The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Tel Aviv is the most famous orchestra in Israel. It is usually called the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, or abbreviated IPO. In Hebrew it is written: , pronounced: "ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit ha-Yisre'elit". It was started in 1936 by the violinist Bronisław Huberman when it was known as the Palestine Orchestra. At this time the Nazis were in power in Germany and Jews were being persecuted. Many European orchestras were getting rid of their Jewish musicians. The orchestra gave their first concert in Tel Aviv on 26 December 1936, and was conducted by Arturo Toscanini.
The orchestra tours to many parts of the world. In 1971 they visited Germany. Some of the world's greatest conductors have conducted the orchestra. Leonard Bernstein and Zubin Mehta in particular have had a close relationship with them. They did not have a main conductor until 1977 when Mehta was made Music Director.
The IPO have made many recordings with Mehta, and also with Bernstein.
After 1938 the orchestra have refused to play the music of Richard Wagner because he was anti-Jewish.
Until 1977 the orchestra had no Music Directors. The conductors most closely associated with the orchestra were called "musical advisors".
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera Association is a big organization in New York City which puts on performances of opera. The Metropolitan Opera House (often simply called: The Met) is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. It was started in 1880. Today the music director is Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
Mouthpiece (woodwind)
The mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument is the part which the player blows into.
On single-reed instruments like a clarinet or saxophone the mouthpiece is shaped like a wedge. The reed is placed near the player's bottom lip. This area is called the "table". When the player blows, the reed vibrates. This is then made louder by the instrument.
The shape of the inside of the mouthpiece can change the sound very much. The sound made by a mouthpiece that is large and round will be very different from the sound made by a mouthpiece that is small and square.
The space between the end of the reed and the end of the mouthpiece is called the "tip opening".
The "facing" (or "lay") is the part of the reed that starts to curve around the end of the mouthpiece. The length of the facing can change the response of the instrument.
The ligature is what holds the reed onto the mouthpiece. Anything that can hold the reed onto the mouthpiece can be called a ligature. Most ligatures are made from metal or plastic. Some people like to use ordinary string to hold the reed onto the mouthpiece.
Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar
The Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar (Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra) is a youth orchestra from Venezuela. The musicians are nearly all in their 20s. The orchestra was started by the economist José Antonio Abreu in 1975. Children from poor backgrounds had been given the opportunity, by the Venezuelan government, to learn a musical instrument. The orchestra consists of some of the best of these players.
The conductor Gustavo Dudamel has been the orchestra's artistic director since 1999. They have made recordings of music by Beethoven as well as Latin American music.
They became internationally famous when they played at the BBC Proms in London in August 2007.
European Union Youth Orchestra
The European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) is an orchestra for young people from countries in the European Union. The orchestra is given money by the European Union and by a number of EU member states. It gives young players experience at working together with some of the world's best music teachers and conductors.
The orchestra was started in 1978. Some of the greatest conductors have worked with the EUYO, including Herbert von Karajan, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Claudio Abbado.
Wiener schnitzel
Wiener Schnitzel ("Viennese Schnitzel" in German, where "Schnitzel" means a without bones) is a traditional Austrian dish and is a popular part of Viennese and Austrian cuisine, consisting of a thin slice of veal coated in breadcrumbs and fried.
In Austria the dish is traditionally served with a lemon slice, lingonberry jam and either potato salad or potatoes with parsley and butter. While the traditional Wiener Schnitzel is made of veal, it is now sometimes made of pork, though in that case it is often called "Schnitzel Wiener Art" (Germany) (Viennese style schnitzel) or "Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein" (Austria) (Viennese schnitzel from the pig) to differentiate it from the original. In Austria, the term "Wiener Schnitzel" is protected by law, and any schnitzel called by that name has to be made from veal.
The dish may have originated in Milan, northern Italy, as "cotoletta alla milanese", and may have appeared in Vienna during the 15th or 16th century. According to another theory, it was introduced in 1857 by Field Marshal Radetzky, who spent much of his life in Milan. The term "Wiener Schnitzel" itself dates to at least 1862.
Schnitzel is often mistaken for sausage in the modern American society. What many Americans do not realize about schnitzel is that its part of the melting pot of American cultures. For example, German immigrants to Texas in the 1800s combined schnitzel recipes to make chicken fried steak -- popular in the southwest U.S.A.. Chicken tenders are similar to Schnitzel as well.
Even Israel has its own type of schnitzel. Areas with large German populations like Argentina also carry schnitzel.
Even though schnitzel is often served as a platter, it comes in sandwiches as well. If it's a platter, it usually comes with "Spätzle" -- German egg noodles.
Gel
A gel is a semi-solid substance material which usually wobbles.
By weight, gels are mostly liquid. But gels also behave like solids. They have a three-dimensional cross-linked network within the liquid. It is the crosslinks in the fluid that give a gel its structure.
As colloids, gels are a dispersion of molecules of a liquid within a solid. In a gel, the solid is the continuous phase; the liquid is the discontinuous phase.
Examples: Jellies, agar, contact lenses, organic slime.
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is a Spanish mission. It was founded by Father Junipero Serra in 1772. It is on the central coast of California, halfway between San Diego and Monterey. It was named after Saint Louis, the bishop of Toulouse. It was the fifth of twenty-one missions in California. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is noted for its beautiful architectural features, mission life, and historical events.
Mission San Luis Obispo is different from all the other' missions' because it is one of the smallest and has a unique design. The design has both belfry (a bell tower) and a vestibule, which is an entrance hall between the outer door and the interior of a building. These are not found on any of the other California missions. The main nave (the long entrance part of the church) is long and narrow. At San Luis Obispo there is a secondary nave that is the same size and at the right of the altar. This is the only "L"-shaped mission church. Windows around the courtyard have round pillars with square opening, unlike the arches of other missions. San Luis Obispo is painted white and is surrounded by gardens, wine vineyards, and a fountain.
Mission life was hard for the California Indians because they had to work hard and study Catholic Religon.