On July 20th 2009, the Melzer Recorder Consort performed a concert at Jerusalem’s Beit Avi Chai. A family affair, the ensemble consists of Michael Melzer, his wife Yael Shimshoni-Melzer and Michael’s brother, Ezer Melzer. In the days preceding the fast day of the 9th of Av, the Hebrew date commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem, Jews observe mourning. The theme of the concert was that of mourning - “There we sat and wept” (Psalm 137).
The scene was set with the introspective Chaconne from Henry Purcell’s “Dioclesian” (1690). We then heard an arrangement of the J.S.Bach’s keyboard piece “Capriccio on the Departure of his Dearly Beloved Brother” BWV 992 (c.1705). Bach’s brother, Jacob, was leaving to join the Swedish Guard. The piece itself includes the descending minor tetrachord ostinato in the bass line, a motif symbolizing lament. This was the young J.S.Bach’s attempt to write a program work, and, in fact, the composer described details of the minor drama in words on the manuscript itself. The work was performed on soprano- and bass recorders.
The Italian composer and violinist Salamone Rossi of Mantua was a member of the illustrious Italian-Jewish “de Rossi” family, a family which included the controversial Bible scholar Azariah de Rossi and several fine musicians. Rossi’s ancestry can be traced back to their exile from Jerusalem. Rossi is known for his innovative writing of synagogue music; however, the Melzer Consort began by playing a group of his miniature Sinfonias for three recorders. Fine fare for recorder-players, the pieces were presented articulately and were skillfully ornamented. From the composer’s “HaShirim Asher liShlomo” (Songs of Solomon) published in 1623 using the original Hebrew texts, we heard Rossi’s “Kaddish”, composed in the style of the balletto – the most popular vocal form in 17th century Italy. Performing it on soprano-, alto- and tenor recorders, the trio gave expression to its typically Italian mood changes, from serious duple passages to the more joyful triple meter sections. For their instrumental version of Psalm 137 on two alto recorders, tenor and bass, young Shaked Engelberg joined the ensemble in this cantabile, flowing piece which depicts the suffering of exiled Jews and their longing for Jerusalem. Rossi’s dissonances were woven delicately into the cantabile texture, as was the finely crafted end of the piece.
‘By the rivers of Babylon - there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.
On the willows there we hung up our harps.
For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked us for mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion”.
How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?’
English lutenist and composer John Dowland’s (c.1563-1626) “Lachrimae” (Tears) cycle of pavans, composed in a variety of scorings, is a personal, emotional and spiritual journey, presenting some of the greatest music of Dowland’s time. It also represents the cult of melancholy running through 16th century art, literature and music, and the works quote his song “Flow my Tears”, the beginning of each sounding the four-note descending “tear motif” mentioned above. The work’s importance is also reflected in its use as the basis for works by several other composers. We heard Michael Melzer playing Jacob van Eyck’s variations on Dowland’s Lachrimae. Van Eyck (c.1589-1657) a blind nobleman, was a scientist, carillonneur, a recorder virtuoso and composer from Utrecht. His collection of “Der Fluyten Lust-hof (The Recorder’s Pleasure Garden) contains variations on secular and sacred tunes familiar at the time and offers a rare insight into late Renaissance and early Baroque variation techniques. It is clear that the variations were the results of Van Eyck’s own brilliant improvisations and they are, indeed, more than challenging to perform. We heard Michael Melzer performing van Eyck’s Variations on Dowland’s “Lachrimae” (published 1644) on a Renaissance recorder. He draws his listeners into meaning of the melodic line, giving it time to breathe, then moving on to the increasing intricacies of each variation, never allowing the virtuosic nature of the work to camouflage the musical line. With the unadorned melody returning at the end, Melzer once again reminds us of Dowland’s lament and the theme of the evening.
The cosmopolitan German Baroque composer, organist and keyboard virtuoso Johann Jakob Froberger (1616-1667) is known for his highly idiomatic and personal harpsichord pieces, these being considered early examples of program music. Such was his “Lamento sopra la dolorosa perdita della Real Maesta di Ferdinando IV Re de Romani”. As the first movement of his Partita no 12 (1656), this allemande mourns the death of the eldest of the Emperor’s sons, who was later to have ruled Austria. The movement, scored for soprano-, tenor- and bass recorders, is slow in tempo – a veritable lament - offering Michael Melzer on soprano recorder much scope for expression. It ends with a rising C major scale, possibly symbolizing the 21-year-old’s ascent to heaven.
An interesting item on the program was a Bach duet (Michael and Yael Melzer) followed by a transitional section leading the audience away from the High German Baroque into the oriental fragrances of Ladino song. “Nani,nani” is a Ladino lullaby telling of a wife whose unfaithful husband comes home from visiting his lover. Michael Melzer’s arrangement of this beautiful melody is masterful in its rich array of ideas, his varied use of recorders (and voice) and its attention to style and to exotic effects. The artists’ performance of the work was polished and alluring.
Composer, ‘cellist and teacher Joachim Stutshewsky (1891-1982) was born in the Ukraine to a family of klezmer musicians. He immigrated to Israel in 1938. His “Romance” for solo flute (1956) is an example of the synthesis he endeavored to create of his own musical background with the Yemenite, Ladino and Arabic musical style he was hearing in Israel. Professor Michael Melzer, himself fascinated by the wealth of musical styles from different ethnic groups in Israel, has reworked the piece for three alto recorders, yet carefully preserving the composer’s concept of a single melodic line. This melodic line is passed from one player to the next, to be punctuated by an occasional cluster which rapidly dissipates, restoring the texture to the single thread. The overall effect was poignant, one of sadness but also of hope.
The program included two trio sonatas – one transcribed from J.S.Bach’s organ sonata in D minor BWV 527, the concert ending with a trio sonata by Salamone Rossi Hebreo. The Melzer Consort’s program was thought-provoking, its quality of performance reflecting profound reading into works and a high standard of recorder-playing .
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The PHOENIX Ensemble - In the Green Fields of Scotland
The evening of July 12th 2009 was balmy. Through the large arched windows of the auditorium of the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies (Mormon University), manicured gardens meet the eye; the background is the Old City of Jerusalem, spread out before us, with its countless square, stone buildings, small towers dotted here and there and the wall surrounding it. The gold on the Dome of the Rock Mosque sparkles in the last rays of daylight as the sky slowly turns from beige to indigo blue.
The PHOENIX Ensemble was presenting “In the Green Fields of Scotland” in the Brigham Young’s series of Sunday Evening Classics. Those performing were Brazilian-born researcher and teacher Myrna Herzog, the ensemble’s founder and musical director on treble and bass viols, Marina Minkin - harpsichord and organ - and soprano Tamar Kleinberger.
‘High in the misty Highlands,
Out by the purple islands,
Brave are the hearts that beat
Beneath Scottish skies.
Wild are the winds to meet you,
Staunch are the friends that greet you,
Kind as the love that shines from fair maiden’s eyes.’
The above verse is taken from “Scotland the Brave”, one of the traditional bagpipe tunes played by Herzog on the treble viol. Herzog’s performance of them was evocative and true to bagpipe style, with the artist adorning the beautiful melodies with a wistful touch of the characteristic drone. Her reading of “Amazing Grace” was moving.
