By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson

MEVASSERET ZION, Israel –As readers of this column will have surmised by now, my husband and I are keen concert-goers. Israel abounds in opportunities to attend inspiring orchestral concerts, uplifting chamber performances, and impressive solo recitals. We try to attend as many of these as our energy and pocket allow, and these almost invariably leave us agape at the wealth of musical riches with which this small country is blessed.

Thus, in the summer we attended a gala concert given in the open air in Tel Aviv, at which Daniel Barenboim conducted the orchestra, choir and soloists of Milan’s La Scala in a stunning performance of Verdi’s Requiem. It was attended by thousands, and was well worth enduring the heat and discomfort of Tel Aviv.

A few weeks earlier we attended a weekend devoted to Beethoven in a hotel in Nazareth. The hotel, which afforded a magnificent vista over the Jezreel Valley, was comfortable and could easily accommodate the four hundred or so Beethoven aficionados who had come to be regaled with lectures about the composer and recitals of his work. The organizer and star of the weekend was Gil Shohat, a strapping young man of thirty-five who, as well as playing four of the most difficult Beethoven piano sonatas by heart that weekend (Pathetique, Moonlight, Waldstein and Apassionata), spoke about and demonstrated various aspects of the composer’s genius. Gil also composes and conducts on a comprehensive scale, and was recently made a Companion of France’s Legion d’Honneur, a signal recognition for any Israeli, and especially one so young. Now we are eagerly awaiting the next such weekend.

Not long after returning from Nazareth we caught a Saturday lunchtime concert in the Scottish Church, a fine building of Jerusalem stone dating from 1927 and overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem and the Valley of Hinnom. At the entrance to the church is a plaque commemorating ‘the Liberation of Jerusalem on December 9 1917’ which was laid by ‘Field Marshal the Viscount Allenby G.C.B., G.C.M.G. on May 7 1927.’ Inside the cool interior of the church, which is built in modern Romanesque style, plaques commemorate fallen soldiers of Scottish brigades who fell in both world wars. The text on one of them reads: ‘Sacred to the memory of Alistair, Captain, the Black Watch, who fell in the defence of Crete on May 28^th 1941, aged 27, only son of Brigadier-General J.G.H.Hamilton of Skene, and of Mungo, Captain, the Black Watch, M.C., who died on December 14^th 1941 of wounds received at Tobruk, aged 26, only surviving son of Col. Sir George Stirling, Bt., of Glorat. They worshipped together in this church, November 1937 – June 1940.’ One can only imagine how much grief and heartache is embodied in this inscription.

But that is not all the history that this church embodies. As you leave the building and look out over the walls of the Old City, another small plaque catches your eye. This one, headed ‘A Fragment of History,’ mentions the two tiny silver scrolls from the 7^th century BCE discovered by archaeologists a few years ago in the valley below and usually on display in the Israel Museum. The ancient scrolls contain the priestly blessing, the form of words which Moses instructed Aaron and his sons, the priests of Israel, to use when blessing the people. The plaque quotes the text, which anyone who attends the Shabbat service in synagogue hears pronounced by the Kohanim, and obligingly adds its English translation as it appears in the Authorized Version of the Bible.

It’s impossible to take a single step in Jerusalem without encountering one aspect or another of our history.

*
Shefer-Vanson, a freelance writer and translator based in Mevasseret Zion, can be reached at dorothea@shefer.com This article initially appeared in the AJR Journal, published by the Association of Jewish Refugees in the United Kingdom.

by Mike Telin

We spoke to Alisa Weilerstein about many things, including the dual role she will have this week when she performs the Dvorak Cello Concerto and later joins Jamey Haddad, Dylan Moffitt, Keita Ogawa and Michael Ward-Bergeman in the World Music portion of the evening on the Fridays @ 7 series on November 20. We also talked about her passion for Russian literature, her upcoming live television performance of the Elgar Concerto with Daniel Barenboim, and her work as spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

We began by asking her about her participation in Classical Music Day at the White House, and her feelings about the significance of the event that had occurred the previous day.

Alisa Weilerstein: I’m not sure how much you know about what was going on, but there was a huge emphasis on education so we did workshops in the afternoon. I had 24 cellists come to my class and 20 of them brought their instruments. I started out by playing a piece by Golijov for them. Then we had a nice discussion about the state of classical music today because this is a question that I am asked all the time and I wanted to hear what they had to say about it. It was very nice to hear their perspectives about it and they were very forthcoming with their answers and ideas. Then, because so many students brought their instruments, we rehearsed the slow movement of Bachianis Brasilerias #1 of Villa-Lobos, which was an incredibly beautiful movement. The levels of playing varied quite widely. Some of them were much more developed then others so it was actually a little scary, because I wasn’t given too many details about anyone, but it actually worked out really well in the end. We were able to talk about playing and orchestra playing and so I feel like we covered a lot of bases. Then we had a workshop concert in the afternoon, which was attended by the First Lady. I played duets with an 8-year old cellist, Sujari Britt, a wonderful cellist. I had rehearsed with her about a week and a half before that and she played the Saint-Saëns concerto for me, and keep in mind that she is 8. She is super, super gifted. She has a wonderful relationship with me and she and I are absolutely passionate about it. I also played The Swan with a marimba player named Jason Yoder, who is also a really gifted kid. And then I did a solo piece by Golijov. Then for the evening concert — this wasn’t supposed to happen — but the First Lady was so taken by the kids, that she invited them back to play in the evening concert as well, which was attended by the President, several members of congress. Edward Norton was there — actually a lot of famous people. I did the last movement of the Kodaly solo sonata, then Joshua Bell, Awadagin Pratt and I did the last movement of the Mendelssohn d minor trio together. It was really fun.

MT: As a young person, how do you see your role in the promotion of classical music and what do you think the state of classical music is. Does it need to be fixed and if so, how do we go about fixing it?

AW: I think we had a big boost yesterday. The amount of press coverage that this got is un-believable. I don’t think I have ever seen classical music get this much coverage. There was a huge amount of press at the workshops and they were all asking me what does this mean to you, and what does it mean that the Obama’s are having classical music events. And I can’t tell you, I mean it means so much to have administrations that are aware and are trying to promote the importance of this to kids and to have it in the schools when arts programs are being cut all over the place. It was so gratifying to see it get so much attention, to have an entire day devoted to it and bringing it to young people. Bringing it into the White House and seeing musicians like Josh Bell, Sharon Isbin and Awadagin Pratt. I don’t know, it was a very special day.

MT: I must say that I was so happy for you when I read the announcement in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and The New York Times. I think you a great ambassador for this along with Josh Bell and Sharon Isbin.

MT: How did you become interested in Russian Literature?

AW: I don’t remember exactly when I fell in love with Russian Literature, but I was like, I want more of this. My major was actually history, but I did take a lot if literature classes. But it was also the music. The Soviet era actually was my history specialty, but I did take a lot of 19th century Russian drama classes and 20th century literature, and Soviet literature as well. So I would say it was the music of that time and becoming exposed to the literature when I was in high school — that was it for me.

