as a baton and it was common to conduct from the harpsichord in pieces that had a basso continuo part. In opera performances, there were sometimes two conductors – the keyboard player was in charge of the singers, and the principal violinist or leader was in charge of the orchestra. By the early 19th century, it became the norm to have a dedicated conductor, the size of the usual orchestra expanded during this period, and the use of a baton became more common, as it was easier to see than bare hands or rolled-up paper
4.
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
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The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, formerly Palestine Orchestra, is the leading symphony orchestra in Israel. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was founded as the Palestine Orchestra by violinist Bronisław Huberman in 1936 and its inaugural concert took place in Tel Aviv on December 26,1936, and was conducted by Arturo Toscanini. Its first principal conductor was William Steinberg and its general manager between 1938 and 1945 was Leo Kestenberg, like many of its members, he was a German Jew forced out by the Nazi rise to power and persecution of Jews. During the Second World War the orchestra performed 140 times before Allied soldiers, at the end of the war it performed in recently liberated Belgium. In 1948, after the creation of the State of Israel, in 1958, the IPO was awarded the Israel Prize, in music, being the first year in which the Prize was awarded to an organization. Bernstein maintained close ties with the orchestra from 1947, and in 1988, the IPO bestowed on him the title of Laureate Conductor, Mehta has served as the IPOs Music Advisor since 1968. The IPO did not have a music director, but instead music advisors, until 1977. In 1981, his title was elevated to Music Director for Life, kurt Masur is the IPOs Honorary Guest Conductor, a title granted to him in 1992. Gianandrea Noseda is Principal Guest Conductor, a role previously occupied by Yoel Levi, with Mehta, the IPO has made a number of recordings for Decca. Under the baton of Bernstein, the IPO also recorded his works, the IPO has also collaborated with Japanese composer Yoko Kanno in the soundtrack of the anime Macross Plus. As of 2006, the composers works have been most frequently performed by the IPO were Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Mendelssohn. The initial concerts of the Palestine Orchestra in December 1936, conducted by Toscanini, the Secretary-General of the orchestra is Avi Shoshani. The IPO has a subscriber base numbering 26,000, commentators have noted the musically conservative tastes of the subscriber base, although the IPO is dedicated to performing new works by Israeli composers, such as Avner Dorman. Zubin Mehta Jean Martinon Bernardino Molinari Paul Paray Leonard Bernstein William Steinberg The orchestras performance in London on September 1,2011 was disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters, the concert was part of the BBC Proms. The radio broadcast was interrupted, but the concert was broadcast again a few days later, the orchestras secretary-general Avi Shoshani declared to Londons The Times newspaper that the orchestra was unlikely to ever perform in the UK again. Nobody was prosecuted for the disruptions, partly because the management of the Royal Albert Hall, american Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is a non-profit organization dedicated to sustaining the financial future of the Israel Philharmonic. AFIPO seeks to broaden the reach of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the monies raised by AFIPO are directed towards a fund which assists with the operational support of the orchestra and its musical education programs throughout Israel
5.
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
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It is the UKs only orchestra that has its own hall. The society is the second oldest of its type in the United Kingdom and its orchestra, in addition to the orchestra, the society administers the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir. The Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and other choirs and ensembles and it is involved in educational and community projects in Liverpool and its surrounding region. The society and its members have won a number of honours and awards and it is based in the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, an art deco concert hall built in the late 1930s. The society has its origins in a group of amateurs in the early 19th century. They had met during the 1830s in St Martins Church under the leadership of William Sudlow, the society was the second of its kind to be established, the first being the London-based Royal Philharmonic Society whose orchestra was disbanded in 1932. The organisation was founded for the rich and élite members of Liverpool society and its first concert was given on 12 March 1840 in a room at the back of a dance academy in Great Richmond Street and was conducted by John Russell with William Sudlow as organist. The programme consisted of 13 short orchestral and choral pieces, including works by Auber, Rossini, Spohr, Henry Bishop, and George Onslow, the society outgrew this room and gave its performances in the hall of the Collegiate Institution in Shaw Street. In 1843 the society appointed its first principal conductor, the Swiss-born J. Zeugheer Herrmann, during the following year, the orchestra performed its first symphonies, Haydns No.99 and Beethovens First. In 1844 the society appointed the Liverpool architect John Cunningham to prepare plans for a hall to be situated at the junction of Hope Street. It was to contain an audience of 2,100 and an orchestra of 250, to raise money for its building, shares were issued and members of Liverpool society were invited to buy seats in the boxes to be included in the hall. The foundation stone was laid in 1846 and construction began the following year, in 1847 the society invited Felix Mendelssohn to compose a cantata based on words from Miltons Comus to celebrate the opening of the hall. Mendelssohn died before this could be carried out, the hall cost £30,000 and was formally opened on 27 August 1849. The organist was W. T. Best, the hall was not full for the first performance, this was attributed to two factors, the high price of admission, and the fear that the building, without central supporting pillars, was unsafe. In 1850 the choir formed the Liverpool Philharmonic Auxiliary Society and were in conflict with their conductor, Herrmann offered his resignation, which was not accepted. By 1852 the financial problems of the society were deteriorating, membership was exclusive and not all the seats on offer had been taken up. Suggestions that the conditions for membership should be relaxed were refused, in 1852 the society widened its activities from music by arranging theatrical performances, including Charles Dickens company and an appearance by William Makepeace Thackeray. In 1855 it was discovered that William Sudlow, the Honorary Secretary had been stealing money from the society and he was replaced by a paid secretary, the post was given to Henry Sudlow, a distant relative of William
6.
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
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Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is a symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Its home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts, there have been a number of organizations with this name, including one formed in 1897, which lasted ten years, and another formed in 1930, which lasted eleven. The Orchestra acquired its current name in 1954, Dutoit struck a friendship with a producer at London/Decca records named Ray Minshull, and a twenty-year collaboration was born. Throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s, Dutoit and the OSM released many well-received recordings and embarked on tours of North America, Europe, Asia, most notable among this vast discography are the recordings of the French repertoire, especially the music of Maurice Ravel. In recent years, the OSM has fallen on tough times, the London/Decca recordings ceased in the late 1990s as the entire recording industry was turned upside-down, and the international tours dried up soon afterward. Then, in 2002, the OSM suffered the abrupt resignation of Charles Dutoit as music director, here, the resignation was ultimately the result of an inflammatory public letter written by Emile Subirana, the head of the Québec musicians guild, on behalf of the OSMs musicians. In March 2003, the announced that Kent Nagano would be its new music director starting in 2006. He gave his first concert in Montreal as music director-designate March 30,2005, later in 2005, the OSMs musicians struck for the second time in less than a decade. Nagano made a start, the OSM has finally moved into the new concert hall it had been hoping for since the early 1980s. The OSM and Charles Dutoit have received accolades for their numerous recordings, including the Grand Prix du Président de la République and the Prix mondial du Disque de Montreux. The OSM won Grammy awards in 1996 for its recording of Hector Berlioz Les Troyens and in 2000 for Sergei Prokofiev and it has additionally won a number of Juno Awards and Felix Awards. Culture of Quebec List of Quebec musicians Music of Quebec St. Lawrence Choir John Zirbel Orchestre symphonique de Montreal official website
7.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
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The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Gustavo Dudamel is the current Music Director, and Esa-Pekka Salonen is Conductor Laureate, Deborah Borda is the current President and CEO. Music critics have described the orchestra as the most contemporary minded, forward thinking, talked about and innovative, venturesome, according to Salonen, We are interested in the future. We are not trying to re-create the glories of the past, like so many other symphony orchestras. “Especially since we moved into the new hall, ” continues Borda, “our intention has been to integrate 21st-century music into the everyday activity. ”The orchestra was founded and single-handedly financed in 1919 by William Andrews Clark, Jr. a copper baron, arts enthusiast. He originally asked Sergei Rachmaninoff to be the Philharmonics first music director, however, Rachmaninoff had only moved to New York. The orchestra played its first concert in the Trinity Auditorium in the same year, Clark himself would sometimes sit and play with the second violin section. After Rothwells death in 1927, subsequent Music Directors in the decade of the 1920s included Georg Schnéevoigt, otto Klemperer became Music Director in 1933, part of the large group of German emigrants fleeing Nazi Germany. He conducted many LA Phil premieres, and introduced Los Angeles audiences to important new works by Igor Stravinsky, the orchestra responded well to his leadership, but Klemperer had a difficult time adjusting to Southern California, a situation exacerbated by repeated manic-depressive episodes. Things were further complicated when founder William Andrews Clark died without leaving the orchestra an endowment, the Philharmonics concerts at the Hollywood Bowl also brought in much needed revenue. With that, the managed to make it through the worst of the Great Depression years still intact. He went into a state and was institutionalized. When he escaped, The New York Times ran a cover story declaring him missing, after he was found in New Jersey, a picture of him behind bars was printed in the New York Herald Tribune. He subsequently lost the post of Music Director, though he still would conduct the Philharmonic. He led some important concerts, such as the premiere performance of Stravinskys Symphony in Three Movements in 1946. Sir John Barbirolli was offered the position of Music Director after his contract with the New York Philharmonic expired in 1942 and he declined the offer and chose to return to England instead. The following year, Alfred Wallenstein was chosen by Mudd to lead the orchestra, the former principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic, he had been the youngest member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic when it was founded in 1919
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New York Philharmonic
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It is one of the leading American orchestras popularly referred to as the Big Five. The Philharmonics home is David Geffen Hall, known as Avery Fisher Hall until September 2015, founded in 1842, the orchestra is one of the oldest musical institutions in the United States and the oldest of the Big Five orchestras. Its record-setting 14, 000th concert was given in December 2004, the New York Philharmonic was founded in 1842 by the American conductor Ureli Corelli Hill, with the aid of the Irish composer William Vincent Wallace. The orchestra was called the Philharmonic Society of New York. It was the third Philharmonic on American soil since 1799, and had as its intended purpose, the first concert of the Philharmonic Society took place on December 7,1842 in the Apollo Rooms on lower Broadway before an audience of 600. The concert opened with Beethovens Symphony No, the musicians operated as a cooperative society, deciding by a majority vote such issues as who would become a member, which music would be performed and who among them would conduct. At the end of the season, the players would divide any proceeds among themselves, after only a dozen public performances and barely four years old, the Philharmonic organized a concert to raise funds to build a new music hall. The centerpiece was the American premiere of Beethovens Symphony No,9, to take place at Castle Garden on the southern tip of Manhattan. About 400 instrumental and vocal performers gathered for this premiere, which was conducted by George Loder, the chorals were translated into what would be the first English performance anywhere in the world. However, with the expensive US$2.00 ticket price and a war rally uptown, the audience was kept away. Although judged by some as an odd work with all those singers kept at bay until the end, during the Philharmonics first seven seasons, seven musicians alternated the conducting duties. In addition to Hill, Timm and Étienne, these were William Alpers, George Loder, Louis Wiegers and this changed in 1849 when Theodore Eisfeld was installed as sole conductor for the season. Eisfeld, later along with Carl Bergmann, would be the conductor until 1865 and that year Eisfeld returned to Europe, and Bergmann continued to conduct the Society until his death in 1876. Leopold Damrosch, Franz Liszts former concertmaster at Weimar, served as conductor of the Philharmonic for the 1876/77 season, but failing to win support from the Philharmonics public, he left to create the rival Symphony Society of New York in 1878. Upon his death in 1885, his 23-year-old son Walter took over, Carnegie Hall would remain the orchestras home until 1962. The Philharmonic in 1877 was in financial condition, caused by the paltry income from five concerts in the 1876/77 season that brought in an average of only $168 per concert. At first the Philharmonics suggestion offended Thomas because he was unwilling to disband his own orchestra, because of the desperate financial circumstances, the Philharmonic offered Theodore Thomas the conductorship without conditions, and he began conducting the orchestra in the autumn of 1877. He left in 1891 to found the Chicago Symphony, taking thirteen Philharmonic musicians with him, another celebrated conductor, Anton Seidl, followed Thomas on the Philharmonic podium, serving until 1898
9.
