June 16th 2011 was a cool, pleasant evening. Jerusalem was swarming with people spilling out of the Mamilla Mall, making their way into the Old City via the Jaffa Gate to view the “Light in Jerusalem” Festival, running from June 15th to 22nd. Taking place for the second year in a row, it features the work of local- and international light artists, dramatically illuminating the wealth of historical sites within the walls of the Old City.
In the plaza joining the Mamilla Mall to the Jaffa Gate, the Voice of Music (Israeli Radio) had set up a makeshift studio and was broadcasting live. There was much lively discussion about the “Light in Jerusalem” Festival in the studio, but this evening proved to be a double celebration: the Barrocade Ensemble had just launched its new disc “Folk Baroque” – Timeless Music on Early Instruments, in which its instrumentalists are joined by soprano Ye’ela Avital. Founded in 2007, Barrocade is an ensemble with a difference, with all members contributing to decisions as to the manner in which works are to be performed. Directed by viol player Amit Tiefenbrunn, and mostly playing without a conductor, Barrocade performs Renaissance- and Baroque music, integrating Jazz and folk music into concert programs, without losing sight of the importance of each style. The group’s wider scope, however, lends flexibility and spontaneity to its playing.
Five Barrocade members – Amit Tiefenbrunn, violinist Shlomit Sivan Jacobi, mandolin player Jacob Reuven, harpsichordist Yizhar Karshon and Ye’ela Avital - took part in the studio discussion, after which they performed some early English dances and the traditional British ballad “Scarborough Fair” in the open air to the enjoyment of passers-by stopping to listen. The “Folk Baroque” disc includes music by composers such as Purcell, Dowland, Monteverdi and Vivaldi alongside anonymous pieces and folk songs and dances as well as pieces by Astor Piazzolla and Joseph Kosma.
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