MT: I think it so fascinating how music and literature go so well together.

AW: ABSOLUTELY!!!

MT: Regarding the Friday @ 7 series, I understand that you will be doing double duty first performing the Dvorak Concerto with the orchestra and later joining Jamey Haddad during the world music portion?

AW: Yes I am very excited about that, and it’s great that you were able to talk to Jamey.

MT: I heard you play the Dvorak with the Chicago Symphony back in June.

AW: Yes, and I just played it with Philadelphia. It’s my Dvorak month!

MT: So what will you be doing with Jamey? Will it be something like what you did after the performance of Azul with the orchestra back in April?

AW: You heard the Azul and the encore after, so that was kind of the catalyst actually. I had done Azul with the guys many times and then, Michael and Jamey came up to me and said would you consider learning a tune for an encore, learning to improvise on stage? I was completely freaked out about improvising on stage. I had never done anything like that, but they are unbelievable musicians as you know,  and they gave me so much, just playing with them. I felt very free to do it and it went really well and we loved doing it so much that we said, we really have got to do some more of this. So we are picking out some other tunes which we will surprise you with. I don’t know what Jamey told you, maybe he has spoiled the surprise.

MT: No he hasn’t. Like you he said, I would be in for a surprise.

AW: So, yeah, it’s going to fun, it going to be really fun.

MT: Looking at your schedule, you are doing so many things, but something that stuck out for me is that I understand you will be performing the Elgar concerto with Barenboim in Berlin?

AW: Yes, it will be a live television performance and it will be released on DVD.

MT: So how did this project come about? It is something pretty amazing.

AW: Yes, It really doesn’t get any better then that. I am so excited! It actually came about because I played for maestro Barenboim in December, nearly a year ago. I had tried for six years to get in front of him to play for him and it never worked. Then the stars were aligned and the time was right and finally I did. I played Dvorak for him, actually, among some other things, and he said, I really want to spend more time with you. Please come and play for me again. So in February I went to Milan and I had a three hour lesson with him on the Dvorak concerto which was just unbelievable. It was one of the most informative, incredible musical experiences I have had ever in my life. And then he said, I am coming to New York in May, and this was when he was conducting the Mahler and doing a crazy amount of playing and conducting, and he said please come see me.  So I did, but it took all of the courage I could muster to play Elgar for him, because no one knows that piece better then he does, for obvious reasons. But I knew a close friend of his, Usher Fish, actually he’s the one that I really owe my life to because he’s the one that got me in front of him, but he told me, you should really play that for him because you know that he really likes you and that you could learn so much from him on that piece. So I went in there thinking of this as an educational experience. I went in and we played through the entire thing, with him on the piano, and of course he had a million things to say as he always does and then he says, so by the way do you want to do this with me in Berlin? So he described the concert to me and I almost fell over.

MT: I was going to say, did you fall off your chair?

AW: Yes, it was so unbelievable, but also it was very late in the day to book for the 09-10 season. It was already May of 2009, which was just six months ago, so my season was already completely full. So it was just a miracle that it happened

MT:  Congratulations, I can’t think of a better person to be part of such a monumental occasion. The significance of this goes without saying.

AW: Thank-you, thank you so much.

MT: The last thing I want to ask you about is your work as spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

AW: Yes, I have been meeting with a lot of the local chapters of the organization, which is a great, great organization, and I have been speaking to a lot of families and spreading the message that of course insulin is not a cure. The disease should not stop anyone from doing what they want to do with their lives. I have had an extremely active life and I have had it for 17 and 1/2 years, since I was 9 years old, and so while it is something that is not always easy to deal with, it does not need to be an obstacle in any way, it does not need to stand in the way of anyone’s dreams. So that what I have been trying to communicate with families. Just talking about what it’s like to deal with because It really is a 24-7-365 days a year job, that is the hardest thing about it. I think it is really good for kids to know that they are not alone, and there are people from many different walks of life that deal with it and manage it beautifully.

On November 15:

1515  Thomas Wolsey wass invested as a Cardinal.

1532 Spanish conquistadors under Hernando de Soto meet Inca leader Atahualpa for the first time outside Cajamarca.

1533  Francisco Pizarro arrived in Cuzco, the capital of the Inca Empire.

1708 William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was born.

1769 Captain James Cook raised the British flag at Mercury Bay and claimed the area in the name of King George III.

1791 The first U.S Catholic college, Georgetown University, opened.

1854 the Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, was given the royal concession.

1861 The first issue of the Otago Daily Times was published.

1889 Brazil was declared a republic by Marechal Deodoro da Fonseca and Emperor Pedro II  was deposed in a military coup.

1891  Erwin Rommel, German field marshal, “The Desert Fox”, was born.

 Iskander Mirza, first President of Pakistan, was born.

1903  Stewie Dempster, New Zealand cricketer, was born.

1905 Mantovani, Italian-born composer, was born.

1926  The NBC radio network opened with 24 stations.

1928  C. W. McCall, American singer, was born.

1932 Petula Clark, English singer, was born.

1942 Daniel Barenboim, Argentine-born conductor and pianist, was born.

1942 First flight of the Heinkel He 219.

1942  The Battle of Guadalcanal ends in a decisive Allied victory.

1945  Roger Donaldson, Australian- born New Zealand film producer/director.

1945  Anni-Frid “Frida” Lyngstad, Norwegian (By Birth) singer (ABBA) was born.

1960  The Polaris missile was test launched.

1966  Gemini 12 splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean.

1971 Intel released the world’s first commercial single-chip microprocessor, the 4004.

1983  Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was founded. Recognised only by Turkey.

 1985 The Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed at Hillsborough Castle by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Irish Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald.

1988 The first Fairtrade label, Max Havelaar, was launched in the Netherlands.

1990 Space Shuttle Atlantis launched with flight STS-38.

2002  – Hu Jintao became general secretary of the Communist Party of China.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

Wer je Lands of Lore II spielte, kennt den Spruch Nachdem ich dem komischen Vogel ja nicht die gesamte Klassikauswahl überlassen mag, gibt es mal eine meiner Lieblingsnummern – Bolero von Maurice Ravel. Leider kommt die Aufnahme der Berliner Philharmoniker unter Barenboim in zwei Teilen daher:

Ich wünsche trotzdem viel Vergnügen!

In order to fund the old house’s renovation, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden has programmed a series of concerts to raise money. Taking profit of the opportunity of Plácido Domingo’s baritone venture in Simon Boccanegra, a Wagnerian evening with star soprano Nina Stemme and conductor Daniel Barenboim was organized in the Philharmonie. However, the Swedish soprano fell ill and was replaced at the last minute by a regular in the Lindenoper, mezzo Michaela Schuster, last seen as Ortrud in the première of the new production last April.

