Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, "ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit ha-Yisre'elit") is the leading symphony orchestra in Israel. Originally known as the Palestine Orchestra, 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.

The IPO enjoys frequent international tours, including a tour of Germany in 1971, and has hosted some of the world's greatest conductors. Particularly associated with the orchestra are conductors Leonard Bernstein and Zubin Mehta. 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. [ [http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/ny-etclassical0128,0,1776682.story?coll=ny-music-headlines Justin Davidson, "His life's work: Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic". "Newsday", 28 January 2007.] ] Kurt Masur is the IPO's Honorary Guest Conductor, a title granted to him in 1992. Yoel Levi serves as Principal Guest Conductor.

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, 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. [ [http://www.nysun.com/article/47556 Robert Hilferty, "Facing the Wagner Question". "New York Sun", 29 January 2007.] ] 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. [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974661,00.html Michael Walsh, "The Case of Wagner - Again". Time, 13 January 1992.] ]

The Secretary-General of the orchestra is Avi Shoshani. The IPO has a subscriber base numbering 26,000. [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/12/21/bmisrael121.xml David Lasserson, "And the orchestra played on". Telegraph, 21 December 2006.] ] Commentators have noted the musically conservative tastes of the subscriber base. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/arts/music/30maaz.html?fta=y&pagewanted=all Steven Erlanger, "A Country’s Cultural Centerpiece Comes Calling". New York Times, 30 January 2007.] ]

Musical Advisors/Music Directors

Until 1977 the orchestra had no Music Directors. The conductors most closely associated with the orchestra were called "musical advisors".
* Zubin Mehta (1968–) (Musical Advisor 1968–1977; Music Director thereafter)
* Jean Martinon (1957–1959)
* Bernardino Molinari
* Paul Paray (1949–1951)
* Leonard Bernstein (1947–1949; Laureate Conductor 1947-1990)
* William Steinberg (1936–1938)

References

External links

* [http://www.ipo.co.il/ Israel Philharmonic Orchestra official website]
* [http://www.ipo70th.com/ 70th Anniversary website]
* [http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/8894/edition_id/168/format/html/displaystory.html Israel Philharmonic Orchestra history]