Vienna State Opera
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The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria and it was originally called the Vienna Court Opera. In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian Republic, the members of the Vienna Philharmonic are recruited from its orchestra. The opera house was the first major building on the Vienna Ringstrasse commissioned by the Viennese city expansion fund, work commenced on the house in 1861 and was completed in 1869, following plans drawn up by architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll. It was built in the Neo-Renaissance style by the renowned Czech architect, the somewhat coarser-grained Kelheimerstein was intended as the main stone to be used in the building of the opera house, but the necessary quantity was not deliverable. Breitenbrunner stone was suggested as a substitute for the Kelheimer stone, the staircases were constructed from polished Kaiserstein, while most of the rest of the interior was decorated with varieties of marble. The decision was made to use dimension stone for the exterior of the building, due to the monumental demand for stone, stone from Sóskút, widely used in Budapest, was also used. Three Viennese masonry companies were employed to supply enough masonry labour, Eduard Hauser, Anton Wasserburger, the foundation stone was laid on 20 May 1863. The building was, however, not very popular with the public, on the one hand, it did not seem as grand as the Heinrichshof, a private residence which was destroyed in World War II. Eduard van der Nüll committed suicide, and barely ten weeks later Sicardsburg died from tuberculosis so neither architect saw the completion of the building, the opening premiere was Don Giovanni, by Mozart, on May 25,1869. Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth were present, towards the end of World War II, on March 12,1945, the opera was set alight by an American bombardment. The front section, which had been walled off as a precaution, remained intact including the foyer, with frescoes by Moritz von Schwind, the stairways, the vestibule. The auditorium and stage were, however, destroyed by flames as well as almost the entire décor, the State Opera was temporarily housed at the Theater an der Wien and at the Vienna Volksoper. Eventually the decision was made to rebuild the house as it had been. The Austrian Federal Chancellor Leopold Figl made the decision in 1946 to have an opera house again by 1949. An architectural competition was announced, which was won by Erich Boltenstern, in order to achieve a good acoustic, wood was the favoured building material, at the advice of, among others, Arturo Toscanini. In addition, the number of seats in the parterre was reduced, and the fourth gallery, the façade, entrance hall and the Schwind foyer were restored and remain in their original style. In 1947, the company went on tour to London, due to the appalling conditions at Theater an der Wien, the opera company leadership tried to raise significant quantities of money to speed up reconstruction of the original opera house
10.
Bavarian State Opera
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The Bavarian State Opera is an opera company based in Munich, Germany. Its orchestra is the Bavarian State Orchestra, the opera company which was founded under Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy has been in existence since 1653, when Giovanni Battista Maccionis Larpa festante was performed in the court theatre. In 1753 the Residence Theatre was opened as a major stage, while opera performances were also held in the Prinzregententheater, the companys home base is the National Theatre Munich on Max-Joseph-Platz. In 1875 the Munich Opera Festival took place for the first time which nowadays can be viewed as one of the most important opera festivals worldwide, sir Peter Jonas became the Staatsoper Staatsintendant in 1993, the first British Intendant of any major German speaking opera house. In 2008, Nikolaus Bachler became General Director of the opera company, the current Generalmusikdirektor of the company is Kirill Petrenko, since 2013. In October 2015, the announced the extensions of the current respective contracts of Bachler. Petrenko is scheduled to work as a guest conductor with the company in the year of his current contract. Henneberg 28 June 2000, KANON für geschlossene Gesellschaft by Ruedi Häusermann 30 October 2000, Bernarda Albas Haus by Aribert Reimann 27 June 2002, K
11.
Praemium Imperiale
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These are areas of achievement not covered by the Nobel Prize. The prizes are awarded for outstanding contributions to the development, promotion, the Praemium Imperiale is awarded in the memory of His Imperial Highness Prince Takamatsu, younger brother of Emperor Shōwa who reigned from 1926 through 1989. Prince Takamatsu was famous for his support of the development, promotion. The laureates are announced each September, the presentation ceremony and related events are held in Tokyo, Japan. The prize presentation ceremony is held in the presence of His Imperial Highness Prince Hitachi, President of the Japan Art Association, Prince Hitachi presents the prizes to the selected laureates. The prize consists of a medal and 15 million Japanese yen, and was created by the Fujisankei Communications Group. The laureates are annually recommended by international advisers, and decided by a committee of the Japan Art Association. The advisers include Yasuhiro Nakasone, William H. Luers, Lamberto Dini, François Pinault, Chris Patten, honorary advisers include Jacques Chirac, David Rockefeller, David Rockefeller, Jr. Helmut Schmidt and Richard von Weizsäcker. Since 1997, a series of grants have been made to organizations which nourish young artists
12.
Teatro di San Carlo
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The Real Teatro di San Carlo, its original name under the Bourbon monarchy but known today as simply the Teatro di San Carlo, is an opera house in Naples, Italy. It is located adjacent to the central Piazza del Plebiscito, and it is the oldest continuously active venue for public opera in the world, opening in 1737, decades before both the Milans La Scala and Venices La Fenice theatres. The opera season runs from late January to May, with the season taking place from April to early June. The house once had a capacity of 3,285. Given its size, structure and antiquity was the model for the theatres in Europe. As was customary, the role of Achilles was played by a woman, Vittoria Tesi, called Moretta, sarro also conducted the orchestra in two ballets as intermezzi, created by Gaetano Grossatesta, with scenes designed by Pietro Righini. The first seasons highlighted the royal preference for numbers. The new opera house was designed by Giovanni Antonio Medrano, an architect, and Angelo Carasale. The horseshoe-shaped auditorium is the oldest in the world and it was built at a cost of 75,000 ducats. Including standing room, the theatre could hold over 3,000 people, military movements of infantry and cavalry, battles, and storms at sea can be represented here without falling into the ludicrous. But for opera, itself, the house is too large, although the singers, Signora Isabella Colbran, and the Signori Nozzari, Benedetti, etc. have very strong voices, only their highest and most stentorian tones could be heard. Any kind of tender utterance was lost, much admired for its architecture, its gold decorations, and the sumptuous blue upholstery, the San Carlo was now the biggest opera house in the world. In 1809 Domenico Barbaia was appointed manager of the opera houses in Naples. He soon established a reputation for innovative and dazzling productions, which attracted both the public and leading singers to the opera house, on 13 February 1816 a fire broke out during a dress-rehearsal for a ballet performance and quickly spread to destroy a part of building. On the orders of King Ferdinand IV, another Bourbon monarch and son of Charles III and it was rebuilt as a traditional horseshoe-shaped auditorium with 1,444 seats, and a proscenium,33. 5m wide and 30m high. Niccolini embellished in the inner of the bas-relief depicting Time and the Hour, the central frescoed ceiling painting of Apollo presenting to Minerva the greatest poets of the world was painted by Antonio, Giuseppe e Giovanni Cammarano. On 12 January 1817, the theatre was inaugurated with Johann Simon Mayrs Il sogno di Partenope. Stendhal attended the night of the inauguration and wrote, There is nothing in all Europe, I won’t say comparable to this theatre
13.
