Guests arriving to attend the opening event of the new
American Colony Concert Series on December 12th 2015 were met by an
impressive display of Christmas decorations in the gardens and interiors of
this unique Jerusalem venue. The American Colony Hotel, originally the palace
of a pasha with his harem of four wives and subsequently a commune of messianic
Christians before being converted into a hotel, is housed in a classical
Ottoman building of great beauty. Classical music has played an important role
in the cultural history of the American Colony Hotel. The hotel’s archives
house old scores and music written at or for the hotel. Mr. Yves Corbel, cultural attaché of the
French Consulate, Tel Aviv, opened the event with words of welcome. The concert,
organized and coordinated by Ms. Petra Klose (Vienna), no new face to music
events in Jerusalem, in cooperation with the American Colony Hotel and its
general manager Mr. Thomas Brugnatelli, was held under the auspices of the Jerusalem
Institut Français and the French Consulate. “The Adventures of Don
Quixote de la Mancha”, a recital by two French artists – bass Jérôme
Varnier and pianist Thomas Palmer – was held in the hotel’s Pasha Room, a small
elegant hall graced with a magnificent hand-painted wooden ceiling, one of the
only examples of its kind in the Middle East.
One of the most influential literary pieces of the Spanish
Golden Age, Miguel de Cervantes’ “The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La
Mancha” (1605, 1615), regarded by many as the first true novel, has served as the inspiration for a range of
literary, dramatic, operatic- and vocal works, tone poems, ballets, paintings
and films, a work for two guitars (1982-3) by British composer Ronald
Stevenson, for a rap song by the Funky Aztecs (2002), and more. The Jerusalem
recital focused mostly on works by French composers.
The artists presented several items from Jules Massenet’s
“Don Quichotte” (1910), a five-act heroic comedy opera rooted in its title
character (the title part was created for renowned Russian basso Fyodor Chaliapin),
a man more ridiculed than admired but touching in his world-weary wisdom. Varnier’s
portrayal of Quichotte was noble, touching and authoritative, taking on the
drama of situations but never extravagant or over-sentimental. One highlight was the magically lyrical
performance of “Quand apparaissant les étoiles” (When the stars appear), with
Palmer’s playing almost visually evoking the sparkling of stars. Altogether,
his articulate playing of piano reductions throughout the evening bristled with
a kaleidoscope of color and textures, strategic timing, often setting a mood or
scene, never missing an opportunity for drama and suspense. Varnier’s
understated portrayal of the dying Don Quichotte was poetic and bathed in a
sense of tragedy.
In a spicy, exotic and polished performance of Maurice
Ravel’s song cycle “Don Quichotte à Dulcinée” (1932-3), composed for voice
and orchestra and later arranged for voice and piano, Varnier and Palmer
highlighted the exotic Iberian character of
the three fine concert pieces, entertaining the audience with their virtuosity.
To texts of Paul Morand, the song cycle, the last of Ravel’s compositions, was
to have comprised four songs and background music. It was commissioned by film
director G.W.Pabst for a cinema version
of “Don Quixote”, also to star Chaliapin, but the worsening effects of Pick’s
Disease, from which Ravel was suffering, prevented him from completing the
task. The songs nevertheless represent the finest of Ravel’s sophisticated
writing, presenting Don Quixote as an infatuated lover, a holy warrior and a drinker
and with musical settings abundant in zesty dance rhythms. For the love song to
Dulcinea “Chanson romanesque”, the first, Ravel engages a quajira, with its alternating
bars of 6/8 and 3/4, then using a majestic Basque zortzico for “Chanson épique”,
the knight’s prayer for protection, flavoring it with gregariously dissonant
chords and a modal soundscape. In the feisty strophic, comical “Chanson à
boire”, the iota, with its vibrant cross rhythms, endorses the song’s
devil-may-care toast:
…‘To hell with the jealous fool, dark mistress,
Who whines, who weeps and makes oaths
To always be the pale lover
Who puts water into his intoxication!
I drink to joy!
Joy is the sole aim
That I pursue…
When I have drunk.’
Jacques Ibert’s “Don Quichotte” songs form the continuation
to the Ravel episode, with Chaliapin singing and Ibert conducting in Pabst’s
film. Ibert did not use the Cervantes text but those of Pierre Ronsard and
Alexandre Arnoux. The artists at the Jerusalem concert gave an impressive
reading of the decidedly Spanish-influenced songs, with their improvisational
melodic character, melismatic moments and flourishes, guitar-like accompaniment
and emotional range. Varnier’s large, resonant voice, his dark timbre garnished
with effulgence, is served well by excellent diction and an even timbre
throughout. In the final song Arnoux leaves us with the unanswerable question
of what characteristics are more genuine to us – our dreams or our reality.
The program ended with the artists’ hearty, flowing and
warmly-nuanced performance of “La Quête”, the 1968 French-language adaption
of “The Impossible Dream” from the 1964 musical “Man of La Mancha” (lyrics: Joe
Darion, music: Mitch Leigh). Belgian
singer-songwriter Jacques Brel translated the songs and played the lead in the
musical in Paris (1968).
Opera singer Jérôme Varnier performs internationally
in opera houses and at festivals. Thomas Palmer is a vocal coach and
accompanist, also playing with orchestras. Palmer and Varnier have worked together
intermittently for the last eight years. With music once more playing a
prominent role at this imposing venue, the recital was a find opener to what is
to be a promising series.
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