The Barrocade Ensemble recently opened its 2010-2011 season, its Jerusalem concert taking place at the Khan Theatre November10th, with a concert titled “Tous les matins du monde” (All the World’s Mornings). The title is that of a novel written by Pascal Quignard in 1991, with Alain Vorneau directing the screen adaptation of a film of the same name. It is the story of the French composer and viol player Sainte-Colombe, its title referring to the fact that “each day dawns once”. Jordi Savall plays the sound track of the film. Viol player and instrument builder Amit Tiefenbrunn talked of this Barrocade concert being dedicated to the viola da gamba as a solo- or accompanying instrument as well as in ensembles. The Barrocade Ensemble, composed of early music specialists, performs mostly without a conductor, with musical- and administrative issues shared equally among ensemble members.
The concert opened with four of Giovanni Gabrieli’s (c.1557-1612) “Canzone per sonare” for four viols from a collection issued by Alessandro Raverii in 1608. Attractive examples of the light polyphonic style that had developed during the 16th century from the French chanson, the Barrocade quartet’s playing of them lacked warmth of sound and was somewhat bland.
Things livened up, however, with Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber von Bibern’s (1644-1704) Sonata for Trumpet and Strings in D major. A violin virtuoso, Biber composed and published extensively, being best known for his violin music and his use of scordatura (non-standard tuning of the violin) but his interest in innovative contrapuntal- and melodic invention is also evident in his works for the trumpet. Biber’s first published set of ensemble music, the “Sonatae tam aris, quam aulis servientes” (Sonatas as Much for the Alter as for the Table), contains twelve works for trumpets and strings, two of them being scored for one trumpet and strings. Yuval Shapiro, playing a Baroque trumpet, graced the string ensemble with his splendid velvety tone, playing with the entertaining metrical contrasts of the piece, soloing but also blending with the strings. He plays an American replica of a Nurenberg natural trumpet.
G.P.Telemann (1681-1767) composed six quartets for flute and continuo in 1730; the unscrupulous French publisher Le Clerc went and published them without the composer’s consent. Undaunted, the composer reworked and enriched them when visiting Paris in 1738, the result being the six “Paris” Quartets which constitute some of the finest Baroque chamber music there is. The Paris Quartet no.6 in E minor introduces French dance rhythms and beautiful melodic writing. Genevieve Blanchard (Baroque flute), Tal Arbel (viol) and Shlomit Sivan Jacobi’s (flute) performance was imbued with French delicacy, Sivan Jacobi ever careful to match, converse- and blend with Blanchard, and vice-versa. This was chamber music at its best, with virtuoso playing never overshadowing the work’s mix of temperament and elegance.
Marain Marais (1656-1728), the central figure of the French school of bass viol composers and a musician at Louis XIV’s court, was one of very many composers to have composed variations to the La Folia theme. Portuguese in origin meaning “mad” or “empty-headed”, La Folia was a fast dance until the 1670’s, adopting a slower pace after that time. Marain Marais composed his La Folia variations at age 21. His published version of “Les Folies d’Espagne” omitted some of the technically difficult variations that appear in the original manuscript, probably to encourage less virtuoso players to buy the book. Tal Arbel and Amit Tiefenbrunn playing bass viols, with Yizhar Karshon on harpsichord, gave a varied and colorful performance of the work in all its “Spanish” moods, the viol players each taking the opportunity to present the more solo role, the work’s poignant moments as thrilling as its energetic ones.
Francois Couperin, also a musician at the court of Louis XIV, wishing to cater to the fashion of Italian taste in France at the time, wrote (and performed) “La Sultane” under an Italian name, claiming the piece to be that of a musician in the service of the King of Sardinia. Somewhat of an enigma, scholars are not sure when this quartet sonata was composed or who the titular “sultaness” might have been. At any rate, despite Couperin’s intention, the work remains French in flavor, its two bass viol parts independent of the continuo bass. The players, leaning gently into its dissonances, gave the piece a sonorous and suave performance.
Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709) was one of Bologna’s finest violinists and a composer of concertos. Bologna, being home to a number of virtuoso trumpeters, was developing a rich tradition in trumpet-playing. Around 1690, Torelli began writing works for trumpet. His Concerto in D was probably performed on feast days at the San Petronio Basilica. Barrocade’s fresh reading of the piece featured Yuval Shapiro playing the solo, the Baroque trumpet’s warm, expressive sound no indication as to its tough technical challenges!
Soprano Yeela Avital gave the aria “Hark!” from Henry Purcell’s (1659-1695) “The Fairy Queen” an energetic, joyful performance; although not all words were totally clear, Avital’s onomatopoeic description of the flapping of wings added charm and humor.
‘Hark! now the echoing air a triumph sings.
And all around pleas’d cupids clap their wings.’
The evening’s program ended with Yeela Avital and Barrocade performing G.F.Handel’s (1685-1733) cantata “Tra le fiamme” HWV170 (Into the Flames) (1708), one of the finest cantatas written when Handel was in Rome. These cantatas would have been performed in private homes. “Tra le fiamme” tells the allegorical story of Icarus who, with the wings made for him by Daedalus his father, flies too near the sun. Avital presents the emotions and detail of the story convincingly. She and the ensemble address its drama and urgency, building up to Aria 3 where Icarus is flying in the air, but also flying out of control. The voice (Avital) and flute (Blanchard) duet, evoking the sense of flying and weightlessness, created a superb and evocative moment.
The Barrocade Ensemble’s players have studied and performed in Europe, returning to Israel, the most recent returnee being the very outstanding viol player Tal Arbel. Mention should be made of Yizhar Karshon’s continuo playing which is always reliable, tasteful and interesting.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
The Carmel Quartet presents "Family Portraits" - Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Hensel (Mendelssohn) - at the Jerusalem Music Centre
The Carmel Quartet - violinists Rachel Ringelstein and Lia Raikhlin, violist Yoel Greenberg, 'cellist Tami Waterman - opened its 2010-2011 and fourth season of “Strings and More” commented concerts with “Family Portraits”, a discussion of Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) and his sister Fanny Hensel (Mendelssohn) (1805-1847). Presented three times in Hebrew, this writer attended the English language lecture-concert on November 3rd 2010 at the Jerusalem Music Centre.
Violist Yoel Greenberg set the scene with information about the Mendelssohn family – a family with abundant talent that had overcome racial boundaries, taking a leading part in German culture. To this end, Abraham and Leah Mendelssohn, believing that Jews should assimilate, converted to Lutheranism in 1816, together with their four children. The Mendelssohn family provided the ideal cultural environment for their children – with private tutors, education in the arts, languages and the sciences and trips to European capitals. Both Felix and Fanny were both highly educated by the age of 11. Felix, at age nine, gave his first public appearance, playing the solo of a Dussek piano concerto. Fanny, at age 13, learned to play the whole of J.S.Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier in honor of her father’s birthday. On the subject of a musical career, however, their father wrote to Fanny that for her it “can and must only be an ornament”.
Felix Mendelssohn was a phenomenon – a prolific composer, an outstanding pianist and improviser, he painted beautifully (painting scenes from his tours around Europe), showed literary talent, spoke a number of languages, translating and editing, played chess, etc. and he was endowed with a sense of humor. Greenberg stressed the fact that Felix was encouraged to make public appearances, was taken around Europe to meet important cultural figures such as Goethe, for whom he performed, whereas Fanny, as the daughter of well-to-do people, led a more private musical life. Felix, however, was proud of Fanny’s musical accomplishments, even publishing some of her works under his name, later revealing them to be hers. Fanny herself composed prolifically – some 400 works - but was always very involved in Felix’s oeuvre, revising and correcting many of his works. Fanny, however, did have exposure of her works and performance in the private ladies’ salon, the salon being quite sizable, with guests numbering up to 250.
When she was 17, Fanny met Wilhelm Hensel, a young artist of great promise. Hensel, later to become Fanny’s husband, made a sketch of the members of their circle in the form of a wheel. The spokes show members of the society; Hensel sketched himself as flying in at the top, making his way into the circle. Felix is seen as the centre of the wheel. Felix, was, indeed, the focus of the family, his brilliance and fame being proof of Germany’s acceptance of the family into the country’s cultural scene. One of the questions in Yoel Greenberg’s discussion was whether Felix’s success was a hindrance to Fanny’s musical achievement. It seems, however, that the problems of gender and social status were what kept her musical activity more secluded than Felix’s and prevented her from enjoying the right to publish her works. Felix and Fanny were very close spirits, Fanny being Felix’s muse and confidante, the ultimate authority when it came to his compositions. She was involved in the creative process of every one of his works, correcting them and offering him advice.
