CLASSICAL DOMAIN WILL CLOSE OPERATION AFTER AUGUST 2008
After four years of covering the entire spectrum of classical music life in New York City, as well as having the most complete listings of all the city's classical music events, it is with a heavy digital heart that we have to announce that we are pulling the plug on the website.
We feel that Classical Domain answered a real need for the city's classical music scene, unfortunately keeping the site going is more than a full time job, and as an under-funded non-profit we never found a way to make this work. Although we have been fortunate to receive important state support, and advertising from forward looking groups and organizations, Classical Domain cannot exist without generating interest in the private sector and the larger philanthropic world, a facet of non-profit life that has eluded us.
We would like to thank all of the thousands of people that have visited our site every week, and all the musicians, presenters and organizations that make New York an incredible place to hear music. You were the inspiration that kept us going as we perused the chance to bring a full picture of the incredible depth and breadth of classical music activity in the city.
Thank you
Gregg Deering
For Classical Domain
Baroque Orchestra of North Jersey, Music Mondays will present the modern-day premiere of the complete version of Alessandro Scarlatti's 1693 oratorio La Giuditta, June 16.
Baroque Orchestra of North Jersey
at Music Mondays June 16
The final season concert represents a truly special event. On Monday, June 16, 2008, Music Mondays will present the modern-day premiere of the complete version of Alessandro Scarlatti's 1693 oratorio La Giuditta (Judith), edited by Maestro Robert W. Butts from the original manuscript in the collection of the National Park Service archieves in Morristown, NJ. Mr. Butts will lead the ensemble and soloists of the Baroque Orchestra of North Jersey.
Judith, a woman warrior of the Apocrypha, is a young widow who urges the Jewish people to engage their foreign conquerors. To set an example, she goes to the camp of the Assyrian general Holofernes. She wins him over, and is allowed in his tent one night. As he lies in a drunken stupor, she decapitates him and takes his head back to her people. The Assyrians, having lost their leader, disperse, and Israel is saved. Judith, liberator of the Jews, was a favorite subject of Baroque composers — Charpentier, Vivaldi, Jommelli and Mozart also set her story.
Alessandro Scarlatti believed La Giuditta to be the best of his oratorios. The version of the work in the hands of the National Parks Service in Morristown which Mr. Butts is producing has never been published. It may never have been performed in Scarlatti's lifetime — or later. This exciting modern-day premiere brings Music Mondays' fifth season to an exciting close.
Robert writes, “Scarlatti actually wrote — or adapted — three versions of La Giuditta. Two have been previously edited and published, but the 1693 manuscript represents Scarlatti's earliest thoughts on the work and is the most complete. Indications are that this manuscript was never performed' The second rendering of the work in December of that year may have been the first performance and several arias had been cut by that time.”
The arias, which are primarily solo songs with continuo accompaniment, “are exceptionally memorable; the music truly develops the characters and the dramatic flow is tight. Also, the arias are short, more like popular songs of the period — with some virtuosic exceptions — and are highly integrated into the flow of the recitative.”
Vocal soloists in La Giuditta will be: soprano Majorie Berg, Tenor Daniel Foran, Mezzo Teresa Giardina, Baritone Mark Hewitt, and Bass John Lamb.
A conversation with Music Monday co-director Aaron Wunsch
Classical Domain: How and when did Music Mondays begin?
Aaron Wunsch: Music Mondays began in the fall of 2003 through the inspired vision of the conductor Paul Hostetter, who called upon his contacts throughout the music world to get the series up and running. Paul understood that Monday is a good night for a concert, since both performers and the audience tend to be free that night. When Paul moved to New Jersey three years ago, he asked me to take over the direction of the series in collaboration with Doug Drake.
CD: What are your goals for Music Mondays? How is it going? Who is your audience?
AW: Through Paul's early efforts for the series I had an important realization: there are dozens of young groups of the highest caliber seeking more performances in New York City. The key factor in order to create inspiring and meaningful concerts is to build an audience for these groups, which has been our primary goal. Initially the series was more eclectic, encompassing jazz, classical, and even pop music; however, the audience was different at every concert. We have tried to focus the series towards instrumental chamber music, which is suited to the concert space, and sure enough, slowly but surely we are building an audience that comes back again and again. We are happy that the audience is not composed of any one demographic, but includes all ages, backgrounds, and different levels of familiarity with art music. Often the listeners don't know what to expect, and they are usually delighted and surprised by what they hear.