However, before these singers could open their mouths, Barenboim treated the audience to a sensational performance of  Tristan und Isolde’s Prelude and Liebestod. As in his last performance in the Staatsoper, the conductor indulged in a considerate tempo in order to showcase the orchestra’s sophisticated phrasing, tonal refulgence and clarity. The ensuing Liebestod offered an entirely contrasting approach, almost dance-like, in which the escalating chromatic figures spiralled in clearly defined alternate dynamic effects to breathtaking results.

After a white-heat start, The Valkyrie’s Act I would finally settle into something rather less impressive. Although the orchestra was in great shape, the need to adapt to the soloist’s necessities took its toil in what regards horizontal clarity and pace. Of course, Plácido Domingo’s vocal longevity is a marvel. The tone is certainly darker these days, but the sound is still fresh. However, the tenor needed some time to prepare for his ascent to top notes or for fast declamatory passages, forcing the conductor to step on the break pedal, for the loss of fluency sometimes. That said, he seemed far more comfortable than last time I heard him as Siegmund at the Gala concert in Munich with Waltraud Meier some two or three years ago.  A colleague from the Staatsoper’s Noccanegra, Kwangchul Youn was in great voice, producing some powerful sounds as Hunding.

Michaela Schuster deserves a paragraph for herself. I have seen her only twice as Ortrud, both in Berlin and Munich, and have found her vocally no more than efficient, but tonight, in this soprano role, I was able to understand more about her voice. Free from the burden of sounding formidable and dramatic, one can see the naturally lighter hue of her voice, which is surprisingly pleasant, soft and bright. I could imagine that she would be a touching in French roles such as Charlotte or Didon. In her more relaxed self, she floats lovely mezza voce and phrases with authentic legato. When things start to get too “Wagnerian”, the usual harsh quality comes unfortunately about. Of course, when the phrase is congenial she produces some firm big acuti, but generally she attacks them in a strangely backwards placement only to focus them a few seconds later. In order to accomodate her, the conductor had often to kept the orchestra’s enthusiasm on a leash.  But that is all secondary when one considers her highly expressive interpretation. Crystal-clear diction, the wide tonal palette of a Lieder singer and a highly alert and imaginative way of colouring the text. Some moments of her performance were original and illuminating even in comparison with some very famous Sieglindes. I really wish she would give her Ortruds and Kundrys a rest and made better use of her talent for subtlety for more than a change.

Una de las 100 personas más influyentes, según Times, es un héroe nacional en su país, tiene 27 años, cientos de millones de seguidores y lucrativos contratos publicitarios con prestigiosas marcas como Audi, Adidas o Sony. Y no, no es ningún deportista, actor o cantante.

Es Lang Lang un pianista chino, que empezó a tocar a los 2 años y medio, hacia el que maestros como Daniel Barenboim o Zubin Mehta se deshacen en elogios por su enorme talento y su teatral dominio de la puesta en escena. No obstante, también tiene detractores que lo apodan Bang Bang por su enérgica forma de tocar el piano.

Entre sus críticos, destaca el prestigioso periodista de The New York Times, Michael Kimmelman para quien Lan Lang “no toca el piano, su música es una especie de twitter. En la época del messenger y la instantaneidad Lang Lang emite destellos sonoros. Nos ha conquistado con su sonrisa y tocando muy, muy rápido.”

Y, posiblemente, no le falte razón. Pues si la tuviera Lang Lang intrepretaría la banda sonora de twitter.

Mesdames et Messieurs con todos ustedes Lang Lang intrepretando la pieza con la que empezó a tocar el piano a los dos años y medio tras ver a Tom y Jerry tocándola en un episodio de la serie: la Rapsodia húngara número 2 de Franz Liszt.

Entrevista a Lan Lang en XlSemanal.com

© oídococina.com

Sugerencia del Chef: La chispa de internet

Trăia demult un om sfânt pe nume Hillel, cunoscut ca blând şi modest. Un idolatru, care dorea să treacă la iudaism, s-a dus la un alt om sfânt, pe nume Schammai, şi l-a întrebat:

- Câte feluri de legi aveţi?

- Două, a răspuns Schammai. Legea scrisă şi legea nescrisă.

- Legea scrisă o primesc, a spus atunci omul, dar mă pot supune legii nescrise. Mă împotrivesc.

- Atunci piei din ochii mei! a strigat Schammai, supărat.

Astfel alungat, idolatrul s-a dus la Hillel  şi i-a spus acelaşi lucru: primea învăţătura legii scrise, dar nu şi legea nescrisă.

- Prea bine, i-a răspuns Hillel.

Şi a purces să-l înveţe. În prima zi, i-a arătat idolatrului primele porunci din legea scrisă.

A doua zi, a luat-o de la capăt, dar în altă ordine. Neofitul s-a arătat mirat:

- Dar ieri ai spus altfel!

- Şi m-ai crezut?

- Fireşte.

- Asta nu înseamnă oare că ai crezut în legea nescrisă?

La Asocación de Arte de Japón anunció que el pianista Alfred Brendel fue elegido como uno de los 5 ganadores de la edición 2009 del Praemium Imperiale Awards, por su destacada contribución a las artes. Además del pianista recientemente retirado, fueron galardonados Sugimoto Hiroshi (pintura), Richard Long (escultura), Zaha Hadid (arquitectura) y Tom Stoppard (teatro).

Creado  en 1989, el reconocimiento se entrega cada año a destacados exponentes en 5 diferentes campos: pintura, escultura, arquitectura y teatro o cine. Bajo el patronazgo de la familia imperial de Japón, el premio otorga a cada ganador  15 millones de yenes, equivalentes a aproximadamente 158 mil dólares, lo que lo convierte en uno de los más codiciados en el mundo del arte.

En la categoría musical el premio ha sido entregado a importantes compositores, directores y ejecutantes como Zubin Metha, Luciano Berio, Györgi Ligeti, Steve Reich, Mstislav Rostropovich, Martha Argerich y Daniel Barenboim.

Redacción Clásica México

Para saber más de este reconocimiento visiten el sitio oficial del Premio Imperial

Daniel Barenboim será, em Portugal, aquilo que é há muito por onde quer que passe: uma espécie de homem renascentista entre orquestras e pautas. O pianista prodígio transformado em maestro, escritor e profeta para o entendimento humano, chegou ontem a Lisboa para abrir a Temporada 2009/2010 da Gulbenkian e tem agenda preenchida até quarta-feira.

Recolhe elogios como coisa do dia-a-dia e raro será aquele que lhe reconhece razão para não os coleccionar – em Lisboa volta a explicar os porquês. Ontem foi dirigido por Lawrence Foster, no Coliseu dos Recreios (21h00), enquanto interpreta os dois concertos para piano, de Chopin, com a Orquestra da Gulbenkian. Mantém-se ao piano na quarta-feira, desta vez a solo, e novamente com a obra de Chopin como referência (grande auditório Gulbenkian, 19h00). E, nos entretantos, reserva o final do dia de amanhã (a partir das 18h30) para um encontro com o público (Fundação Gulbenkian, auditório 2). O momento é dedicado à apresentação do livro “Está Tudo Ligado – O Poder da Música”. Ou seja, reflexão a querer ser partilhada, sobre criatividade, interpretação e tudo o que na música é parente próximo da realidade social e política que a rodeia. As histórias que lhe constroem o percurso, portanto.

