Jewish folk music revival

The Jewish Cabaret project introduces a concert of musical works inspired by Jewish folk music or composed by Jewish composers. In the beginning of the 20th century, Jewish folk music blossomed and was the focus of great interest in the cultural scene in Russia and other European countries. Many composers in Europe, both Jewish and non-Jewish, promoted Hebrew music together with the thriving Yiddish theater and the cabaret before the Second World War.

When the war began, a large portion of the music was lost and many composers perished due to the persecutions of the Nazi regime. A large part of the music and Jewish musical activity was lost along with them. In this program, Atar Trio will introduce some of these sounds – well-known songs that became milestones in the Jewish consciousness, such as the songs of Kurt Weill and Itzik Manger alongside works and compositions that are rarely heard by the broad audience. Among others, the repertoire includes some of the cabaret songs by Arnold Schoenberg, Kurt Weill, Yoel Angel and Zemlinsky as well as chamber music by Yossef Achron, Ernest Bloch, Robert Kahn, and more.

A large part of the songs in this program had been arranged for a chamber ensemble by the pianist Ofer Sheli and performed by the vocalists Yaela Avital and Odelia Dahan. Sheli says that he began to fall in love with this music while listening to a concert by the violinist Hagai Shacham and the pianist Arnon Erez in the Academy of Music, during which works by Yossef Achron were performed.

The Jewish Cabaret project has been invited to appear in North Italy for the 2010 season and will be performed on respected stages; this is worth mentioning in light of the anti-Jewish and anti-Israel attitudes so common there at this time.

Atar Trio was established in Jerusalem 14 years ago by the pianist Ofer Sheli. The ensemble is very active and performs over 100 concerts throughout Israel in every season and brings high-quality music to broad audiences. The unique projects of the ensemble such as When Light Shines at your Window (that was very successful in the vocal music festival of Holon last month), Scottish Fantasy, and this project illustrate how folk music can become raw material for artistic creation. “This is a longtime European tradition, practiced by Haydn, Brahms, Bartok, and Grieg, who drew their inspiration from German folk music as well as Russian, Austrian and Hungarian folk music, among others” says Sheli.

The Trio performs on a regular basis in important concert series in Kibbutz Ein Hashofet, Kibbutz Ginegar, in the Festival of Israeli Music, in the Wix Auditorium, and in the Israel Museum to name a few.

The website of Atar Trio includes many demonstrations, music and material about their musical activities.

Ofer Sheli, piano and arrangements

Tania Beltzer, violin

Marina Katz, cello

Yaela Avital and Odelia Dahan, sopranos

Monday, June 8 at 9 pm

Beit Avi Chai Jerusalem

Tickets: NIS 50

Phone no.: 02-6215900