Right now we are at about half capacity for each concert, and our goal is to fill the house for every performance. This will take greater publicity efforts on our part, and we are currently seeking grant monies and philanthropic donations from individuals to help further this goal. These donations would increase the accessibility of great music to a wider audience and to enhance the cultural life of the community.
CD: What do you consider unique about Music Mondays? What do your audiences get that they don't get at the bigger, more well-known venues?
AW: Even in New York, Music Mondays is unique in several ways: it's free concerts feature dynamic young groups often heard in larger, expensive venues like Carnegie Hall; the audience can interact with the performers after the concert at a free reception; the audience itself is friendly, supportive, and diverse in age, social and economic background. The concert-going experience is relaxed, friendly, and not formal or stuffy. Audience members and performers alike often express their appreciation for the warmth and friendliness of the whole experience.
CD: Tell us about the space/church where the concerts are held.
AW: The sanctuary where the concerts are held is unusually suited to instrumental music — strings, piano, guitar, wind and brass instruments sound resonant in our space without losing too much clarity. The beautiful and serene space also features stained-glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany, which he installed himself in 1907; there is a fund-raising campaign going on now to have these windows fully restored over the next few years. The location is extremely convenient to reach, located just steps from the southern-most exit of the 96th St. express subway stop (1-2-3 trains). An elevator makes it handicap accessible.
CD: I see that you are co-artistic directors. How does that work? Who does what?
AW: The terrific organist Doug Drake and I have worked together on Music Mondays for the past three seasons. Since I am a pianist and he is an organist, we have different contacts in the music world that we can draw upon when seeking artists for our concerts. Whereas I usually plan for the string, piano, and wind groups to perform on our series, for example, Doug arranged June's Scarlatti premiere. We have a great collaborative spirit and share the responsibilities for the series, which are numerous.
CD: What have been some of the highlights of Music Mondays?
AW: Our most recent concert, featuring the Young Eight, was incredible in that it brought together music from the standard repertoire like Elgar's Introduction and Allegro and hip hop arrangements with tunes instantly recognizable to anyone who listens to the radio. That surprised many listeners and led to some great discussions after the concert between audience members and the performers. Another highlight was the performance by the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO) in January, which features a large group of string players, each of whom has his or her own solo career. The sound of the group as it washes over the listener is absolutely incredible, and the audience was noticeably electrified. In terms of mind-blowing new sounds, I'd have to credit So Percussion, whose February concert featured a microphone-embedded cactus!
CD: Tell us about the season finale concert in June.
AW: Premieres of newly composed music happen all the time. But how often do we get to experience a newly discovered work, or even an alternate version of a work, by a composer of the stature of Alessandro Scarlatti? And this is music that is over 300 years old!!
CD: What is scheduled for next season?
AW: I'm not quite ready to release the details yet, but I will prepare a press release that I will pass along to you in a few weeks. Rest assured, it will be an amazing array of dynamic groups featuring works from many musical traditions!
Alessandro Scarlatti: La Giuditta (Judith)
Baroque Orchestra of North Jersey, Robert W. Butts, conductor
Majorie Berg, soprano • Teresa Giardina, mezzo-soprano
• Daniel Foran, tenor
Mark Hewitt, baritone • John Lamb bass
Music Mondays
Advent Lutheran Church
2504 Broadway at 93rd Street
Monday, June 16 at 7:30
Details: Music Mondays
JULES VERNE: From the Earth to the Moon
Ensemble for the Romantic Century, in collaboration with MIFA / Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts presents a Theatrical Concert Thursday, June 5th titled: JULES VERNE: From the Earth to the Moon
The Ensemble for the Romantic Century has had a fascinating season, but we have not been able to do a profile, in fact we had to snag this info from the website, so our apologies to the original authors.
The story goes like this... On Nov. 23, 1889 Nelly Bly, the young American journalist known for her undercover reporting and daring stories, paused on her record-making journey around the world to meet the aged and infirm French writer, Jules Verne, author of Around the World in Eighty Days. Her real-life voyage was meant to mirror and challenge that of Phileas Fogg, the hero of Verne's novel. Their brief encounter and Verne's own inner worlds are the subject of From the Earth to the Moon, a theatrical concert that combines the words of Verne and Bly, French chamber music and American popular songs, and the pioneering films of Méliès to recreate the passion for exploration and the belief in a completely visionary future that pervaded the imaginative and intellectual worlds of the early 20th century. A multi-media voyage for the senses and a one-night only, World Premier event.