In the afternoon of May 14th 1847, Fanny was rehearsing Felix Mendelssohn’s cantata “The First Walpurgis Night” with her small choir when she collapsed, dying a few hours later. Her last musical activity was, symbolically, dedicated to her connection with Felix. Felix was plunged into despair at Fanny’s death. He was unable to compose for months following the tragedy; he was only able to draw. He himself was to die in a similar manner in November of the same year.
The Carmel Quartet performed two quartets, the first being Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel’s String Quartet in E flat major (1834). Dedicated to Beethoven, it begins unconventionally with a slow movement - a singing, personal piece - whereby Hensel, not obliged to cater to the conventions of an opening movement in sonata form, presents a fantasia whose two themes freely mix in other melodic ideas. The second movement – Allegretto – bears the Mendelssohn stamp of warmth, lightness, fantasy and well-being, its fugue constituting the middle section reminding us of her and Felix’s admiration of Bach. The third movement is a lyrical songful Romance, a piece reflecting the composer’s use of drama, lyricism and contrast. The joyful, lilting Allegro molto vivace demonstrates Hensel’s fine sense of instrumentation and layering.
Felix Mendelssohn composed his String Quartet in F minor opus 80 in July of 1847 as a Requiem to his sister Fanny. His last major work, the work is that of an anguished, changed person, a man beset with pain and grief. Greenberg referred to motifs in the first movement – Allegro vivace assai – as those of tremors and shrieks. The first theme evokes a sense of trembling, contrasted by a somber second theme, with the bleak atmosphere returning after a temporary respite. The second movement is a kind of “dance of death”, its ghostly trio peppered with jarring accents. Some of the work’s heaviness lifts in the third movement – a long, elegiac Adagio – where despair mingles with moments of happiness expressed in a lyrical, songlike melody. In the fourth movement, the composer returns to his rage and grief. This final movement is a virtuosic piece, making great demands on all players, especially on the first violin.
Musicologist Yoel Greenberg’s presentation is clear, eloquent, amusing and always interesting. His talks place emphasis on social, historical and biographical detail, leaving detailed musical analysis to other forums. Musical motifs, however, are demonstrated before the quartet performs a complete work, guiding the listener as to key melodies and ideas. Other members of the quartet read, quote and present small vignettes. Established in 1999, the illustrious Carmel Quartet reads deeply into the musical text of each work, offering its audience performance of the highest quality. “Family Portraits” was a thought-provoking lecture-concert. Greenberg’s talks are always well researched. The audience was both moved and reminded of the importance of exposing Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn’s music. The event was well attended, with English-speaking Jerusalem music lovers there to enjoy and appreciate an interesting and meaningful evening at the JMC.
Violist Yoel Greenberg set the scene with information about the Mendelssohn family – a family with abundant talent that had overcome racial boundaries, taking a leading part in German culture. To this end, Abraham and Leah Mendelssohn, believing that Jews should assimilate, converted to Lutheranism in 1816, together with their four children. The Mendelssohn family provided the ideal cultural environment for their children – with private tutors, education in the arts, languages and the sciences and trips to European capitals. Both Felix and Fanny were both highly educated by the age of 11. Felix, at age nine, gave his first public appearance, playing the solo of a Dussek piano concerto. Fanny, at age 13, learned to play the whole of J.S.Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier in honor of her father’s birthday. On the subject of a musical career, however, their father wrote to Fanny that for her it “can and must only be an ornament”.
Felix Mendelssohn was a phenomenon – a prolific composer, an outstanding pianist and improviser, he painted beautifully (painting scenes from his tours around Europe), showed literary talent, spoke a number of languages, translating and editing, played chess, etc. and he was endowed with a sense of humor. Greenberg stressed the fact that Felix was encouraged to make public appearances, was taken around Europe to meet important cultural figures such as Goethe, for whom he performed, whereas Fanny, as the daughter of well-to-do people, led a more private musical life. Felix, however, was proud of Fanny’s musical accomplishments, even publishing some of her works under his name, later revealing them to be hers. Fanny herself composed prolifically – some 400 works - but was always very involved in Felix’s oeuvre, revising and correcting many of his works. Fanny, however, did have exposure of her works and performance in the private ladies’ salon, the salon being quite sizable, with guests numbering up to 250.
When she was 17, Fanny met Wilhelm Hensel, a young artist of great promise. Hensel, later to become Fanny’s husband, made a sketch of the members of their circle in the form of a wheel. The spokes show members of the society; Hensel sketched himself as flying in at the top, making his way into the circle. Felix is seen as the centre of the wheel. Felix, was, indeed, the focus of the family, his brilliance and fame being proof of Germany’s acceptance of the family into the country’s cultural scene. One of the questions in Yoel Greenberg’s discussion was whether Felix’s success was a hindrance to Fanny’s musical achievement. It seems, however, that the problems of gender and social status were what kept her musical activity more secluded than Felix’s and prevented her from enjoying the right to publish her works. Felix and Fanny were very close spirits, Fanny being Felix’s muse and confidante, the ultimate authority when it came to his compositions. She was involved in the creative process of every one of his works, correcting them and offering him advice.
In the afternoon of May 14th 1847, Fanny was rehearsing Felix Mendelssohn’s cantata “The First Walpurgis Night” with her small choir when she collapsed, dying a few hours later. Her last musical activity was, symbolically, dedicated to her connection with Felix. Felix was plunged into despair at Fanny’s death. He was unable to compose for months following the tragedy; he was only able to draw. He himself was to die in a similar manner in November of the same year.
The Carmel Quartet performed two quartets, the first being Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel’s String Quartet in E flat major (1834). Dedicated to Beethoven, it begins unconventionally with a slow movement - a singing, personal piece - whereby Hensel, not obliged to cater to the conventions of an opening movement in sonata form, presents a fantasia whose two themes freely mix in other melodic ideas. The second movement – Allegretto – bears the Mendelssohn stamp of warmth, lightness, fantasy and well-being, its fugue constituting the middle section reminding us of her and Felix’s admiration of Bach. The third movement is a lyrical songful Romance, a piece reflecting the composer’s use of drama, lyricism and contrast. The joyful, lilting Allegro molto vivace demonstrates Hensel’s fine sense of instrumentation and layering.
Felix Mendelssohn composed his String Quartet in F minor opus 80 in July of 1847 as a Requiem to his sister Fanny. His last major work, the work is that of an anguished, changed person, a man beset with pain and grief. Greenberg referred to motifs in the first movement – Allegro vivace assai – as those of tremors and shrieks. The first theme evokes a sense of trembling, contrasted by a somber second theme, with the bleak atmosphere returning after a temporary respite. The second movement is a kind of “dance of death”, its ghostly trio peppered with jarring accents. Some of the work’s heaviness lifts in the third movement – a long, elegiac Adagio – where despair mingles with moments of happiness expressed in a lyrical, songlike melody. In the fourth movement, the composer returns to his rage and grief. This final movement is a virtuosic piece, making great demands on all players, especially on the first violin.
Musicologist Yoel Greenberg’s presentation is clear, eloquent, amusing and always interesting. His talks place emphasis on social, historical and biographical detail, leaving detailed musical analysis to other forums. Musical motifs, however, are demonstrated before the quartet performs a complete work, guiding the listener as to key melodies and ideas. Other members of the quartet read, quote and present small vignettes. Established in 1999, the illustrious Carmel Quartet reads deeply into the musical text of each work, offering its audience performance of the highest quality. “Family Portraits” was a thought-provoking lecture-concert. Greenberg’s talks are always well researched. The audience was both moved and reminded of the importance of exposing Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn’s music. The event was well attended, with English-speaking Jerusalem music lovers there to enjoy and appreciate an interesting and meaningful evening at the JMC.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The PHOENIX Early Music Ensemble opens its 2010-2011 season with Beethoven's Scottish Songs opus 108 and the Gassenhauer Trio
The PHOENIX Early Music Ensemble, under its director and founder Dr. Myrna Herzog, opened the 2010-2011 concert season with “Beethoven in Scotland”, presenting Beethoven’s Scottish Lieder and his Piano Trio no. 4 in B flat major (Gassenhauer) opus 11. The Jerusalem concert took place October 30th at the Eden-Tamir Center, Ein Karem. Performing were mezzo-soprano Karin Shifrin, Yasuko Hirata (violin), Myrna Herzog (‘cello) and Alex Rosenblatt playing on the recently acquired Baas fortepiano (Paris,1800) which he had, personally, restored.