Naples
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Naples is the capital of the Italian region Campania and the third-largest municipality in Italy, after Rome and Milan. In 2015, around 975,260 people lived within the administrative limits. The Metropolitan City of Naples had a population of 3,115,320, Naples is the 9th-most populous urban area in the European Union with a population of between 3 million and 3.7 million. About 4.4 million people live in the Naples metropolitan area, Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Bronze Age Greek settlements were established in the Naples area in the second millennium BC, a larger colony – initially known as Parthenope, Παρθενόπη – developed on the Island of Megaride around the ninth century BC, at the end of the Greek Dark Ages. Naples remained influential after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, thereafter, in union with Sicily, it became the capital of the Two Sicilies until the unification of Italy in 1861. Naples was the most-bombed Italian city during World War II, much of the citys 20th-century periphery was constructed under Benito Mussolinis fascist government, and during reconstruction efforts after World War II. The city has experienced significant economic growth in recent decades, and unemployment levels in the city, however, Naples still suffers from political and economic corruption, and unemployment levels remain high. Naples has the fourth-largest urban economy in Italy, after Milan, Rome and it is the worlds 103rd-richest city by purchasing power, with an estimated 2011 GDP of US$83.6 billion. The port of Naples is one of the most important in Europe, numerous major Italian companies, such as MSC Cruises Italy S. p. A, are headquartered in Naples. The city also hosts NATOs Allied Joint Force Command Naples, the SRM Institution for Economic Research, Naples is a full member of the Eurocities network of European cities. The city was selected to become the headquarters of the European institution ACP/UE and was named a City of Literature by UNESCOs Creative Cities Network, the Villa Rosebery, one of the three official residences of the President of Italy, is located in the citys Posillipo district. Naples historic city centre is the largest in Europe, covering 1,700 hectares and enclosing 27 centuries of history, Naples has long been a major cultural centre with a global sphere of influence, particularly during the Renaissance and Enlightenment eras. In the immediate vicinity of Naples are numerous culturally and historically significant sites, including the Palace of Caserta, culinarily, Naples is synonymous with pizza, which originated in the city. Neapolitan music has furthermore been highly influential, credited with the invention of the romantic guitar, according to CNN, the metro stop Toledo is the most beautiful in Europe and it won also the LEAF Award 2013 as Public building of the year. Naples is the Italian city with the highest number of accredited stars from the Michelin Guide, Naples sports scene is dominated by football and Serie A club S. S. C. Napoli, two-time Italian champions and winner of European trophies, who play at the San Paolo Stadium in the south-west of the city, the Phlegraean Fields around Naples has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. The earliest Greek settlements were established in the Naples area in the second millennium BC, sailors from the Greek island of Rhodes established a small commercial port called Parthenope on the island of Megaride in the ninth century BC
14.
Gujarati people
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Gujarati people or Gujaratis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of India that traditionally speaks Gujarati, an Indo-Aryan language. Albeit with huge migration for economic reasons, most Gujaratis in India live in the state of Gujarat in Western India, Gujaratis also form a significant part of the populations in the small union territories of Daman and Diu, and Dadra Nagar Haveli, both being former Portuguese colonies. There are very large Gujarati immigrant communities in parts of India, most notably in Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, Bangalore and other metropolitan areas like Kollam. Diasporas and transnational networks in many of these date back to more than a century. In recent decades, larger numbers of Gujaratis have migrated to English speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Early European travelers like Ludovico di Varthema traveled to Gujarat and wrote on the people of Gujarat. He noted that Jainism had a presence in Gujarat and opined that Gujaratis were deprived of their kingdom by Mughals because of their kind heartedness. This led to religious interdependence, tolerance, assimilation and community cohesion ultimately becoming the hallmark of modern-day Gujarati society, the Gujarati people are predominantly Hindu. There are also significant populations of Muslims, Christians and Jains, and minor populations of Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, the major communities that Gujaratis belong to are Brahmins, Rajputs, Vaishyas, Patidars, Ahirs, Maldharis and Lohana. Today, Gujaratis can be found in all inhabited continents of the world, the countries with the largest Gujarati populations are Pakistan, United Kingdom, United States, Canada and many countries in Southern and East Africa. Globally, Gujaratis are estimated to comprise around 33% of the Indian diaspora worldwide, non Resident Gujaratis maintain active links with the homeland in the form of business, remittance, philanthropy, and through their political contribution to state governed domestic affairs. The second largest overseas diaspora of Gujaratis, after Pakistan, is in the UK, at a population of around 615,000 Gujaratis form almost half of the Indian community who live in the UK. Gujaratis first went to the UK in the 19th century with the establishment of the British Raj in India, prominent members of this community such as Shyamji Krishna Varma played a vital role in exerting political pressure upon colonial powers during the struggle for Indian Independence. Now this community is mostly the second and third generation descendants of immigrants from the former British colonies of East Africa, Portugal. Most of them despite being British Subjects had restricted access to Britain after successive Immigration acts of 1962,1968 and 1971. Most were, however, eventually admitted on the basis of a Quota voucher system or, in case of Uganda, as refugees after the order by the Ugandan ruler. Gujaratis in Britain are regarded as affluent middle-class peoples who have assimilated into the milieu of British society and they are celebrated for revolutionizing the corner shop, and energising the British economy which changed Britains antiquated retail laws forever. Demographically, Hindus form a majority along with a significant number of Jains and Muslims and they are predominantly settled in metropolitan areas like Greater London, East Midlands, West Midlands, Lancashire and Yorkshire. Cities with significant Gujarati populations include Leicester and London boroughs of Brent, Barnet, Harrow, both Hindus and Muslims have established caste or community associations, temples, and mosques to cater for the needs of their respective communities
15.
Parsi
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Parsi /ˈpɑːrsiː/ is one of two Zoroastrian communities majorly located in India and few in Pakistan. At the time of the Arab conquest of Persia, the dominant religion of the region was Zoroastrianism, Iranians rebelled against Arab invaders for almost 200 years, in Iran this period is now known as the Two Centuries of Silence or Period of Silence. During this time many Iranians who are now called Parsi chose to preserve their religious identity by fleeing from Iran to India, the word پارسیان, pronounced Parsian, i. e. Parsi in the Persian language, literally means Persian. Persian is the language of modern Iran, which was formerly known as Persia, and the Persian languages endonym is Farsi. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, Parsi, also spelled Parsee, the Parsis, whose name means Persians, are descended from Persian Zoroastrians who emigrated to India to avoid religious persecution by the Muslims. They live chiefly in Mumbai and in a few towns and villages mostly to the South of Mumbai, there is a sizeable Parsee population in Pune as well in Hyderbad. A few Parsee families also reside in Kolkata and Chennai, although they are not, strictly speaking, a caste, since they are not Hindus, they form a well-defined community. The exact date of the Parsi migration is unknown, according to tradition, the Parsis initially settled at Hormuz on the Persian Gulf, but finding themselves still persecuted they set sail for India, arriving in the 8th century. The migration may in fact have taken place as late as the 10th century and they settled first at Diu in Kathiawar but soon moved to south Gujarāt, where they remained for about 800 years as a small agricultural community. The term Pārsi, which in the Persian language is a demonym meaning inhabitant of Pārs, until that time, such texts consistently use the Persian-origin terms Zartoshti Zoroastrian or Vehdin the good religion. The 12th-century Sixteen Shlokas, a Sanskrit text in praise of the Parsis, is the earliest attested use of the term as an identifier for Indian Zoroastrians. The first reference to the Parsis in a European language is from 1322, subsequently, the term appears in the journals of many European travelers, first French and Portuguese, later English, all of whom used a Europeanized version of an apparently local language term. For example, Portuguese physician Garcia de Orta observed in 1563 that there are merchants and we Portuguese call them Jews, but they are not so. In an early 20th-century legal ruling, Justices Davar and Beaman asserted that Parsi was also a used in Iran to refer to Zoroastrians. In any case, the term Parsi itself is not necessarily an indication of their Iranian or Persian origin, moreover, if heredity were the only factor in a determination of ethnicity, the Parsis would count as Parthians according to the Qissa-i Sanjan. Zoroaster taught that good and evil were opposite forces and that it was a duty to make a choice between the two. The two paths are of asha or righteousness and of druj, the lie, Good is represented by Ahura Mazda and evil by Angra Mainyu. The Zoroastrian holy book, called the Avesta, was written in the Avestan language, the Qissa-i Sanjan is a tale of the journey of the Parsis to India from Iran
16.
Gujarati language
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Gujarati /ɡʊdʒəˈrɑːti/ is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat. It is part of the greater Indo-European language family, Gujarati is descended from Old Gujarati. In India, it is the language in the state of Gujarat, as well as an official language in the union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra. Gujarati is the language of the Gujjars, who had ruled Rajputana, according to the Central Intelligence Agency,4. 5% of the Indian population speaks Gujarati, which amounts to 54.6 million speakers in India. There are about 65.5 million speakers of Gujarati worldwide, Gujarati was the first language of Mahatma Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Gujarati is a modern IA language evolved from Sanskrit, Central, in Gujarati/Rajasthani, Western Hindi, and Punjabi/Lahanda/Sindhi, on the basis of innovation of auxiliary verbs and postpositions in Gujarati/Rajasthani. Gujarati/Rajasthani into Gujarati and Rajasthani through development of such characteristics as auxiliary ch-, grammatically, a new plural marker of -o developed. In literature, the quarter of the 19th century saw a series of milestones for Gujarati. The printing was introduced in Gujarati in 1812, the first printed book published was the Gujarati translation of Dabestan-e Mazaheb prepared and printed by Parsi priest Fardunjee Marzban in 1815. 1822, first Gujarati newspaper, Mumbai Samachar, the oldest newspaper in India still in circulation, 1840s, personal diary composition, Nityanondh, Durgaram Mehta. 1845, first modern Gujarati poem, Bapani Piparu, Dalpatram 1851, first essay, Mandaḷī Maḷvāthi Thātā Lābh, Narmadashankar Dave 1866, first original novel, Karaṇ Ghelo, Nandshankar Mehta. 1866, first social novel, Sasu Vahu ni Ladai, Mahipatram Rupram Nilkanth 1866, first autobiography, Mārī Hakīkat,1900, first original short story, Shantidas, Ambalal Desai. Of the approximately 46 million speakers of Gujarati in 1997, roughly 45, however, Gujarati community leaders in Pakistan claim that there are 3 million Gujarati speakers in Karachi. There is an amount of Mauritian population and a large amount of Réunion Island people who are from Gujarati descent among which some of them still speak Gujarati. According to the 2011 census, Gujarati is the seventeenth most spoken language in the Greater Toronto Area, most, with British passports, settled in the UK. Gujarati is offered as a GCSE subject for students in the UK, a distribution of the geographical area can be found in Linguistic Survey of India by George A. Grierson. Gujarati is one of the recognized constitutional languages and fourteen regional languages of India. It is officially recognized in the state of Gujarat, India, in A simplified grammar of the Gujarati language by William Tisdall, two major dialects of Gujarati are mentioned, a standard Hindu dialect and a Parsi dialect
17.