Although Verne was limited by physical ailments, he was able to transcend these limitations by bringing to life the unsuspected new worlds that populated his mind. Verne and Bly were linked by a common belief in the unbounded powers of human imagination and the possibilities inherent in a completely visionary future.
Film clips from Georges Méliès' Le voyage dans la lune merge with French and American music by Chausson, Chaminade, Gottschalk, and Stephen Foster in a multimedia production that illustrates the wonder and excitement that pervaded the imaginative and intellectual worlds at the beginning of the 20th century.
Ensemble for the Romantic Century
JULES VERNE: From the Earth to the Moon
Florence Gould Hall, June 5, at 8:00 pm
JULES VERNE: From the Earth to the Moon
French and American music by Chausson, Chaminade, Gottschalk, and Stephen Foster in a multimedia production
General admission tickets: $50
Details
Florence Gould Hall
French Institute Alliance Française
55 East 59th Street
MET Opera stars Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna headline concert intended to draw audience of up to 150,000 to Brooklyn's Prospect Park
The Metropolitan Opera Presents Free Concert on Friday, June 20th. Corporate Sponsor Bank of America and the Met will provide 25,000 free MTA MetroCards at select Bank of America branches in all five boroughs
Two of opera's biggest stars, soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor Roberto Alagna, will perform together in Brooklyn's Prospect Park on June 20 at 8pm, together with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, in what is anticipated will be one of the Metropolitan Opera's largest outdoor concerts in company history. Met Summer Concert: Live in Prospect Park has the potential of being attended by an audience of up to 150,000 people, who will be drawn from all five boroughs and the suburbs. The performance will be broadcast live on WQXR-FM (96.3 FM), and streamed live on the Met's website.
Met General Manager Peter Gelb
The married star couple of Gheorghiu and Alagna will sing popular arias and duets by Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Massenet, and others, conducted by Ion Marin. Gheorghiu and Alagna will perform on a larger than normal stage in Prospect Park's Long Meadow baseball fields, surrounded by six jumbo video screens that will be strategically placed throughout the area to maximize the viewing experience.
Met Summer Concert: Live in Prospect Park is presented in partnership with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Commissioner Kate D. Levin; Department of Parks & Recreation, Commissioner Adrian Benepe; Bank of America, corporate sponsor; and the office of the Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, with support from the Borough Presidents of Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island.
In order to attract the widest possible audience for Met Summer Concert: Live in Prospect Park, 25,000 pre-paid MTA MetroCards will be provided by Bank of America at selected banking locations in each of the five New York City boroughs. The MetroCards, which come in a commemorative holder, will be available beginning Monday, June 16, on a first-come, first-served basis at the following bank branches (one in each borough): 1515 Times Square (Manhattan); 449 Myrtle Avenue (Brooklyn); 299 East 204th Street (Bronx); 90-53 Sutphin Boulevard (Queens); and 2196 Forest Avenue (Staten Island).
“Bank of America was the first sponsor of the Metropolitan Opera free parks concerts, and has supported the Met in this role for the past eight years,” said Rena DeSisto, Bank of America Global Arts & Culture Executive. “As one of this country's leading supporters of arts and culture, we believe in the power of the arts to create and sustain economic vitality. It has been gratifying to be a part of these programs that reach our communities — and our customers — so effectively. As a member of the Metropolitan Opera family, we are delighted to be associated with one of the world's premier music institutions and to work with them as they seek ways to bring the opera to more people throughout this country and around the globe.”
Each person who picks up a MetroCard will also receive a card that, once scanned at Prospect Park, will make them eligible for free prizes, which include tickets to a performance during the Metropolitan Opera's upcoming season, or Grand Prizes of a vacation package or a cash gift provided by the bank.
“Brooklyn has produced some of the most celebrated voices in opera, so it's only fitting that two of the world's biggest opera stars will be performing in our beloved Prospect Park. I thank Bank of America for its ongoing support of the Parks series, and look forward to welcoming the thousands of opera fans who will certainly be singing Brooklyn's praises as the cultural capital of New York City. This summer, the Met-and opera-hit the big time!” said Borough President Markowitz.
