"
I can no longer wait!", Mathias Mauta, conductor and artistic director of the Cyprus Ensemble from Canada, tells Israel Today, who is coming to Israel this week to perform a joint work with the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra and the Shahar Choir in Jerusalem.
The concerts will take place at YMCA Jerusalem (14.10), Zucker Hall of Culture Tel Aviv (15.10) and the Hall of Arts in Ness Ziona (16.10).
Immediately afterwards, as part of the Israeli-Canadian collaboration, the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra will travel to concerts and recordings in Montreal.
Mauta, born in 1963 in the city of Ebingen, Germany, has lived in Montreal for many years and is highly regarded in the Baroque scene.
The recording of Bach's Brandenburg Concerts was acclaimed by musicologist and New Yorker critic Alex Ross, and was called "extraordinary, thanks to its full-bodied approach and its refreshing, intense colors."
Among other things, he plays virtuoso flutes, and serves as the artistic director of the professional choir of the Quebec Ensemble of Voice Arts, of the Bach Association of Minnesota in the United States, and co-artistic director of the Montreal Baroque Festival.
Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, Photo: Yoel Levy
How did the connection with the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra come about?
"I was aware of the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra for a long time. In light of the outstanding quality of the orchestra, it was clear to us that the wait was worth it, and that it would be a wonderful experience to collaborate with this wonderful orchestra and David Shemer (conductor and artistic director, R.I.).
So I called him, and the rest is history. "
The united ensemble will present, together with singers and soloists from both countries, a program that will include the "Te Daum" by Sharpantia (the work known as the opening tune of the Eurovision Song Contest); Violin, Trumpet and Cello Concerto by Telman; And other works by Ramu and Telman; In addition, the concert will feature a world premiere of three songs with lyrics by Elsa Lasker Schiller, composed by Jewish-Canadian composer Yap Nico Hamburger, performed by singer Daniela Skorka.
Yap Nico Hamburger is a Dutch-born Canadian composer, a Holocaust survivor with a deep connection to family history, a cardiologist who left the medical world to devote his life to writing music. When invited to join the project, he chose Elsa's songs to survey Schiller out of a deep connection to her lyrics, their musicality and the poet herself and her fascinating life story. The motto that runs like the second thread between the songs is the famous phrase "It is better to love and lose than never to love" (Alfred Tennyson). The songs will be performed by soprano Daniela Skorka accompanied by an orchestra of the two ensembles together.
Another unusual event will be the performance of Talman's works - both of which, it seems, have not yet been performed in Israel: the vocal work "God Judges Your King" written in the style of the French "Grand Motte" and the concerto on trumpet, violin and violin and violin. The Italian Reto will be performed by the orchestra's leading violinist, Noam Schuss, and two soloists from the Canadian ensemble - Alexis Basque on trumpet and Andrea Stewart on cello.
Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, Photo: Nadav Harel
You will perform Sharpantia's "Te Daum" - in Israel the work is known in the context of the Eurovision Song Contest. Is it the same in Canada?
"In Canada, Sharpante's 'Ta Daum' doesn't have the extra glamor it has. We'll have to change that."
How was the joint work with the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra done - you are very far from each other?
"Musicians and bodies everywhere are accustomed to organizing and creating projects well in advance, while rehearsal time actually takes place just before the concerts. We seem to be able to move this mountain. "
Matthias Mauta, Photo: Bill Blackstone
How did you decide to order the songs from Ian Nico Hamburger - Why is it and why are Elsa's songs for Schiller Schiller?
"Yap Nico Hamburger is one of my favorite contemporary composers, and he lives right here in Montreal. Yap came up with the idea to write music for the songs of Elsa Lasker Schiller, who was a lyrical Jewish German poet in the 20th century. .
Tell us in a few words about the Cyprus Ensemble.
"The ensemble is like a flower full of color, performing a repertoire from different periods in history, almost always with period instruments, and trying to experiment and make music mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries and make them sound like contemporary music. The New York Times wrote about us: 'The Cyprus Ensemble invites "Listeners hear the world again." This is a great compliment for us and we are excited to arrive in Israel already. "