Recordemos que tudo isto é o que tem feito a personalidade artística de Barenboim, que abrange dimensões distintas. Argentino (n. 1942), filho de emigrantes em fuga da perseguição aos judeus russos, teria nova morada em Israel no início da década de 50. Pelo caminho, uma formação musical que o levou aos palcos como pianista pela primeira vez aos sete anos, que lhe deu a estreia como maestro em 1967 (com a Philarmonia de Londres) e que promoveu a criação da Western-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Esta, baseada em Sevilha (Espanha), surgiu da colaboração entre Daniel Barenboim e o académico americano-palestiniano Edward Said. Músicos do Médio Oriente num encontro criativo que é, há dez anos, o paradigma das suas motivações activistas, enquanto promotor das relações entre israelitas e palestinianos.

Entre as actuações de Lisboa, voltemos a referir o encontro com o público. Será uma sessão de improviso sobre tons e escalas bem definidos, as mesmas que pautam o livro que apresenta: Mozart e Beethoven enquanto entidades de inspiração e confidência; Bach e a sua simples obrigatoriedade; Edward Said, para falar de coisas de amigos e companheiros de desventuras; Berlim e tudo o que a cidade e a sua música têm sido; Israel como infante de 60 anos em contínuo processo de afirmação. Tudo com as devidas referências ao que se deve e quando se deve ouvir, doses recomendadas e processos a utilizar. Como que um guia, a querer justificar – aparentemente com toda a lógica – o tal título que diz “está tudo ligado”.

este texto foi originalmente publicado na edição de 21 de Setembro de 2009 do jornal ‘i’

Syrigma

Por: Sor Beatriz Alceda Pérez, O.I.C.

“El Concierto de Ramallah”

El pasado 22 de agosto celebramos el aniversario de un acontecimiento que, al parecer, no tuvo mayor trascendencia en el ámbito político y religioso y que, para muchos, ha pasado inadvertido.   En esa fecha memorable del año 2005 Daniel Barenboim y la Orquesta del Diván de Oriente y Occidente fundada por él mismo interpretaron un concierto en Ramallah, territorio de Palestina, con el fin de hacer un llamado a la paz en el territorio que, para varias confesiones monoteístas, es Tierra Santa.  Tal vez éste no sea el espacio más apropiado para hablar sobre temas tan difíciles como son los conflictos en esa parte de nuestro mundo pero más que politizar el tema quisiera, desde mi trinchera monacal, hacer un llamado a todos los hombres “de buena voluntad” a sumarnos a éste y todos los esfuerzos que se hacen para lograr la paz y la armonía (que en realidad eso es lo que significa “Syrigma”: “Armonía”) entre todos y en todos los lugares en que nos encontremos.

¿Qué es el Concierto de Ramallah? y ¿por qué fue, a mi parecer, un acontecimiento tan importante y trascendente?  Tomemos el agua desde el pozo.  Daniel Barenboim, conocido por todos nosotros, es un gran pianista y director de orquesta, israelí, que como acabo de decir fue el fundador de la Orquesta del Diván de Oriente y Occidente junto con Edward Said, palestino y amigo entrañable del músico.  La idea de esta fundación la concibieron estos dos artistas e intelectuales en 1998 con el objeto de combinar el estudio y el desarrollo musical con el conocimiento y la comprensión compartidos entre personas de culturas que, desde tiempos inmemoriales, han sido antagónicas y rivales: israelíes y árabes.  Para muchos de nosotros es difícil comprender hasta el fondo la audacia de Barenboim y Said al llevar a cabo esta iniciativa tan temeraria porque en realidad no vivimos en carne propia esta difícil situación.  Pero a mi parecer ellos nos dan un ejemplo sublime de amistad, de diálogo y convivencia aun a pesar de las tendencias políticas, religiosas y sociales.  En realidad esta Fundación no es sólo un proyecto musical sino también un foro de diálogo y reflexión sobre el eterno problema entre Israel y Palestina.  Barenboim y Said lograron agrupar jóvenes artistas en idéntico número de israelíes y árabes (aunque más tarde se les unieron un número considerable de igualmente jóvenes músicos andaluces) que supieron superar sus diferencias culturales políticas y religiosas y que además nos dan un excelente ejemplo de democracia y vida civilizada.  Imaginemos israelíes y palestinos conviviendo juntos, desarrollando sus propias aptitudes musicales en un entorno pacífico…, es como haber alcanzado la realización de una utopía, ¿verdad?  Aunque la música obviamente no resuelve el conflicto árabe-israelí, sin embargo desempeña el papel más importante del proyecto porque reúne a personas con diferencias muy marcadas y les permite conocerse entre sí, dialogar y ofrecer sus propios puntos de vista y sobre todo hablar todos un solo idioma: la música.  Este lenguaje, lo repito, no va a resolver dichos conflictos militares pero sí nos ofrece la forma más universal que podemos tener en este mundo, al parecer tan caótico, para comunicarnos.

Barenboim y Said tuvieron que afrontar muchas dificultades para lograr que el proyecto pudiera realizarse.  A pesar de todo, poco a poco lograron atraer la mirada (y los oídos) del mundo entero, sobre todo en Europa y en los países del mundo árabe.  Su lugar de residencia está en Sevilla, España, donde cada verano Barenboim reúne su joven orquesta para llevar a cabo un plan bastante intenso de estudio, trabajo y presentaciones.  Han recibido ya muchos premios y reconocimientos en todo el mundo.  Desafortunadamente, en el año 2003 Edward Said murió, víctima de Leucemia.  Suponemos que para Daniel Barenboim fue un duro golpe no sólo por la pérdida de su compañero en este difícil proyecto, sino por la separación del amigo más íntimo y uno de los puntos de referencia más importante de su vida.  Sin embargo, y a pesar de todo, el proyecto siguió adelante.  Los objetivos estaban claros y su camino bien definido: Barenboim no es un político (y siempre hace hincapié en esta cuestión: él dice que la política no le importa en lo más mínimo), pero tiene la certeza de que algo, aunque sea un poco, se puede conseguir por medio de la música: la humanidad y el reconocimiento del otro como ser humano con la misma dignidad y los mismos derechos.  Nada más cercano al Evangelio cristiano que esta actitud llena de una sabiduría poco común en los hombres de nuestro tiempo…