Between 1809 and 1820 L.van Beethoven (1770-1827) composed settings for 179 folk song melodies, the majority of them Irish, Scottish and Welsh. Twenty Five Scottish Songs opus 108, for voices, violin, ‘cello and piano, were published in London and Edinburgh in 1818 and in Berlin in 1822. The arrangements were commissioned by the Scottish publisher and folk song collector George Thomson, whose aim was to cater to the taste of musical amateurs interested in singing and playing folk music. Thomson started out as neither publisher nor businessman; he had been a clerk of the Board of Trustees for the Encouragement of Literature and Manufactures in Scotland. He was forced into the publishing business by his plans to rescue the Scottish folk song, to “furnish a collection of all the fine airs, both of the plaintive and lively kind, unmixed with trifling and inferior ones…”. He had offered various composers a part in the challenge, the best known of those who had obliged being Haydn and Beethoven.
The audience at the Eden-Tamir Music Centre was offered the rare treat of hearing the songs as they would have been performed in Beethoven’s time. The Baas fortepiano, or square piano, was an instrument of a kind that would have been found in the homes of musical families. Hirata and Herzog played Baroque ‘cellos, these instruments still having been made till after the turn of the 19th century, the two string players using classical (or transitional) bows, these being copies of bows from the late 18th century.
Beethoven’s Scottish (and other folk) songs have unjustly been pushed into the background of the composer’s oeuvre. Beethoven, however, did not view them as of poorer quality, referring to them as “compositions” rather than “settings”. Thomson repeatedly requested him to rework and simplify his accompaniments, but Beethoven was unwilling to do so, claiming that “any partial change alters the character of the composition”. One song Beethoven did grudgingly consent to change was “Faithful Johnnie”, with the second version’s instrumental ensemble punctuating the change of voices with a recurring interlude. Its richly textured accompaniment cushioned Shifrin’s expressive singing of the dramatic line.
‘When will you come again, my faithful Johnnie,
When will you come again?
“When the corn is gathered
And the leaves are withered,
I will come again, my sweet bonnie,
I will come again”.
Then winter’s winds will blow, my faithful Johnnie,
Then winter’s winds will blow.
“Though the day be dark with drift,
That I cannot see the lift,
I will come again, my sweet bonnie,
I will come again”.
Then will you meet me here, my faithful Johnnie,
Then will you meet me here?
“Though the night be Halloween,
When the fearful sights are seen,
I would meet thee here, my sweet and bonnie,
I would meet thee here!”
Scottish folk songs mostly tell of war or love, often of both in the same song, and bloody wars the Scots did fight. Such a song is that which opened the concert – “The Lovely Lass of Inverness” (1816), a Highland drama to words of Robert Burns. The instrumentalists set the scene with an intense and bleak sonority. Karin Shifrin’s compelling, weighty timbre matches the bleak atmosphere and allows the story to unfold. Inspired by a visit to Culloden Moor, Burns tells the grim story of a young woman who has lost her father and three brothers there in the battle of 1746. In the strophic song “Dim, dim is my eye”(1815) to a text by William Brown (1590-1645) Shifrin’s performance of the beautiful legato Scottish melody was moving. “Bonnie laddie, Highland laddie” (1815) (Beethoven later used the melody as a theme for variations) poses questions regarding the battle of Waterloo, and he uses a drone, evocative of the Scottish bagpipes, echoing in the background.
The love songs, many telling of longing, cheating, suffering and broken hearts, were convincing and entertaining. Shifrin presents the texts with warmth and humor, her pronunciation faithful to that of Scottish airs, her facial expression hinting at messages “written” between lines of the texts. In “Farewell to the muse” (1818) to words by Sir Walter Scott, the poet bemoans his life without his “Enchantress”; the melody, in contrast, presents a jolly, leaping ditty, with Shifrin taking its characteristic large vocal leaps effortlessly. “O Mary, at thy window be!” (1817), to a poem by Robert Burns, evokes Scottish dance rhythms. In his setting of William Smyth’s “Again my lyre” (1815) Beethoven embellishes the song with a small vocal cadenza.
Then there are the Scottish songs suggesting good times and revelry, probably doused with a good shot of Scottish whisky. In “O sweet were the hours” to a poem of William Smyth, the ensemble makes capital of mood- and tempo changes, with the fortepiano suggesting the ticking of a clock. Their performance of Beethoven’s setting of Henry Carey’s “Sally in our alley” (1817) chose a rollicking, suggestive approach to the song, the mix of rhythmic ideas adding to its energy and lighthearted atmosphere. The original Sally may have been Sally Priddon, a famous courtesan and inhabitant of Mother Whyburn’s bawdy house, but there is also a possibility Carey had dedicated the poem to his own wife, Sarah. It seems PHOENIX chose the former candidate!
Beethoven’s Piano Trio no.4 in B flat major opus 11 (Gassenhauer), composed 1798, originally scored for clarinet, ‘cello and piano, was then published, with minor alterations, for violin as the treble instrument. Hearing it performed on Baroque strings with the Baas fortepiano meant challenging the audience to free itself of associations with conventional recordings and of all preconceptions of how chamber music of 1800 is played nowadays. We were invited to hear and examine new timbres and sound relationships. These instruments, having less volume, however, waste no time in reminding us that this is, indeed, chamber music, personal and intimate, but with much to say. The three players find themselves on an equal footing. The Baas instrument, interestingly, with its mix of tonal color, boasts its own gregarious, untamed sound; all three instrumentalists meet and match, with each part holding onto its individuality of expression. And here is Beethoven opening with an atypically positive, bouncy and unburdened first movement, entertaining and tricking the listener with his changes of tonality. The middle movement – Adagio – is solid and serious, with occasional gentle hints in the minor middle section, at the darker side of the composer’s moods. The third movement variations are based on a jolly and folksy melody popular at the time, quoted from Joseph Weigl’s (1777-1846) opera “The Corsair”. The PHOENIX players were as entertained by the variations as was their audience - these variations offer ideas of improvisation, caprice, a canon, a funeral march, one variation just for piano, one a duet for violin and ‘cello, with Beethoven eventually reaching the point where he dismembers the subject, pulling out all the plugs to bring the final moments to a dancing, carefree close.
Myrna Herzog has been dreaming of performing Beethoven’s Scottish songs for many years. Never afraid of deviating from mainstream musical thinking and practice, she offers her audience an enriching musical experience in this concert and the chance to hear this wonderful repertoire. A risk-taker by nature, she stands firm ground, however, when it comes to choosing her fellow musicians. Yasuko Hirata’s experience, reliability and good taste are ever evident, Herzog’s viola da gamba has been temporarily laid aside for her to celebrate Beethoven on the ‘cello and Alex Rosenblatt offers us the new soundscape of the Baas fortepiano, exploring its possibilities and daring personality with freedom, energy and musicality. The ensemble’s playing of the Scottish songs was exhilarating, rich and continuously interesting, their performing of the Gassenhauer Trio passing off its technical demands with the wink of an eye! Karin Shifrin’s profound and sincere reading into the Scottish Songs allowed for their true meaning to be enjoyed and sensed; she touched the hearts of those present. The printed program was informative.
Between 1809 and 1820 L.van Beethoven (1770-1827) composed settings for 179 folk song melodies, the majority of them Irish, Scottish and Welsh. Twenty Five Scottish Songs opus 108, for voices, violin, ‘cello and piano, were published in London and Edinburgh in 1818 and in Berlin in 1822. The arrangements were commissioned by the Scottish publisher and folk song collector George Thomson, whose aim was to cater to the taste of musical amateurs interested in singing and playing folk music. Thomson started out as neither publisher nor businessman; he had been a clerk of the Board of Trustees for the Encouragement of Literature and Manufactures in Scotland. He was forced into the publishing business by his plans to rescue the Scottish folk song, to “furnish a collection of all the fine airs, both of the plaintive and lively kind, unmixed with trifling and inferior ones…”. He had offered various composers a part in the challenge, the best known of those who had obliged being Haydn and Beethoven.
The audience at the Eden-Tamir Music Centre was offered the rare treat of hearing the songs as they would have been performed in Beethoven’s time. The Baas fortepiano, or square piano, was an instrument of a kind that would have been found in the homes of musical families. Hirata and Herzog played Baroque ‘cellos, these instruments still having been made till after the turn of the 19th century, the two string players using classical (or transitional) bows, these being copies of bows from the late 18th century.
