The Chamber Music Festival in Eilat returns from February 24 – March 1, 2014, for its ninth year with an interesting, unique and sometimes unusual array of classical musicians from all over the world. Some of these are classical musicians of the highest order, who perform “outside the lines”: they often collaborate with performers of other genres and create novel, imaginative interpretations of classical pieces. Energy, knowledge, and a sense of exploration and fun characterize every one of the ensembles that will grace the stage at the Dan Hotel in Eilat. The Festival will take place on the last week of February – a perfect time to get away for a little while and enjoy the warmer climes along with beautiful music and dance.
Among the Festival’s guest artists will be the British baroque ensemble Red Priest – a veritable classical-music rock star. The name may sound like a heavy-metal band, but it is in fact named for the composer Antonio Vivaldi, nicknamed the Red Priest (“Il Prete Rosso”) for his flaming red hair. The group has created an extravagant, contemporary take on Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”, and it has been recorded and broadcast often. This much-discussed work – a multimedia project and a group effort, involving live music and the Batsheva Dancers in a piece from the work “Mabul” by Ohad Naharin – will be a highlight of the festival. Another Red Priest event will be a family-oriented concert featuring the music of Handel.
Another British group attending the festival is the Brodsky Quartet, known both for their performances of classical string quartets by Beethoven, Schubert and Bartók and for their collaborations with singers such as Björk, Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney. In addition to works by Purcell, Schubert and Björk, they will perform their new project, “Trees, Walls, Cities” – a newly-commissioned song cycle sung by mezzo-soprano Lore Lixenberg. The work is dedicated to eight cities that contain walls; Jerusalem will be represented by Ophir Award recipient Habib Hanna Shehadeh. An additional performance will be held in Jerusalem on February 26.
In its first visit to Israel, Igor Lerman’s Chamber Orchestra will celebrate its 25th anniversary with three very different concerts. One will feature Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”, with Denis Sattarov on the violin. The second, titled “Café Vienna”, will focus on Austrian and German composers: Mozart, Haydn and Johann Wilhelm Hertel. The third will be the Festival’s gala concert, with a selection of works from the classical period as well as contemporary pieces and a composition by Maestro Lerman himself, and featuring the world-famous trumpet player Jens Lindemann.
The works of Johann Sebastian Bach can often be found where classical music and jazz meet. The Art Jazz quartet, led by violinist Andres Mustonen, is an Estonian quartet that focuses on classical, jazz, and the marriage of the two genres. The quartet’s program will be based on its latest album, “Aria”, which includes jazz improvisations on Bach’s “Goldberg Variations”. In another Bach-themed concert, South African pianist Daniel-Ben Pienaar will perform the first part of the Well-Tempered Clavier.
Another cross-genre venture will be a late-night concert of classical, jazz and gypsy music, featuring cellist Francois Salque and accordionist Vincent Peirani.
The Eilat Festival’s own little Schumanniade will include several of the composer’s works, such as the fascinating Davidsbündlertänze, inspired by Schubert’s own writings about contemporary music and his relationship with composer Clara Wieck. The festival’s soloists, Anton Barachovsky on violin, Lise Berthaud on viola, and cellists Hillel Zori and Amir Katz, will perform.
A violin recital, performed by Chloë Hanslip, violin and Danny Driver, piano, will feature well-loved compositions by the “Three B’s” – Bach, Beethoven and Brahms – and Prokofiev. In another all-classical concert, several of the festival’s soloists will perform trios and quartets by Mozart, Mendelssohn and Ravel.
Several of the festival’s soloists will also spend time giving master-classes to aspiring musicians from Israel and abroad, and for the first time the festival will include a master-class for conductors, led by Maestro Lior Shambadal. The conducting master-class will hold a concert towards the end of the festival, while participants of the instrumental master-classes will perform a Virtuoso’s Parade.
Ticket and travel information
The festival will take place in the Dan Hotel’s two concert halls: the Tarshish Hall and the Big Blue Hall.
For a complete program, visit the Eilat Festival’s website.
Individual ticket prices range between 100-250 NIS.
For prices and ticket packages as well as flight and accommodation packages, visit the Eilat Chamber Music Festival website or contact the Red Sea Music Center: 08-6377036; 08-6444816; info@eilat-festival.co.il. More info and updates on the Eilat Chamber Music Festival facebook page.
