At the Abbey of the Dormition, Jerusalem, pianist Ofra Yitzhaki performs a number of Preludes and Fugues from Book 1 of J.S.Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier

 

Dr. Ofra Yitzhaki (Avi Levine)

On the mild evening of November 20th 2025, a concert took place at the Dormition Abbey, Mt. Zion, Jerusalem. Fr. Simeon Gloger OSB welcomed guests and introduced the artist, pianist Ofra Yitzhaki. The festive event was the first  concert to take place in the Divan (hall) since the Covid-10 pandemic. Israeli-born Ofra Yitzhaki opened her recital by calling attention to the fact that Johann Sebastian Bach believed that the aim of all music should be "the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul". 

 

The program comprised the first twelve Preludes and Fugues of Book One of the Well-Tempered Clavier, performed on the Abbey's Grotrian-Steinweg grand piano. Although Bach did not specify for which keyboard instrument the WTC was written, it is assumed by many that the work was played on the clavichord (an instrument of limited volume but capable of dynamic variety) or on the harpsichord, with some pieces possibly played on the organ. As to the new concept of "well-tempered" tuning, just how equal Bach’s system of tuning was is debatable, but there is no doubt that it made playing in all keys possible (without retuning the instrument) with some keys probably more equal than others. On the ornamental title page of the 1722 copy of WTC 1, Bach inscribed: "For the use and profit of the musical youth desirous of learning, as well as for the pastime of those already skilled in this study". For his own pupils, this collection became the text for advanced study in both keyboard playing and composition. Bach completed WTC 1 at age 37, the work marking a major stage in his development, revealing his large-scale organisational ability and intellectual control. American harpsichordist/musicologist Ralph Kirkpatrick referred to WTC 1 and 2 as an "eternity of experience" representing Baroque keyboard writing at its highest peak and as “one of the most remarkable products of the human mind.”

 

Ofra Yitzhaki invites the listener to join her in her personal decoding of Bach's music. Enlisting the warm, powerful timbre of the Grotrian-Steinweg piano, her playing spells out the result of deep enquiry into the construction, the emotional- and dynamic ranges and the development of each of the pieces, of tempi and of the contrasts both within- and between the pieces, as well as the experience of hearing the pieces in sequence. She commences with a rapid, dramatic, forthright reading of the Prelude in C major, the C-sharp major Prelude, on the other hand, charming in feather-light textures, its Fugue retaining the Prelude's lightweight trait. Following the slow introspective and imaginative C-sharp minor Prelude, richly bathed in the sustaining pedal, the ensuing five-voiced triple fugue, probing and mysterious, grows into an architectonic mammoth work of dense, overlapping stretti. The joyful key of D major takes over with the sunny, buoyant Prelude, the artist reflecting on the extemporaneous disposition of its conclusion. And how uniquely majestic is the D-major Fugue, teeming with Bach's explicit ornaments and noble dotted rhythms, as Yitzhaki signs out with a hearty flourish.

 

The most substantial Prelude in Book One, No. 7 in E-flat Major, is different. (Indeed, the key of E-flat major is rarely heard in Baroque music, but, in view of the structure of Bach’s project, it had, of course, to be included. Johann Mattheson defined the key of  E-flat major as “pathetic, always serious, plaintive, the opposite of lascivious".)  In this piece, one of the more extensive and ambitious components of the collection, Yitzhaki guides the listener through the course and its complexities - the semiquaver preamble, the chorale-like fugato introducing a subject in rising fourths and the double fugue combining both musical ideas, then soaring to a striking pedal point at the end. (I wonder if Bach might have played this Prelude on the organ.) The partner Fugue was playful and nimble, its chromaticism adding a gently teasing touch to the rich 3-voiced weave.

 

As to Yitzhaki's reading of Prelude and Fugue No.8, each takes a fragile, mysterious spiritual aura as its starting point. Strict Baroque performance requirements would proceed in terraced dynamics. Yitzhaki, however, enlists the resources of the modern piano, building inspiring, swelling and recoiling dynamic paths in conjunction with textural density in both pieces. The extravagant use of diminished chords, Neapolitan seconds and tritone leaps endow the stately, richly ornamented Prelude its stressed, dark character, then to proceed to the pairing of emotion with contrapuntal sophistication in the Fugue. With the audience left suspended in a moment of hushed contemplation, the sound of church bells served as a reminder of where we were.