Itzhak Perlman
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Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-American violinist, conductor, and pedagogue. In 2015, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Perlman was born in Tel Aviv in 1945, then British Mandate of Palestine, now Israel. His parents, Chaim and Shoshana Perlman, were natives of Poland and had immigrated to Palestine in the mid-1930s before they met. Perlman first became interested in the violin after hearing a classical music performance on the radio, at the age of three, he was denied admission to the Shulamit Conservatory for being too small to hold a violin. Perlman contracted polio at age four and he made a good recovery, learning to walk with crutches. Today, he uses crutches or an electric Amigo scooter for mobility, Perlman appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show twice in 1958, and again in 1964, on the same show with the Rolling Stones. He made his debut at Carnegie Hall in 1963 and won the Leventritt Competition in 1964, soon afterward, he began to tour widely. On July 5,1986, he performed on the New York Philharmonics tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, the orchestra, conducted by Zubin Mehta, performed in Central Park. In 1987, he joined the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for their concerts in Warsaw and he has also performed and recorded with his friend and fellow Israeli violinist Pinchas Zukerman on numerous occasions over the years. As well as playing and recording the music for which he is best known, Perlman has also played jazz, including an album made with jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. Perlman has been a soloist for a number of film such as the theme of the 1993 film Schindlers List by John Williams. More recently, he was the violin soloist for the 2005 film Memoirs of a Geisha along with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Perlman played selections from the musical scores of the movies nominated for Best Original Score at the 73rd Academy Awards with Yo-Yo Ma and at the 78th Academy Awards. Perlman played at the state attended by Queen Elizabeth II on May 7,2007. He performed John Williamss Air and Simple Gifts at the 2009 inauguration ceremony for Barack Obama along with Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero, and Anthony McGill. While the quartet did play live, the music played simultaneously over speakers, Perlman was quoted as saying, It would have been a disaster if we had done it any other way. In 1975, Perlman accepted a faculty post at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College, in 2003, Mr. Perlman was named the holder of the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation Chair in Violin Studies at the Juilliard School, succeeding his teacher, Dorothy DeLay. Perlman teaches at the Juilliard School for the pre-college program and he also currently teaches students one-on-one at the Perlman Music Program on Long Island, NY, rarely holding master classes. The Perlman music program, founded in 1995 by Toby Perlman and Suki Sandler, over time, it expanded to a year-long program
18.
St. Mary's School, Mumbai
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St. Marys School I. C. S. E is a Jesuit secondary school located on Nesbit Road, Mazagaon, in the city of Mumbai, India. The school is affiliated with Bombays Church of St. Anne, St. Marys is an Indian Certificate of Secondary Education affiliate. Having been founded in the year 1864, it is also amongst the oldest, continually running, the School is therefore one of the most established institutions of preference for education and holistic development for children in the city. St. Marys School I. C. S. E was founded in 1864 by members of the Society of Jesus and it lies adjacent to St. Annes Church which was established in 1860. The school began as a Catholic school of education and a military orphanage, later it opened to the Catholic populace in general, which meant it had to expand. This led to the construction of the building now houses the senior school, whose foundation stone was laid by Lord Linlithgow. On 7 December 2013, the post office produced a stamp to commemorate the schools 150th anniversary and it used to confer the degree/diploma of a Cambridge University O level of education, and now confers the ICSE diploma. The school has four Gothic-style buildings and is divided into Senior School and it is rated as one of the top schools of the country. Students are encouraged in the arts and many amongst the alumni have flourished in theatre, music. 2009–2011, Alice Carvalho 2011-2015, Dr. Fr, 2015–current, Dr. Fr. Francis Swamy, S. marwar. com/cover-story/the-best-of-two-worlds-gautam-singhania-fifty. html
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St. Xavier's College, Mumbai
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St. Xaviers College is a leading tertiary education college in in Mumbai, India. It was awarded the highest rating, A+, in the re-accreditation by the National Assessment, the college is named after Francis Xavier, the 16th-century Spanish Jesuit saint. Its campus in South Mumbai is built in the Indo-Gothic style of architecture, the college was founded by German Jesuits in 1869. It began to develop rapidly from 1884 to 1910, the imprisonment of German Jesuit priests during the First World War led to a dislocation of the administration, which was mitigated by the appointment of other European Jesuits. While it began as a college, by the 1920s science departments were established. The college was expanded in the 1930s. The college is run by Indian Jesuits, with preference for admissions given to Roman Catholic students and it offers undergraduate and post-graduate courses in Arts, Science, and Commerce or Public Policy. It has spawned several research institutions within its campus including the Blatter Herbarium, in the June 2006 issue of the countrys national India Today magazine, it was rated as the best college in India for Arts. St. Xaviers College was founded on 2 January 1869 in Bombay by German Jesuits with just two students and these two students came from a group of six, who appeared for the University matriculation examination in 1868 from St. Marys Institution. German Jesuit Joseph Michael Willi, the first principal of the college from 1869 to 1873, the college was granted formal recognition by Bombay University on 30 January 1869. One student joined later in 1870, the first three students graduated in 1871. From 1884 to 1910, under the patronage of Principal Frederick Dreckmann, the Blatter Herbarium was established in 1906 by the Swiss Jesuit priest Ethelbert Blatter and his associates. The hostel was completed in 1909, while the East-West science wing, costing Rs, the Government provided grants of Rs.70,000 and Rs.37,000 for the two additional buildings of the college. The college first admitted women in 1912, being a German institute in British India, the college suffered wide repercussions during the First World War. Following the outbreak of the war, the German Jesuit priests, mainly the ones, were interned and detained in 1914 at the college villa in Khandala. However, the younger German Jesuits were repatriated in 1916, the departure of German Jesuits led to a dislocation in the administration of the college, but was mitigated by a few Swiss, Luxemburger, and English Jesuits. The number of lay professors increased following the withdrawal of the German Jesuits, in 1920, enrollment of students from outside Bombay, especially Calcutta, Yangon, Mangalore, and Sindh, started climbing. Subsequently, a floor was added to the hostel to provide accommodation facilities for them
20.
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
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The University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna is an Austrian university located in Vienna, established in 1817. Today, with a student body of three thousand, it is the largest institution of its kind in Austria, and one of the largest in the world. In 1817, it was established by the Society for the Friends of Music and it has had several names, Vienna Conservatory, Vienna Academy and in 1909 it was nationalized as the Imperial Academy of Music and the Performing Arts. In 1998, the university assumed its current name to reflect its university status, with a student body of more than 3000, the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien is one of the largest arts universities in the world. The University consists of 24 departments including the Max Reinhardt Seminar, Vienna Film Academy, MDW facilities include the Schönbrunn Palace Theater, Antonio Vivaldi Room, Salesian Convent, St. Ursula Church, Lothringerstrasse and the Anton Von Webern Platz. Modern film studios were completed on the university campus in 2004, the University organizes around 10 competitions, including the International Beethoven Piano Competition. It also presents an acclaimed film festival every two years. The MDW may be considered an institution to all major orchestras in Austria. Calls for a conservatory in Vienna started in 1808. In 1811 an outline for an education institution for Vienna was published. A year later the Society for the Friends of Music was formed, the Vienna Conservatory was founded in 1817. It was meant to be modeled on the Paris Conservatory, but, due to a lack of funds, Antonio Salieri was the Conservatorys first director. In 1819, it hired violinist Joseph Böhm, and by 1827 offered courses in most orchestral instruments, the conservatorys finances were very unstable. Tuition fees were introduced in 1829, but by 1837 the institution was bankrupt, the state eventually funded the conservatory from 1841 to 1844 and from 1846 to 1848. In 1848 political unrest caused the state to discontinue funding, with support from the state and the city, finances again stabilized after 1851. Despite growing state subsidy, The Society for the Friends of Music, however, by a January 1,1909 imperial resolution the school was nationalized and became the Imperial Academy of Music and the Performing Arts. Joseph Hellmesberger, Sr. was director from 1851 to 1893, from 1907 Wilhelm Bopp had been the director of Conservatory. The Conservatory was still dominated by the aging Robert Fuchs and Hermann Grädener, in 1912, attempting to rejuvenate the conservatory Bopp offered teaching positions to Franz Schreker and Arnold Schoenberg
21.
Claudio Abbado
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Claudio Abbado, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian conductor. The Abbado family for several generations enjoyed both wealth and respect, Abbados great-grandfather squandered the family fortune and reputation by gambling. His son, Abbados grandfather, became a professor at the University of Turin and his grandfather re-established the familys reputation and also showed talent as an amateur musician. Born in Milan, Italy, Claudio Abbado was the son of violinist and composer Michelangelo Abbado, and his father, a professional violinist and a professor at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory, was his first piano teacher. His mother also was an adept pianist, Marcello Abbado later became a concert pianist and teacher at the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro. His sister also exhibited talent in music, but did not pursue a career after her marriage. His other brother became a successful architect. Abbados childhood encompassed the Nazi occupation of Milan, during that time, Abbados mother spent time in prison for harbouring a Jewish child. This period solidified his anti-fascist political sentiments and he later recalled that Toscaninis periods of abusive behaviour to musicians in rehearsal repelled him. Other conductors who influenced him as a child were Victor de Sabata and it was not until hearing Antonio Guarnieris conducting of Claude Debussys Nocturnes that Abbado resolved to become a conductor himself. At age 15, he met Leonard Bernstein, who commented, Abbado studied piano, composition, and conducting at the Milan Conservatory, and graduated with a degree in piano in 1955. The following year, he studied conducting with Hans Swarowsky at the Vienna Academy of Music, Abbado and Mehta both joined the Academy chorus to be able to watch such conductors as Bruno Walter and Herbert von Karajan in rehearsal. He also spent time at the Chigiana Academy in Siena, in 1958, Abbado made his conducting debut in Trieste. That summer, he won the international Serge Koussevitzky Competition for conductors at the Tanglewood Music Festival, in 1959, he conducted his first opera, The Love for Three Oranges, in Trieste. He made his La Scala conducting debut in 1960, in 1963, he won the Dimitri Mitropoulos Prize for conductors, which allowed him to work for five months with the New York Philharmonic as an assistant conductor to Bernstein. Abbado made his New York Philharmonic professional conducting debut on 7 April 1963, a 1965 appearance at the RIAS Festival in Berlin led to an invitation from Herbert von Karajan to the Salzburg Festival the following year to work with the Vienna Philharmonic. In 1965, Abbado made his British debut with the Hallé Orchestra, Abbado taught chamber music for 3 years during the early 1960s in Parma. His early advocacy of music included conducting the world premiere of Giacomo Manzonis Atomtod, on 25 March 1965
22.