Beethoven’s Scottish (and other folk) songs have unjustly been pushed into the background of the composer’s oeuvre. Beethoven, however, did not view them as of poorer quality, referring to them as “compositions” rather than “settings”. Thomson repeatedly requested him to rework and simplify his accompaniments, but Beethoven was unwilling to do so, claiming that “any partial change alters the character of the composition”. One song Beethoven did grudgingly consent to change was “Faithful Johnnie”, with the second version’s instrumental ensemble punctuating the change of voices with a recurring interlude. Its richly textured accompaniment cushioned Shifrin’s expressive singing of the dramatic line.
‘When will you come again, my faithful Johnnie,
When will you come again?
“When the corn is gathered
And the leaves are withered,
I will come again, my sweet bonnie,
I will come again”.
Then winter’s winds will blow, my faithful Johnnie,
Then winter’s winds will blow.
“Though the day be dark with drift,
That I cannot see the lift,
I will come again, my sweet bonnie,
I will come again”.
Then will you meet me here, my faithful Johnnie,
Then will you meet me here?
“Though the night be Halloween,
When the fearful sights are seen,
I would meet thee here, my sweet and bonnie,
I would meet thee here!”
Scottish folk songs mostly tell of war or love, often of both in the same song, and bloody wars the Scots did fight. Such a song is that which opened the concert – “The Lovely Lass of Inverness” (1816), a Highland drama to words of Robert Burns. The instrumentalists set the scene with an intense and bleak sonority. Karin Shifrin’s compelling, weighty timbre matches the bleak atmosphere and allows the story to unfold. Inspired by a visit to Culloden Moor, Burns tells the grim story of a young woman who has lost her father and three brothers there in the battle of 1746. In the strophic song “Dim, dim is my eye”(1815) to a text by William Brown (1590-1645) Shifrin’s performance of the beautiful legato Scottish melody was moving. “Bonnie laddie, Highland laddie” (1815) (Beethoven later used the melody as a theme for variations) poses questions regarding the battle of Waterloo, and he uses a drone, evocative of the Scottish bagpipes, echoing in the background.
The love songs, many telling of longing, cheating, suffering and broken hearts, were convincing and entertaining. Shifrin presents the texts with warmth and humor, her pronunciation faithful to that of Scottish airs, her facial expression hinting at messages “written” between lines of the texts. In “Farewell to the muse” (1818) to words by Sir Walter Scott, the poet bemoans his life without his “Enchantress”; the melody, in contrast, presents a jolly, leaping ditty, with Shifrin taking its characteristic large vocal leaps effortlessly. “O Mary, at thy window be!” (1817), to a poem by Robert Burns, evokes Scottish dance rhythms. In his setting of William Smyth’s “Again my lyre” (1815) Beethoven embellishes the song with a small vocal cadenza.
Then there are the Scottish songs suggesting good times and revelry, probably doused with a good shot of Scottish whisky. In “O sweet were the hours” to a poem of William Smyth, the ensemble makes capital of mood- and tempo changes, with the fortepiano suggesting the ticking of a clock. Their performance of Beethoven’s setting of Henry Carey’s “Sally in our alley” (1817) chose a rollicking, suggestive approach to the song, the mix of rhythmic ideas adding to its energy and lighthearted atmosphere. The original Sally may have been Sally Priddon, a famous courtesan and inhabitant of Mother Whyburn’s bawdy house, but there is also a possibility Carey had dedicated the poem to his own wife, Sarah. It seems PHOENIX chose the former candidate!
Beethoven’s Piano Trio no.4 in B flat major opus 11 (Gassenhauer), composed 1798, originally scored for clarinet, ‘cello and piano, was then published, with minor alterations, for violin as the treble instrument. Hearing it performed on Baroque strings with the Baas fortepiano meant challenging the audience to free itself of associations with conventional recordings and of all preconceptions of how chamber music of 1800 is played nowadays. We were invited to hear and examine new timbres and sound relationships. These instruments, having less volume, however, waste no time in reminding us that this is, indeed, chamber music, personal and intimate, but with much to say. The three players find themselves on an equal footing. The Baas instrument, interestingly, with its mix of tonal color, boasts its own gregarious, untamed sound; all three instrumentalists meet and match, with each part holding onto its individuality of expression. And here is Beethoven opening with an atypically positive, bouncy and unburdened first movement, entertaining and tricking the listener with his changes of tonality. The middle movement – Adagio – is solid and serious, with occasional gentle hints in the minor middle section, at the darker side of the composer’s moods. The third movement variations are based on a jolly and folksy melody popular at the time, quoted from Joseph Weigl’s (1777-1846) opera “The Corsair”. The PHOENIX players were as entertained by the variations as was their audience - these variations offer ideas of improvisation, caprice, a canon, a funeral march, one variation just for piano, one a duet for violin and ‘cello, with Beethoven eventually reaching the point where he dismembers the subject, pulling out all the plugs to bring the final moments to a dancing, carefree close.
Myrna Herzog has been dreaming of performing Beethoven’s Scottish songs for many years. Never afraid of deviating from mainstream musical thinking and practice, she offers her audience an enriching musical experience in this concert and the chance to hear this wonderful repertoire. A risk-taker by nature, she stands firm ground, however, when it comes to choosing her fellow musicians. Yasuko Hirata’s experience, reliability and good taste are ever evident, Herzog’s viola da gamba has been temporarily laid aside for her to celebrate Beethoven on the ‘cello and Alex Rosenblatt offers us the new soundscape of the Baas fortepiano, exploring its possibilities and daring personality with freedom, energy and musicality. The ensemble’s playing of the Scottish songs was exhilarating, rich and continuously interesting, their performing of the Gassenhauer Trio passing off its technical demands with the wink of an eye! Karin Shifrin’s profound and sincere reading into the Scottish Songs allowed for their true meaning to be enjoyed and sensed; she touched the hearts of those present. The printed program was informative.
Labels:
Alex Rosenblatt,
Karin Shifrin,
Myrna Herzog,
Yasuko Hirata
Monday, October 25, 2010
Violinist Kati Debretzeni leads the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra in a concert of late Baroque music
The Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra opened its 2010-2011 season at the Mary Nathaniel Golden Hall of Friendship of the Jerusalem International YMCA on October 12th 2010 with “Father, Son, Godfather and Gardener”, a program of late Baroque music. Baroque violinist Kati Debretzeni conducted the string orchestra (with founder and director of the JBO David Shemer at the harpsichord) and she was one of the soloists of the evening. Debretzeni, whose career in Baroque violin began in the JBO, now resides in the UK teaching and performing there and in Europe. Baroque violinists Boris Begelman, Dafna Ravid and Noam Schuss also soloed. Noam Schuss frequently leads the JBO violins, is first violinist of the Galathea String Quartet, a member of the Tel Aviv Soloists and teaches. Dafna Ravid, a principal lead violinist with the JBO, performs with the Israeli Bach Soloists and the Barrocade Ensemble. Boris Begelman (b. 1983, Moscow), one of today’s most promising Baroque violinists, is currently studying at the Palermo Conservatory, performs throughout Europe as a soloist and is concertmaster of “Il complesso barocco” and “Ensemble Antonio il Verso”, both in Italy.
The concert opened with George Frideric Handel’s (1685-1759) Concerto Grosso in G Major, opus 6 no.1, one of a series of 12 lively and elegant concerti grossi for strings. Handel, one of the most assimilated and successful foreign-born composers working in London, knew on what side his bread was buttered. The concerto grosso was a popular genre in Britain, with several English composers writing them for performance. The concerto grosso’s popularity there actually stemmed from a set of twelve composed by Arcangelo Corelli, published 1714 in Amsterdam. Corelli’s Opus 6 remained a concert staple across Britain till the end of the century and Handel would have been well aware of the financial gains of catering to British concert taste. Handel composed his Opus 6 concerti in a burst of creative energy from September to October of 1739, his Opus 6 clearly paying homage to Corelli’s Opus 6. As in all the Handel opus 6 concerti grossi, the concertino in no.1 consists of two violins, a ‘cello and a chordal continuo instrument (harpsichord), with the ripieno consisting of violins, violas, ‘cello and continuo. With Debretzeni leading articulately, the audience enjoyed the contrasts of lyrical and serious with the carefree last movements, woven together with small, clean gestures and harmonic surprises. Debretzeni and violinist Boris Begelman provided a communicative dialogue. Begelman’s playing throughout the evening was a breath of fresh air.
