Orchestra

An orchestra (/ˈɔːrkᵻstrə/ or US /ˈɔːrˌkɛstrə/; Italian: [orˈkɛstra]) is a large instrumental ensemble used in classical music that contains sections of string (violin, viola, cello and double bass), brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Other instruments such as the piano and celesta may sometimes be grouped into a fifth section such as a keyboard section or may stand alone, as may the concert harp and, for 20th and 21st century compositions, electric and electronic instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ὀρχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus. The orchestra grew by accretion throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, but changed very little in composition during the course of the 20th century.

Star Trek

Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry and owned by CBS (TV series) and Paramount Pictures (Film Rights).Star Trek: The Original Series and its live-action TV spin-off series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise as well as the Star Trek film franchise make up the main canon. The canonicity of Star Trek: The Animated Series is debated, and the expansive library of Star Trek novels and comics is generally considered non-canon, although still part of the franchise.

Czech National Symphony Orchestra

The Czech National Symphony Orchestra (ČNSO) (Czech: Český národní symfonický orchestr) is a symphony orchestra in Prague in the Czech Republic. It was established in 1993 by trumpet player Jan Hasenöhrl. Libor Pešek is the orchestra's chief conductor, having taken over in 2007 from American conductor Paul Freeman who commenced with the orchestra in 1996.

Czech National Symphony Orchestra in popular music

In 1996, the orchestra played on the Ulf Lundell album På andra sidan drömmarna.

When Lotta Engberg turned 40 years old in 2003, she went to Prague to record the ballad Nära livets mening together with the orchestra. The song was included on the 2005 album Kvinna & man, as the last track.

On 20 August 2003, in a Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig, Germany, the orchestra became the first act to perform music written for video games live outside Japan.

In 2013, the orchestra recorded Ennio Morricone's soundtrack to Giuseppe Tornatore's The Best Offer. In 2015 they toured with the composer during his 60th anniversary tour. In July 2015, Morricone conducted the orchestra during the recording sessions of his film score to Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight.

National Symphony Orchestra

The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), founded in 1931, is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C.. Its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

History

For the first period of its history, the NSO performed in Constitution Hall. During the tenure of the first music director, Hans Kindler, the musicians received a salary of $40.00 per week, for three rehearsals and one concert, for five months of the year. The first female member of the NSO was a harpist, Sylvia Meyer, who joined in 1933.

Kindler and the NSO made several 78-rpm recordings for RCA Victor, including the two Roumanian Rhapsodies by George Enescu; much later, in 1960, the NSO would perform the first of these works under the baton of the visiting Romanian conductor George Georgescu, a close associate and favored exponent of the composer. One of the more unusual RCA recordings with the orchestra was of the complete ballet music from the opera King Henry VIII by Camille Saint-Saëns, one of the very few recordings conducted by Walter Damrosch. Years later, Howard Mitchell made a series of stereophonic recordings with the orchestra for RCA. Antal Doráti recorded with the orchestra for Decca Records. Mstislav Rostropovich made recordings for Teldec, Sony Records, and Erato. The orchestra returned to RCA Victor under Leonard Slatkin, until RCA abandoned new classical recordings.

Trek

Trek may refer to:

See also