Después de innumerables conciertos en diferentes partes del mundo, Daniel Barenboim concibió la idea de presentar un concierto en Ramallah, una ciudad palestina ubicada en la margen izquierda del río Jordán, junto a Gaza.  Esta controvertida ciudad fue fundada en 1948 y ha sufrido continuamente los ataques y las represiones de los israelíes.  Es muy duro reconocer que poco o casi nada saben los israelíes de los palestinos y viceversa pero los mismos músicos, al llegar a la Orquesta del Diván se dieron cuenta de que su legado cultural y muchas de sus cuestiones sociales no son tan diferentes como las suponían, sobre todo por su cercanía geográfica.  La idea parecía descabellada e imposible.  Podríamos decir que muchos de estos jóvenes músicos perdieron el sueño ante semejante propuesta: por un lado los israelíes nunca habían imaginado pisar territorio palestino y salir vivos de allí; por otro lado los palestinos temían el rechazo de las autoridades y del pueblo en general para la ejecución del concierto además de que cabía la posibilidad de algún atentado.  Entre ellos se había logrado una armonía nunca antes vista.  Llegar a conocer y convivir con un israelí era para un palestino, un sirio, un libanés, un egipcio, un árabe una experiencia insólita, increíble y jamás antes vista pero el amor a la música había hecho superar todas las barreras humanas construidas sobre la base de la ignorancia,  la intolerancia y el egoísmo.  Sin embargo la armonía se vivía prácticamente sólo entre ellos o por lo menos prevalecía el clima de respeto y aceptación.  Era evidente que, entre esa armonía y respeto y la realización del concierto en un contexto bélico, se abría un abismo prácticamente infranqueable.  Aun así Barenboim se dio a la tarea de hacer realidad este sueño… y lo logró.  El gobierno español facilitó en gran medida los trámites para su ingreso en Cisjordania proporcionando a cada músico un pasaporte diplomático, por tener la orquesta su sede en Sevilla.  El mismo Barenboim, refiriéndose a estas diligencias, afirmaba: “Créanme, la logística de este concierto merece que se escriba un libro sobre ella”.  Hubo que dividir a la Orquesta en varios grupos y planear las escalas que cada grupo haría por la seguridad de cada uno.  Está por demás decir que el reencuentro en Ramallah estuvo cargado de emoción y lágrimas.  Tuvieron oportunidad de hacer un único ensayo, previo al concierto, eso sí, vigilado por tropas provistas con armas semiautomáticas aunque, entre los músicos la atmósfera era de relajación y entusiasmo.  Tenemos el testimonio de uno de los músicos que se expresaba así al concluir el ensayo:  “Es increíblemente emocionante estar aquí.  Desde el primer momento la idea de la orquesta era tocar en los países árabes y espero que ahora desarrolle todo su potencial; y tengo la esperanza de que lleguemos a tocar en Israel.  Hace falta un gran valor para que los israelíes vengan a Ramallah y vean finalmente la realidad de cómo viven los palestinos.  Es un gesto muy poderoso y simbólico”.

El concierto se llevó a cabo en el Palacio Cultural de Ramallah; el programa: La sinfonía concertante de Wolfgang A. Mozart y la Quinta Sinfonía de Ludwig van Beethoven.  La ovación en pie duró más de cinco minutos, sin contar los numerosos aplausos que vinieron después de cada una de las intervenciones por parte de las autoridades palestinas y del mismo Barenboim que, lleno de emoción, dijo: “nuestra creencia es que los destinos de estos dos pueblos, Israel y Palestina, están indisociablemente unidos… o nos matamos todos unos a otros o compartimos lo que hay que compartir.  Éste es el mensaje que hemos venido a traer aquí.”  Y tras estas palabras interpretaron Nimrod de las Variaciones Enigma de E. Elgar a modo de propina y como mensaje final de paz.

Terminado el concierto los músicos, sobre todo los israelíes tuvieron que dejar el lugar casi intempestivamente.  Las autoridades les apremiaban para que lo antes posible salieran de territorio palestino por cuestiones de seguridad.  No por eso dejaron a un lado las lágrimas y las profundas emociones.  El sueño de todos era ahora una realidad: habían podido ofrecer un concierto en Palestina al mismo tiempo que expresaban por la música sus más hondas aspiraciones de hermandad y solidaridad.

A sólo cuatro años de este acontecimiento, la situación bélica parece que no tiene fin.  La franja de Gaza sigue sufriendo innumerables ataques y la gente continúa viviendo en medio del terror, el hambre y la incertidumbre.  Pareciera que todos los esfuerzos que Daniel Barenboim hace para promover el diálogo y la paz son inútiles.  Mi opinión es que ningún esfuerzo por la justicia y la paz cae en el vacío, todo se nos tomará en cuenta…  Sin embargo me pareció muy oportuno recordarlo en este espacio dedicado a la música sacra precisamente porque, a mi juicio, la música que es verdaderamente para la gloria de Dios, lo es también, como lenguaje universal, para el provecho y la edificación de todos nosotros, hermanos entre sí, sin ninguna distinción.  El mejor culto que se le puede dar a Dios, sea cual fuere la religión que profesemos, es la paz y la armonía entre todos y con todos, creyentes y no creyentes, y qué mejor forma para hacerlo que hablando todos el mismo lenguaje de amor, respeto y libertad que la música nos puede transmitir.

¿Podríamos imaginar algún evento análogo para nuestro querido México tan afectado por la fuerte ola violencia que lo aqueja?  Parece otro sueño descabellado e imposible de hacer realidad pero no pierdo la fe ni la esperanza porque está visto que la música es la gran mensajera y portadora de todo aquello que nuestro espíritu tanto anhela…

Artículo publicado con algunas modificaciones en www.clasicamexico.com el 3 de octubre de 2008 y en el blog  sorfilotea.blogspot.com,

Con el lema “En la luz”, el viernes 4 de septiembre dió inició la décima emisión del Festival Beethoven en la ciudad alemana de Bohn. El concierto inaugural estuvo a cargo de Moritz Eggert (piano), Christian Tetzlaff (violín) y la Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester de Berlín dirigida por Ingo Metzmacher. Las actividades continuarán hasta el 3 de octubre. Entre los artistas que participarán en el importante evento anual se encuentran Maurizio Pollini, Lang Lang, el Coro Monterverdi; The English Baroque Soloist bajo la dirección de Sir John Eliot Gardiner; la Orquesta Sinfónica de la ciudad de Birmingham, conducida por Andris Nelsons; la Sinfónica de Londres con Valery Gergiev al frente; la Sinfónca de Gotemburgo con Gustavo Dudamel, la Sinfonía Varsovia y su fundador Krzysztof Penderecki, la Mahler Chamber Orchestra dirigida por Kent Nagano y Daniel Barenboim y la Staatsapelle de Berlín

En entrevista para la Deutsche Welle, Ilona Schmiel, directora del festival, explicó que el tema para este año fue elegido con la intención de revalorar ahora y en el futuro el papel de la orquesta y no sólo apuntar al artista como estrella en el escenario. Así, por ejemplo, previo a la presentación de la Quinta Sinfonía de Beethoven, se relatará la historia de la Sinfónica de la Ciudad de Birmingham, o de la Sinfónica de Pittsburgh como sinónimo del desarrollo de toda una región. De alguna manera, las autoridades del festival buscan sensibilizar a su audiencia pues la ciudad de Bohn tiene planeada la construcción de una nueva sala de concierto.