And talking of financial profit, Georg Philip Telemann’s “Tafelmusik” or “Musique de Table” (Table music), published in 1733, was sold by subscription, with other composers and aristocrats from eight different countries all paying good money to have their names inscribed on the first issues. Handel was one of the 206 subscribers and he took the liberty of borrowing from the material. A high quality work, representing different European styles, the Tafelmusik pieces offered much to attract and interest Telemann’s contemporaries. The volumes consist of three large sets or “Productions”, each containing an opening orchestral suite, a quartet, a concerto, a trio, a solo and an orchestral Conclusion. Each set would surely have provided a glittering evening’s entertainment for a banquet or feast. We heard Concerto in F major for Three Violins and Strings from part 2 of the Tafelmusik. In a reading bristling with diversity of expression, we heard Debretzeni, Schuss and Begelman as soloists.
C.P.E.Bach’s (1714-1788) Trio Sonata “Sanguenius und Melancholicus”, published in 1751, was one of the composer’s most programmatic chamber pieces. Kati Debretzeni explained the extra-musical plot, referring to the work as “theatre without words”. C.P.E. Bach himself wrote a long preface describing the main events of the work, outlining each mood and element: it was the composer’s aim to present a conversation between the gregarious, insistent Sangueneus (Debretzeni) and the coy, sad and reticent Melancholicus (Dafna Ravid), the two violinists expressing sentiments that would conventionally have been written into words and sung. Both artists assumed their roles convincingly and with humor, portraying the characters’ initial disagreement and gradual acceptance of each other. C.P.E. Bach’s typically improvisational-sounding score, using dramatic rests, a range of dynamics and textural variety, allows for the many effects, moods and characteristics he wishes to portray. Debretzeni and Ravid take the audience skillfully and expressively through a gamut of temperaments - from sad, complaining, questioning, pleading and bitter gestures to playful and happy sentiments. An interesting concept and well suited to the concert platform, the work was presented well and provided fine entertainment.
Antonio Vivaldi’s (1678-1741) L’Estro Armonico (Harmonic Inspiration or Harmonic Fancy) opus 3 for strings and basso continuo, published in 1711, was the collection that made Vivaldi’s reputation in Europe. Published in Amsterdam, it was one of the first sets of Italian concertos to be published outside of Italy and had much influence over musical taste, establishing the model of the 18th century concerto. Vivaldi scholar Michael Talbot referred to the opus 3 concertos as “perhaps the most influential collection of instrumental music to appear during the whole of the eighteenth century”. The collection, issued in eight part books, has the 12 concertos arranged in four groups of three, each group containing a solo-, double- and quadruple concerto. “L’Estro Armonico” was dedicated to Ferdinand of Tuscany. Unusually, in the four-violin concertos, the four soloists are accompanied not by an orchestra but by two violas, solo ‘cello and continuo. Vivaldi’s Concerto in D major for Four Violins and Strings opus 3 no.1 is a fine concert piece and, in this concert, gave the audience a chance to hear a line-up of four outstanding Baroque violinists, each on his/her own, in pairs and together – Kati Debretzeni, Noam Schuss, Dafna Ravid and Boris Begelman. They incorporated the work’s virtuosity naturally into a sincere and energetic reading, to the enjoyment of the audience.
Composed during the composer’s time in Cothen, where he had a fine orchestra at hand, the score of J.S.Bach’s Concerto in D minor for Violin and Strings has been lost. His son, C.P.E.Bach made a somewhat simplistic arrangement of it for harpsichord in 1733 or 1744, giving the violin the part to the right hand, with the left hand doubling the orchestral bass lines. It does, however, give us a clear outline of what the original violin part must have been. This score did survive. To be performed at concerts at the Zimmermann Café in Leipzig, J.S.Bach rearranged the work (BWV 1052), this version being more challenging and sophisticated than that of C.P.Bach. (The BWV 1052 concerto, Shemer commented, is often incorrectly referred to as a “piano concerto”.) Here, the violas play an important part. (Bach himself was a violist.) Shemer also points out that the reconstructed solo incorporates some of the highly idiomatic and virtuosic harpsichord style, making it by far the most difficult Bach violin concerto to perform. Kati Debretzeni’s performance of the solo violin part and leadership of the orchestra produced a performance that was based on fine balance and sincerity; Debrtzeni placed no less emphasis on the delicacy and poetry of melodic lines and good taste than on the work’s innate virtuosity.
As to the title of the concert, father and son are, of course, J.S.Bach and his second son C.P.E.Bach. Telemann was C.P.E.Bach’s godfather. In his program notes, Shemer informs us that Handel and Telemann both had a liking for gardening; they corresponded in French on their experiences at raising rare plants and even sent each other seeds!
The concert opened with George Frideric Handel’s (1685-1759) Concerto Grosso in G Major, opus 6 no.1, one of a series of 12 lively and elegant concerti grossi for strings. Handel, one of the most assimilated and successful foreign-born composers working in London, knew on what side his bread was buttered. The concerto grosso was a popular genre in Britain, with several English composers writing them for performance. The concerto grosso’s popularity there actually stemmed from a set of twelve composed by Arcangelo Corelli, published 1714 in Amsterdam. Corelli’s Opus 6 remained a concert staple across Britain till the end of the century and Handel would have been well aware of the financial gains of catering to British concert taste. Handel composed his Opus 6 concerti in a burst of creative energy from September to October of 1739, his Opus 6 clearly paying homage to Corelli’s Opus 6. As in all the Handel opus 6 concerti grossi, the concertino in no.1 consists of two violins, a ‘cello and a chordal continuo instrument (harpsichord), with the ripieno consisting of violins, violas, ‘cello and continuo. With Debretzeni leading articulately, the audience enjoyed the contrasts of lyrical and serious with the carefree last movements, woven together with small, clean gestures and harmonic surprises. Debretzeni and violinist Boris Begelman provided a communicative dialogue. Begelman’s playing throughout the evening was a breath of fresh air.
And talking of financial profit, Georg Philip Telemann’s “Tafelmusik” or “Musique de Table” (Table music), published in 1733, was sold by subscription, with other composers and aristocrats from eight different countries all paying good money to have their names inscribed on the first issues. Handel was one of the 206 subscribers and he took the liberty of borrowing from the material. A high quality work, representing different European styles, the Tafelmusik pieces offered much to attract and interest Telemann’s contemporaries. The volumes consist of three large sets or “Productions”, each containing an opening orchestral suite, a quartet, a concerto, a trio, a solo and an orchestral Conclusion. Each set would surely have provided a glittering evening’s entertainment for a banquet or feast. We heard Concerto in F major for Three Violins and Strings from part 2 of the Tafelmusik. In a reading bristling with diversity of expression, we heard Debretzeni, Schuss and Begelman as soloists.
C.P.E.Bach’s (1714-1788) Trio Sonata “Sanguenius und Melancholicus”, published in 1751, was one of the composer’s most programmatic chamber pieces. Kati Debretzeni explained the extra-musical plot, referring to the work as “theatre without words”. C.P.E. Bach himself wrote a long preface describing the main events of the work, outlining each mood and element: it was the composer’s aim to present a conversation between the gregarious, insistent Sangueneus (Debretzeni) and the coy, sad and reticent Melancholicus (Dafna Ravid), the two violinists expressing sentiments that would conventionally have been written into words and sung. Both artists assumed their roles convincingly and with humor, portraying the characters’ initial disagreement and gradual acceptance of each other. C.P.E. Bach’s typically improvisational-sounding score, using dramatic rests, a range of dynamics and textural variety, allows for the many effects, moods and characteristics he wishes to portray. Debretzeni and Ravid take the audience skillfully and expressively through a gamut of temperaments - from sad, complaining, questioning, pleading and bitter gestures to playful and happy sentiments. An interesting concept and well suited to the concert platform, the work was presented well and provided fine entertainment.