 

400 years on, performing the Well-Tempered Clavier is still fraught with decision-making that ranges from the choice of instrument to how to interpret the notes on the page (Bach left no indications as to speed and expression.) Is it right or wrong to play Bach on the piano, given that, in his time, this instrument hardly existed? Bach actually did play an early piano by Silbermann, offering the builder advice on how it might be improved, but the Silbermann fortepiano is a far cry from the modern piano. Most importantly for performer and listener, however, the fascination of Bach's music resides in the many possible attitudes from which it can be viewed, and in the manifold aspects it can assume. An artist of great versatility and splendid technical skill, Dr. Ofra Yitzhaki reads into the Preludes and Fugues with much fantasy, daring and passion, with articulacy, grace, delicacy and sensitivity, addressing the WTC’s structures, its gamut of moods, emotions and conundrums with personal conviction. It was an evening to remember! The Divan, an exquisite, small hall well suited to chamber music performance, boasts fine acoustics. There was much to enjoy from the  timbre of the Grotrian-Steinweg piano. Behind the piano, the stage wall displays a large painting of The Last Supper by Austrian artist Ernst Fuchs (1930-2015). 

 

Two encores concluded the Bach recital - the meditative chorale prelude "Ich ruf zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ" (I call to You, Lord Jesus Christ), followed by the rousing "Zion hört die Wächter singen" (Zion hears the watchmen sing).

"Autumn" - Trio Noga performs works of Piazzolla, Mozart, Martinu, Marion Bauer and Yechiam Marx

 

Trio Noga:Shira Shaked,Orit Messer-Jacobi,Idit Shemer (Tammy Bezaleli)

If timing is the essence of music, the appearance of cool, drizzly weather on November 14th 2025 created the perfect background for "Autumn", Trio Noga's opening event of the 2025-2026 concert season. The concert took place at St. Andrew's Scots Memorial Church, Jerusalem. Established in 2015, Trio Noga's members are Idit Shemer-flute, Orit Messer-Jacobi-'cello and Shira Shaked-piano. The ensemble aims to offer its audiences a fresh approach to familiar repertoire, at the same time, introducing them to new- and rarely-performed works. 

 

 The event got off to a brisk start with "Autumn" from "The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires", composed by Ástor Piazzolla in 1970. One of Argentina’s most gifted and prolific composers, Piazzolla wrote the four movements of "Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas" between 1965 and 1970 for his tango instrumental quintet (violin, piano, electric guitar, bass and bandoneon).  Conceived as separate pieces (Piazzolla occasionally performed them together) the composer wished to draw attention to the work’s relevance to the city’s inhabitants and to life in its poor streets where the Argentinean tango was born.  "Autumn", symbolically, appears as the first piece of the set. The Trio Noga players gave polished, spontaneous expression to the fast flow of the piece's high-spirited, compelling immediacy, then to its wistful, often-melancholy flute and 'cello interludes, taking the listener off guard with the rush of unexpected changes in dynamics and tempi. Producing Piazzolla's kaleidoscope of raw, harsh dissonances juxtaposed to sudden consonant passages, their well-chiselled playing displayed unmistakable Argentinean flair. Works of Piazzolla will feature in all Trio Noga's concerts this season. 

 

 In a letter of June 1788 to his friend Michael Puchberg, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote: "When are we to have a little musical party at your house again? I have composed a new trio!".  Mozart was referring to the Piano Trio in E major K. 542 (scored for violin, 'cello and piano). Indeed, the composer, now at the very height of his powers, thought so highly of K.542 that he played it at the Dresden court in 1789 when seeking employment there. The Trio Noga performance was imbued with spontaneity and freshness, lyricism, warmth and refinement. In the trios Mozart composed between 1786 and 1788, the piano dominates: Shira Shaked's clean, lively touch and musicality made for delightful listening, with Idit Shemer's fine tone and melodic shaping exploring the splendid opportunities of Mozart's new-found freedom. Orit Messer-Jacobi offered elegant support to the piano’s left-hand lines, only sometimes emerging from the bass line duties Mozart relegated to the 'cello. The balance between the three instruments was beautifully handled. I enjoyed the opportunity of hearing the K.542 Trio, a work containing some of the composer's sunniest and most relaxed music. Sadly, Mozart’s piano trios are not performed as frequently as Haydn’s, despite them being among his finest chamber works.

