Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra
at the Jamshed Bhabha Theater (NCPA) in Mumbai
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit ha-Yisre'elit) is the leading symphony orchestra in Israel. It was originally known as the Palestine Orchestra, and in Hebrew as התזמורת הסימפונית הארץ ישראלית (ha-Tizmoret ha-Simfonit ha-Eretz-Yisre'elit, i.e. Symphony Orchestra of Eretz Israel).
It has recently been the target of a boycott campaign by pro-Palestinian groups.
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[edit] History
The IPO was founded by violinist Bronisław Huberman in 1936, at a time when many Jewish musicians were being fired from European orchestras. Its inaugural concert took place in Tel Aviv on December 26, 1936, and was conducted by Arturo Toscanini.
In 1958, the IPO was awarded the Israel Prize, in music, being the first year in which the Prize was awarded to an organization.[1]
The IPO enjoys frequent international tours, and has performed under some of the world's greatest conductors, including Leonard Bernstein and Zubin Mehta, both of whom are prominent in the orchestra's history. Bernstein maintained close ties with the orchestra from 1947, and in 1988, the IPO bestowed on him the title of Laureate Conductor, which he retained until his death in 1990. Mehta has served as the IPO's Music Advisor since 1968. The IPO did not have a formal music director, but instead "music advisors", until 1977, when Mehta was appointed the IPO's first Music Director. In 1981, his title was elevated to Music Director for Life.[2] Kurt Masur is the IPO's 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 and those of Igor Stravinsky. The IPO has also collaborated with Japanese composer Yoko Kanno in the soundtrack of the anime Macross Plus.
As of 2006[update], the composers whose works have been most frequently performed by the IPO were Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Mendelssohn and Dvořák. The initial concerts of the Palestine Orchestra in December 1936, conducted by Toscanini, featured the music of Richard Wagner.[3] However, after the Kristallnacht pogroms in November 1938, the orchestra has maintained a de facto ban on Wagner's work, due to that composer's antisemitism and the association of his music with Nazi Germany.[4]
The Secretary-General of the orchestra is Avi Shoshani. The IPO has a subscriber base numbering 26,000.[5] Commentators have noted the musically conservative tastes of the subscriber base.[6]
[edit] Musical Advisors/Music Directors
- Zubin Mehta (1968–) (Musical Advisor 1968–77; Music Director thereafter)
- Jean Martinon (1957–59)
- Bernardino Molinari
- Paul Paray (1949–51)
- Leonard Bernstein (1947–49; Laureate Conductor 1947–90)
- William Steinberg (1936–38)
[edit] Boycott controversies
The orchestra's 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.[7] A few weeks earlier, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and active in the Academic boycotts of Israel, had called on the BBC to cancel the concert. [8] The orchestra's secretary-general Avi Shoshani declared to London's The Times newspaper that the orchestra was unlikely to ever perform in the UK again.[9]
[edit] See also
- Culture in Israel
- Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation
- List of Israel Prize recipients
- Music in Israel
- Marc Lavry
[edit] References
- ^ "Israel Prize recipients in 1958 (in Hebrew)". Israel Prize Official Site. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010 by WebCite. http://cms.education.gov.il/EducationCMS/Units/PrasIsrael/Tashyag/Tashkab_Tashyag_Rikuz.htm?DictionaryKey=Tashyah.
- ^ Davidson, Justin (2007-01-28), "His Life's Work: Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic", Newsday, http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-29400728_ITM, retrieved 2009-08-30
- ^ Hilferty, Robert (2007-01-29), "Facing the Wagner Question", New York Sun, http://www.nysun.com/article/47556, retrieved 2009-08-30
- ^ Walsh, Michael (1992-01-13), "The Case of Wagner – Again", Time, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974661,00.html, retrieved 2009-08-30
- ^ Lasserson, David (2006-12-21), "And the Orchestra Played On", Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/12/21/bmisrael121.xml, retrieved 2009-08-30
- ^ Erlanger, Steven (2007-01-30), "A Country’s Cultural Centerpiece Comes Calling", New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/arts/music/30maaz.html?fta=y&pagewanted=all, retrieved 2009-08-30
- ^ Marcus Dysch (2011-09-02). "Anti-Israel protesters disrupt BBC Proms". The Jewish Chronicle (United Kingdom). http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/54010/anti-israel-protesters-disrupt-bbc-proms. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- ^ PACBI (2011-07-18). "Out of Tune with Human Rights". http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=1670. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- ^ Neil Fisher (2012-01-03). "We represent the country the minute we go on stage". The Times (United Kingdom).
[edit] External links
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