Israeli soprano Tamar Kleinberger has a wide repertoire and has performed widely in Israel, England and Europe. Her years of study in Britain and fine command of British English make her well suited to singing Scottish songs. She uses her stable, silvery voice to convey the gestures of each song, never overstepping the bounds of good taste. The 16th century songs she performed speak of May - the season of love, of fidelity, of parting and of unreciprocated love. Andro Blackhall (c.1535-1609) was the most important of the first generation of post-Reformation Scottish composers. His jolly “Adieu, o desie of delyt” is in the form of a letter from a man to his lady. The anonymous “Let not, I say, the sluggish sleep” has religious content, its words suggesting that one’s soul should be examined before drifting into sleep at night. In this song, Herzog takes the melody of one stanza into the high register of the bass viol, creating an interesting timbre. Her arrangements of all these strophic songs delight the senses, offer instrumental solos and allow for a little ornamentation; she has the bass viol double the melody or add an extra melodic line to the song. Minkin’s fineness of taste and elegant harpsichord technique give the songs an air of delicacy. Unfortunately, not all the words came across clearly. Whether an issue of diction or balance, or both, it would have been helpful to have words of the songs printed on the program.
A pleasing combination was of the cantabile 17th century Scottish song “Tweedside” sung by Kleinberger, followed by Italian composer and violinist Francesco Maria Veracini’s (1690-1768) Scottish Sonata upon Tweedside for viola da gamba and continuo. Veracini was never in Scotland but spent time in London, where Scottish songs were all the craze. Herzog and Minkin gave a contrasted performance of this sonata, starting with its gentle first movement and moving into the abrasive introduction of the second, in which the song is then quoted. The resulting Scozzesse is a clever fusion of Scottish and Italian styles, with the following expressive Largo changing the mood once again. The work, itself, offers both artists opportunities for individual expression and was much enjoyed by the audience.
For a change of atmosphere, Marina Minkin, born in the Ukraine and in Israel since 1981, played an “In Nomine” by the English composer, keyboard player and organ builder John Bull (c.1562-1628). An organ piece of gradual harmonic and contrapuntal development, Minkin’s leisurely pace showed the listener through the text of the “In Nomine”. This work was well suited to the organ of the auditorium.
The concert ended with a group of Scottish folk songs, including the much discussed “Loch Lomond”. The style of Herzog’s settings reflects the fact these songs are “early music”. Her poignant setting of “I’m owre young to marry yet” for voice and viol was a treat.
In this momentary journey, the PHOENIX Ensemble placed before us the fresh greenness of Scotland’s scenery, its history and its poetry, in a concert beautifully presented and worked in fine detail.
The PHOENIX Ensemble was presenting “In the Green Fields of Scotland” in the Brigham Young’s series of Sunday Evening Classics. Those performing were Brazilian-born researcher and teacher Myrna Herzog, the ensemble’s founder and musical director on treble and bass viols, Marina Minkin - harpsichord and organ - and soprano Tamar Kleinberger.
‘High in the misty Highlands,
Out by the purple islands,
Brave are the hearts that beat
Beneath Scottish skies.
Wild are the winds to meet you,
Staunch are the friends that greet you,
Kind as the love that shines from fair maiden’s eyes.’
The above verse is taken from “Scotland the Brave”, one of the traditional bagpipe tunes played by Herzog on the treble viol. Herzog’s performance of them was evocative and true to bagpipe style, with the artist adorning the beautiful melodies with a wistful touch of the characteristic drone. Her reading of “Amazing Grace” was moving.
Israeli soprano Tamar Kleinberger has a wide repertoire and has performed widely in Israel, England and Europe. Her years of study in Britain and fine command of British English make her well suited to singing Scottish songs. She uses her stable, silvery voice to convey the gestures of each song, never overstepping the bounds of good taste. The 16th century songs she performed speak of May - the season of love, of fidelity, of parting and of unreciprocated love. Andro Blackhall (c.1535-1609) was the most important of the first generation of post-Reformation Scottish composers. His jolly “Adieu, o desie of delyt” is in the form of a letter from a man to his lady. The anonymous “Let not, I say, the sluggish sleep” has religious content, its words suggesting that one’s soul should be examined before drifting into sleep at night. In this song, Herzog takes the melody of one stanza into the high register of the bass viol, creating an interesting timbre. Her arrangements of all these strophic songs delight the senses, offer instrumental solos and allow for a little ornamentation; she has the bass viol double the melody or add an extra melodic line to the song. Minkin’s fineness of taste and elegant harpsichord technique give the songs an air of delicacy. Unfortunately, not all the words came across clearly. Whether an issue of diction or balance, or both, it would have been helpful to have words of the songs printed on the program.
A pleasing combination was of the cantabile 17th century Scottish song “Tweedside” sung by Kleinberger, followed by Italian composer and violinist Francesco Maria Veracini’s (1690-1768) Scottish Sonata upon Tweedside for viola da gamba and continuo. Veracini was never in Scotland but spent time in London, where Scottish songs were all the craze. Herzog and Minkin gave a contrasted performance of this sonata, starting with its gentle first movement and moving into the abrasive introduction of the second, in which the song is then quoted. The resulting Scozzesse is a clever fusion of Scottish and Italian styles, with the following expressive Largo changing the mood once again. The work, itself, offers both artists opportunities for individual expression and was much enjoyed by the audience.
For a change of atmosphere, Marina Minkin, born in the Ukraine and in Israel since 1981, played an “In Nomine” by the English composer, keyboard player and organ builder John Bull (c.1562-1628). An organ piece of gradual harmonic and contrapuntal development, Minkin’s leisurely pace showed the listener through the text of the “In Nomine”. This work was well suited to the organ of the auditorium.
The concert ended with a group of Scottish folk songs, including the much discussed “Loch Lomond”. The style of Herzog’s settings reflects the fact these songs are “early music”. Her poignant setting of “I’m owre young to marry yet” for voice and viol was a treat.
In this momentary journey, the PHOENIX Ensemble placed before us the fresh greenness of Scotland’s scenery, its history and its poetry, in a concert beautifully presented and worked in fine detail.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Barrocade's "Alla Neapolitana" at the Jerusalem YMCA
Barrocade, the Israeli Baroque Collective, brought its second concert season to a close July 2nd 2009, at the Mary Nathaniel Golden Hall of Friendship of the Jerusalem YMCA with “Neapolitan Sounds”. The ensemble plays without a conductor, all members contributing ideas as to how each work is to be performed.
Neapolitan composers of the early 18th century were famous for their operas. The works heard in this concert, however, remind one of the wonderful instrumental writing of the time. The concert opened with Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s (1710-1736) Sinfonia in F major, scored for strings and continuo. A fitting, Italian-style aperitif, it was played with grace and humor.
Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816), one of the most successful and influential opera composers of his time, had a colorful life. Educated in Naples, his professional life took him to Vienna, Paris and Russia, but he returned to Naples. He composed more than 80 operas, 40 masses and some instrumental music. Jacob Reuven was the soloist in Paisiello’s Mandolin Concerto in E flat major. (Actually, there is some doubt as to whether this concerto was really composed by Paisiello.) A work of delicacy, the first movement – Allegro maestoso – features several duet passages involving mandolin (Reuven) and violin (Shlomit Sivan), in which both artists collaborated very closely, the violin never overpowering the gentle mandolin. In the second movement - Larghetto grazioso – the ensemble’s bass instruments were a little too heavy for Reuven’s cantabile passages. His tiny cadenza was a pleasing treat. In the final dancelike allegretto, Reuven frolics and glides through the movement with ease and charm.