WQXR, The New Yorker magazine, and NY1 are the official media sponsors for the event and will provide promotional and editorial support to provide maximum visibility and accessibility to opera lovers throughout the city. The concert begins at 8:00 p.m.; the rain date is scheduled for Saturday, June 21, also at 8:00 p.m. For more information on Met Summer Concert: Live in Prospect Park please call (212) 362-6000 or visit www.metopera.org/park.
MET in the Park
Popular arias and duets by Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Massenet, and others.
The performance will be broadcast live on WQXR-FM (96.3 FM), and streamed live on the metopera website,
The concert is free
The Metropolitan Opera
Prospect Park, Brooklyn at 8:00 pm
The Long Meadow
Prospect Park West at Ninth Avenue
Janaki String Trio:
Penderecki at 75
The Janaki String Trio, the 2006 winners of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, present Penderecki at 75 for the closing concert of the 07/08 New Works at the Thalia Series at Symphony Space, Thursday, May 15 at 7:30 pm
Penderecki dominates a concert that also features Schubert's charming String Trio in Bb anda world premiere by composer Dan Visconti, the result of the BMI Commissioning Prize. The Janaki String Trio will perform three later works by Penderecki, which one is duty-bound to comment is in the composers later tonal style (sometimes called either neo-romantic, or neo-classical, but there is no one label that can be attached to all the Penderecki pieces on the program, maybe “probing” modernism?). Penderecki's String Trio (1991) is a solemn piece that showcases the individual instruments in searing passages punctuated by a driving, insistent collective voice, playing with blocks of sound and disjunctured time. The Trio is joined by clarinetist Alicia Lee for Penderecki's Prelude (1987) for solo clarinet and Clarinet Quartet (1993) which is generally considered one of Penderecki's best chamber works.
The Janaki String Trio's 2006 New York debut was praised by The New York Times for being “magnificently polished” and exhibiting “ an irresistible electricity.” Of its first recording, which includes Penderecki's String Trio, The New Yorker commented on the ” fresh and bracing character of the performance.”
This concert is the closing installment of the 2007 — 2008 CAG/New Works at the Thalia Series. Concert Artists Guild is an arts service organization whose mission is to discover, nurture and promote young musicians. Its annual international competition identifies gifted artists who join the CAG roster and receive comprehensive career development services including marketing, bookings, recordings and commissions. CAG/New Works at the Thalia Series is part of CAG's New Music/New Places initiative, designed to bring concert music to new settings and engage new listeners. By developing, promoting and presenting classical music in non-traditional settings, including both standards of the repertoire and newer works from CAG's commissioning program, CAG builds new audiences and captures the vitality and diversity of the current musical landscape.
On the Janaki Trio My Space page there is a sample of the Penderecki Trio (you tell me if probing is apt), there is also a great snippet of Beethoven's trio Op.9, but which one from opus 9? I'm too lazy to find out, even if CAG does advertise; anyway hit the site find out.
The Janaki Trio
Leonard Nimoy Thalia, Symphony Space
Thursday, May 15 at 7:30 pm
Details
Janaki String Trio:
Serena McKinney, violin • Katie Kadarauch, viola • Arnold Choi, cello
With, Alicia Lee, clarinet
Works by Penderecki:
String Trio (1991)
Prelude (1987) for solo clarinet
Clarinet Quartet (1993)
Schubert: String Trio TBA
Dan Visconti: New work (Commissioned by the BMI Foundation)
Mitsuko Uchida & The Borletti-Buitoni Trust Concerts
Mitsuko Uchida, Martin Fröst, Christian Poltéra, and Soovin Kim Perform Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time, and other works, May 17th at Zankel Hall.
Mitsuko Uchida, a founding trustee of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust (BBT) leads the Trust's first ever U.S. chamber music tour with former trust winners Martin Fröst (clarinet), Soovin Kim (violin), Christian Poltéra (cello), and Llŷr Williams (piano). The tour culminates with a performance at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall on May 17, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. The program for each evening includes Liszt's La Lugubre gondola, Bartók's Contrasts and Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps.
