Palo Alto Weekly 03.09.2012 - section 1

Page 29

Arts & Entertainment

Mason Poole

3AN &RANCISCO #HORAL !RTISTS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR -AGEN 3OLOMON IS PAIRING HER GROUP S VOICES WITH INSTRUMENTS LIKE THE BASS AND VIOLIN FOR THIS 3UNDAY S CONCERT

COMMON MUSICAL ROOT v &ELIX -ENDELSSOHN S SETTING OF 0SALM IS hLUSH AND RICH v FOL LOWED BY A GRACEFULLY SIMPLE TWO VOICE SETTING OF 0SALM BY THE !MERICAN COMPOSER +AREN 4AR LOW 3OLOMON SAID &ELLOW !MERI CAN 'EORGE 2OCHBERG HAS PLACED 0SALM IN A TONE SETTING THAT IS MORE MELODIC THAN ONE MIGHT EX PECT SHE SAID 3UNDAY S CONCERT ALSO FEATURES TWO WORLD PREMIERES PERFORMED BY BOTH THE #HORAL !RTISTS AND 6ERETSKI 0ASS 4HE .EW 9ORK COMPOSER -ATT 6AN "RINK WHO WON A YOUNG COMPOSERS COMPETITION WITH #HO RAL !RTISTS IN RETURNS WITH HIS NEW WORK h4HEY $ISAPPEAR v "ASED ON A POEM BY THE LATE 9ID DISH WRITER !BRAHAM 2EISEN THE PIECE IS BOTH A (OLOCAUST STORY AND A LOVE SONG 3OLOMON SAID )T WILL BE PERFORMED BY SINGERS AS WELL AS THE 6ERETSKI 0ASS MUSICIANS ON VIOLIN CIMBALOM HAMMERED DUL CIMER AND BASS h4HE TEXT IS VERY EVOCATIVE v 3OLO MON SAID QUOTING IN PART h3O THEY DISAPPEAR THE SONGS OF YESTERYEAR v 3HE ADDED h(E 6AN "RINK USES THE CIMBALOM AS A SOFT SHINY SOUND v !LSO BEING PREMIERED IS h6EST /YSFORMv BY 4INA (ARRINGTON A #HORAL !RTISTS SINGER AND ITS ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR 4HE !LTER %SSELIN POEM TRANSLATED FROM THE 9IDDISH BY HIS SON *OSEPH IS A MATTER OF FACT PIECE

OF POETIC ADVICE ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO BE HAPPY INCLUDING h! FLAT AND RAW BIT OF LAND ! STRONG HORSE AND A CLEAN STALL ! HEART THAT S READY FOR MERRIMENT !ND TEARS THAT POUR FROM A DEEP WELL v 4HE CONCERT ALSO INCLUDES THREE PIECES PERFORMED BY 6ERETSKI 0ASS ALONE h'RASS 7IDOW 3UITE v h4HE 3IN OF 3LEEPv AND h4HE 7ONDER OF "EINGv FROM h4HE +LEZMER 3HULv 6ERETSKI 0ASS IS NAMED AFTER THE MOUNTAIN PASS WHERE -AGYAR TRIBES CROSSED CENTURIES AGO TO REACH WHAT WAS LATER CALLED THE !USTRO (UN GARIAN %MPIRE ,IKE #HORAL !RT ISTS THE 6ERETSKI 0ASS MUSICIANS GO THEIR OWN MUSICAL WAY 4HEY VE BEEN PRAISED BY CRITICS FOR INTRODUC ING AUDIENCES TO KLEZMER TRADITIONS THAT STRETCH FAR AND WIDE INCLUDING WEDDING MUSIC DANCES AND ORIGI NAL COMPOSITIONS THAT GO BEYOND THE MORE TYPICAL JAZZY 'ERMAN AND 2USSIAN SOUND h4HE +LEZMER 3HULv HAS BEEN A MAJOR PROJECT FOR THE TRIO 4HE MUSI CIANS DESCRIBE IT ON THEIR WEBSITE AS A TONE POEM IN FOUR MOVEMENTS WITH SEGMENTS INCLUDING hELEMENTS OF THE CLASSICAL SONATA TRADITIONAL KLEZMER DANCE SUITES AND AVANT GARDE JAZZ v 4HEY ADD h/UR ORIGINAL IMPULSE IN CREATING THIS WORK WAS TO GIVE THE LISTENER AN EMOTIONAL EXPERI ENCE COMPARABLE TO ATTENDING A RELIGIOUS SERVICE )N REINTERPRETING

THE TRADITIONAL *EWISH LITURGY WE DREW FROM THE MUSICAL VOCABULAR IES OF THE MANY PEOPLES AMONG WHOM KLEZMER MUSICIANS HAVE LIVED AND WORKED v 3TILL 3OLOMON SAID THAT SHE BE LIEVES 3UNDAY S CONCERT IS FOR EVERY ONE NOT JUST *EWISH LISTENERS h7E ARE ALWAYS HOPING THAT OUR CONCERTS OPEN PEOPLE S MINDS TO NEW MUSIC BUT WE DON T TAKE A PED AGOGICAL APPROACH v SHE SAID h) PUT THESE PIECES IN CONTEXT WHERE THEY CAN REALLY HEAR THEM AND THEY ARE APPROACHABLE v 3OLOMON LAUGHED h/NE OF MY FAVORITE COMMENTS ) VE GOTTEN IS @) THOUGHT ) HATED CONTEMPORARY MU SIC 7HAT YOU DID WAS REALLY BEAUTI FUL v N

!"# $ "#

What: “Prophets, Kings & Klezmer,” a concert by San Francisco Choral Artists and the Veretski Pass ensemble

Where: Congregation Etz Chayim, 4161 Alma St., Palo Alto

When: Sunday, March 11, at 4 p.m. Cost: Tickets are $12-$25 in advance and $15-$30 at the door. Info: Go to sfca.org or call 415494-8149.

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