Mezzo to dedicate broadcasts to Israeli Opera
French TV music channel's director visits Israel, promises to help expose local talents to viewers from 44 countries. 'Your musical world is incredibly rich and diverse,' he says
Mezzo's director general, Christophe Winckel, who arrived in Israel earlier this week, noted in a press conference that the broadcasts will include the Jazz Festival, which is to take place in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem under the channel’s sponsorship, as well as programs about the Israeli Opera.
According to Winckel, Israel is a particularly important territory for the music channel.
"Israel as a destination is very important to us, for two reasons," says Winckel. "One is the huge number of subscribers – 3.1 million viewers. And the second is that Israel serves as a source of content, because your musical world is incredibly rich and diverse.
"We record here a lot. We air old material and records new material. For example, last year we offered a live broadcast of the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition, and this year we are launching in Israel a new jazz festival – Mezzo Jazz Mix Festival."
The festival, which will help young Israeli artists gain international exposure, was first launched in 2008 in New York. This time it will be held in October in selected clubs and bars in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
The live performances produced by the music channel will be broadcast to 17 million households in 44 countries in a bid to expose Israeli music life to the world.
The TV channel, in cooperation with the Tourism Ministry, created a five-minute clip featuring the recent Israeli Opera production of Carmen which took place at the foot of Mount Masada in June 2012 as part of the Israeli Opera Festival at Masada.
The program, which also includes a behind-the-scenes look at the production, will be broadcast throughout the month of October.
In addition, the Tourism Ministry invested €40,000 (about $51,155) in the production of a 30-second clip featuring the Israeli Opera and its activities. This clip will be aired on the Mezzo channel several times a day during the month of October, offering a glimpse of the 2013 Israeli Opera Festival at Masada production.
According to Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov, “Unique cultural events such as the Israeli Opera Festival at Masada and the Jazz Festivals, which the Tourism Ministry supports, significantly contribute to Israel’s image overseas as a preferred destination for lovers of culture and art.
"Cooperation such as this with the Mezzo TV channel exposes Israel’s tourism product to new markets. The ministry is proud to support and market unique cultural and artistic events in Israel and will continue to do so in the future.”
The Mezzo TV channel, established in 1992, is a music channel that broadcasts classical music, opera, jazz and world music in 44 countries.
Ynetnews contributed to this report