Afortunadamente durante este año, los patrocinadores aumentaron su cooperación por lo que incluso fue posible reducir el precio de las 48,000 localidades disponibles. Podcast y transmisiones en vivo (Live stream) Como una cortesía para los visitantes de Clásica México, y para todos aquellos que deseen escuchar selecciones de anteriores emisiones del festival, la Deutsche Welle ha puesto ha disposición dichos podcasts.

De igual forma, del 9 al 12 de septiembre, será posible escuchar en vivo slas transmisiones de las 9 sinfonías de Beethoven interpretadas por la Filarmónica de Cámara de Bremen, dirigida por Paavo Järvi. El calendario de conciertos es el que se detalla a continuación:

9 de septiembre: Sinfonías No. 1, 2 y 3
10 de septiembre: Sinfonías No. 4 y 5, Concierto triple
11 de septiembre: Sinfonías No. 6 y 7 y Concierto para piano No. 1
12 de septiembre: Sinfonías No. 8 y 9

Todos los conciertos iniciarán aproximadamente a las 12:40 de la tarde, hora del Centro de México. La transmisión podrá escucharse a través de Clásica México Clásica México mediante el vínculo que quedará habilitado únicamente durante la realización del concierto.

…one month in Berlin, and what a gorgeous summer weather! 25 – 28 degrees, blue sky, fresh wind…a couple of Gewitter (by night)…

Saturday night the Fall took over from this gorgeous Summer, during Die Lange Nacht der Museen, the long night of the museums. Fabulous atmosphere…Tristan und Isolde on Unter den Linden, a nice crowd in front of the Altes Museum.

Today is back-to-school day in Berlin. Tomorrow, back in the office.

The Staatsoper unter den Linden’s prima does not have the glamour associated to La Scala’s season opening performance, but the event does involve the presence of the Bundespräsident and simultaneous broadcast to thousands of people at the adjoining Bebelplatz. For the 2009/2010 season, an old production has been chosen, Harry Kupfer’s Tristan und Isolde, first seen in 2000. 

Although the local press calls it legendary, it is actually quite unexceptional. The only set for the three acts shows a giant sculpture of an angel (inspired by a photo by Isolde Ohlbaum of a statue found in Rome) that doubles as a rocky landscape, which turns around to create different perspectives. On the background, some piece of furniture and people in XIXth century clothes (supposed to represent “society”) or a stylized sea landscape. Although the word “angel” does not appear at all in the libretto, if we are to believe that the composer’s feelings for  Mathilde Wesendonck were the early sparkles of inspiration for the opera, then we should remember that the first of her poems set to music by Wagner is… Der Engel. In any case, I really do not see any added insight to the understanding of the story or its interpretation. What one could clearly see was that walking on it was rather difficult and all singers had to watch their steps while trying to sing difficult music. I have not previously seen this staging, but I have the impression that the director’s original ideas might have faded since 2000. In many scenes, singers seemed a bit at a loss with their blocked gestures and tried to milk meaning from generalized stage attitudes. Even the charismatic Waltraud Meier had her clueless moments. If I had to single out someone, this would be Ian Storey, who knows how to scenically pull out act III better than almost anyone I have seen – live or on videos – in this role.

When it comes to the musical direction, Daniel Barenboim has no weak links in his monumental yet supple approach to the score. On his DVD from La Scala, a beautifully crafted act 1 would open the proceedings in the grand manner only to settle in less intense remaining acts. Not this evening. After a deep Furtwänglerian prelude when absolute structural clarity was paradoxically achieved in the context of sophisticated agogics, the first act took a while to take off – probably because the conductor had to accommodate his cast’s needs. From act II on, the performance gained in strength. The Staatskapelle Berlin was at its resplendent best, offering thick Wagnerian sound and breathtaking flexibility throughout. That meant that singers would now and then find themselves drowned in orchestral sound, but the trade-off paid itself – sometimes during the Liebesnacht one would feel that time stood still in sheer beauty of sound and clarity and dramatic purpose. But act III surpassed even these paramount levels. Never in my experience had it sounded as flowing as it did this evening – as it had been produced in one perfectly integrated arch from the first bars of the introduction to the Liebestod’s last chord. 

Waltraud Meier has had an up-and-down experience with the role of Isolde. So far I’ve had bad luck live, but I cannot make my mind whether this evening was a lost opportunity. I would not say she was in bad voice, only that her voice was not willing to sing Isolde. It sounded lean and lyrical and resented the least dramatic turn of phrasing. A less experienced singer would have horribly failed. Not Waltraud, who husbanded her present resources with such shrewdness and imagination that she finally convinced me that she was experimenting with a Margaret Price-like approach to the role. On one hand, the lightness helped to create a more youthful and legato-ish sound that certainly brought about a more immediately romantic tonal palette to the role; on the other hand, she had many moments of inaudibility, pecked at high notes in an almost operetta-ish way and simply did not sing her act II high c’s. Later on, she would warm a bit and gather her strength to produce some loud Spitzentöne, some of them below true pitch. Some of these problems afflicted her Liebestod, but there she and Barenboim achieved such unity of phrasing that no-one could help but surrendering. In any case, that final scene was vastly superior to their studio recording in every sense.

As for Ian Storey, first of all, I must apologize for my opinion on his Tristan as heard at the Deutsche Oper a couple of months ago. Except from an extremely unfocused frenzy on hearing the news of Isolde’s arrival on act III, he sounded this time relatively comfortable with what he had to sing. His dark-toned tenor has a certain disconnected quality around the passaggio that brings about a marked flutter and loss of tonal quality, and his procedure to make his top notes incisive lets itself being noticed. But I don’t want to seem picky – his voice is big, warm and ductile and he has imagination, good taste and his general attitude fits the part. His Tristan finds the right balance between heroic and vulnerable, which is quite rare with Heldentenoren. 

In spite of the soprano and the tenor’s achievements, the outstanding vocal performance this evening is beyond any doubt René Pape’s. This great bass sang with such richness, authority, sensitivity and sheer vocal glamour that one for once could feel that the act II monologue could be a bit longer!  In the performance booklet, Harry Kupfer suggests that King Marke and Tristan’s relationship goes beyond nephew/uncle and reaches an almost incestuous level. In this production, the similarity of age, the violence of feelings and the heartbreak in Pape’s voice almost make this bold assumption work. 

Although Michelle DeYoung is not the subtlest Brangäne around, she was in very healthy voice and managed to pierce through the occasional thick and/or lound orchestral moment without forcing. I cannot say the same of Roman Trekel – the role of Kurwenal is on the heavy side for him and he sounded invariably rough and hard-pressed. He is an intelligent artist, however, and found space to add a discrete sense of humor to his lines.

