Jerusalem is the heart of the Israel Festival 2014, hosting and honoring Israeli performing artists with a close affinity to the city. The festival’s opening event is a tribute to singer, actor and dramatist Yossi Banai (April 13, 1932 – May 11, 2006), one of Jerusalem and Israel’s most beloved sons, who grew up in the Machne Yehuda neighborhood. Memories of that childhood were written into Banai’s song Me, Simon and Little Moise (music composed by Hanan Yovel). Banai had a distinctive way of presenting a song, an offhand elegance deceptively casual in its intonation and small pauses of phrasing, yet conveying a depth of emotion. His love of the French chanson was legend, and he made the songs of Jacques Brel and Georges Brassens his own, and our own, in Hebrew.
Onstage Banai performed in the plays of significant Israeli playwrights Nissim Aloni, Hanoch Levin and Yaakov Shabtai, he wrote and performed solo cabaret style revues, and also wrote comedy sketches for the Hagashash Hahiver trio. The Israel Festival will open at the Sultan’s Pool with a tribute to the lyricist, singer, dramatist and actor Yossi Banai, with an evening of songs and sketches performed by a stellar cohort of Israeli performers: Itay Tiran, Asi Levy, Efrat Gosh, Dova’le Glickman, Hadag Nachash, Maor Cohen, Knessiyat Hasechel, Mooki, Matti Caspi, Moshe Ivgy, Karolina, Shlomi Shaban, and Tiki Dayan. Musical director of the evening is Eldad Citron, artistic director Haim Shemesh and it is directed by Ido Sharf.
Yehoram Gaon, who grew up in the Beit Hakerem neighborhood of Jerusalem, whose songs have become part of the Israeli cultural canon, will share the stage with a very special guest, Ester Ofarim, who will be returning to Israel for this performance. The two will sing favorite songs from their repertoire.
Asaf Avidan, another Jerusalem boy, returns to the city where it all started with a new show, very aptly called: Back to Basics. The festival’s closing event, Avidan will perform an intimate, acoustic version of his songs, going back to basics, back to origins – the songs. The concert will take place on June 19th at the International Convention Center.
All this and more will take place from May 29 – June 20, 2014, with music, theatre, and dance performances in several venues: the Old Train Station, the Sultan’s Pool, Ein Kerem, the Israel Museum, Beit Mazya, the Shalom Hartman Institute, Gerard Behar, YMCA, the International Convention Center, and the Jerusalem Theatre. Complete information is available on the Israel Festival website, and look forward to more updates from Midnight East.