Pergolesi, himself, was a brilliant violinist. His gift for vocal writing shines through in his forceful yet elegant Violin Concerto in B flat major. Soloist was Israeli violinist and violist Nitai Zori. From the very first notes of the opening Allegro, Zori is commanding in his energy and forthright approach. Playing with virtuosity and temperament, he breathes life into the score, watching his fellow players all the way, using small rests for dramatic effect. In the Largo, Zori, shapes and colors the Siciliano-type line; he follows this with an articulate and brilliant performance of the final Allegro. This was Zori’s first performance on Baroque violin, and a gripping performance it was, too.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was the only outsider in the concert, visiting from Venice. His Concerto for Two Mandolins, Strings and Continuo in G major, RV 532, composed some time before 1732, was probably intended for the mandolino, a 6-stringed instrument popular in Venice at the time. Soloists were seasoned performers - Alon Sariel and Jacob Reuven. In the opening Allegro in ritornello form, soloists Sariel and Reuven interact, joining the carefree, lightly crisp tempo. In the Andante movement, in D minor, with the mandolins backed only by pizzicato violins and violas, Sariel and Reuven weave melodic lines, overlap and imitate, their finely coordinated and ornamented phrases crafted with exquisite delicacy. The last movement, also in ritornello form, returns us to the earlier driving rhythms, the two soloists dealing with its intricacies with ease and youthful joy.
After intermission, the concert audience was transported from the Jerusalem YMCA hall to a small venue in Naples, perhaps a restaurant by the port. The lighting may have been turned low and we could have been seated around heavy wooden tables, with handsome Italian waiters pouring us glasses of wine from carafes. We were to hear a selection of Neapolitan songs performed by opera singer - soprano Amalia Ishak. Born in Israel, Ishak has spent time in Italy, studying at the Cherubini Conservatory in Florence. She invites her audience to emote with her, to shed its concert hall formality and join her in the extravagancies of Italian song. She opens with Vincenzo D’Annibale’s “O paese d’o sole” (O Land of Sun.), and, with the nostalgic strains of mandolins suggesting a Mediterranean summer’s day, we join Ishak in her flamboyant presentation of Italian joy, here and there tainted by bitterly disappointed love.
‘Today I am so happy
That I feel like crying.
Is it true, can it be,
Have I returned to Naples?
Am I here?
The train was still in the station
When I heard the first songs of the mandolins.”
Ishak has a large voice, she uses the space of her stage and indulges in the sentiments the songs depict as if her own. Salvatore Cardillo (1874-1947) composed the beautiful Neapolitan song “Core ‘ngrato” (Ungrateful Heart) in 1911 for Enrico Caruso. Ishak’s performance of it is melodramatic but she shows fine control of piano passages.
The ensemble played a vibrant and spirited arrangement of G. Rossini’s (1792-1868) tarantella “La Danza”, much to the enjoyment of the audience. The Barrocade Ensemble had put a lot of time and hard work into the instrumental arrangements of song accompaniments, some of which were adapted from poorly handwritten copies. Some were even played from chord schemes, with the players improvising around them. The end result was most effective.
Neapolitan composers of the early 18th century were famous for their operas. The works heard in this concert, however, remind one of the wonderful instrumental writing of the time. The concert opened with Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s (1710-1736) Sinfonia in F major, scored for strings and continuo. A fitting, Italian-style aperitif, it was played with grace and humor.
Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816), one of the most successful and influential opera composers of his time, had a colorful life. Educated in Naples, his professional life took him to Vienna, Paris and Russia, but he returned to Naples. He composed more than 80 operas, 40 masses and some instrumental music. Jacob Reuven was the soloist in Paisiello’s Mandolin Concerto in E flat major. (Actually, there is some doubt as to whether this concerto was really composed by Paisiello.) A work of delicacy, the first movement – Allegro maestoso – features several duet passages involving mandolin (Reuven) and violin (Shlomit Sivan), in which both artists collaborated very closely, the violin never overpowering the gentle mandolin. In the second movement - Larghetto grazioso – the ensemble’s bass instruments were a little too heavy for Reuven’s cantabile passages. His tiny cadenza was a pleasing treat. In the final dancelike allegretto, Reuven frolics and glides through the movement with ease and charm.
Pergolesi, himself, was a brilliant violinist. His gift for vocal writing shines through in his forceful yet elegant Violin Concerto in B flat major. Soloist was Israeli violinist and violist Nitai Zori. From the very first notes of the opening Allegro, Zori is commanding in his energy and forthright approach. Playing with virtuosity and temperament, he breathes life into the score, watching his fellow players all the way, using small rests for dramatic effect. In the Largo, Zori, shapes and colors the Siciliano-type line; he follows this with an articulate and brilliant performance of the final Allegro. This was Zori’s first performance on Baroque violin, and a gripping performance it was, too.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was the only outsider in the concert, visiting from Venice. His Concerto for Two Mandolins, Strings and Continuo in G major, RV 532, composed some time before 1732, was probably intended for the mandolino, a 6-stringed instrument popular in Venice at the time. Soloists were seasoned performers - Alon Sariel and Jacob Reuven. In the opening Allegro in ritornello form, soloists Sariel and Reuven interact, joining the carefree, lightly crisp tempo. In the Andante movement, in D minor, with the mandolins backed only by pizzicato violins and violas, Sariel and Reuven weave melodic lines, overlap and imitate, their finely coordinated and ornamented phrases crafted with exquisite delicacy. The last movement, also in ritornello form, returns us to the earlier driving rhythms, the two soloists dealing with its intricacies with ease and youthful joy.
After intermission, the concert audience was transported from the Jerusalem YMCA hall to a small venue in Naples, perhaps a restaurant by the port. The lighting may have been turned low and we could have been seated around heavy wooden tables, with handsome Italian waiters pouring us glasses of wine from carafes. We were to hear a selection of Neapolitan songs performed by opera singer - soprano Amalia Ishak. Born in Israel, Ishak has spent time in Italy, studying at the Cherubini Conservatory in Florence. She invites her audience to emote with her, to shed its concert hall formality and join her in the extravagancies of Italian song. She opens with Vincenzo D’Annibale’s “O paese d’o sole” (O Land of Sun.), and, with the nostalgic strains of mandolins suggesting a Mediterranean summer’s day, we join Ishak in her flamboyant presentation of Italian joy, here and there tainted by bitterly disappointed love.
‘Today I am so happy
That I feel like crying.
Is it true, can it be,
Have I returned to Naples?
Am I here?
The train was still in the station
When I heard the first songs of the mandolins.”
Ishak has a large voice, she uses the space of her stage and indulges in the sentiments the songs depict as if her own. Salvatore Cardillo (1874-1947) composed the beautiful Neapolitan song “Core ‘ngrato” (Ungrateful Heart) in 1911 for Enrico Caruso. Ishak’s performance of it is melodramatic but she shows fine control of piano passages.
The ensemble played a vibrant and spirited arrangement of G. Rossini’s (1792-1868) tarantella “La Danza”, much to the enjoyment of the audience. The Barrocade Ensemble had put a lot of time and hard work into the instrumental arrangements of song accompaniments, some of which were adapted from poorly handwritten copies. Some were even played from chord schemes, with the players improvising around them. The end result was most effective.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Israel Camerata Jerusalem "Sacred and Profane". Works by Aharon Harlap, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel and Felix Mendelssohn
Bringing its 25th season to a festive end, the Israel Camerata Jerusalem presented “Sacred and Profane”, the sixth concert in “The Human Voice” series June 29th 2009 at the Henry Crown Symphony Hall of the Jerusalem Theatre. Commemorating 200 years of Felix Mendelssohn’s birth, the program included two works by the composer, one by his sister Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, the concert opening with Aharon Harlap’s “Psalms”.