Antonio Vivaldi’s (1678-1741) L’Estro Armonico (Harmonic Inspiration or Harmonic Fancy) opus 3 for strings and basso continuo, published in 1711, was the collection that made Vivaldi’s reputation in Europe. Published in Amsterdam, it was one of the first sets of Italian concertos to be published outside of Italy and had much influence over musical taste, establishing the model of the 18th century concerto. Vivaldi scholar Michael Talbot referred to the opus 3 concertos as “perhaps the most influential collection of instrumental music to appear during the whole of the eighteenth century”. The collection, issued in eight part books, has the 12 concertos arranged in four groups of three, each group containing a solo-, double- and quadruple concerto. “L’Estro Armonico” was dedicated to Ferdinand of Tuscany. Unusually, in the four-violin concertos, the four soloists are accompanied not by an orchestra but by two violas, solo ‘cello and continuo. Vivaldi’s Concerto in D major for Four Violins and Strings opus 3 no.1 is a fine concert piece and, in this concert, gave the audience a chance to hear a line-up of four outstanding Baroque violinists, each on his/her own, in pairs and together – Kati Debretzeni, Noam Schuss, Dafna Ravid and Boris Begelman. They incorporated the work’s virtuosity naturally into a sincere and energetic reading, to the enjoyment of the audience.
Composed during the composer’s time in Cothen, where he had a fine orchestra at hand, the score of J.S.Bach’s Concerto in D minor for Violin and Strings has been lost. His son, C.P.E.Bach made a somewhat simplistic arrangement of it for harpsichord in 1733 or 1744, giving the violin the part to the right hand, with the left hand doubling the orchestral bass lines. It does, however, give us a clear outline of what the original violin part must have been. This score did survive. To be performed at concerts at the Zimmermann Café in Leipzig, J.S.Bach rearranged the work (BWV 1052), this version being more challenging and sophisticated than that of C.P.Bach. (The BWV 1052 concerto, Shemer commented, is often incorrectly referred to as a “piano concerto”.) Here, the violas play an important part. (Bach himself was a violist.) Shemer also points out that the reconstructed solo incorporates some of the highly idiomatic and virtuosic harpsichord style, making it by far the most difficult Bach violin concerto to perform. Kati Debretzeni’s performance of the solo violin part and leadership of the orchestra produced a performance that was based on fine balance and sincerity; Debrtzeni placed no less emphasis on the delicacy and poetry of melodic lines and good taste than on the work’s innate virtuosity.
As to the title of the concert, father and son are, of course, J.S.Bach and his second son C.P.E.Bach. Telemann was C.P.E.Bach’s godfather. In his program notes, Shemer informs us that Handel and Telemann both had a liking for gardening; they corresponded in French on their experiences at raising rare plants and even sent each other seeds!
Labels:
Boris Begelman,
Dafna Ravid,
Kati Debretzeni,
Noam Schuss
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester (Germany) in Israel performing music from the 1920's and 1930's
Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester (Orchestra) have recently completed a concert tour of Israel. Raabe (b. 1962, Germany) trained as a baritone opera singer. Moving in a very different direction, he established his Palast Orchestra in 1986, specializing in the authentic performance of German and American songs, dance- and film music of the 1920’s and 1930’s, also presenting songs of the Comedian Harmonists.
Seated in the Sherover Theatre of the Jerusalem Theatre on October 20th 2010, we were swiftly removed from the realities of the 21st century to a cabaret in Berlin of 80 years ago, to the time of the Great Depression, a time when entertainers wore well-cut tuxedos, patent leather shoes and pomade on their perfectly cut hair, to a time when naïve, melodious love songs provided a distraction from times that were, indeed, tumultuous. In “Tonight or Never”, singer and bandleader Raabe introduces the songs and instrumental numbers in a minimal, whimsical and relaxed manner, his patter infused with the same gentle, inoffensive humor as the songs he sings. (Surtitles were shown above the stage, providing the audience with Hebrew translations of all the songs.) Moving away from the spotlight, leaning on the piano, Raabe gives his polished and brilliantly coordinated orchestra “front stage” to play lively foxtrots and nostalgic band favorites. His saxophones are velvety, his brass players shine, percussion effects are elegant and tasteful. Instrumental playing of this level seems a breeze, the players’ jaunty choreographic effects as detail perfect as their playing itself. And nobody conducts. Many of the Palast Orchestra members play more than one instrument, and, as the evening wears on, we discover that all the men playing are also singers! The only female member of the orchestra is violinist Cecilia Crisafulli; her playing shines and appeals, her personality and solos delight the audience.
Max Raabe is a tongue-in-cheek personality, his baritone voice mellifluous and soothing, his high register bright, controlled and flirtatious. With the wink of an eye and a hint of disarming decadence he performs many of the German songs popular around the 1930’s – “Marie, Marie” (music Johannes Brandt, lyrics Marc Roland), “Mein Gorilla hat ‘ne Villa im Zoo” (My gorilla has a house in the zoo) (music Walter Jurmann, Bronislaw Kaper, lyrics Fritz Rotter), “Roza, reizende Roza” (Roza, charming Roza) (music Hans J. Salter, lyrics Fritz Rotter), “Dort tanzt Lulu” (There goes Lulu dancing) (music and lyrics Will Meisel), and many more. We were also presented with many of the best loved English language songs of the time: “Dream a Little Dream of Me” (music Fabian Andre, Wilbur Schwandt, lyrics Gus Kahn), Cheek to Cheek (music and lyrics Irving Berlin), “Alabama Song” (music Kurt Weill, lyrics Berthold Brecht), and more. I believe Bing Crosby, Marlene Dietrich, Benny Goodman and Fred Astaire were hovering above the stage that evening.
With the evening drawing to a close, Raabe still had something up his sleeve – his players performed melodies with some perfectly synchronized handbell ringing. And a final treat - all the Palast Orchestra men sang a number in a blend of bright vocal timbres so reminiscent of that of the Comedian Harmonists. In short, the audience was swept of its feet by Max Raabe and his Palast Orchestra’s superior musicianship and joie-de-vivre. This was entertainment at its very best.
Seated in the Sherover Theatre of the Jerusalem Theatre on October 20th 2010, we were swiftly removed from the realities of the 21st century to a cabaret in Berlin of 80 years ago, to the time of the Great Depression, a time when entertainers wore well-cut tuxedos, patent leather shoes and pomade on their perfectly cut hair, to a time when naïve, melodious love songs provided a distraction from times that were, indeed, tumultuous. In “Tonight or Never”, singer and bandleader Raabe introduces the songs and instrumental numbers in a minimal, whimsical and relaxed manner, his patter infused with the same gentle, inoffensive humor as the songs he sings. (Surtitles were shown above the stage, providing the audience with Hebrew translations of all the songs.) Moving away from the spotlight, leaning on the piano, Raabe gives his polished and brilliantly coordinated orchestra “front stage” to play lively foxtrots and nostalgic band favorites. His saxophones are velvety, his brass players shine, percussion effects are elegant and tasteful. Instrumental playing of this level seems a breeze, the players’ jaunty choreographic effects as detail perfect as their playing itself. And nobody conducts. Many of the Palast Orchestra members play more than one instrument, and, as the evening wears on, we discover that all the men playing are also singers! The only female member of the orchestra is violinist Cecilia Crisafulli; her playing shines and appeals, her personality and solos delight the audience.
Max Raabe is a tongue-in-cheek personality, his baritone voice mellifluous and soothing, his high register bright, controlled and flirtatious. With the wink of an eye and a hint of disarming decadence he performs many of the German songs popular around the 1930’s – “Marie, Marie” (music Johannes Brandt, lyrics Marc Roland), “Mein Gorilla hat ‘ne Villa im Zoo” (My gorilla has a house in the zoo) (music Walter Jurmann, Bronislaw Kaper, lyrics Fritz Rotter), “Roza, reizende Roza” (Roza, charming Roza) (music Hans J. Salter, lyrics Fritz Rotter), “Dort tanzt Lulu” (There goes Lulu dancing) (music and lyrics Will Meisel), and many more. We were also presented with many of the best loved English language songs of the time: “Dream a Little Dream of Me” (music Fabian Andre, Wilbur Schwandt, lyrics Gus Kahn), Cheek to Cheek (music and lyrics Irving Berlin), “Alabama Song” (music Kurt Weill, lyrics Berthold Brecht), and more. I believe Bing Crosby, Marlene Dietrich, Benny Goodman and Fred Astaire were hovering above the stage that evening.