Daniel Barenboim
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Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentine-Israeli pianist and conductor who is also a citizen of Palestine and Spain. In May,2015 he proudly introduced his new piano at Royal Festival Hall and it was designed by Chris Maene, a Belgian instrument maker. This Barenboim grand piano has straight parallel strings, soundboard veins which go in different directions, specially designed bridges, ribs and bracing, some listeners have been excited by the pianos new sound, while others find it very similar to a conventional Steinway. Together with the Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said, he was given Spains Prince of Asturias Concord Award and he has won seven Grammy awards for his work and discography. Barenboim is a polyglot, fluent in Spanish, Hebrew, English, French, Italian, Daniel Barenboim was born in 1942 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Argentinian-Jewish parents Aida and Enrique Barenboim. He started piano lessons at the age of five with his mother, continuing to study with his father, on 19 August 1950, at the age of seven, he gave his first formal concert in his hometown, Buenos Aires. In 1952, Barenboims family moved to Israel, two years later, in the summer of 1954, his parents took him to Salzburg to take part in Igor Markevitchs conducting classes. During that summer he met and played for Wilhelm Furtwängler. In 1955 Barenboim studied harmony and composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, on 15 June 1967, Barenboim and British cellist Jacqueline du Pré were married in Jerusalem at a Western Wall ceremony, Du Pré having converted to Judaism. Acting as one of the witnesses was the conductor Zubin Mehta, since I was not Jewish I had to temporarily be renamed Moshe Cohen, which made me a kosher witness, Mehta recalled. Du Pré retired from music in 1973, after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the marriage lasted until du Prés death in 1987. In the early 1980s, Barenboim began an affair with the Russian pianist Elena Bashkirova, with whom he has two sons born in Paris before du Prés death, David Arthur, born 1983, and Michael, born 1985. Barenboim worked to keep his relationship with Bashkirova hidden from du Pré and he and Bashkirova married in 1988. Both sons are part of the world, David is a manager-writer for the German hip-hop band Level 8. Barenboim holds citizenship in Argentina, Israel, Palestine, and Spain, after performing in Buenos Aires, Barenboim made his international debut as a pianist at the age of 10 in 1952 in Vienna and Rome. In 1955 he performed in Paris, in 1956 in London, regular concert tours of Europe, the United States, South America, Australia and the Far East followed thereafter. In June 1967, Barenboim and his then fiancée Du Pré gave concerts in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beersheba before and during the Six-Day War. His friendship with musicians Itzhak Perlman, Zubin Mehta, and Pinchas Zukerman, following his debut as a conductor with the English Chamber Orchestra in Abbey Road Studios, London, in 1966, Barenboim was invited to conduct by many European and American symphony orchestras
23.
Hungarian Revolution of 1956
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Though leaderless when it first began, it was the first major threat to Soviet control since the USSRs forces drove out Nazi Germany from its territory at the end of World War II. The revolt began as a student demonstration, which attracted thousands as they marched through central Budapest to the Parliament building, calling out on the using a van with loudspeakers. A student delegation, entering the building to try to broadcast the students demands, was detained. When the delegations release was demanded by the demonstrators outside, they were fired upon by the State Security Police from within the building, one student died and was wrapped in a flag and held above the crowd. This was the start of the revolution, as the news spread, disorder and violence erupted throughout the capital. The revolt spread quickly across Hungary and the government collapsed, thousands organised into militias, battling the ÁVH and Soviet troops. Pro-Soviet communists and ÁVH members were executed or imprisoned and former political prisoners were released and armed. Radical impromptu workers councils wrested municipal control from the ruling Hungarian Working Peoples Party, a new government formally disbanded the ÁVH, declared its intention to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact, and pledged to re-establish free elections. By the end of October, fighting had almost stopped and a sense of normality began to return, after announcing a willingness to negotiate a withdrawal of Soviet forces, the Politburo changed its mind and moved to crush the revolution. On 4 November, a large Soviet force invaded Budapest and other regions of the country, the Hungarian resistance continued until 10 November. Over 2,500 Hungarians and 700 Soviet troops were killed in the conflict, mass arrests and denunciations continued for months thereafter. By January 1957, the new Soviet-installed government had suppressed all public opposition, public discussion about this revolution was suppressed in Hungary for more than 30 years. Since the thaw of the 1980s, it has been a subject of intense study, at the inauguration of the Third Hungarian Republic in 1989,23 October was declared a national holiday. During World War II Hungary was a member of the Axis powers, allied with the forces of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Romania, in 1941, the Hungarian military participated in the occupation of Yugoslavia and the invasion of the Soviet Union. The Red Army was able to back the Hungarian and other Axis invaders. Fearing invasion, the Hungarian government began negotiations with the Allies. These ended when Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the country and set up its own pro-Axis regime, both Hungarian and German forces stationed in Hungary were subsequently defeated when the Soviet Union invaded the country in 1945. Towards the end of World War II, the Soviet Army occupied Hungary, immediately after World War II, Hungary was a multiparty democracy, and elections in 1945 produced a coalition government under Prime Minister Zoltán Tildy
24.
Tanglewood Music Center
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The Center operates as a part of the Tanglewood Music Festival, an outdoor concert series and the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He served as director of the Center until one year after his retirement with the BSO, when he was succeeded by new BSO director Charles Münch, munch was succeeded by BSO director Erich Leinsdorf, who was TMC director from 1963 to 1970. In 1970, the scene and jazz scene were coming together, as bands like Chicago, Santana, Miles Davis. In 1975, the Italian conductor Franco Ferrara began teaching conducting at TMC, schuller remained as director until August 1984 when he resigned over differences with Ozawa. Pianist and conductor Leon Fleisher took over the direction of TMC in 1985, Fleisher was replaced by Ellen Highstein, the current TMC director as of 2017. Ozawa was succeeded as BSO director in 2001 by James Levine, Levine left the BSO in 2011 after health issues. Tanglewood activities take place on 210 acres of meadow, most of which was donated to the BSO in 1936 by the Tappan family, students of the TMC are typically housed in Miss Halls School, a boarding school for high-school aged girls in nearby Pittsfield. Until 1999, composition students at the festival were housed separately at the Koussevitzky mansion near the grounds, koussevitzkys vision for the TMC was an institution where students would work closely with faculty members of the BSO and guest artists, as well as with each other. The selection process is competitive, in 2007, there were over 1500 applicants. Conducting alums include Leonard Bernstein, Robert Spano, Eleazar de Carvalho, Seiji Ozawa, Lorin Maazel, Claudio Abbado, Michael Tilson Thomas, David Zinman, Christoph von Dohnanyi, other notable TMC alumni include Dawn Upshaw, Wynton Marsalis, and Burt Bacharach. The Festival of Contemporary Music is an event at Tanglewood. Recent Festivals have focused on composers born in 1938 and the music of Elliott Carter
25.
Charles Munch (conductor)
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Charles Munch was an Alsacian symphonic conductor and violinist. Noted for his mastery of the French orchestral repertoire, he was best known as director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Munch was born in Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine, the son of organist and choir director Ernst Münch, he was the fifth in a family of six children. He was the brother of conductor Fritz Münch and the cousin of conductor, although his first ambition was to be a locomotive engineer, he studied violin at the Strasbourg Conservatoire. His father Ernst was a professor of organ at the Conservatoire and performed at the cathedral, after receiving his diploma in 1912, Charles studied with Carl Flesch in Berlin and Lucien Capet at the Conservatoire de Paris. He was conscripted into the German army in World War I and he was gassed at Péronne and wounded at Verdun. In 1920, he became professor of violin at the Strasbourg Conservatoire and assistant concertmaster of the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra under Joseph Guy Ropartz, in the early 1920s he was concertmaster for Hermann Abendroths Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne. He then served as concertmaster of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra under Wilhelm Furtwängler, at the age of 41, Munch made his conducting debut in Paris on 1 November 1932. Munchs fiancée, Geneviève Maury, granddaughter of a founder of the Nestlé Chocolate Company, rented the hall and she was also an accomplished translator of Thomas Mann. Munch also studied conducting with Czech conductor Fritz Zweig who had fled Berlin during his tenure at Berlins Krolloper and he became known as a champion of Hector Berlioz, and befriended Arthur Honegger, Albert Roussel, and Francis Poulenc. During these years, Munch gave first performances of works by Honegger, Jean Roger-Ducasse, Joseph Guy Ropartz, Roussel and he became director of the Société Philharmonique de Paris in 1938 and taught conducting at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1937 to 1945. He remained in France conducting the Conservatoire Orchestra during the German occupation and he refused conducting engagements in Germany and also refused to perform contemporary German works. He protected members of his orchestra from the Gestapo and contributed from his income to the French Resistance, for this, he received the Légion dhonneur with the red ribbon in 1945 and the degree of Commandeur in 1952. Munch made his début with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on 27 December 1946 and he was its Music Director from 1949 to 1962. Munch was also Director of the Berkshire Music Festival and Berkshire Music Center from 1951 through 1962 and he led relaxed rehearsals which orchestra members appreciated after the authoritarian Serge Koussevitzky. Munch also received degrees from Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Harvard University. He excelled in the modern French repertoire, especially Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, however, Munchs programs also regularly featured works by composers such as Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Wagner. His thirteen-year tenure in Boston included 39 world premieres and 58 American first performances, fourteen of these premieres were works commissioned by the Boston Symphony and the Koussevitzky Music Foundation to celebrate the Orchestras 75th Anniversary in 1956
26.