Canadian-born composer Aharon Harlap (b.1941) immigrated to Israel in 1964. The recipient of several awards for composition, he conducts and is a member of faculty at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. Harlap’s “Psalms” were initially composed for soprano, piano and clarinet and first performed in 2002. The performance we heard was the first in its new scoring for strings, clarinet and soprano. Psalm 122 “I rejoiced with those who said to me/ “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”, Psalm 113 “Praise the Lord./ Praise, O servants of the Lord/ Praise the name of the Lord” and Psalm 43 “Vindicate me, o God/ And plead my cause against an ungodly nation;/ Rescue me from deceitful and wicked men” make up the three movements of the work, each different in character. Harlap’s orchestration is masterful, lush and expressive; clarinet and vocal line are both prominent and part of the texture. Psalm 113 was joyful and had jazzy colorings, with Psalm 43 contrasting in its vehemence and poignancy. Israeli soprano Efrat Carmoush, aware of each verbal- and musical gesture, gave a meaningful performance of the work. Her voice boasts color and presence. Clarinetist Ilan Schul’s performance was lyrical and polished.
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel (1805-1847), Felix Mendelssohn’s elder sister, a fine pianist and composer in her own right who was underappreciated for many years, has since become recognized as a major 19th century composer. Although her career was restrained by early 19th century attitudes to women wanting careers, her oeuvre consists of over 250 Lieder, 125 piano pieces, a string quartet, an overture, a piano trio and cantatas. Goethe had spoken of her as Felix’s “equally gifted sister”. Many of her works were performed in the “Sonntagmusik” (Sunday music, the Mendelssohn family salon concerts which she had herself had revived.) The opportunity to now have her works performed inspired her to write four cantatas from 1831 to 1832. In the Camerata concert, we heard the Israeli premiere of “Hiob” (Job) – a cantata for choir and orchestra, a work of meticulous structure, excellent orchestration and layered choral writing. Fanny Mendelssohn’s strong grounding in late Baroque music (her only son was named Sebastian) makes itself felt. The Chamber Choir of the Jerusalem Academy of Music’s (Stanley Sperber – conductor and musical director) performance was finely chiseled, its training, technique and musicianship giving expression to the rich texturing of the work as well as to the verbal text.
Felix Mendelssohn’s (1809-1847) referred to his setting of Psalm 42 “Wie der Hirsch schreit nach frischem Wasser” (As the Hart Longs for Running Streams) opus 42 composed in 1837, as “my best sacred piece…the best thing I have composed in this manner…” and required that the work be performed with particular tenderness. Built of seven sections, Biron opened with the first, much-loved chorus paced not too fast, the result being a clean, poignant and impressively noble reading of the movement. This was, indeed, a highlight of the concert. In the second section, the superb oboe accompaniment played by Muki Zohar, sets the scene for Carmoush’s expressive treatment of “Meine Seele duerstet nach Gott” (My Soul Thirsts for God). Her German pronunciation is pleasing and clear.
Mendelssohn’s Symphony no. 4 in A major opus 90 “Italian” was begun in 1832, during his two-year stay in Italy, and completed on his return to Berlin. It was inspired by the art, the natural surroundings and the happy temperament of the Italian people. From the outset, the Camerata’s fine woodwind section gave authenticity to the typical Mendelssohn orchestration of this exuberant work. The second movement – Andante con moto – was played with delicacy and charm. In the fourth movement, a saltarello – a Neapolitan dance of hops and leaps - Biron gives Mendelssohn’s dynamics front stage, yet still sketching in fine, filigree melodic lines. Avner Biron is leading the Israel Camerata Jerusalem from strength to strength. His programming is creative, offering orchestral concerts of a high quality that delight his audiences.
Canadian-born composer Aharon Harlap (b.1941) immigrated to Israel in 1964. The recipient of several awards for composition, he conducts and is a member of faculty at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. Harlap’s “Psalms” were initially composed for soprano, piano and clarinet and first performed in 2002. The performance we heard was the first in its new scoring for strings, clarinet and soprano. Psalm 122 “I rejoiced with those who said to me/ “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”, Psalm 113 “Praise the Lord./ Praise, O servants of the Lord/ Praise the name of the Lord” and Psalm 43 “Vindicate me, o God/ And plead my cause against an ungodly nation;/ Rescue me from deceitful and wicked men” make up the three movements of the work, each different in character. Harlap’s orchestration is masterful, lush and expressive; clarinet and vocal line are both prominent and part of the texture. Psalm 113 was joyful and had jazzy colorings, with Psalm 43 contrasting in its vehemence and poignancy. Israeli soprano Efrat Carmoush, aware of each verbal- and musical gesture, gave a meaningful performance of the work. Her voice boasts color and presence. Clarinetist Ilan Schul’s performance was lyrical and polished.
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel (1805-1847), Felix Mendelssohn’s elder sister, a fine pianist and composer in her own right who was underappreciated for many years, has since become recognized as a major 19th century composer. Although her career was restrained by early 19th century attitudes to women wanting careers, her oeuvre consists of over 250 Lieder, 125 piano pieces, a string quartet, an overture, a piano trio and cantatas. Goethe had spoken of her as Felix’s “equally gifted sister”. Many of her works were performed in the “Sonntagmusik” (Sunday music, the Mendelssohn family salon concerts which she had herself had revived.) The opportunity to now have her works performed inspired her to write four cantatas from 1831 to 1832. In the Camerata concert, we heard the Israeli premiere of “Hiob” (Job) – a cantata for choir and orchestra, a work of meticulous structure, excellent orchestration and layered choral writing. Fanny Mendelssohn’s strong grounding in late Baroque music (her only son was named Sebastian) makes itself felt. The Chamber Choir of the Jerusalem Academy of Music’s (Stanley Sperber – conductor and musical director) performance was finely chiseled, its training, technique and musicianship giving expression to the rich texturing of the work as well as to the verbal text.
Felix Mendelssohn’s (1809-1847) referred to his setting of Psalm 42 “Wie der Hirsch schreit nach frischem Wasser” (As the Hart Longs for Running Streams) opus 42 composed in 1837, as “my best sacred piece…the best thing I have composed in this manner…” and required that the work be performed with particular tenderness. Built of seven sections, Biron opened with the first, much-loved chorus paced not too fast, the result being a clean, poignant and impressively noble reading of the movement. This was, indeed, a highlight of the concert. In the second section, the superb oboe accompaniment played by Muki Zohar, sets the scene for Carmoush’s expressive treatment of “Meine Seele duerstet nach Gott” (My Soul Thirsts for God). Her German pronunciation is pleasing and clear.
Mendelssohn’s Symphony no. 4 in A major opus 90 “Italian” was begun in 1832, during his two-year stay in Italy, and completed on his return to Berlin. It was inspired by the art, the natural surroundings and the happy temperament of the Italian people. From the outset, the Camerata’s fine woodwind section gave authenticity to the typical Mendelssohn orchestration of this exuberant work. The second movement – Andante con moto – was played with delicacy and charm. In the fourth movement, a saltarello – a Neapolitan dance of hops and leaps - Biron gives Mendelssohn’s dynamics front stage, yet still sketching in fine, filigree melodic lines. Avner Biron is leading the Israel Camerata Jerusalem from strength to strength. His programming is creative, offering orchestral concerts of a high quality that delight his audiences.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Three concerts of the 2009 "Sounding Jerusalem" Festival
The annual Sounding Jerusalem Festival (www.soundingjerusalem.com), was begun in 2006 by its artistic director – Austrian ‘cellist Erich Oskar Huetter - with the aim of bringing about a cultural dialogue between Europeans, Israelis and Palestinians. It offers the public free entry to a variety of chamber music concerts performed mostly by European musicians, with some Israeli- and Palestinian artists. The 2009 festival introduced a “mélange oriental” element, in which some works were infused with the diverse sounds of Jerusalem’s many cultural traditions.