Borletti-Buitoni Trust was established in 2002 by Ilaria Borletti-Buitoni to help young concert artists, in as flexible and innovative way as possible, to develop and sustain burgeoning international careers. In addition to the financial awards it makes (individual award winners receive '40,000, quartets receive '60,000 and fellowship winners each receive '20,000), BBT pledges commitment and support to all its artists by way of advice, contacts, networking and public relations. The trust also works in partnership with managers, concert promoters, broadcasters, publishers and recording companies to provide young musicians with recording and performance opportunities which help them gain greater public recognition. It has also formed an honorary committee of internationally renowned musicians who have agreed to either perform with, or provide performance opportunities for their chosen artists. The committee currently includes Leif Ove Andsnes, Richard Goode, Clemens Hagen, Truls Mork, Heinrich Schiff, Christian Tetzlaff, Mitsuko Uchida and Thomas Zehetmair. The Trust has given awards and fellowships to 41 young musicians and ensembles from 18 countries, supporting a growing portfolio of enterprising projects.
ARTISTS
Mitsuko Uchida, piano
Mitsuko Uchida is a performer who brings to her audiences a deep insight into the music she plays through her own search for truth and beauty. She is renowned for her interpretations of Mozart and Schubert, both in the concert hall and on CD, but she has also illuminated the music of Berg, Schoenberg, Webern and Boulez for a new generation of listeners and her recording of the Schoenberg Piano Concerto with Pierre Boulez and the Cleveland Orchestra won four awards, including The Gramophone Award for Best Concerto. Over the last two years she has been giving performances of Beethoven's last three piano sonatas, and Opus 101 and 106 (“Hammerklavier”): Royal Festival Hall performance of Op109, 110 and 111 was described by John Allison, The Times critic, as “one of the most transporting concerts London has heard all year;” and her performance of the “Hammerklavier” in March 2005 was described by Andrew Clements in The Guardian as “totally compelling”. She has recorded last three Beethoven sonatas for Decca and has received outstanding critical acclaim. Hugh Canning wrote in The Sunday Times “This is magical piano-playing: we are lucky to live in an age when Uchida is the medium through which Beethoven's genius still speaks to us so eloquently.”
Martin Fröst, clarinet (BBT award winner 2003) Swedish clarinet virtuoso Martin Fröst is one of the most charismatic and multi-talented instrumentalists performing today, appearing regularly in leading music centers and with major orchestras worldwide. He studied with Hans Deinzer in Hannover and Sölve Kingstedt in Stockholm and has won the first prize in the Geneva Competition and has also received the Nippon Music Award as well as the Akzo Nobel Music Award. He used his 2003 BBT award to commission a Clarinet Concerto from Finnish composer Kalevi Aho which he world premiered in London in April 2006 and later recorded for BIS with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Osmo Vänskä.
Soovin Kim, violin (BBT award winner 2005)
Korean-American violinist Soovin Kim is particularly known for his breadth of repertoire: he typically takes on everything from Bach to Paganini to the big romantic concertos to new commissions within a single season. As well as playing with the world's great orchestras he is a keen chamber music player and regularly teams up with artists such as Jeremy Denk, Janos Starker and Zuill Bailey for recordings and recitals and is a regular performer at the Marlboro Festival. He used his BBT award to support the promotion and recording of his two Azica label CDs; Niccolò Paganini's demanding 24 Caprices and works by Faure and Chausson. He plays the 1709 “ex-Kempner” Stradivarius and has also been award the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Henryk Szeryng Foundation Career Award and first prize at the Paganini Competition.
Christian Poltéra, cello (BBT award winner 2004)
Swiss cellist Christian Poltéra studied with Nancy Chumachenco, Boris Pergamenschikow and Heinrich Schiff. Besides his appearances as a soloist with numerous renowned European orchestras, he has a busy career as a chamber musician playing with partners such as Gidon Kremer, Julius Drake, Lars Vogt, Christian Tetzlaff, Leif Ove Andsnes and the Auryn, Guarneri, Artemis and Zehetmair Quartets. He made his US-debut in 2006 as the soloist of the American Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall in New York and also played Carnegie (Weill) Hall with pianist Polina Leschenko as part of the ECHO Rising Stars tour. He used his BBT award to support a BIS 3-CD recording project featuring neglected cello works by Swiss composers Schoeck, Honegger and Martin.
Llŷr Williams, piano (BBT award winner 2004)
Welsh pianist Llŷr Williams is much in demand as soloist, accompanist and chamber musician all over the world and has given acclaimed performances at major festivals such as the BBC Proms and Edinburgh International Festival. He recently completed a successful tour of the United States with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Llŷr Williams read music at The Queen's College, Oxford, graduating in 1998 with a first class alpha degree. He went on to take up a postgraduate scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music where he won every prize and award. He used his BBT award to help finance the purchase of a new grand piano.