Last week I was listening one of this summer’s Promenade concerts on the radio. The one in question featured the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, a group of young Arab and Israeli players conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Before the music actually started there was a lengthy discussion by the radio pundits and members of the orchestra about the decision to include in their programme a piece by Richard Wagner, the Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde. The orchestra had actually done this as an encore piece previously, but had never had in on their published programme. The problem was that Wagner was a notorious anti-semitic bastard and his music is considered by many to be emblematic of German Nazism. Many members of the orchestra – not only those who happened to be Jewish, in fact – did not feel at all comfortable playing music that carried such distressing overtones. After much discussion, however, they had decided to reclaim Wagner’s music from its awful past and treat it as their own. The performance they produced last week was really excellent, I should add.

For reasons which should become obvious fairly soon, this spurred me on to put something up here by the great Danish singer  Lauritz Melchior. Born in Copenhagen in 1890, Melchior was probably the greatest of all the Heldentenors. If you don’t know what a Heldentenor is, it’s a term used to describe the heroic lead in most of Wagner’s operas. In the words of Anna Russell, he

… is very big, very strong, very brave, very stupid. He carries a spear and wears a helmet. He talks to birds, laughs at dragons, and travels by swan.

Melchior had an immensely powerful voice, which is obligatory if you have to cut through a huge Wagnerian orchestra, but, unlike many other singers who can sing very loud, he was also extremely accurate and his voice had a very rich texture. Other dramatic tenors of his day had purer voices – but if Richard Tauber’s was polished silver, Melchior’s was more like wrought iron. It’s a matter of taste of course, but I haven’t heard any modern singers anywhere near as good as him in Wagnerian roles. For me, Melchior is the Heldentenor.

The other thing I should mention about Melchior was that he was Jewish. Although he performed frequently in German opera houses – including  Bayreuth – during the 1920s, he stopped doing so in 1931 when Hitler and his cronies started systematically persecuting Jewish musicians. He spent much of the rest of his life as a star performer at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and eventually took up American citizenship. Despite his ancestry and his hatred for the Nazis, however, he never stopped performing Wagner’s music.

When he  died in 1973,  Melchior’s body was transported back to his native Denmark and he was buried in the famous Assistens Cemetery in his home town of Copenhagen. His grave, in fact, is not far from that of the jazz musician Ben Webster.

I don’t know the date of this particular clip, but it was made for American television, I guess sometime during the 1950s. Melchior was already an old man by then, but I love the way he sets himself for this performance and you don’t have to make any allowance for his years. His diction is superb, there’s a wonderful timbre to his voice and when he unleashes the fortissimo his power is almost shocking. This is the narration In Fernem Land, from Wagner’s Lohengrin that also provides the theme for the exquisite instrumental Prelude to Act I of the opera, which also provided Anna Russell with her reference to travelling by swan..

Writing in today’s Independent, Boyd Tonkin congratulates Elena Cheah on her ‘An Orchestra Beyond Borders – a collection of testimonies from the young men and women who make up the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.

Elena Cheah’s invaluable – and rather inspiring – insider’s book about the West-Eastern Divan project, An Orchestra Beyond Borders, makes it clear that neither the maestro nor his band dreams of swamping divisions of background and outlook in a warm tide of sound.

For fans of the BBC’s new MaestroCam service, you can now watch Daniel Barenboim in action with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra:

• Liszt Les préludes
• Wagner Tristan and Isolde – Prelude and Liebestod
• Berlioz Symphonie fantastique

All four MaestroCam broadcasts will continue to be made available (to UK viewers only) until the end of the Proms season.

Listen to Elena Cheah’s radio interviews on

BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and

The Sunday Programme, and The Strand,

BBC  World Service’s Arts and Culture show.

‘An Orchestra Beyond Borders: Voices of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra’ is published to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the founding of the youth Orchestra in 1999 by Daniel Barenboim and the late Edward Said to promote Arab-Israeli understand through music.

Daniel Barenboim is interviewed in last weekend’s Financial Times about the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.

I ask him whether, as a musician sticking his head into politics, he fears being dismissed as naive. Barenboim retorts that he is “not trying to tell the world what to do. I would accept what my critics say if the solution they had in mind was practical, but we have seen this is not so. If you are sick and have tried every conventional medicine and it hasn’t worked, you have to try alternative medicine. I don’t see how you can be prime minister [of Israel] and pursue the same policies we have had these last 60 years and pretend it is working. Every military victory has left Israel in a worse position. The Six Day War made us feel good for 24 hours but the hangover has lasted 42 years.”

The article also features excerpts from Elena Cheah’s new book An Orchestra Beyond Borders: Voices of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra:

“We knew that if we performed Wagner with the Divan, no matter where, it would be all over the news in Israel. I was not afraid of bad publicity, but I was concerned that we, as a group, would be taken for kids who didn’t respect the memory of our own people … For us Israelis it was a big deal … I remember discussions with Nassib Al Ahmadieh about Wagner’s music and the Holocaust. There were sleepless nights; people shouting, saying they would never play Wagner. – Asaf Maoz, Violinist

Beethovens enige muziekdrama
Zaterdag 22 augustus is er op het podium van de Londense Albert Hall, in het kader van de BBC Proms 2009, voor de tweede achtereenvolgende avond een optreden van het West-Eastern Divan Orchestra onder leiding van Daniel Barenboim. Boden de musici op vrijdagavond een staalkaart uit het klassiek-romantische repertoire, zaterdag presenteert deze Prom een concertante uitvoering van de opera Fidelio van Ludwig van Beethoven. Aan dat opus hebben we op deze site op 25 maart, op 15 april en op 24 april van dit jaar; toen naar aanleiding van de herhaling door de Nationale Reisopera. Meer achtergrond-informatie is te vinden in een eerder verschenen artikel, naar aanleiding van een via Mezzo-televisie uitgezonden, veel oudere opname onder leiding van Karl Böhm; die bijdrage verscheen op dit weblog op 31 juli 2008.
Het spreekt vanzelf dat, naast het instrumentale ensemble, ook nog enige vocale solisten optreden. Zaterdag 22 augustus zijn dat Waltraud Meier (als Leonore), Simon O’Neill (in de rol van Florestan), Gerd Grochowski (als Don Pizarro), John Tomlinson treedt op als Rocco; Adriana Kučerová is Marzelline; Stephen Rügamer vertolkt de rol van Jaquino, en Victor Rud is Don Fernando.
Verder zijn de BBC Singers en het Geoffrey Mitchell Choir van de partij.
De uitzending van Fidelio via BBC Radio 3 begint reeds om 20:30 uur onze tijd, en zal gebruikerlijkerwijs worden onderbroken door een pauze — in dit geval van 21:30 uur tot 21:50 uur, met daarin het programma Twenty minutes met daarin het Proms Literary Festival.
BBC Two Television start de uitzending om 21:10 uur en eindigt om 23:20 uur.

The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra will be performing at Royal Albert Hall, London, at the Proms on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd August, 2009

An Orchestra Beyond Borders

Voices of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

By Elena Cheah

Preface by Daniel Barenboim

The untold story of the West-Eastern Divan, an orchestra reaching across the Israeli–Arab divide

Bringing together young musicians from Palestine, Israel and other countries of the Middle East, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is both one of the most acclaimed youth orchestras in the world and a powerful ray of hope in a war-torn region. 