Melange Oriental: Departure. June 13th 2009
The medieval courtyard of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem’s Old City was abuzz with people, quite a mix of people, all drawn to hearing a concert on a balmy Jerusalem evening and to experiencing a musical program with a difference. Sitting in the medieval courtyard, one becomes aware of the surrounding trees, the creepers cascading down from the walls, flocks of birds wheeling above and the muezzin calling to prayer; looking up, one sees the Redeemer Church tower is lit up. Daily life is light-years away.
The concert opened with Franz Schubert’s (1797-1828) String Quintet in C major D.956 performed by the Cuarteto Casals string quartet (Spain), joined by ‘cellist Erich Oskar Huetter. Composed two months before the composer’s death, its scoring for two ‘cellos gives this exuberant, youthfully energetic work power of expression and flexibility. The performance, led by the quartet’s ever-attentive and convincing first violinist – Vera Martinez Mehner – opened poetically, guiding the listener sensitively through the gamut of emotions in the Allegro ma non tanto movement. Schubert’s typical minor-major changes were effective and affective. Martinez Mehner wove the tirelessly searching opening melody of the Adagio movement gesture by gesture into an entity, to be contrasted with the intensely orchestrated turbulent and disquieting second part. In the final Allegretto, accented upbeats gave the dancelike movement energy, the players addressing imitations and using a gentle rubato to allow for flexibility. This was chamber music at its best.
The Melange Oriental work was a multimedia collage describing each of the four quarters of Jerusalem’s Old City – the Muslim Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter and the Christian Quarter. Created by Austrian pianist and accordionist Stefan Heckel, each “picture” opened with a street recording from that specific area - street vendors, bells, birds, Armenian monks - these merging into recorded electronic sound to be used as a basis for improvisation. Placed between them we heard an Arabic piece “Zikrayati” (My Memories), “Krunk” - a sad, lyrical Armenian migrant song, “Mahshav” - a piece by the eclectic Jewish American composer John Zorn (b.1953) and “Jerusalem” from Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Paulus”. Heckel plays with sound combinations and effects. The French flute Trio d’Argent produced different colors with different flutes, virtuoso double-bass player Ahmad Eid (Palestine) was creative, adding zip and spontaneity as well as percussive effects. This was surely the spirit of “Sounding Jerusalem”.
Nomadic Winds. June 15th 2009
Jerusalem’s Confederation House nestles in a verdant haven of sanity. As you approach the entrance, the olive tree is holding court, while the pomegranate displays its new, tiny star-shaped fruit.
“Nomadic Winds” included a slide show of the work of Amy Lyne (USA/France), a study of poverty, with pictures of people from Angola, Ethiopia and Afghanistan and elsewhere.
The Trio d’Argent (France), founded in 1984, devotes its time to teaching flute performance practice and in presenting concerts of an unconventional kind that reflect the players’ own personal aesthetic experiences and their travels. The players have a wide repertoire and play on various kinds of flutes.
We heard three pieces by F.Daudin Clavaud (b.1959), a member of the trio, the first being “Tahara, girafe d’Egypte” (Tahara, the Egyptian giraffe). At the beginning of the 19th century, Tahara was brought to France, landed in Marseille and was walked to Paris. What a colorful scene! The piece, involving some recorded sound, is performed on Senegalese flutes, involving breathy effects, physical swaying and some frenzied outbursts; but the general mood is one of “eternity of time” perhaps a desert scene. “Le Souffle d’Hermes” (Inspired by – or Breeze of, Hermes), a recent piece, describes a nomadic wind; the composer suggests we are all nomads. A mesmerizing kind of piece, interesting repetitive rhythmic patterns weave themselves around melodies and dynamic developments. Seated on cushions on the floor, the trio performed “Shadow Blues”, a piece written for theatre. Inspired by Japanese culture, the piece is exotic and mysterious, addressing the senses.
The trio presented some Classical fare: Haydn’s Trio in G major, Mozart’s “Pieces for Flutes” and Beethoven’s Variations on the theme “La ci darem la mano” from Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”. The Beethoven Variations were a fine vehicle for Trio d’Argent’s lively technique, strategic timing and humour.
Gualtiero Dazzi (b.1960) has lived in Italy, London and Mexico City and now lives in France. His music bears an eclectic stamp and his projects embrace theatre, film, video and sculpture. Dedicated to Trio D’Argent, “Augenblick” – German, meaning a “moment” or the “blink of an eye” – composed in 1996, refers to Hindu cosmogony in which great periods are delimited by time between two blinks of Brahma’s eyes. Scored for three bass flutes, the work evolves from a breathy screen effect to a collage of pitches, vibrato- and flatterzunge textures, soaring into a richly layered kaleidoscope.
Taking a chance and leaving conventional concert programs aside, the listener was taken to far-away places and invited to explore the hidden and exotic corners of his own mind. Trio d’Argent is daring, energetic and polished.
Dreams and Prayer. June 22nd 2009
Members of the Artis Quartet – 1st violinist Peter Schuhmayer, 2nd violinist Johannes Meissl, violist Herbert Kefer and Othmar Mueller – are not new to the Jerusalem concert scene. The illustrious quartet was formed in Vienna in 1980, performs widely and records and has been the recipient of many awards.
Joseph Haydn’s (1732-1809) “Sun” Quartets, opus 20, composed in 1772, represent an important stage in the classical string quartet, with Haydn now dividing musical interest more equally between the players than in his earlier chamber works. The Artis Quartet opened its program with the fourth of the opus 20 group, the D major String Quartet. The first movement, given a contrasted, articulate reading, its terse chords certainly not underplayed, was followed by attention devoted to the various melodic solos of the theme and four variations of the second movement, the players communicating closely on every gesture. The Menuet all zingarese reflected Haydn’s interest in folk music. The Artis Quartet’s work is detailed and note-perfect, keeping a safe distance from sentimentality.
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) composed his String Quartet no. 2 in A minor opus 13 at the age of 18. In the opening Adagio he quotes his own song “Ist es wahr?” (Is it true?) but the composer also shows Beethoven’s powerful influence in development sections and counterpoint used, with a quote from Beethoven’s String Quartet opus 130 in the slow movement. The third movement was played with lyrical charm, with the players reminding the audience once again, by the fourth movement, that Mendelssohn had Beethoven in mind when composing the quartet. The Artis Quartet guided the listener through the complex structures and recurring motifs running through and unifying the work.
Osvaldo Golijov was born in Argentina in 1960. The music he grew up with – chamber music, Jewish liturgical and klezmer music, as well as the tangos of Piazzolla - leave their imprint on his oeuvre. Golijov spent three years in Israel, emigrating to the USA in 1986. In 1997 he composed “The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind” for string quartet and clarinet. Isaac the Blind (Rabbi Yitzhak Saggi Nehor c.1160-1235) was a famous writer on Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism.) French clarinetist, teacher and researcher Michel Lethiec took on the highly demanding clarinet role, not that the string parts were less demanding! A highly emotional work, steeped in Jewish High Holyday prayer and klezmer music, the work’s theatrical aspect must be viewed, not just heard. A myriad of string effects form a basis for the dense scoring, with Lethiec changing mid-movement from the higher clarinets to bass clarinet, the work expressing the drama of the Jewish soul in its spiritual, joyful and tragic moments. A feat of brilliant writing and musicianship, all the players were totally immersed in the musical and personal message of the work. Professor Lethiec’s playing leaves his audience speechless. This was surely one of the most memorable moments of the 2009 “Sounding Jerusalem” concerts.