Boston Symphony Orchestra
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The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the Big Five, founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Bostons Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at Tanglewood. Andris Nelsons is the current music director of the BSO, Bernard Haitink currently holds the title of conductor emeritus of the BSO, and Seiji Ozawa has the title of BSO music director laureate. The BSO was founded in 1881 by Henry Lee Higginson and its first conductor was George Henschel, who was a noted baritone as well as conductor, and a close friend of Johannes Brahms. Wilhelm Gericke served twice, from 1884 to 1889 and again from 1898 to 1906, according to Joseph Horowitzs review of correspondence, Higginson considered 25 candidates to replace Gericke after receiving notice in 1905. He decided not to offer the position to Gustav Mahler, Fritz Steinbach and he was conductor until 1908 and again from 1912 to 1918. The music director 1908–12 was Max Fiedler and he conducted the premiere of Ignacy Jan Paderewskis Symphony in B minor Polonia in 1909. He vowed never to return, and conducted only in Europe. The BSOs next two titled conductors were French, Henri Rabaud, who took over from Muck for a season, the orchestras reputation increased during the music directorship of Serge Koussevitzky. One million radio listeners tuned in when Koussevitzky and the orchestra were the first to perform a concert for radio broadcast. Those network radio broadcasts ran from 1926 through 1951, and again from 1954 through 1956, the orchestra continues to make regular live radio broadcasts to the present day. The Boston Symphony has been involved with Bostons WGBH Radio as an outlet for its concerts. They also gave the premiere of Béla Bartóks Concerto for Orchestra, other BSO commissions have included John Coriglianos Symphony No.2 for the 100th anniversary of Symphony Hall. Hans Werner Henze dedicated his Eighth Symphony to the orchestra, although Koussevitsky recommended his protégé Leonard Bernstein to be his successor after he retired in 1949, the BSO awarded the position to the Alsatian maestro Charles Munch. Munch had made his Boston conducting debut in 1946 and he led orchestra on its first overseas tour, and also produced their first stereo recording in February 1954 for RCA Victor. In 1952, Munch appointed the first woman to hold a chair in a major U. S. orchestra, flutist Doriot Anthony Dwyer. Erich Leinsdorf became music director in 1962 and held the post until 1969, William Steinberg was then music director from 1969 to 1972. Steinberg was ill and ailing according to composer/author Jan Swafford, the committee eventually chose Seiji Ozawa, who became Music Director in 1973 and held the post until 2002, the longest tenure of any Boston Symphony conductor
27.
Carnegie Hall
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Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1891, it is one of the most prestigious venues in the world for both classical music and popular music. Carnegie Hall has its own programming, development, and marketing departments. It is also rented out to performing groups, the hall has not had a resident company since 1962, when the New York Philharmonic moved to Lincoln Centers Philharmonic Hall. Carnegie Hall has 3,671 seats, divided among its three auditoriums, Carnegie Hall presented about 200 concerts in the 2008–2009 season, up 3 percent from the previous year. Its stages were rented for an additional 600 events in the 2008–2009 season, Carnegie Hall contains three distinct, separate performance spaces. The Isaac Stern Auditorium seats 2,804 on five levels and was named after violinist Isaac Stern in 1997 to recognize his efforts to save the hall from demolition in the 1960s, the hall is enormously high, and visitors to the top balcony must climb 137 steps. All but the top level can be reached by elevator, the main hall was home to the performances of the New York Philharmonic from 1892 until 1962. Known as the most prestigious concert stage in the U. S. almost all of the classical music. After years of wear and tear, the hall was extensively renovated in 1986. The Ronald O. Perelman Stage is 42 feet deep, the First Tier and Second Tier consist of sixty-five boxes, the First Tier has 264 seats at eight seats per box and the Second Tier seats 238, with boxes ranging from six to eight seats each. Second from the top is the Dress Circle, seating 444 in six rows, at the top, the balcony seats 837. Although seats with obstructed views exist throughout the auditorium, only the Dress Circle level has structural columns, Zankel Hall, which seats 599, is named after Judy and Arthur Zankel. Originally called simply Recital Hall, this was the first auditorium to open to the public in April 1891, following renovations made in 1896, it was renamed Carnegie Lyceum. The completely reconstructed Zankel Hall is flexible in design and can be reconfigured in several different arrangements to suit the needs of the performers, the 599 seats in Zankel Hall are arranged in two levels. The Parterre level seats a total of 463 and the Mezzanine level seats 136, each level has a number of seats which are situated along the side walls, perpendicular to the stage. These seats are designated as boxes, there are 54 seats in six boxes on the Parterre level and 48 seats in four boxes on the Mezzanine level, the boxes on the Parterre level are raised above the level of the stage. Zankel Hall is accessible and its stage is 44 feet wide and 25 feet deep — the stage occupies approximately one fifth of the performance space, the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Recital Hall seats 268 and is named after Sanford I. Weill, a chairman of the board, and his wife Joan
28.
Georg Solti
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Born in Budapest, he studied there with Béla Bartók, Leó Weiner and Ernő Dohnányi. In the 1930s, he was a répétiteur at the Hungarian State Opera and his career was interrupted by the rise of the Nazis, and being of Jewish background he fled the increasingly restrictive anti-semitic laws in 1938. After conducting a season of Russian ballet in London at the Royal Opera House he found refuge in Switzerland, prohibited from conducting there, he earned a living as a pianist. After the war, Solti was appointed director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich in 1946. In 1952 he moved to the Frankfurt Opera, where he remained in charge for nine years and he took West German citizenship in 1953. In 1961 he became director of the Covent Garden Opera Company. During his ten-year tenure, he introduced changes that raised standards to the highest international levels, under his musical directorship the status of the company was recognised with the grant of the title the Royal Opera. He became a British citizen in 1972, in 1969 Solti became music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a post he held for 22 years. He relinquished the position in 1991 and became the music director laureate. Known in his early years for the intensity of his music making and he recorded many works two or three times at various stages of his career, and was a prolific recording artist, making more than 250 recordings, including 45 complete opera sets. The most famous of his recordings is probably Deccas complete set of Wagners Der Ring des Nibelungen, Soltis Ring has twice been voted the greatest recording ever made, in polls for Gramophone magazine in 1999 and the BBCs Music Magazine in 2012. Solti was repeatedly honoured by the industry with awards throughout his career. Solti also received the Academy’s 1995 Lifetime Achievement Award, Solti was born György Stern on Maros utca, in the Hegyvidék district of the Buda side of Budapest. He was the younger of the two children of Móricz Stern and his wife Teréz, née Rosenbaum, both of whom were Jewish, in the aftermath of the First World War it became the accepted practice in Hungary for citizens with Germanic surnames to adopt Hungarian ones. The right wing regime of Admiral Horthy enacted a series of Hungarianisation laws, Mor Stern, a self-employed merchant, felt no need to change his surname, but thought it prudent to change that of his children. He renamed them after Solt, a town in central Hungary. His sons given name, György, was acceptably Hungarian and was not changed, Solti described his father as a kind, sweet man who trusted everyone. He shouldnt have, but he did, jews in Hungary were tremendously patriotic
29.
Metropolitan Opera
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The Metropolitan Opera, commonly referred to as The Met, is a company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager, the music director position is in transition as of 2016. The music director designate is Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the director emeritus is James Levine. The Met was founded in 1880 as an alternative to the previously established Academy of Music opera house, the Metropolitan Opera is the largest classical music organization in North America. It presents about 27 different operas each year in a season lasts from late September through May. The operas are presented in a rotating schedule with up to seven performances of four different works staged each week. Moving to the new Lincoln Center location in 1966, performances are given in the evening Monday through Saturday with a matinée on Saturday, several operas are presented in new productions each season. Sometimes these are borrowed from or shared with other opera houses, the rest of the years operas are given in revivals of productions from previous seasons. The 2015-16 season comprised 227 performances of 25 operas, the operas in the Mets repertoire consist of a wide range of works, from 18th-century Baroque and 19th-century Bel canto to the Minimalism of the late 20th century. These operas are presented in staged productions that range in style from those with elaborate traditional decors to others that feature modern conceptual designs, the Mets performing company consists of a large symphony-sized orchestra, a chorus, childrens choir, and many supporting and leading solo singers. The company also employs numerous free-lance dancers, actors, musicians, the Mets roster of singers includes both international and American artists, some of whose careers have been developed through the Mets young artists programs. The Metropolitan Opera Company was founded in 1880 to create an alternative to New Yorks old established Academy of Music opera house, the subscribers to the Academys limited number of private boxes represented the highest stratum in New York society. By 1880, these old families were loath to admit New Yorks newly wealthy industrialists into their long-established social circle. Frustrated with being excluded, the Metropolitan Operas founding subscribers determined to build a new house that would outshine the old Academy in every way. A group of some 22 men assembled at Delmonicos restaurant on April 28,1880 and they elected officers and established subscriptions for ownership in the new company. The first Met subscribers included members of the Morgan, Roosevelt, the new Metropolitan Opera House opened on October 22,1883, and was an immediate success, both socially and artistically. The Academy of Musics opera season folded just three years after the Met opened, in its early decades the Met did not produce the opera performances itself but hired prominent manager/impresarios to stage a season of opera at the new Metropolitan Opera House. Henry Abbey served as manager for the season, 1883–84
30.
