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| Revital Raviv, Tal Feder, Ari Erev (photo: Dana Friedlander) |
The Abu Gosh Vocal Music Festival takes place twice a year in and around
Abu Gosh, a town located 16 kilometers west of Jerusalem on the Tel
Aviv-Jerusalem highway. The 54th Abu Gosh Festival will run from September 29th
to October 1st 2018, with a program of 18 concerts suited to a variety of
musical tastes. Events take place in two churches - the spacious Kiryat Ye’arim
Church, sitting high up on the hill, and the Crypt below the 12th century
Benedictine Crusader church, set in a magical, exotic garden in the lower
quarter of Abu Gosh. The Abu Gosh Festival has existed in its present format
since 1992. People come from far and wide to attend concerts, sit in on the
more informal outdoor musical events, picnic in the open, buy trinkets at the
stalls set up near the Kiryat Ye’arim Church and relax in the surroundings of
the Judean Hills. The festival features many Israeli artists and groups, also
hosting overseas choirs. As of 1995, Hannah Tzur has served as musical
director. A contralto who has soloed with major Israeli orchestras and
conductors, Ms. Tzur has been directing the Ramat Gan Chamber Choir for 19
years.
Several major works of classical choral repertoire - mostly sacred - will
be presented at the Kiryat Ye’arim Church.. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (Concert
No.2) will feature the Kibbutz Artzi Choir, conducted by Yuval Benozer, with
Austrian tenor Gernot Heinrich in the role of the Evangelist. Ron Zarhi will
conduct Gluck’s opera “Orpheus and Eurydice” (Concert No.1), in which Israeli
soloists will be joined by the Upper Galilee Choir. On completing his “Petite
Messe Solennelle”, Rossini asked himself: “Have I just written sacred music or
rather sacrilegious music?” This exuberant work (Concert No.5) will be
performed by the Tel Aviv Collegium Singers (conductor: Yishai Steckler) and
soloists. Directed by Avner Itai, Concert No.4 will feature sacred works of
Mendelssohn, Bach and Mozart, with a work by Israeli composer Yehezkel Braun.
In its original setting for choir, soloists and two pianos, Brahms’ “German
Requiem” (Concert No.6) will be performed by Stanley Sperber and the Jerusalem
Academy of Music Choir. Concert No.8 will present the Tel Aviv Chamber Choir
(conductor: Michael Shani) in Mozart’s “Requiem” and sacred pieces by
Rachmaninoff. The Barrocade Ensemble, directed by Yizhar Karshon, will perform
sacred works of Bach as well as Telemann’s Concerto for two flutes and
calchedon (an instrument of the lute family) in Concert No.9. Festival director
Hannah Tzur will conduct the Ramat Gan Chamber Choir in the original version of
Dvorak’s “Stabat Mater” - choir, soloists and piano (Concert No.7).The Sukkot
Abu Gosh Festival’s guest choir will be the Lira Women’s Choir (Bulgaria);
joined by the Israeli Naama Ensemble (Concert No.3) they will present Gabriel
Fauré’s “Messe des pêcheurs de Villerville”, Bizet’s “Agnus Dei” and, of
course, a selection of Bulgarian folk songs.
For festival-goers who prefer a more intimate setting, the ancient Crypt
will be the venue for them. With its director Myrna Herzog, Ensemble PHOENIX,
on period instruments, will offer a delightful program of Haydn-, Mozart- and
Beethoven songs, sung by mezzo-soprano Karin Shifrin (Concert No.14). In
Concert No.13, countertenor David Feldman and guitarist Uri Bracha will present
songs of Dowland and Purcell but also some lighter modern repertoire. Those
with a taste for Cuban music might be drawn to Concert No.12, whereas those
preferring Russian music can hear soprano Shirelle Dashevsky accompanied by
accordionist Uzi Rosenblatt.(Concert No.11). Or would you like to take a flying
visit to Cyprus with Ensemble Mezzo (Concert No.15)? And for a little nostalgia
for some of us above a certain age, soprano Revital Raviv will take you to
Hollywood with some Doris Day numbers (Concert No.16).
Bravo: *3221, 072-2753221
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