Mitsuko Uchida & Friends
Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall
May 17, at 7:30 pm
Details
Mitsuko Uchida, piano •
Llŷr Williams, piano •
Martin Fröst, clarinet
Soovin Kim, violin •
Christian Poltéra, cello
Liszt: La Lugubre gondola
Bartók: Contrasts for violin, clarinet, and piano
Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps
On Tuesday, May 27, Israeli-born violinist Yonah Zur and cellist Michal Korman will perform a Concert for Israel's Environment at Congregation Shaare Zedek on West 93rd Street. The concert will feature works of Bach, Ravel and Israeli composers Paul Ben-Haim and Menachem Zur and will support Israeli environmental causes while celebrating Israel's 60th Anniversary.
Classical Domain recently spoke with Yonah Zur about the concert and being an environmentalist, an Israeli musician in New York, and the son of a composer.
CD: What are the goals of this concert?
YZ: The first goal of this concert, like any concert, is to potentially experience a meaningful musical event. This is the magic of music, which may happen if a performer is in touch with the composer's intention, with his/herself, and the listeners are open to the music and allow themselves to respond emotionally to the sound.
The second goal of the concert is, in dedicating it to two causes outside of the music, both in Israel, as a part of the celebration of Israel's 60th. One cause is the quality of life of the children of Sderot, who have been living in constant fear (and reality) of bombardment for many months. The other is the Center for Creative Ecology at Kibbutz Lotan, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching and practicing sustainable living in the Arava Desert.
CD: How did you develop your interest in environmental causes? Is it challenging to maintain both your musical and environmental interests?
YZ: I have always been interested in nature around me, and in the past 5 years this has grown into an active pursuit of sustainable practices. After learning about permaculture—a philosophy and set of principles of design which strive to create sustainable living environments based on natural ecosystems—my wife and I participated in a 10-week course in Kibbutz Lotan during the winter of 2006-07 (it was also our honeymoon). This course connected many dots for me, including the environment, a quality of life that we are looking for, and a connection to Israel today.
The challenge is to pursue sustainability in an urban setting (like NY) which is, almost by definition, unsustainable. This is both difficult and extremely rewarding, now that awareness for the issue seems to pop up everywhere, including city hall.
As far as the balance between environmental stewardship and a life in music is concerned, I don't find it to be a challenge. In fact one thing feeds the other—this is a great example of permaculture.
When trying to change the world one food-scrap at a time, one immediately seeks the help of community. One of the most exciting discoveries for me has been an organization called Hazon (Hebrew for “vision”), an American organization that is dedicated to environmental causes in Israel. It's flagship project is two annual bike rides, one in Israel and one in the States, that are fund raisers for at least 20 different causes. And it is through Hazon that our concert is able to dedicate the funds to the causes that we have chosen.
CD: Like many young Israeli musicians (including several of your co-participants at the Marlboro Music Festival), you were born and raised in Israel, came to the U.S. for school and are now living in New York. Do you think you'll stay here or return to Israel?
YZ: My situation is a little different than most Israeli 'expats', since I am also an American citizen. I spent significant years of my childhood (5 altogether) in NY, and I have family here in the States, not to mention the fact that I am now married to an American who is not Israeli. It is very difficult to say where one will live in the future, and it is even more difficult to project anything having to do with Israel's future, since the situation there is always so tenuous--especially for artists. However, Israelis by and large feel a very strong connection to their homeland, and I am no exception. It may be possible for me in the future to make my dreams come true in Israel—who knows?
CD: How is the musical training in Israel and how are the opportunities for classical musicians there?
YZ: The musical training in Israel is very good to a point and then one really needs to get out in order to experience a broader perspective. There are excellent representatives of all the different schools of musical training, but the small size of the country takes its toll on exposure, perspective and the feeling of freedom of opportunity. Most successful Israeli artists who live in Israel have either spent considerable amounts of time outside of it, or continue to do so on a regular basis despite calling it home.
CD: Your father, Mencahem Zur, is one of Israel's leading composers, having founded the Israel Composers League and having been the Dean of Composition, Conducting and Education Department at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. What was it like growing up with a composer for a father and how has he influenced you as a musician?