Aida
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Aida is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in Egypt, it was commissioned by and first performed at Cairos Khedivial Opera House on 24 December 1871, ghislanzonis scheme follows a scenario often attributed to the French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, but Verdi biographer Mary Jane Phillips-Matz argues that the source is actually Temistocle Solera. Aida eventually premiered in Cairo in late 1871, contrary to popular belief, the opera was not written to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, for which Verdi had been invited to write an inaugural hymn, but had declined. The plot bears striking, though similarities to Metastasios libretto La Nitteti. Verdi originally chose to write an orchestral prelude instead of a full overture for the opera. He then composed an overture of the variety to replace the original prelude. However, in the end he decided not to have the overture performed because of its—his own words—pretentious insipidity and this overture, never used today, was given a rare broadcast performance by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra on 30 March 1940, but was never commercially issued. Aida met with acclaim when it finally opened in Cairo on 24 December 1871. He therefore considered the Italian premiere, held at La Scala, Milan on 8 February 1872, Verdi had also written the role of Aida for the voice of Teresa Stolz, who sang it for the first time at the Milan premiere. Verdi had asked her fiancé, Angelo Mariani, to conduct the Cairo premiere, the Milan Amneris, Maria Waldmann, was his favourite in the role and she repeated it a number of times at his request. Aida was received with enthusiasm at its Milan premiere. With Polish translation Aida was performed for the first time 9 June 1877, france,22 April 1876, Théâtre-Lyrique Italien, Salle Ventadour, Paris, with almost the same cast as the Milan premiere, but with Édouard de Reszke making his debut as the King. Rio de Janeiro,30 June 1886, Theatro Lyrico Fluminense, Arturo Toscanini, at the time a 19-year-old cellist who was assistant chorus master, was persuaded to take up the baton for the performance. Toscanini conducted the opera from memory, with great success. This would be the start of a promising career, laibach, Austrian Empire,1 October 1898, conducted by Hilarion Benišek A complete concert version of the opera was given in New York City in 1949. Conducted by Toscanini with Herva Nelli as Aida and Richard Tucker as Radamès, due to the length of the opera, it was divided into two telecasts, preserved on kinescopes, and later released on video by RCA and Testament. The audio portion of the broadcast, including some remakes in June 1954, was released on LP, La Scala mounted a lavish new production of Aida designed by Franco Zeffirelli for the opening night of its 2006/2007 season. The production starred Violeta Urmana in the role and Roberto Alagna as Radamès
31.
Expo 67
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It is considered to be the most successful Worlds Fair of the 20th century with the most attendees to that date and 62 nations participating. It also set the attendance record for a worlds fair. Expo 67 was Canadas main celebration during its centennial year, the project was not well supported in Canada at first. It took the determination of Montreals mayor, Jean Drapeau, defying a computer analysis that said it could not be done, the fair opened on time. After Expo 67 ended in October 1967, the site and most of the continued on as an exhibition called Man and His World. By that time, most of the buildings — which had not been designed to last beyond the original exhibition — had deteriorated and were dismantled. Today, the islands hosted the world exhibition are mainly used as parkland and for recreational use. The exposition was offered first to Toronto but politicians there rejected the idea, however, Montreals mayor, Sarto Fournier, backed the proposal, allowing Canada to make a bid to the Bureau International des Expositions. At the BIEs May 5,1960 meeting in Paris, Moscow was awarded the fair after five rounds of voting that eliminated Austrias, in April 1962, the Soviets scrapped plans to host the fair because of financial constraints and security concerns. Montreals new mayor, Jean Drapeau, lobbied the Canadian government to try again for the fair, several sites were proposed as the main Expo grounds. One location that was considered was Mount Royal Park, to the north of the downtown core, but it was Drapeaus idea to create new islands in the St. Lawrence river, and to enlarge the existing Saint Helens Island. The choice overcame opposition from Montreals surrounding municipalities, and also prevented land speculation, Expo did not get off to a smooth start, in 1963, many top organizing committee officials resigned. Another more likely reason for the resignations was that on April 22,1963. Canadian diplomat Pierre Dupuy was named Commissioner General, after Diefenbaker appointee Paul Bienvenu resigned from the post in 1963, one of the main responsibilities of the Commissioner General was to attract other nations to build pavilions at Expo. Dupuy would spend most of 1964 and 1965 soliciting 125 countries, dupuys right-hand man was Robert Fletcher Shaw, the deputy commissioner general and vice-president of the corporation. He also replaced a Diefenbaker appointee, C. F, Shaw was a professional engineer and builder, and is widely credited for the total building of the Exhibition. Dupuy hired Andrew Kniewasser as the general manager, the management group became known as Les Durs - the tough guys - and they were in charge of creating, building and managing Expo. To this group the chief architect Édouard Fiset was added, all ten were honoured by the Canadian government as recipients of the Order of Canada, Companions for Dupuy and Shaw, Officers for the others
32.
Hector Berlioz
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Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts. Berlioz made significant contributions to the orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works, and he also composed around 50 songs. His influence was critical for the development of Romanticism, especially in composers like Richard Wagner, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Franz Liszt, Richard Strauss. Hector Berlioz was born in France at La Côte-Saint-André in the département of Isère, Louis was an agnostic, with a liberal outlook, his mother, Marie-Antoinette, was a devout Roman Catholic. He had five siblings in all, three of whom did not survive to adulthood, the other two, Nanci and Adèle, remained close to Berlioz throughout his life. Berlioz was not a prodigy, unlike some other famous composers of the time, he began studying music at age 12, writing small compositions. As a result of his fathers discouragement, he never learned to play the piano and he became proficient at guitar, flageolet and flute. He learned harmony from textbooks alone—he was not formally trained, the majority of his early compositions were romances and chamber pieces. While yet at age twelve, as recalled in his Mémoires, he experienced his first passion for a woman and he also began to visit the Paris Conservatoire library, seeking out scores of Glucks operas and making personal copies of parts of them. He recalled in his Mémoires his first encounter with Luigi Cherubini, Cherubini attempted to throw the impetuous Berlioz out of the library since he was not a formal music student at that time. Berlioz also heard two operas by Gaspare Spontini, a composer who influenced him through their friendship, and whom he later championed when working as a critic, from then on, he devoted himself to composition. He was encouraged in his endeavors by Jean-François Le Sueur, director of the Royal Chapel, in 1823, he wrote his first article—a letter to the journal Le corsaire defending Spontinis La vestale. Despite his parents disapproval, in 1824 he formally abandoned his studies to pursue a career in music. This work was rehearsed and revised after the rehearsal but not performed until the following year, Berlioz later claimed to have burnt the score, but it was re-discovered in 1991. Later that year or in 1825, he began to compose the opera Les francs-juges, the work survives only in fragments, the overture has been much recorded and is sometimes played in concert. In 1826 he began attending the Conservatoire to study composition under Jean-François Le Sueur and he also submitted a fugue to the Prix de Rome, but was eliminated in the primary round. Winning the prize would become an obsession until he won it in 1830
33.
Symphonie fantastique
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Symphonie fantastique, Épisode de la vie dun artiste. En cinq parties Op.14, is a symphony written by the French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. It is an important piece of the early Romantic period, the first performance was at the Paris Conservatoire in December 1830. Franz Liszt made a transcription of the symphony in 1833. According to Bernstein, Berlioz tells it like it is and you take a trip, you wind up screaming at your own funeral. In 1831, Berlioz wrote a lesser known sequel to the work, Lélio, for actor, orchestra, Berlioz provided his own preface and program notes for each movement of the work. They exist in two principal versions – one from 1845 in the first score of the work and the second from 1855, from the revised preface and notes, it can be seen how Berlioz, later in his life, downplayed the programmatic aspect of the work. In the first score from 1845, he writes, The composers intention has been to various episodes in the life of an artist. As the work cannot rely on the assistance of speech, the plan of the instrumental drama needs to be set out in advance. The following programme must therefore be considered as the text of an opera. In this case the invisible orchestra is placed on the stage of a theatre behind the lowered curtain, the author hopes that the symphony provides on its own sufficient musical interest independently of any dramatic intention. This melodic image and its model keep haunting him ceaselessly like a double idée fixe and this explains the constant recurrence in all the movements of the symphony of the melody which launches the first allegro. It is here that the listener is introduced to the theme of the artists beloved, the theme itself was taken from Berliozs scène lyrique Herminie, composed in 1828. The revised program notes from 1855 state, He meets again his beloved in a ball during a glittering fête, more formal statements of the idée fixe twice interrupt the waltz. The movement is the one to feature the two harps, providing the glamour and sensual richness of the ball, and may also symbolize the object of the young mans affection. Berlioz wrote extensively in his memoirs of his trials and tribulations in having this symphony performed, due to a lack of capable harpists and harps, especially in Germany. Another feature of this movement is that Berlioz added a part for solo cornet to his autograph score, the work has most often been played and recorded without the solo cornet part. Conductors Jean Martinon, Colin Davis, Otto Klemperer, Gustavo Dudamel and he broods on his loneliness, and hopes that soon he will no longer be on his own
34.
Mourning Becomes Electra
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Mourning Becomes Electra is a play cycle written by American playwright Eugene ONeill. The play premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 26 October 1931 where it ran for 150 performances before closing in March 1932, in May 1932, it was revived at the Alvin Theatre, and in 1972 at the Circle in the Square Theatre. S. D. The characters parallel characters from the ancient Greek play, for example, Agamemnon from the Oresteia becomes General Ezra Mannon. Clytemnestra becomes Christine, Orestes becomes Orin, Electra becomes Lavinia, Aegisthus becomes Adam Brant, as a Greek tragedy made modern, the play features murder, adultery, incestuous love and revenge, and even a group of townspeople who function as a kind of Greek chorus. Though fate alone guides characters actions in Greek tragedies, ONeills characters have motivations grounded in 1930s-era psychological theory as well, the play can easily be read from a Freudian perspective, paying attention to various characters Oedipus complexes and Electra complexes. Mourning Becomes Electra is divided into three plays with themes that correspond to the Oresteia trilogy, much like Aeschylus plays Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides, these three plays by ONeil are titled Homecoming, The Hunted, and The Haunted. However, these plays are not produced individually, but only as part of the larger trilogy. Each of these plays contains four to five acts, with only the first act of The Haunted being divided into actual scenes, in production, it is often cut down. Also, because of the large cast size, it is not performed as often as some of ONeills other major plays, Homecoming Act I It is late spring in front of the Mannon house. The master of the house, Brigadier-General Ezra Mannon, is soon to return from war, Lavinia, Ezras severe daughter, like her mother Christine, has just returned from a trip to New York. Seth, the gardener, takes Lavinia aside and he warns her against her would-be beau, Captain Brant. Before Seth can continue, however, Lavinias friend Peter and his sister Hazel, if Peter is proposing marriage to her again, he must realize that she cannot marry anyone because Father needs her. Lavinia asks Seth to resume his story, Seth asks Lavinia if she has noticed that Brant resembles members of the Mannon family. Seth believes that Brant is the child of David Mannon and Marie Brantôme, suddenly Brant himself enters from the drive. Calculatingly, Lavinia derides the memory of Brants mother, Brant explodes and reveals his heritage. He tells her Lavinias grandfather also loved the Canuck nurse, Act II A moment later, Lavinia appears inside her fathers study. Christine enters indignantly, wondering why Lavinia has summoned her, Lavinia reveals that she followed her to New York and saw her kissing Adam Brant. She accuses her mother of adultery, Christine defiantly tells Lavinia that she has long hated Ezra and that Lavinia was born of her disgust for him
35.