Then to a work of Marion Eugénie Bauer. The American-born Jewish composer was an eminent figure on the American musical scene of the first half of the 20th century.  A writer and lecturer on music history in general and on 20th century music in particular, she was respected in her own day for her advocacy for American composers, her musical scholarship reviving interest in often-overlooked female composers. A member of numerous musical societies (often the only woman among men) and music critic for The Musical Leader magazine, she was also the first woman on the faculty of New York University. Experimenting with dissonance, serialism, and complex harmonies, her compositions were both hailed and criticized for their complexity and modernist qualities. Bauer's Trio Sonata, Op. 40, for flute, 'cello, and piano (1944) integrates Parisian Impressionistic influences, blues harmonies and traditional American music. (Messer-Jacobi suggested that the work's title might refer to the interaction between players of the Baroque trio sonata.) Shemer, Messer-Jacobi and Shaked gave articulate, subtle and imaginative expression to this charming, approachable work, highlighting the uplifting majestic qualities of the opening movement (Allegretto commodo) and the lyrical, pensive mood of the   Andante espressivo that followed. As to the final movement, the players presented its colourful line-up of American dances with foot-tapping rhythmic precision and buoyant textures, signing out with the wink of an eye! 

Also written in the USA in 1944 was the Trio for Flute, Violoncello and Piano by Bohemian composer Bohuslav Martinů, albeit under different circumstances. Having escaped to New York from Nazi-occupied Paris in 1941, it was while at a retreat in the Connecticut countryside that Martinů wrote this trio. At the Jerusalem concert, the artists conveyed the music's positive holiday spirit, the work bearing the hallmark of the composer’s distinctive musical language - rich harmonies and tonal colours, as well as touches of jazz- and Czech folk rhythms. Following their reading of the first movement (Poco allegretto), one giving prominence to Martinů's rich palette of ideas, to rhythmic inventiveness and wit, which they performed in scintillating timbres, the Adagio (a favourite among the three artists) was eloquent, introspective, richly melodic in expression, also imbued with the yearning heard in much of Martinů's music. The Adagio seemed to take one back to the autumnal theme of the concert. Introduced by a sombre flute solo, the third movement then bursts into an effervescent scherzando, brimming with good cheer and punctuated with some calmer moments. This is a splendid concert piece, one challenging to performers and delightsome to the listener. 

The final work on the program was "Double Nocturno", a short piece by Israeli educator/ arranger/composer Yechiam Marx. Taking inspiration from the lullaby "Layla, layla" (music: Mordechai Zeira, lyrics: Nathan Altermann), the lyrical tone poem was tranquil, cantabile and richly scored, with phrases and associations of the song subtly woven in and out of the lush instrumental fabric. Marx composed "Double Nocturno" for Trio Noga.

But that wasn't all. To conclude the event, the artists performed Piazzolla's "Autumn" once more, an explicitly bold reminder of life in the streets of Buenos Aires, whose people address the gamut of their emotions as they live the moment. 

The Jerusalem Opera performs an evening of Puccini - "Il tabarro" and Act II of "Tosca". Conductor: Omer Arieli. Stage director: Daniel Lasry.

 

Yasmine Levi-Ellentuck (Snir Katzir)

Florin Estefan (Snir Katzir)

If you find murder, treachery, trickery and lasciviousness too much to take, the Jerusalem Opera's recent production of Giacomo Puccini operas was certainly not for you. But for those of us who relish the musical richness, excitement and intensity of early 20th-century Italian opera, the performance on October 25th 2025 at the Jerusalem Theatre did not disappoint. Indeed, it was a sparkling occasion with which to kick off the new season. As per usual, Omer Arieli, the Jerusalem Opera's house conductor, directed the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, with singers from Israel and abroad. The Jerusalem Opera was established in 2011, with the goal of presenting opera productions of the highest quality in the capital and promoting Israeli arts. 

 