YZ: For the early part of my life, the largest influence my father had on me was indirect: the many concerts, the discussion of music all around me, etc. When I fell in love with music myself, it had more to do with my sister than him (I was about 9) and at that point it was definitely influential to live in a house filled with recordings and scores and books. It wasn't until I was in my late teens and I could handle a proper adult conversation about music that I really experienced his level of knowledge, and at that point he was incredibly influential. I studied counterpoint and harmony with him, and I sat in on classes he gave at the Jerusalem Academy. Of course then there are the three solo violin pieces, the first two of which were written for me, and the work on them has been constant since they were first composed, and continuous up to every new performance that I give that he attends. It is always a collaboration on a work in progress.
CD: Tell us about the piece that you'll be playing by your father. Did you work on it with him?
YZ: The piece is called Cadenza and he wrote it in 1998 upon my request (I never paid him his fee so it's not a commission, strictly speaking). I originally asked for a piece for violin and electronics, because I am very fond of the way he writes for that medium, but he was on sabbatical in Paris and there wasn't sufficient studio time to realize a synthesized part. Instead, he decided to use effects of extended technique to bring out different forms of white noise that already exist in the violin's sound, and the grittiness of that palette provided him with ample tools to compose with.
In the midst of writing Cadenza, there was a terrible crash of two Israeli Army helicopters and over 70 young boys were killed. The piece became a kind of juxtaposition of youthful and playful sounds with more mournful, plaintive sections—a kind of elegy.
CD: Tell us about the program for the concert.
Aside from that piece, I will play the Solo Sonata by Paul Ben-Haim, Isarel's ‘first’ Israeli composer. The Sonata of 1948 was written for and dedicated to Yehudi Menuhin. I have loved playing it and look forward to this opportunity to return to it. My dear friend and colleague, Michal Korman, will play one of the six suites for cello solo by Bach, and we will conclude with the marvelous Sonata for Violin and Cello by Ravel. I am always delighted to play with Michal, not only because I enjoy it so much, but also because we have been friends and collaborators for over 15 years now! We first played together when she was only 9 years old.
Yonah Zur & Michal Korman
Congregation Shaare Zedek
Tuesday, May 27, at 8:00 pm
Details
Yonah Zur, violin • Michal Korman, cello
A Concert for Israel's Environment
Works of Bach, Ravel, and Israeli composers Paul Ben-Haim and Menachem Zur, celebrating Israel's 60th Anniversary.
Tickets: $20 in advance; $25 at the door; $10 for students.
Congregation Shaare Zedek
212 West 93rd Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam
| Bruce Adolphe, composer Time Flies & composing for all ages. |
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| American Symphony Orchestra
Schumann: Das Paradies und die Peri, an essay by James M. Keller |
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| Robert Bass, conductor The Collegiate Chorale Puccini: A Composer's Journey |
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| Michael Christie, conductor The Brooklyn Philharmonic. |
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| Mirian Conti, pianist Argentinean compositions for piano and other things |
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| Vladimir Feltsman Mozart sonatas on the fortepiano |
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Neal Goren, conductor Gotham Chamber Opera Britten:Albert Herring |
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| Gary Graffman. pianist On performing Korngold. |
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Paul Haas, conductor REWIND |
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| Olga Makarina, soprano The road to the Metropolitan Opera |
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| Anne Manson, conductor Juilliard's Focus Festival 2006 |
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| The Metropolis Ensemble, Andrew Cyr, conductor Singing in the Dark a conversation between composer, soloist and conductor |
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| Midori, violinist |
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Prism Concerts: Grappling with their Heritage: Music of Mendelssohn, Mahler and Castelnuovo-Tedesco Main page with links to Interviews with: Judith Clurman, conductor Michael Griffel, Chair of the Music History Department, The Juilliard School |
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| Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) composer |
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Shostakovich's Babi Yar Sym.. No. 13. Premiere of the composer's arrangement for two pianos, soloist and chorus. Main page with links to Interviews with: David Marwell, Director The Museum of Jewish Heritage A Living Memorial to the Holocaust Misha and Cipa Dichter Pianists |
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| George Steel, executive director of the Miller Theatre, on new audiences. |
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| Jos van Veldhoven, conductor The Netherlands Bach Society Bach b minor Mass |
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| What is it with the Ring?
Wagner and the Kirov Opera at the MET July, 2007. By Michael Hurshell |
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| Wu Han, pianist and co-director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center |
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| Barbara Yahr, conductor Greenwich Village Orchestra |
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| Eugenia Zukerman, flute On Bach works for flute. |
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Photo Credits:
Gheorghiu & Alagna:
Gladiola Nitulescu