Melange Oriental: Departure. June 13th 2009
The medieval courtyard of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem’s Old City was abuzz with people, quite a mix of people, all drawn to hearing a concert on a balmy Jerusalem evening and to experiencing a musical program with a difference. Sitting in the medieval courtyard, one becomes aware of the surrounding trees, the creepers cascading down from the walls, flocks of birds wheeling above and the muezzin calling to prayer; looking up, one sees the Redeemer Church tower is lit up. Daily life is light-years away.
The concert opened with Franz Schubert’s (1797-1828) String Quintet in C major D.956 performed by the Cuarteto Casals string quartet (Spain), joined by ‘cellist Erich Oskar Huetter. Composed two months before the composer’s death, its scoring for two ‘cellos gives this exuberant, youthfully energetic work power of expression and flexibility. The performance, led by the quartet’s ever-attentive and convincing first violinist – Vera Martinez Mehner – opened poetically, guiding the listener sensitively through the gamut of emotions in the Allegro ma non tanto movement. Schubert’s typical minor-major changes were effective and affective. Martinez Mehner wove the tirelessly searching opening melody of the Adagio movement gesture by gesture into an entity, to be contrasted with the intensely orchestrated turbulent and disquieting second part. In the final Allegretto, accented upbeats gave the dancelike movement energy, the players addressing imitations and using a gentle rubato to allow for flexibility. This was chamber music at its best.
The Melange Oriental work was a multimedia collage describing each of the four quarters of Jerusalem’s Old City – the Muslim Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter and the Christian Quarter. Created by Austrian pianist and accordionist Stefan Heckel, each “picture” opened with a street recording from that specific area - street vendors, bells, birds, Armenian monks - these merging into recorded electronic sound to be used as a basis for improvisation. Placed between them we heard an Arabic piece “Zikrayati” (My Memories), “Krunk” - a sad, lyrical Armenian migrant song, “Mahshav” - a piece by the eclectic Jewish American composer John Zorn (b.1953) and “Jerusalem” from Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Paulus”. Heckel plays with sound combinations and effects. The French flute Trio d’Argent produced different colors with different flutes, virtuoso double-bass player Ahmad Eid (Palestine) was creative, adding zip and spontaneity as well as percussive effects. This was surely the spirit of “Sounding Jerusalem”.
Nomadic Winds. June 15th 2009
Jerusalem’s Confederation House nestles in a verdant haven of sanity. As you approach the entrance, the olive tree is holding court, while the pomegranate displays its new, tiny star-shaped fruit.
“Nomadic Winds” included a slide show of the work of Amy Lyne (USA/France), a study of poverty, with pictures of people from Angola, Ethiopia and Afghanistan and elsewhere.
The Trio d’Argent (France), founded in 1984, devotes its time to teaching flute performance practice and in presenting concerts of an unconventional kind that reflect the players’ own personal aesthetic experiences and their travels. The players have a wide repertoire and play on various kinds of flutes.
We heard three pieces by F.Daudin Clavaud (b.1959), a member of the trio, the first being “Tahara, girafe d’Egypte” (Tahara, the Egyptian giraffe). At the beginning of the 19th century, Tahara was brought to France, landed in Marseille and was walked to Paris. What a colorful scene! The piece, involving some recorded sound, is performed on Senegalese flutes, involving breathy effects, physical swaying and some frenzied outbursts; but the general mood is one of “eternity of time” perhaps a desert scene. “Le Souffle d’Hermes” (Inspired by – or Breeze of, Hermes), a recent piece, describes a nomadic wind; the composer suggests we are all nomads. A mesmerizing kind of piece, interesting repetitive rhythmic patterns weave themselves around melodies and dynamic developments. Seated on cushions on the floor, the trio performed “Shadow Blues”, a piece written for theatre. Inspired by Japanese culture, the piece is exotic and mysterious, addressing the senses.
The trio presented some Classical fare: Haydn’s Trio in G major, Mozart’s “Pieces for Flutes” and Beethoven’s Variations on the theme “La ci darem la mano” from Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”. The Beethoven Variations were a fine vehicle for Trio d’Argent’s lively technique, strategic timing and humour.
Gualtiero Dazzi (b.1960) has lived in Italy, London and Mexico City and now lives in France. His music bears an eclectic stamp and his projects embrace theatre, film, video and sculpture. Dedicated to Trio D’Argent, “Augenblick” – German, meaning a “moment” or the “blink of an eye” – composed in 1996, refers to Hindu cosmogony in which great periods are delimited by time between two blinks of Brahma’s eyes. Scored for three bass flutes, the work evolves from a breathy screen effect to a collage of pitches, vibrato- and flatterzunge textures, soaring into a richly layered kaleidoscope.
Taking a chance and leaving conventional concert programs aside, the listener was taken to far-away places and invited to explore the hidden and exotic corners of his own mind. Trio d’Argent is daring, energetic and polished.
Dreams and Prayer. June 22nd 2009
Members of the Artis Quartet – 1st violinist Peter Schuhmayer, 2nd violinist Johannes Meissl, violist Herbert Kefer and Othmar Mueller – are not new to the Jerusalem concert scene. The illustrious quartet was formed in Vienna in 1980, performs widely and records and has been the recipient of many awards.
Joseph Haydn’s (1732-1809) “Sun” Quartets, opus 20, composed in 1772, represent an important stage in the classical string quartet, with Haydn now dividing musical interest more equally between the players than in his earlier chamber works. The Artis Quartet opened its program with the fourth of the opus 20 group, the D major String Quartet. The first movement, given a contrasted, articulate reading, its terse chords certainly not underplayed, was followed by attention devoted to the various melodic solos of the theme and four variations of the second movement, the players communicating closely on every gesture. The Menuet all zingarese reflected Haydn’s interest in folk music. The Artis Quartet’s work is detailed and note-perfect, keeping a safe distance from sentimentality.
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) composed his String Quartet no. 2 in A minor opus 13 at the age of 18. In the opening Adagio he quotes his own song “Ist es wahr?” (Is it true?) but the composer also shows Beethoven’s powerful influence in development sections and counterpoint used, with a quote from Beethoven’s String Quartet opus 130 in the slow movement. The third movement was played with lyrical charm, with the players reminding the audience once again, by the fourth movement, that Mendelssohn had Beethoven in mind when composing the quartet. The Artis Quartet guided the listener through the complex structures and recurring motifs running through and unifying the work.
Osvaldo Golijov was born in Argentina in 1960. The music he grew up with – chamber music, Jewish liturgical and klezmer music, as well as the tangos of Piazzolla - leave their imprint on his oeuvre. Golijov spent three years in Israel, emigrating to the USA in 1986. In 1997 he composed “The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind” for string quartet and clarinet. Isaac the Blind (Rabbi Yitzhak Saggi Nehor c.1160-1235) was a famous writer on Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism.) French clarinetist, teacher and researcher Michel Lethiec took on the highly demanding clarinet role, not that the string parts were less demanding! A highly emotional work, steeped in Jewish High Holyday prayer and klezmer music, the work’s theatrical aspect must be viewed, not just heard. A myriad of string effects form a basis for the dense scoring, with Lethiec changing mid-movement from the higher clarinets to bass clarinet, the work expressing the drama of the Jewish soul in its spiritual, joyful and tragic moments. A feat of brilliant writing and musicianship, all the players were totally immersed in the musical and personal message of the work. Professor Lethiec’s playing leaves his audience speechless. This was surely one of the most memorable moments of the 2009 “Sounding Jerusalem” concerts.