Founded by Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said in 1999, it aims to promote Arab-Israeli understanding through music. In An Orchestra Beyond Borders, Elena Cheah, a professional musician and assistant to Daniel Barenboim, explores the orchestra’s journey through the remarkable stories of its members. Through the prism of the orchestra, these youthful testimonies are a window into the life of the region. Together, they express the musicians’ ambitions and hopes, their varied and conflicting views on life and politics, and above all the orchestra’s transformative ability to create an atmosphere of musical cooperation across political lines.

• The book is now available to buy in the UK at all good bookshops and online.
• Listen to the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra perform in celebration of their tenth anniversary at the Proms live on BBC Radio 3.

Also listen out for:

• Ghada Karmi’s reading from ‘In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story’ during the interval of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra’s performance on Friday 21 August, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3
• Elena Cheah and Mariam Said’s interview on BBC World News Today
• Elena on The Strand, BBC World Service
• Elena and Mariam’s interview on Woman’s Hour
• Elena on The Real Deal with George Galloway, Press TV
• Elena on The Sunday Programme BBC R4 with Roger Bolton

My good friend Christian Li, a fellow Berklee student and incredible pianist, wrote an eloquent blog post illuminating the ambiguity of emotion in intrumental jazz, and the following is a Skype conversation he and I had about it. Yes, this is what we do in our free time…

Click HERE to read his post first.

And here is the conversation – It’s long, but I think it reads fast…

———————————————————————————–

AG: How are you?

CL: I’m doing well. Finally wrote a new blog entry. You?

AG: Oh cool, let me check it out

CL: OK. Have you written anything lately?

AG: Unfortunately no – thanks for reminding. I’ll do something tonight! (hopefully)

CL: Yay! Well let me know when you do.

AG: Wow – again I’m struck by the beauty of your prose.

CL: Hmm. Thanks! I appreciate that…considering how good yours is.

AG: Hahaha, thanks. I agree completely with your post – I wonder how our ears get emotionally conditioned? Do you think the connection between music and other forms (commercials, movies, radio shows, or even just the lyrics) has to do with it?

CL: Hmmm…I think so.

AG: But how did they do it before movies, commercials, etc? How much is inborn?

CL: Well, I think the way the western harmonic system evolved over the years, it just came to be that certain things had certain connotations. I don’t think any of its inborn. Like, if you were to play a minor key song to an Indonesian native, he might think it sounds happy.

AG: Definitely. I’m sure words are a lot more emotive and vague than we take them to be, too.

CL: Yes.

AG: Have you heard of Gertrude Stein?

CL: Hmmmm, no i haven’t. Who’s that?

AG: She’s this poet who kind of made “cubist” poetry. She took words just for their connotations and not their direct meanings, and lined them up in unconventional ways

CL: Oh! You told me about this! That’s amazing…

AG: I’m not sure if I “get” her or if I like her, but I think similarly, the work probably means many things to many people. Oh, I did?

CL: Yes i think so…in that book you read that described poets’ styles? [this is Sleeping on the Wing, a compilation by Kenneth Koch]

AG: Oh yeah I still have that! I guess I did…So if you surrender to the fact that people may never hear your music the way you do, and you can’t control if they like it or not, you have to make what pleases you and HOPE that it pleases others?

CL: Yep. But i think that effective communication of “emotion” as a aggregate entity is one of the most important things. I mean we’ve all heard recordings where all you can say to describe the emotional content in a few words is, “wow he plays with a lot of emotion.”

AG: Yeah! Just like when lots of critics misunderstood Coltrane’s music to be angry! They could feel the intense emotion, but felt a different one than he did

CL: Yes. From what i hear he wasn’t angry at all. I hear he was a very quiet, modest guy.

AG: But it definitely communicated “emotion”

CL: Yes

AG: That’s ironic that there could be such vastly different reactions to the same vibrations.

CL: Yes, but i think it all relates to what it reminds you of personally.

AG: You ever wonder about how knowing the life story of artists affects how you hear their work? You can hear “personality” in someone’s sound but how much of that is just what you previously read was his personality? And if you find out that he had a completely different one? What would someone think of Miles hearing just his music and knowing nothing else?

CL: Yes. Hmmm…It’s an interesting question…

AG: And if you hear intense spirituality and love in a piece you later found was written by a Nazi sympathizer?

CL: Hmmmmm

AG: Can you separate art and artist?

CL: I think so. Again, it all goes back to just communicating “emotion” – what we do with it is our prerogative. Of course you can’t really judge a person’s personality by his music. But you can interpret aspects of it superficially. Like: “playful” or “quick-thinking.” Maybe a person’s personality comes through in his playing in those ways.

AG: Even when it doesn’t in other situations.

CL: Yes. But again, without knowing the person, its our prerogative. We may be right or wrong, and really, is there right or wrong when it comes to personality? Or just opinion?

AG: For example, I think Miles played very selflessly, or at least, I interpret it that way, but he certainly didn’t act selfless when he took credit for others tunes, or when he harshly criticized rival musicians.

CL: Yes – exactly.

AG: But his art is selfless, and in a weird way, it’s not really his. Because it belongs to the Miles of the exact moment he made it, and that’s not the same Miles.

CL: Hmmm…Perhaps this could be your next blog post? You have a lot of very insightful thoughts on it. I’d love to read about what you have to say…and i agree totally.

AG: I should just post this conversation.

[THE CREATURE BECOMES SELF-AWARE!!!!!]

CL: Hahahah

AG: I’m serious. We should say a lot of stupid stuff now, too.

CL: Censor out everything i said that sounds stupid – which is basically everything i said. Replace it with “like”. Replace “I think so” with “Christian Li.” I am of the opinion that it is so.

AG: like like Christian Li like like

CL: hahah…balls!

AG: farts!

CL: Intravenous injections are cool!

AG: And…that’s the blog post!

CL: Wooo!!!!!

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Here are a couple further comments if you made it this far:

-Words of wisdom from my trumpet teacher John Worley: “You are who you are in the moment.” I interpret this to mean that, as everything is constantly changing and impermanent, in each successive moment we are actually different people, just as in each moment a river is a different river.

-Though I am guilty of occasionally judging music by its “background story” or my prior knowledge about the artist, I support the idea of separation between the two. One of the heroes of this ethic is humanitarian and world-class conductor/pianist Daniel Barenboim, who in 2001 led performances of works by Richard Wagner in Jerusalem. Wagner was an Anti-Semite, who’s works were later appropriated by Nazi Germany, and had become taboo in the Jewish state of Israel since the Holocaust. Barenboim , Jewish himself, said, “Wagner, the person, is absolutely appalling, despicable, and, in a way, very difficult to put together with the music he wrote, which so often has exactly the opposite kind of feelings … noble, generous, etc.”

Thanks for reading. I plan to blog more regularly, so check back soon – and I’ll try not to trouble readers with NOVELS like this post.

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