A one-act opera "Il tabarro" (The Cloak), the first of the three operas comprising Puccini’s Il trittico (triptych), was premiered in New York in December 1918. The libretto, by Giuseppe Adami, is based on Didier Gold's 1910 play "Houppelande". Michele is married to young Giorgetta, sharing with her their life of hardships on a barge on the river Seine. Giorgetta is in love with Luigi, a young stevedore hired by her husband. After Michele overhears his wife arranging a night rendezvous with Luigi, he waits for him, attacks him, forces him to admit he is his wife's lover and finally strangles him. He hides the body under his cloak. When the apprehensive Giorgetta comes on deck, asking Michele if he might wish her to come and rest near him under his cloak, lights flash in the fateful night sky and her husband throws the cloak open to reveal the lifeless body of her lover. In the role of Michele, Romanian-born baritone Florin Estefan gave a sensitive presentation of the dejected (and rejected) older husband, as we follow his pain. The sullen vocal colour infused in his singing did not detract from his beautiful tonal quality and phrasing. No new face to Jerusalem Opera performances, Israeli soprano Yasmine Levi-Ellentuck gave an affecting portrayal of Giorgetta, a woman suffering from her unhappy marriage. (She and Michele are both mourning the loss of their young child a year earlier.)  Levi-Ellentuck's vocal coloration, facial gestures and posture demonstrate the coldness she feels towards her husband, this in strong contrast to the feminine energy Luigi sets off in her heart. We see the light-hearted side of Giorgetta when she brings out wine for the stevedores and dances. Careful not to cut too sympathetic a character, the persona of Luigi, Giorgetta's lover, was drawn by Italian tenor Ivan Defabiani. With everything one could wish for in a Puccini tenor, his robust vocal tone might have prejudiced the audience to more sympathy than he deserved, but this conundrum is innate to the role of Luigi. Lighter moments provide a break from the dark drama at hand, to mention one - local mezzo soprano Noa Hope's jaunty characterization of the skittish Frugola.  Maestro Arieli's superb direction of the JSO brought out the lush palette of timbral colour offered by Puccini's orchestral writing, as he built the intensity of the score to fever pitch, its gestures commenting and forewarning, relaxing only briefly for the dance scene. The stage set was pleasing and the lighting effective. In true verismo style, "Il tabarro", a fine exposition of one of Puccini's most unrelentingly dark moments, depicts simple people, those who work hard just to survive, and even harder to find a little joy in their arduous lives. Here are touching portrayals of real men and women: their hopes, their dreams and their bitter disappointments.

 

Premiered in 1900, Puccini's "Tosca" (libretto: Luigi Illica, Giuseppi Giacosa) is based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dramatic play, "La Tosca". In Act 2, which provided the second half of the evening’s double bill, we leave the drudgery of simple folk to join the powerful upper echelons in Rome of June 1800, where the Kingdom of Naples' control of the city is being threatened by Napoleon's invasion of Italy. Baron Scarpia (Florin Estefan) is in his quarters at the Palazzo Farnese, where Floria Tosca (Yasmine Levi-Ellentuck), a renowned opera singer, will celebrate the victory over Napoleon with a cantata. Scarpia's agent has found the painter Cavaradossi (Ivan Defabiani), Tosca's lover, who is suspected of aiding the fugitive Angelotti's escape. Scarpia orders Cavaradossi to be interrogated under torture, explaining to Tosca that she can shorten her lover's torture by “co-operating”. Though she tries to resist Scarpia's advances, she hears Cavaradossi's cries of pain and reveals Angelotti's hiding place to Scarpia. Scarpia immediately halts the torture. Cavaradossi realises that Tosca has betrayed him. Scarpia then receives news from his valet Sciarrone (Lev Elgardt): this report of victory over Napoleon was false and the royal army has been beaten. Cavaradossi sings a revolutionary song, insulting Scarpia, indeed, sealing his own death sentence. Scarpia orders him to be taken away. Tosca now knows that only she can save her lover’s life. She offers Scarpia a ransom, but Scarpia's price is Tosca herself. She accepts the deal. Scarpia orders Spoletta (Marc Shaimer) to perform a fake execution of Cavaradossi the next morning. Tosca wants to hand the execution order to Cavaradossi herself, explain the situation to him and attend the mock execution. She also forces Scarpia to sign a letter of safe conduct for her and Cavaradossi so they can leave the next day. But, once she is alone with Scarpia, Tosca quietly takes a knife from the supper table and stabs him as he embraces her; she grabs the letter and leaves the room. In the understated but elegant stage set, with the JSO players seated at the back of the stage, the Jerusalem Opera artists bring to life the urgency, suspense and emotion of this well-known masterpiece, with its the combination of Puccini’s glorious music, its story of the struggle between love and art and the outcome of ruthless forces of power, greed, and control. Formidable in her singing, engaging the many colours of her lovely soprano voice, Levi-Ellentuck delivers a vulnerable, loving, impulsive, anguished yet strong-willed Tosca. The distress she expresses throughout the opera is authentic and moving. Estefan's fine deep baritone voice and physical size exude menace, power and malice. He is the dark contrast to Cavaradossi’s lightness. Drawing together all the elements of the opera's complexity, Maestro Arieli skilfully weaves the strands of the plot into Puccini’s music, highlighting the storyline’s different turns, performing the music with prudent timing and sensitivity, always flexible in accompaniment and strong in illustrative effects.

 

This event offered a grand opportunity to mark World Opera Day, celebrated annually on October 25th (the birthday of Georges Bizet and Johann Strauss II,)