Isaac Stern
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Isaac Stern was a Ukrainian-born American violinist and conductor. The son of Solomon and Clara Stern, Isaac Stern was born into a Volhynian-Jewish family in Kremenets and he was 14 months old when his family moved to San Francisco in 1921. He received his first music lessons from his mother, in 1928, he enrolled at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied until 1931 before going on to study privately with Louis Persinger. He returned to the San Francisco Conservatory to study for five years with Naoum Blinder, at his public début on 18 February 1936, aged 15, he played Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No.3 in B minor with the San Francisco Symphony under the direction of Pierre Monteux. Stern toured the Soviet Union in 1951, the first American violinist to do so, in 1967, Stern stated his refusal to return to the USSR until the Soviet regime allowed artists to enter and leave the country freely. His only visit to Germany was in 1999, for a series of master classes and his first marriage, in 1948 to ballerina Nora Kaye, ended in divorce after 18 months, but the two of them subsequently remained friends. On 17 August 1951, he married Vera Lindenblit and they had three children together, including conductors Michael and David Stern. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1994 after 43 years, in 1996, Stern married his third wife, Linda Reynolds. His third wife, his three children, and his five grandchildren survived him, in 1940, Stern began performing with Russian-born pianist Alexander Zakin, collaborating until 1977. Within musical circles, Stern became renowned both for his recordings and for championing certain younger players, among his discoveries were cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Jian Wang, and violinists Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman. In the 1960s, he played a major role in saving New York Citys Carnegie Hall from demolition. Following the purchase of Carnegie Hall by New York City, the Carnegie Hall Corporation was formed, and Stern was chosen as its first president, Carnegie Hall later named its main auditorium in his honor. The Dutilleux concerto, entitled Larbre des songes was a 1985 commission by Stern himself and he also dubbed actors violin-playing in several films, such as Fiddler on the Roof. Stern served as advisor for the 1946 film, Humoresque, about a rising violin star and his patron, played respectively by John Garfield. He was also the violin soloist on the soundtrack for the 1971 film of Fiddler on the Roof. In 1999, he appeared in the film Music of the Heart, along with Itzhak Perlman and several other famed violinists, with a youth orchestra led by Meryl Streep. In his autobiography, co-authored with Chaim Potok, My First 79 Years, Stern cited Nathan Milstein and Arthur Grumiaux as major influences on his style of playing. He won Grammys for his work with Eugene Istomin and Leonard Rose in their famous chamber music trio in the 1960s and 70s, while there, he collaborated with the China Central Symphony Society under the direction of conductor Li Delun
36.
Six-Day War
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The Six-Day War, also known as the June War,1967 Arab–Israeli War, or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10,1967 by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Relations between Israel and its neighbours had never fully normalised following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, in the period leading up to June 1967, tensions became dangerously heightened. In reaction to the mobilisation of Egyptian forces along the Israeli border in the Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptians were caught by surprise, and nearly the entire Egyptian air force was destroyed with few Israeli losses, giving the Israelis air superiority. Simultaneously, the Israelis launched an offensive into the Gaza Strip and the Sinai. After some initial resistance, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser ordered the evacuation of the Sinai, Israeli forces rushed westward in pursuit of the Egyptians, inflicted heavy losses, and conquered the Sinai. Nasser induced Syria and Jordan to begin attacks on Israel by using the initially confused situation to claim that Egypt had defeated the Israeli air strike. Israeli counterattacks resulted in the seizure of East Jerusalem as well as the West Bank from the Jordanians, on June 11, a ceasefire was signed. Arab casualties were far heavier than those of Israel, fewer than a thousand Israelis had been killed compared to over 20,000 from the Arab forces. Israels military success was attributed to the element of surprise, an innovative and well-executed battle plan, Israel seized control of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Israeli morale and international prestige was greatly increased by the outcome of the war, across the Arab world, Jewish minority communities were expelled, with refugees going to Israel or Europe. After the 1956 Suez Crisis, Egypt agreed to the stationing of a United Nations Emergency Force in the Sinai to ensure all parties would comply with the 1949 Armistice Agreements, in the following years there were numerous minor border clashes between Israel and its Arab neighbors, particularly Syria. In early November 1966, Syria signed a defense agreement with Egypt. Jordanian units that engaged the Israelis were quickly beaten back, King Hussein of Jordan criticized Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser for failing to come to Jordans aid, and hiding behind UNEF skirts. In May 1967, Nasser received false reports from the Soviet Union that Israel was massing on the Syrian border, the right of innocent, maritime passage must be preserved for all nations. On May 30, Jordan and Egypt signed a defense pact, the following day, at Jordans invitation, the Iraqi army began deploying troops and armoured units in Jordan. They were later reinforced by an Egyptian contingent, on June 1, Israel formed a National Unity Government by widening its cabinet, and on June 4 the decision was made to go to war. The next morning, Israel launched Operation Focus, a surprise air strike that was the opening of the Six-Day War. Before the war, Israeli pilots and ground crews had trained extensively in rapid refitting of aircraft returning from sorties and this has contributed to the Arab belief that the IAF was helped by foreign air forces
37.
Kathleen Battle
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Kathleen Deanna Battle is an American operatic light lyric soprano known for her distinctive vocal range and tone. Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Battle initially became known for her work within the repertoire through performances with major orchestras during the early. She made her debut in 1975. Battle expanded her repertoire into lyric soprano and coloratura soprano roles during the 1980s, after a 22-year absence from the Met, Battle performed a concert of spirituals at the Metropolitan Opera House in November 2016. Battle was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, USA, the youngest of seven children and her father was a steelworker, and her mother was an active participant in the gospel music of the familys African Methodist Episcopal church. Battle attended Portsmouth High School where her teacher and mentor was Charles P. Varney. In a 1985 Time Magazine interview, Varney recalled the first time he heard the eight-year-old Battle sing, describing her as this little thing singing so beautifully. I went to her later, Varney recalled, and told her God had blessed her, in that same interview, music critic Michael Walsh described Battle as the best lyric coloratura in the world. Battle was awarded a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where she studied voice with Franklin Bens and she majored in music education, and proceeded to a masters degree in Music Education. In 1971 she began a career at an inner-city public school in Cincinnati. Later, she studied singing with Daniel Ferro in New York, in 1972, her second year as a teacher, a friend and fellow church choir member phoned her and informed her that the conductor Thomas Schippers was holding auditions in Cincinnati. At her audition Schippers engaged her to sing as the soprano soloist in Brahms German Requiem at the 1972 Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto and her performance there on July 9,1972 marked the beginning of her professional career. During the next years, Battle would go on to sing in several more orchestral concerts in New York, Los Angeles. In 1973 she was awarded a grant from the Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music to support her career, william Mullen, managing director of the Santa Fe Concert Association was on the panel of judges who made the award. In 2004 he recalled, We would meet monthly, listen to up-and-coming concert artists, a very young Kathleen Battle sang for us. The other judges thought her voice was too small, but I thought she had an ability to communicate through music. I talked the judges into giving her a grant. Thomas Schippers introduced Kathleen Battle to his fellow conductor James Levine who selected Battle to sing in Mahlers Symphony No.8 at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras May Festival in 1974
38.
Munich Philharmonic
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The Munich Philharmonic is a German symphony orchestra located in the city of Munich. It is one of Munichs four principal orchestras, along with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Radio Orchestra, since 1985, the orchestra has been housed in the Gasteig Culture Centre. The orchestra was founded in Munich in 1893 by Franz Kaim, son of a piano manufacturer, in 1895, it took up residence in the citys Tonhalle. Felix Weingartner was music director from 1898 to 1905, and the young Wilhelm Furtwängler made his auspicious conducting debut there in 1906, meanwhile, Anton Bruckner pupil Ferdinand Löwe established an enduring tradition of Bruckner performance which continues to this day. After the war, the orchestra was taken over by the city of Munich and restarted under the leadership of composer Hans Pfitzner, in 1928, the orchestra acquired its current name. After the rise of the Nazi party in 1933, the orchestra stamped its scores with swastikas, in 1938, the pro-Nazi conductor Oswald Kabasta became chief conductor, raising its musical standards even as World War II began. During the war, the Tonhalle was destroyed and the orchestra, after the war, fortunes recovered under the music directors Hans Rosbaud and Rudolf Kempe and in 1979, Sergiu Celibidache took over, raising the orchestra to the highest world-class standards. Notoriously demanding of his players, Celibidache created a sound for the orchestra. In a well-publicised case, he tried to remove principal trombonist Abbie Conant from her position because of her gender, reportedly, Conants audition was the last to be held using blind audition. After Celibidaches sudden death in 1996, James Levine took over as conductor of the orchestra. Christian Thielemann became the music director in September 2004, joined by Wouter Hoekstra as Intendant. However, in 2007, Hoekstra was dismissed from his post after reported disputes with Thielemann, in 2009, the orchestra announced the scheduled conclusion of Thielemanns tenure in 2011. Thielemanns demand to have a say over the choice of guest conductors was not approved, in March 2010, Lorin Maazel was named the orchestras next chief conductor, effective with the 2012–2013 season. Early in 2014, Maazel cancelled concert engagements as a result of ill health, subsequently, in June 2014, he announced his resignation as music director of the Munich Philharmonic, with immediate effect. In January 2013, the announced the appointment of Valery Gergiev as its next principal conductor as of 2015. Over the course of its history, the Munich Philharmonic has performed premieres of Günter Bialas, Anton Bruckner, Harald Genzmer, Luigi Nono, Gustav Mahler, münchner Philharmoniker official website Munich Philharmonic at AllMusic Article at oehmsclassics. com in German
