The cyclone was said to be a "hybrid" storm. The cyclone quickly gained strength in warm waters from the Gulf Stream, and because of cold air over the United States. The system continued to become stronger while moving within the Gulf Stream. The storm developed central atmospheric convection, which is unusual for a storm of its type. Extratropical cyclone. Also, the system developed an eye, which is usually seen in tropical cyclones. Even though the cyclone showed signs of a tropical storm, forecaster Jack Beven stated: "There was no front associated with it [the storm] and it had a warm core, but the radius of maximum winds was more than 150 nautical miles [175 mi, 280 km], so under the standard NHC criteria it didn’t qualify as a tropical storm." On December 23 and 24, the nor'easter intensified to attain a barometric pressure of 970|mb. Another low pressure system that developed behind the storm became stronger, and grew to be larger in size than the original storm. Due to the Fujiwhara effect, the large circulation of the secondary low moved the original nor'easter towards the northwest. The nor'easter passed along the south shore of Long Island, and it made landfall near New York City on December 24. Later, it moved over southeastern New York State. On December 25, which is Christmas Day, the system began to lose strength as it moved towards Nova Scotia, before the pair of low pressure systems moved out to sea early on December 26.
River Wear
The Wear is a river in northeast England. It starts in Wearhead, County Durham and opens up into the North Sea at Sunderland.
Much of the River Wear shows the history of the Industrial Revolution. Its upper end runs through lead mining country, until this gives way to coal seams of the Durham coalfield for the rest of its length. As a result of limestone quarrying, lead mining and coal mining, the Wear valley was amongst the first places to see the development of railways. The Weardale Railway continues to run occasional services between Stanhope and Wolsingham.
The upland area of Upper Weardale has a flora which survives from the end of the last Ice Age. After the Ice Age, the Wear valley became thickly forested. During the Neolithic period and increasingly in the Bronze Age, the forests were progressively cleared for agriculture.
River Tees
The Tees is a river in England. It starts in Cross Fell (a mountain) in the Pennines, and opens up into the North Sea. It forms a border between North Yorkshire and County Durham and also between the towns of Hartlepool and Redcar. It is also 85 miles or 137 kilometres long. High force waterfalls is 7 feet high. The Pennines Way was opened in 1965.
Rutland Boughton
Boughton studied with Charles Villiers Stanford and Walford Davies. He wrote many different kinds of music including symphonies, concertos, part-songs, songs, chamber music and opera. His best known work was the opera "The Immortal Hour". His carol "Bethlehem" (1915) became very popular in England and in many other countries.
He was a great admirer of the composer Richard Wagner who had built his own theatre, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, in the German town of Bayreuth. Boughton wanted to create an "English Bayreuth" at Glastonbury, so he started the series of Glastonbury Festivals that took place from 1914 until 1926. From 1927 until his death in 1960, he lived at Kilcot near Newent, Gloucestershire.
Bayreuth Festspielhaus
The Bayreuth Festspielhaus ("Bayreuth Festival Theatre") is an opera house in the town of Bayreuth, Germany. The German opera composer Richard Wagner got the opera house built so that his own music could be performed properly. He had lots of ideas about how opera should be performed, and he thought that there was no opera house in Germany that was good enough for performances of his operas. Today it is still the place where every year there is a festival, the Bayreuth Festival, which is dedicated only to the operas of Richard Wagner.
King Ludwig II of Bavaria was a great admirer of Richard Wagner and he gave a lot of money for the opera house to be built. Wagner watched the construction all the time and made sure that everything was built in the way he wanted. Work on the building started on 22 May 1872 (Wagner's birthday), and it was ready four years later when, for the first time, all four operas which make up the cycle called "Der Ring des Nibelungen" ("The Ring of the Nibelung"), were performed.
The opera house is big enough for an audience of 1,925. One unusual thing is the orchestra pit, which is right under the stage, covered by a hood, so that the orchestra cannot be seen at all by the audience. Wagner wanted the audience to be able to concentrate properly on the action on the stage instead of being distracted by watching the orchestra. It makes it very difficult for the orchestra and the singers to be together, and conductors have to get used to the problem.
The Festspielhaus also has a double proscenium, which makes it look as if the stage is farther away than it actually is.
Kilmacolm
Kilmalcolm is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, UK. The village has a population of around 4,000 people.
Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, UK.
Newark Castle stands very close to the shore of the Clyde. The castle dates to around 1484. It is now a visitor attraction maintained by Historic Scotland. Several acres of the Clyde foreshore at Parklea are owned by the National Trust for Scotland. Coronation Park is in the town centre. The park was opened on the site of the West Harbour in 1937 to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.
Largs
Largs is a town in North Ayrshire, Scotland, UK. It is about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" ("An Leargaidh") in Scottish Gaelic.
Dunoon
Dunoon is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK.
Falkland, Fife
Falkland is a town in Fife, Scotland, UK.
Falkland Palace is in the town. James IV started building it in 1500. It is the best example of French-influenced Renaissance architecture in the United Kingdom. Mary, Queen of Scots came to visit often.
A fire happened when Oliver Cromwell's troops stayed in the palace. The fire in 1654 destroyed the East Range. The Court never came back to Falkland Palace after 1665. In the late 19th century rebuilding and restoration work began. Today the palace and gardens are open to the public through the National Trust for Scotland.
Saving Abel
Saving Abel is an American rock band. It formed in 2004 in Mississippi. Saving Abel makes records for Virgin Records. The band made a studio album in 2006 called "Saving Abel" and released a later self-titled album ("Saving Abel"). The rock band is famous for two songs, Addicted and 18 Days.
Carl Reinecke
Carl Reinecke (born Altona, Hamburg 23 June 1824; died Leipzig, 10 March 1910) was a Danish-born composer, conductor, and pianist.
Reinecke was born near Hamburg, which was part of Denmark at the time. Carl learned music from his father. He was soon playing the piano in public and was composing by the age of twelve.
When he was 19 he travelled about giving concerts. He went as far east as Riga. In 1846 he became Court Pianist for King Christian VIII in Copenhagen. He stayed there until 1848, composing four piano concertos as well as concertos for violin, cello, harp and flute. He continued to travel, including to Leipzig where he met Schumann, Mendelssohn and Liszt.
In 1851 he became a professor at the Cologne Conservatory. Later he had conducting jobs in Barmen and Breslau.
In 1860, Reinecke was made director of the famous Gewandhaus Orchestra concerts in Leipzig, and professor of composition and piano at the Conservatorium. He became director of the Conservatorium and made it one of the best in Europe. He conducted the Gewandhaus Orchestra for 35 years and raised the standard of their playing. He conducted many first performances, including the first complete performance of Brahms's "German Requiem" (1869).