With the evening drawing to a close, Raabe still had something up his sleeve – his players performed melodies with some perfectly synchronized handbell ringing. And a final treat - all the Palast Orchestra men sang a number in a blend of bright vocal timbres so reminiscent of that of the Comedian Harmonists. In short, the audience was swept of its feet by Max Raabe and his Palast Orchestra’s superior musicianship and joie-de-vivre. This was entertainment at its very best.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The HaOman Hai Ensemble opens the 2010-2011 "Music at the College" concert series at Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem
“Music at the College” is a new series of concerts and cultural encounters taking place at Hebrew Union College (Jerusalem). A project taken on by Ofer Shelley - pianist, musicologist and founder of the Atar Trio – the opening concert on October 7th 2010 featured Andre Hajdu with members of the HaOman Hai Ensemble. The groundwork of this ensemble was laid some years back by Professor Hajdu with his students at the Israel Arts and Science Academy (Jerusalem) where Hajdu was teaching. They studied the music of the Chabad Hassidim, improvisation and the history of classical western music. Working on their arrangements collectively (each artist is both instrumentalist and singer) the musicians proceeded to work and perform in a studio at 18 HaOman Street. Jerusalem, hence the group’s name. Andre Hajdu has referred to his young co-musicians in this joint creative project as “stage animals” who “can play anything in the world: jazz, klezmer, Yiddish, classical music…” Those taking part in the concert at Hebrew Union College were Andre Hajdu (director, piano, vocals) Yair Harel (percussion, tar and vocals), Yonatan Niv (‘cello, vocals)and Eitan Kirsch (double bass, vocals0.
Andre Hajdu (b. Hungary 1932) studied with Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly. He also studied much local folk music, becoming familiar with the Gypsies and their music. In 1956 he fled to Paris; there he studied with Darius Milhaud and Olivier Messiaen. Hajdu has also worked as a piano teacher in Tunisia. His study of Judaism was approached from the cultural, historic, artistic-musical and ethnographic points of view. Andre Hajdu came to Israel in 1966. He teaches, researches and composes and performs with HaOman Hai. He was awarded the Israel Prize in 1997.
Yair Harel, one of the founders of HaOman Hai Ensemble, has a strong background in the gamut of traditional Jewish music, classical oriental music, oriental percussion instruments and contemporary music. His singing is earthy and from the soul, his percussion playing delicate.
Yonatan Niv (b.1979) is a ‘cellist, singer, composer and dancer, a member of a number of creative ensembles and has twice been a recipient of an America-Israel Cultural Foundation bursary for composition. He is expressive, his playing an singing blending tastefully into the textures created by the ensemble.
Double bass player Eitan Kirsch (b.1964) is a composer and jazz musician. He is involved in education, in klezmer festivals and running klezmer workshops for young players. His oeuvre includes pedagogical works and works based on Jewish traditional music.
The first half of the evening – “Kulmus Hanefesh” (Quill of the Soul), a musical journey into Hassidic music, explores the integration of Jewish folk niggunim and instrumental music from eastern Europe into contemporary art music. (Niggun is a Hebrew term for “humming music”, often referring to an improvisational form of “voice instrumental music” using syllables without texts or, alternatively, using verses of biblical texts.) The concert opened with a recording of Chassidic music, with the artists gradually joining in to produce a collage effect. This was followed by “Niggun rikud (Dance melody) sung in the typical style of vocal syllables, infused with mounting energy. The “Kulmus Hanefesh” songs reflect the eclectic quality of Hassidic music (and of that of its director); they include spiritual, joyful, soul-searching and intensively melodic moments, Yiddish word play, with some songs intimately prayerful and others brimming with harmonic color, jazzy effects and youthful vim.
“The Floating Tower” is a collection of Andre Hajdu’s Mishna Songs (1972-1973), as rearranged by the HaOman Hai Ensemble. (The Hebrew term “Mishnah” can refer to the full tradition of Oral Torah, transmitted and learned by word of mouth.) Hajdu poses the question as to how a modern person relates to these texts. He embarked on a two-year long private but intensive study of the texts, resulting in 56 settings of mishnaic texts. coming together under the title of “The Floating Tower”. The piece is a theatrical-musical work presenting ancient texts sung and accompanied in a rich variety of classical and modern styles. In fact, it is a veritable kaleidoscope of musical (and recorded crowd) effects, its musical influences spanning from the Renaissance to the 20th century, from Broadway associations, to a quote from Schubert’s “Marche militaire”, from whimsical, feisty percussive singing (The Rooster), to the music of Kurt Weill, to Jewish musical comedy, etc.
HaOman Hai has courageously come out with Jewish music in a presentation that is spiritually accessible to a wide audience. Hajdu and the young artists have immersed themselves in the meaning of the music, have allowed the texts to affect them on different levels and have over-layered them with their own personal interpretations. They play and sing both with conviction and convincingly, both individually and together. The performance is as original as it is deeply rooted in tradition. One hearing is not enough.
Andre Hajdu (b. Hungary 1932) studied with Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly. He also studied much local folk music, becoming familiar with the Gypsies and their music. In 1956 he fled to Paris; there he studied with Darius Milhaud and Olivier Messiaen. Hajdu has also worked as a piano teacher in Tunisia. His study of Judaism was approached from the cultural, historic, artistic-musical and ethnographic points of view. Andre Hajdu came to Israel in 1966. He teaches, researches and composes and performs with HaOman Hai. He was awarded the Israel Prize in 1997.
Yair Harel, one of the founders of HaOman Hai Ensemble, has a strong background in the gamut of traditional Jewish music, classical oriental music, oriental percussion instruments and contemporary music. His singing is earthy and from the soul, his percussion playing delicate.
Yonatan Niv (b.1979) is a ‘cellist, singer, composer and dancer, a member of a number of creative ensembles and has twice been a recipient of an America-Israel Cultural Foundation bursary for composition. He is expressive, his playing an singing blending tastefully into the textures created by the ensemble.
Double bass player Eitan Kirsch (b.1964) is a composer and jazz musician. He is involved in education, in klezmer festivals and running klezmer workshops for young players. His oeuvre includes pedagogical works and works based on Jewish traditional music.
The first half of the evening – “Kulmus Hanefesh” (Quill of the Soul), a musical journey into Hassidic music, explores the integration of Jewish folk niggunim and instrumental music from eastern Europe into contemporary art music. (Niggun is a Hebrew term for “humming music”, often referring to an improvisational form of “voice instrumental music” using syllables without texts or, alternatively, using verses of biblical texts.) The concert opened with a recording of Chassidic music, with the artists gradually joining in to produce a collage effect. This was followed by “Niggun rikud (Dance melody) sung in the typical style of vocal syllables, infused with mounting energy. The “Kulmus Hanefesh” songs reflect the eclectic quality of Hassidic music (and of that of its director); they include spiritual, joyful, soul-searching and intensively melodic moments, Yiddish word play, with some songs intimately prayerful and others brimming with harmonic color, jazzy effects and youthful vim.
“The Floating Tower” is a collection of Andre Hajdu’s Mishna Songs (1972-1973), as rearranged by the HaOman Hai Ensemble. (The Hebrew term “Mishnah” can refer to the full tradition of Oral Torah, transmitted and learned by word of mouth.) Hajdu poses the question as to how a modern person relates to these texts. He embarked on a two-year long private but intensive study of the texts, resulting in 56 settings of mishnaic texts. coming together under the title of “The Floating Tower”. The piece is a theatrical-musical work presenting ancient texts sung and accompanied in a rich variety of classical and modern styles. In fact, it is a veritable kaleidoscope of musical (and recorded crowd) effects, its musical influences spanning from the Renaissance to the 20th century, from Broadway associations, to a quote from Schubert’s “Marche militaire”, from whimsical, feisty percussive singing (The Rooster), to the music of Kurt Weill, to Jewish musical comedy, etc.
HaOman Hai has courageously come out with Jewish music in a presentation that is spiritually accessible to a wide audience. Hajdu and the young artists have immersed themselves in the meaning of the music, have allowed the texts to affect them on different levels and have over-layered them with their own personal interpretations. They play and sing both with conviction and convincingly, both individually and together. The performance is as original as it is deeply rooted in tradition. One hearing is not enough.
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Andre Hajdu,
Eitan Kirsch,
Yair Harel,
Yonatan Niv
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Musical Concerto - !6th and 17th vocal and instrumental music directed by Roberto Gini at the Einav Center (Tel Aviv)
The concert bore the title “Musical Concerto of Madrigals, Arias, Canzonettas and Sonatas by Signor Claudio Monteverdi and Other Excellent Composers”. Under the direction of viola da gamba player Roberto Gini, on this occasion at the harpsichord (playing a Henk Klop instrument) it took place at the Einav Center (Tel Aviv) on October 2nd 2010, following a week of an intensive 17th century seminar of secular music led by Maestro Gini (Italy), soprano Antonella Gianese (Italy) and recorder player Drora Bruck (Israel). Prior to the concert itself, we heard a few words from Ms. Carmella Calea of the Italian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv, the organization having generously supported the evening’s concert. The above-mentioned artists were joined by Israeli artists, all active in the lively local early music scene - soprano Ayala Sicron, baritone Yair Polishook, Baroque violinist Noam Schuss, Baroque ‘cellist Orit Messer Jacobi and theorbo player Eitan Hoffer.