Friday, June 26, 2009
The Carmel Quartet at the Jerusalem Music Centre - Sounds of Spain
“Strings and More” is a series of concerts with explanations presented by the Carmel Quartet. Founded in 1999, the quartet - violinists Rachel Ringelstein and Lia Raikhlin, violist Yoel Greenberg and ‘cellist Tami Waterman – has performed internationally and is the recipient of prizes in the 2004 Aviv Competitions and the Prague-Vienna-Budapest Competition, making its Carnegie Hall debut in 2004. In “Sounds of Spain”, guitarist Hanan Feinstein joined the quartet at the Jerusalem Music Centre June 17th 2009.
Musicologist Yoel Greenberg begins to talk about 18th century Spain. Its status in Europe had become problematic due to the mix of cultures and the barbarous behaviour it was known for in other countries. Voltaire had claimed that Spain was like Africa. In an effort to become more European in character, Spanish musicians were sent to study in other countries (Arriaga was sent to study in Paris) and foreign composers were a welcome import, among them, the Italian composer and virtuoso ‘cellist Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) who arrived in Spain in 1769, remaining there till his death. Employed by Don Luis, King Charles’ younger brother, he felt somewhat superior to the Spaniards and felt the need to “tame” the savage Spanish musician. (Due to his Classical style of writing, he had been spoken of as “Haydn’s wife”.) Boccherini wrote some 250 quintets, with ‘cello parts often moving into the higher register of the instrument. Greenberg mentions that Boccherini’s works, boasting less counterpoint and drama than those of Beethoven and Mozart, have been lost in history and that they should be understood in terms of Boccherini’s own musical language.
The Carmel Quintet and guitarist Hanan Feinstein performed Boccherini’s Guitar Quintet no. 4 in D major - “Fandango”. Finished in 1798, the work borrows all its movements from two of the composer’s previous quintets. The opening Pastorale is lyrical and flowing, its dynamics moving between piano and pianissimo; the Carmel Quartet gives voice to its nature sounds – bird calls, breezes and murmuring brooks. Feinstein’s large, expressive sound and choice of colour has presence and elegance. The Allegro maestoso movement bears the grand, distinctive Boccherini ‘cello sound and was given a forthright reading. Following the Grave assai, the work launches into the spirited Fandango movement – so Spanish in its demands on the guitar, its heavy steps, typical descending scale motifs and relentless movement and energy. Performed by all with verve and excitement, the ‘cello converses with the guitar in humorous glissandi, Feinstein uses some drumming effects and Waterman completes the scene with a few moments played on castanets. For Europeans, the fandango had been a symbol of Spain’s lack of finesse, representing the cultural distance between Spain and central Europe. Its countless repetitions rendered it “trance music”, it was considered a “wild, sexual and immoral dance”. But, it had, however, also become “exotic”. Boccherini’s Fandango quintet sheds its European guise to offer the listener a carefree Spanish celebration and the artists gave it their all.
Juan Crisostomo Arriaga’s (1806-1826) life story is a fascinating one, ending too soon with his death in Paris at age 19. He was born in Bilbao Spain on what would have been the day of Mozart’s 50th birthday. He actually saw himself as a reincarnation of Mozart, his oeuvre related to the latter’s style, beginning all his quartets in the Mozartean manner – a bold statement answered by a gentle one. (He has been referred to as the “Spanish Mozart”.) But his music also bears the stamp of his own originality. An assistant professor by the age of eighteen, he had already composed three string quartets, the only works to be published (1824) during his lifetime.
The Carmel Quartet performed Arriaga’s Quartet no. 1 in D minor. The Allegro opening movement begins in defined, dark unison strains, the second theme, introduced by the first violin, being Spanish in character. The players present Arriaga’s flair for melody-writing and brilliant string scoring with alacrity, bringing out the joy and restlessness of youth inherent in the music. Following the sad , vehement second movement, we hear an intense, moody minuet, its trio demanding the strumming of instruments to evoke a Spanish dance with guitars. Opening with a short Haydenesque Adagio introduction, the fourth movement breaks into a siciliano, returning to the adagio transformed at the end of the movement, demonstrating the composer’s grasp of form and his ability to flex it for his own use.
The Carmel Quartet’s fresh sound and attention to detail make for exhilarating performance and active listening, the individual musical personalities of each player not overlooked in the ensemble texture. Yoel Greenberg is articulate, informative and organized in his explanations which he presents informally, in fine British English and with humour. (Each concert is also presented with Hebrew explanations.) Other members of the quartet join him in illustrating musical points, in small vignettes and readings. The Carmel Quartet has much to offer in its programming, performance and the format of its concerts.
Musicologist Yoel Greenberg begins to talk about 18th century Spain. Its status in Europe had become problematic due to the mix of cultures and the barbarous behaviour it was known for in other countries. Voltaire had claimed that Spain was like Africa. In an effort to become more European in character, Spanish musicians were sent to study in other countries (Arriaga was sent to study in Paris) and foreign composers were a welcome import, among them, the Italian composer and virtuoso ‘cellist Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) who arrived in Spain in 1769, remaining there till his death. Employed by Don Luis, King Charles’ younger brother, he felt somewhat superior to the Spaniards and felt the need to “tame” the savage Spanish musician. (Due to his Classical style of writing, he had been spoken of as “Haydn’s wife”.) Boccherini wrote some 250 quintets, with ‘cello parts often moving into the higher register of the instrument. Greenberg mentions that Boccherini’s works, boasting less counterpoint and drama than those of Beethoven and Mozart, have been lost in history and that they should be understood in terms of Boccherini’s own musical language.
The Carmel Quintet and guitarist Hanan Feinstein performed Boccherini’s Guitar Quintet no. 4 in D major - “Fandango”. Finished in 1798, the work borrows all its movements from two of the composer’s previous quintets. The opening Pastorale is lyrical and flowing, its dynamics moving between piano and pianissimo; the Carmel Quartet gives voice to its nature sounds – bird calls, breezes and murmuring brooks. Feinstein’s large, expressive sound and choice of colour has presence and elegance. The Allegro maestoso movement bears the grand, distinctive Boccherini ‘cello sound and was given a forthright reading. Following the Grave assai, the work launches into the spirited Fandango movement – so Spanish in its demands on the guitar, its heavy steps, typical descending scale motifs and relentless movement and energy. Performed by all with verve and excitement, the ‘cello converses with the guitar in humorous glissandi, Feinstein uses some drumming effects and Waterman completes the scene with a few moments played on castanets. For Europeans, the fandango had been a symbol of Spain’s lack of finesse, representing the cultural distance between Spain and central Europe. Its countless repetitions rendered it “trance music”, it was considered a “wild, sexual and immoral dance”. But, it had, however, also become “exotic”. Boccherini’s Fandango quintet sheds its European guise to offer the listener a carefree Spanish celebration and the artists gave it their all.
Juan Crisostomo Arriaga’s (1806-1826) life story is a fascinating one, ending too soon with his death in Paris at age 19. He was born in Bilbao Spain on what would have been the day of Mozart’s 50th birthday. He actually saw himself as a reincarnation of Mozart, his oeuvre related to the latter’s style, beginning all his quartets in the Mozartean manner – a bold statement answered by a gentle one. (He has been referred to as the “Spanish Mozart”.) But his music also bears the stamp of his own originality. An assistant professor by the age of eighteen, he had already composed three string quartets, the only works to be published (1824) during his lifetime.