The program focused on Italian secular music of the 16th- and 17th centuries - on arias, madrigals and on canzonettas. Gini referred to the different character of each vocal genre, who performed them and for whom performed. Interspersed were some representative instrumental works of the time.
Court composer Sigismondo D’India (1582-1629) referred to himself as “nobile palermitano” (a nobleman from Palermo). His monody “Piangono al pianger mio” (When I weep wild beasts weep too) (1609) was sung by soprano Ayala Sicron. Roberto Gini and Orit Messer provided the ostinato over which Sicron wove and built the increasingly emotional and musical intricacies of Ottavio Rinuccini’s poem of lovesick despair. The artists paced themselves, allowing for D’India’s word painting and musical effects to permeate the scene.
From the VII Libro di Madrigali of 1619 (Venice), Claudio Monteverdi’s (1567-1643) “Chiome d’oro” (Golden Tresses) presents a vigorous juxtaposition of two duets – two sopranos (Gianese, Sicron) against violin (Schuss) and recorder (Bruck), each pair presenting its own agenda, the audience kept on its toes by sudden departures from established musical patterns.
‘Golden tresses, oh so precious,
You bind me in a thousand ways
Whether coiled or flowing freely.
…Oh dear bonds in which I take delight!
Oh fair mortality!
Oh welcome wound!’
Theorbo player Eitan Hoffer poignantly led the audience into Jacopo Peri’s (1561-1633) “Caro e soave legno” (Dear and sweet lute) (1609). Till 1671, there had been a papal ban on women performing on the Roman stage and this piece, its text possibly by Rinuccini, was probably performed by three equal voices, most likely castrati singers. From 1600 to 1603, Peri was employed as accompanist and composer for the Concerto de’ castrati. As sung here by sopranos Gianese, Sicron and baritone Polishook, the question of vocal balance remains. In another Peri madrigal for 3 voices “O dolce anima mia” (O my sweet soul), from the same years of Peri’s employ, we heard a competent performance peppered with ornaments and melismatic passages.
Antonella Gianese performed Monteverdi’s aria “Et e pur dunque vero” (And as to the truth), a veritable mini-drama, a compelling and exciting work. Not the only heart-rending outpouring included in the composer’s 1632 edition of “Scherzi musicali cioe Arie, & Madrigali”, the performance was greatly enhanced by tasteful recorder soli (Bruck).
The “Canzonette spirituali e morali” are among Monteverdi’s earliest secular works; lightweight but clever in their wordplay, they are designed to entertain all who listen to them. By 1584 the precocious young composer was turning out canzonets that showed polyphonic skill incorporated with the use of dance and folk music and unrestrained joy and humor. We were presented with a number of them, to the enjoyment of all - artists and audience alike. Following the strophic canzonet “Fugi fugi se vuoi vincere” (Escape, escape if you wish to be victorous) we heard the instrumental ensemble in a fine performance of Biagio Marini’s (1597-1665) Sonata sopra “Fuggi dolente core” (Escape wretched heart) for chamber instruments and continuo (1655). Essentially a set of variations, it uses the melody of the above song as a wandering cantus firmus.
As to the instrumental pieces, we heard Salomone Rossi’s (1570-1630) Sonata a 2 in diologo detta “La Viena”, in which violinist Noam Schuss and Drora Bruck communicated in a poetic dialogue. In sonatas by Milanese composer Giovanni Paolo Cima (1570-1622) we were treated to superb recorder playing by Bruck (Sonata a Flauto e Violone). Messer Jacobi and Schuss’s knowledge of style and unfailing excellence made for a delightful reading of Cima’s Sonata for Violin and Violone (1610). Altogether, the instrumentalists supported the singers and graced the evening with precise and elegant playing.
Bringing the concert to an end, singers and instrumentalists joined to present Monteverdi’s colorful, courtly Entrata e Balletto “De la bellezza le dovute lodi” (Beauty’s Due Praises) (1607).
Roberto Gini’s programs have theme and direction. Gini puts works and composers into perspective; concert-goers will always leave his concerts with new knowledge, The printed program, in both Italian and Hebrew, included detail as to each composer and piece.
The program focused on Italian secular music of the 16th- and 17th centuries - on arias, madrigals and on canzonettas. Gini referred to the different character of each vocal genre, who performed them and for whom performed. Interspersed were some representative instrumental works of the time.
Court composer Sigismondo D’India (1582-1629) referred to himself as “nobile palermitano” (a nobleman from Palermo). His monody “Piangono al pianger mio” (When I weep wild beasts weep too) (1609) was sung by soprano Ayala Sicron. Roberto Gini and Orit Messer provided the ostinato over which Sicron wove and built the increasingly emotional and musical intricacies of Ottavio Rinuccini’s poem of lovesick despair. The artists paced themselves, allowing for D’India’s word painting and musical effects to permeate the scene.
From the VII Libro di Madrigali of 1619 (Venice), Claudio Monteverdi’s (1567-1643) “Chiome d’oro” (Golden Tresses) presents a vigorous juxtaposition of two duets – two sopranos (Gianese, Sicron) against violin (Schuss) and recorder (Bruck), each pair presenting its own agenda, the audience kept on its toes by sudden departures from established musical patterns.
‘Golden tresses, oh so precious,
You bind me in a thousand ways
Whether coiled or flowing freely.
…Oh dear bonds in which I take delight!
Oh fair mortality!
Oh welcome wound!’
Theorbo player Eitan Hoffer poignantly led the audience into Jacopo Peri’s (1561-1633) “Caro e soave legno” (Dear and sweet lute) (1609). Till 1671, there had been a papal ban on women performing on the Roman stage and this piece, its text possibly by Rinuccini, was probably performed by three equal voices, most likely castrati singers. From 1600 to 1603, Peri was employed as accompanist and composer for the Concerto de’ castrati. As sung here by sopranos Gianese, Sicron and baritone Polishook, the question of vocal balance remains. In another Peri madrigal for 3 voices “O dolce anima mia” (O my sweet soul), from the same years of Peri’s employ, we heard a competent performance peppered with ornaments and melismatic passages.
Antonella Gianese performed Monteverdi’s aria “Et e pur dunque vero” (And as to the truth), a veritable mini-drama, a compelling and exciting work. Not the only heart-rending outpouring included in the composer’s 1632 edition of “Scherzi musicali cioe Arie, & Madrigali”, the performance was greatly enhanced by tasteful recorder soli (Bruck).
The “Canzonette spirituali e morali” are among Monteverdi’s earliest secular works; lightweight but clever in their wordplay, they are designed to entertain all who listen to them. By 1584 the precocious young composer was turning out canzonets that showed polyphonic skill incorporated with the use of dance and folk music and unrestrained joy and humor. We were presented with a number of them, to the enjoyment of all - artists and audience alike. Following the strophic canzonet “Fugi fugi se vuoi vincere” (Escape, escape if you wish to be victorous) we heard the instrumental ensemble in a fine performance of Biagio Marini’s (1597-1665) Sonata sopra “Fuggi dolente core” (Escape wretched heart) for chamber instruments and continuo (1655). Essentially a set of variations, it uses the melody of the above song as a wandering cantus firmus.
As to the instrumental pieces, we heard Salomone Rossi’s (1570-1630) Sonata a 2 in diologo detta “La Viena”, in which violinist Noam Schuss and Drora Bruck communicated in a poetic dialogue. In sonatas by Milanese composer Giovanni Paolo Cima (1570-1622) we were treated to superb recorder playing by Bruck (Sonata a Flauto e Violone). Messer Jacobi and Schuss’s knowledge of style and unfailing excellence made for a delightful reading of Cima’s Sonata for Violin and Violone (1610). Altogether, the instrumentalists supported the singers and graced the evening with precise and elegant playing.
Bringing the concert to an end, singers and instrumentalists joined to present Monteverdi’s colorful, courtly Entrata e Balletto “De la bellezza le dovute lodi” (Beauty’s Due Praises) (1607).
Roberto Gini’s programs have theme and direction. Gini puts works and composers into perspective; concert-goers will always leave his concerts with new knowledge, The printed program, in both Italian and Hebrew, included detail as to each composer and piece.
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