The Carmel Quartet performed Arriaga’s Quartet no. 1 in D minor. The Allegro opening movement begins in defined, dark unison strains, the second theme, introduced by the first violin, being Spanish in character. The players present Arriaga’s flair for melody-writing and brilliant string scoring with alacrity, bringing out the joy and restlessness of youth inherent in the music. Following the sad , vehement second movement, we hear an intense, moody minuet, its trio demanding the strumming of instruments to evoke a Spanish dance with guitars. Opening with a short Haydenesque Adagio introduction, the fourth movement breaks into a siciliano, returning to the adagio transformed at the end of the movement, demonstrating the composer’s grasp of form and his ability to flex it for his own use.
The Carmel Quartet’s fresh sound and attention to detail make for exhilarating performance and active listening, the individual musical personalities of each player not overlooked in the ensemble texture. Yoel Greenberg is articulate, informative and organized in his explanations which he presents informally, in fine British English and with humour. (Each concert is also presented with Hebrew explanations.) Other members of the quartet join him in illustrating musical points, in small vignettes and readings. The Carmel Quartet has much to offer in its programming, performance and the format of its concerts.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Jewish cabaret music at Jerusalem's Beit Avi Chai
For the poster of “The Jewish Cabaret” Ofer Shelly, the Atar Trio’s founder, arranger and pianist, used a photo of his grandmother who had taken refuge in Milan after escaping Romania from the Nazis. “The Jewish Cabaret”, presenting chamber music and cabaret songs from the 1920’s and the 1930’s, struck a personal note with all present.
We were assembled seven stories underground on June 8th 2009 at Jerusalem’s Beit Avi Chai. The tiny hall is an intimate, informal venue, well suited to cabaret music. The Atar Trio, which performs mainly classical repertoire as well as concerts on specific themes, was established in 1996 by pianist and arranger Ofer Shelley; other members are violinist Tanya Beltser and ‘cellist Marina Kats. They were joined by singers Valeria Ventura and Odelia Dahan.
The program opened with American Jewish composer and pianist Paul Schoenfield’s (b.1947) instrumental piece “Café Music”. Infused with jazzy rhythms, chromatics and dance rhythms of the early 20th century, it set the scene for an evening of Jewish culture, of joy and nostalgia.
This was followed by three Kurt Weill (1900-1950) songs, performed by Italian-born Valeria Ventura; Ventura had stood in at the last minute for Ye’ela Avital, who was ill. The “Ballad of the Soldier’s Wife” (1943,words Berthold Brecht) depicts the musings of the wife whose husband is away. What gifts would he send her from Amsterdam, Prague, Brussels and Paris? What he finally sends her from Russia is a widow’s veil. In the Brecht song “Nanna’s Song” a woman talks of the bitter lessons of love. “I Don’t Love You” (lyrics, Maurice Magre) in French, is less ironic but very sentimental, more into the style of French cabaret tradition of the time. Ventura uses her palette of different vocal colors to outline tender love, heartbreak and anger.
Ventura’s pleasing performance of Menachem Wiesenberg’s beautiful arrangement of “Raisins and Almonds” by the prominent Yiddish poet and playwright, Itzik Manger, had several people in the audience humming along.
The Swiss-born composer Ernst Bloch (1880-1959) composed “From Jewish Life” for ‘cello and piano in 1924, “Prayer” being the first of the three pieces. Marina Kats gave a brilliant, introspective performance of this work, giving expression to Bloch’s personal utterance, bringing out the Jewish, declamatory character of his melodic lines. Lithuanian-born violinist and composer Joseph Achron (1886-1943) became preoccupied with developing a “Jewish” harmonic and contrapuntal idiom. His first Jewish-flavored work “Hebrew Melody” (1911) was an instant success, at the hands of violinist Jascha Heifitz. It is based on a melody the composer had heard in a Warsaw synagogue in his youth. Tanya Beltser and Shelley performed this and Achron’s “Hebrew Dance” (1936), both highly melodious, complex and demanding pieces, both sketching a picture of European Jewish life with its celebrations and its ever-present, underlying sadness.
Jerusalemite Odelia Dahan is known for her performance of Ladino songs. Her alto register is pleasing and highly colored, more so than her higher register. A convincing performer, she presented this repertoire from the Balkan countries with charm and humour, showing the twist in a suitor’s story, bringing out the dance-like rhythms of “Avram Avinu” (Our Forefather Abraham) and lilting the well-loved Ladino song “Morenica” (Dark Girl).
‘Dark girl
So very beautiful,
In your eyes a burning fire.
My heart is all yours.’
These songs were creatively arranged by Shelley, allowing for spontaneity, instrumental solos and addressing the oriental aspect of Sephardic music.
We were assembled seven stories underground on June 8th 2009 at Jerusalem’s Beit Avi Chai. The tiny hall is an intimate, informal venue, well suited to cabaret music. The Atar Trio, which performs mainly classical repertoire as well as concerts on specific themes, was established in 1996 by pianist and arranger Ofer Shelley; other members are violinist Tanya Beltser and ‘cellist Marina Kats. They were joined by singers Valeria Ventura and Odelia Dahan.
The program opened with American Jewish composer and pianist Paul Schoenfield’s (b.1947) instrumental piece “Café Music”. Infused with jazzy rhythms, chromatics and dance rhythms of the early 20th century, it set the scene for an evening of Jewish culture, of joy and nostalgia.
This was followed by three Kurt Weill (1900-1950) songs, performed by Italian-born Valeria Ventura; Ventura had stood in at the last minute for Ye’ela Avital, who was ill. The “Ballad of the Soldier’s Wife” (1943,words Berthold Brecht) depicts the musings of the wife whose husband is away. What gifts would he send her from Amsterdam, Prague, Brussels and Paris? What he finally sends her from Russia is a widow’s veil. In the Brecht song “Nanna’s Song” a woman talks of the bitter lessons of love. “I Don’t Love You” (lyrics, Maurice Magre) in French, is less ironic but very sentimental, more into the style of French cabaret tradition of the time. Ventura uses her palette of different vocal colors to outline tender love, heartbreak and anger.
Ventura’s pleasing performance of Menachem Wiesenberg’s beautiful arrangement of “Raisins and Almonds” by the prominent Yiddish poet and playwright, Itzik Manger, had several people in the audience humming along.
The Swiss-born composer Ernst Bloch (1880-1959) composed “From Jewish Life” for ‘cello and piano in 1924, “Prayer” being the first of the three pieces. Marina Kats gave a brilliant, introspective performance of this work, giving expression to Bloch’s personal utterance, bringing out the Jewish, declamatory character of his melodic lines. Lithuanian-born violinist and composer Joseph Achron (1886-1943) became preoccupied with developing a “Jewish” harmonic and contrapuntal idiom. His first Jewish-flavored work “Hebrew Melody” (1911) was an instant success, at the hands of violinist Jascha Heifitz. It is based on a melody the composer had heard in a Warsaw synagogue in his youth. Tanya Beltser and Shelley performed this and Achron’s “Hebrew Dance” (1936), both highly melodious, complex and demanding pieces, both sketching a picture of European Jewish life with its celebrations and its ever-present, underlying sadness.
Jerusalemite Odelia Dahan is known for her performance of Ladino songs. Her alto register is pleasing and highly colored, more so than her higher register. A convincing performer, she presented this repertoire from the Balkan countries with charm and humour, showing the twist in a suitor’s story, bringing out the dance-like rhythms of “Avram Avinu” (Our Forefather Abraham) and lilting the well-loved Ladino song “Morenica” (Dark Girl).
‘Dark girl
So very beautiful,
In your eyes a burning fire.
My heart is all yours.’
These songs were creatively arranged by Shelley, allowing for spontaneity, instrumental solos and addressing the oriental aspect of Sephardic music.
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