The ear is more attentive than ever: Meir Ariel is not dead, he has just become a local Van Gogh

Keren Peles turned "Boot Sharb" into a powerful piece of blues, Miri Mesika turned "How Sometimes I Am" into an erotic anthem, and Shalom Hanoch shuddered at the very arrival.

Thus, the eve of the annual tribute to Meir Ariel became one of the most exciting events in Israeli culture

Living Room Fellow

15/06/2022

Wednesday, 15 June 2022, 08:46 Updated: 08:58

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

• Share on general

• Comments

  Comments

Exciting every time again.

Tribute event to Meir Ariel (Photo: Nir Yahav)

"I went out to breathe a little wind," is written on the tombstone of Meir Ariel.

He has been buried there, among the pieces of sophisticated mud, in the damp soil of Kibbutz Mishmarot, for 23 years.

His physical form no longer dies of fear, and certainly is not afraid to die.

His spiritual creation, however, has never been more alive.

In fact, it feels like from year to year it only becomes more tangible, more alert - more alive.

This is one of the most amazing phenomena in Israeli culture.

A singer who pursued listeners during his lifetime, became one of the most esteemed and beloved artists after his death.

A phenomenon that only intensifies from year to year.

Like a local Van Gogh.

The constant joke is that if they had gathered all the people who came to Meir Ariel's performances during his lifetime, they would not have filled the amphitheater in Raanana Park.

Not sure this joke is unfounded.

This is also the reason why it is so exciting to see the beautiful amphitheater full of people from all walks of life and of all ages.

The elves who were in the amphitheater stands probably did not come to see Meir in the old Barbie, in Logos, in Hard Rock Cafe or in the Grape Center.

Some were not even born when he returned his soul to the great poet in heaven.

That's part of the magic.

New generations who grow up on an original Israeli work, and come to honor the generation of the elephants.

More on Walla!

Just before the Rolling Stones show began - the audience was informed that Jagger had contracted Corona

To the full article

What a privilege to see him appear.

Shalom Hanoch at the tribute event to Meir Ariel (Photo: Gil Rubinstein)

This was especially noticeable when asked about the beautiful stage in Raanana, one of the most important representatives of that generation - Shalom Hanoch.

After we managed to say goodbye in the last year to the beautiful Mauri and the Red Shackle, seeing Peace on Stage suddenly feels like an almost mystical event.

Seeing Shalom Hanoch perform is always a gift for the soul, but to see him take the stage for the first time in two months, after frightening us all with the cancellation of performances for medical reasons - is already a real celebration.

Baba Shalom on stage.

What a great privilege it is to see him appear.

Today more than ever.

I have written before and will write again: Anyone who has not yet had time to see Shalom Hanoch in a performance, should go and do it.

No need to wait for such tribute shows or special evenings.

We will have no more Meir, no more Eric - but hello here, opening a box office, with the guitar in hand and the familiar hoarseness.

Flesh and blood legend.

Schools need to take out buses for his performances.

Education officers have to send outstanding soldiers to crowd Barbie on the special nights he still picks up there.

This is a national task for everything.

More on Walla!

My father-in-law Rodner remembers his fallen uncle, Daniel Vardon: "He was an exemplary man of his time"

To the full article

Does not fall from the source.

Keren Peles at the tribute event to Meir Ariel (Photo: Gil Rubinstein)

This beautiful event becomes almost permanent in our cultural landscape.

With the exception of all kinds of Corona events, "The Festimair" has become a big stage where some of the greatest artists in Israel - veterans alongside young people - come to celebrate beautiful Hebrew music, leaving the candle of Meir lit.

For years the event was held in July, close to the anniversary of the artist's death.

This year it was decided to abandon the feeling of the annual memorial, and to celebrate Meir's 80th birthday, which was to be held this year.

The result is the same, because as you will, Ariel's widow says every year: Meir is not dead, he is alive as long as we play his music.

So what does it matter if the event is held in July or June?

Celebrating a birthday or a day of death?

Nothing.

And this without mentioning that Meir's birthday was in early March at all.

Dori Ben Zeev, Meir's best friend and an almost regular guest at performances in his memory, did not arrive after being infected with Corona.

Shlomi Shaban, who was supposed to perform "Get in the car already and drive," also missed absences for the same reason.

Basa, after Keren Peles' excellent performance in the previous performance of the song, we were left with only Pomo for Shaban's version.

But even without both we were left with a long and respectable list of artists.

Some are older, some are younger, including those who are having their first time attending an event that has already become a local music standard.

Sol and jazz touches that are less heard.

Miri concludes with an event in tribute to Meir Ariel (Photo: Gil Rubinstein)

There have been some good performances, but we will not necessarily remember them until next time.

Mosh Ben-Ari opened the evening with his performance of "Going Idle" by the band Tammuz;

Her sons Barbie tried a little too hard to reinvent the wondrous "Freshwater," instead of just relying on his voice to hold the most beautiful melody Ariel had ever written in his life;

Jane Bordeaux gave their take on a "temporary subconscious song," and Zehava Ben sounded too much like an imitation of Rita in "Deep Blue Evening."

On the other hand there were some songs that seemed to have been re-created for this evening.

They were relatively few this year, but enough to justify the ticket price.

Keren Peles put "Boot Sharb" with the wonderful melody of Poliker into the Gender Blender, and took out a powerful piece of blues that does not embarrass the origin of Gidi Gov.

Miri Mesika took "How Sometimes I Am", Meir Ariel's most feminine song, and turned it into an erotic anthem with touches of jazz and soul that are less heard nowadays in the Sharon region.

Aya Zehavi Feiglin also stood out, in a brave performance of the forgotten "Jerusalem of Iron", which was never performed at these tribute shows.

Sure Meir would have appreciated the gesture, too bad only problems with the amplification system prevented the audience from enjoying the creepy performance.

More on Walla!

Sea of ​​Tears: "War Culture" illustrates the injustice done to the tragic heroes of Oriental music

To the full article

Too much like an imitation of Rita.

Zehava Ben at the tribute event to Meir Ariel (Photo: Gil Rubinstein)

Leah Shabbat, who as usual pressed the gas to the end in "Sdot Goldberg", also had an interesting performance, as did Alon Adar, who together with his father Yehuda sang "Tuk Tuk Tuk on the door of heaven" with "For Smoking".

Meir's sons, Ehud and Shachar Ariel, each received one number and gave the audience a chance to tan their ears at the wonderful genetics they received.

Ehud introduced a new and clever adaptation of "Can't Take Your Eyes Off," a love song his father wrote for his mother, which gradually turned from an acoustic ballad into a rhythmic rhythm and blues attack.

Shahar returned to the monumental "Pain Song" (the same song that Ehud sang on the eve of the first tribute 20 years ago), and gave it a more blunt, more kicking angle, on the verge of hip-hop.

The result was intriguing and challenging.

And there were of course the performances that make these performances what they are.

Assaf Amdursky in a fine performance of "Terminal Luminalt", with a cute video art of an airport behind him, sounds for a moment as if it were his original song;

Aviv Geffen returns to his regular performance of "The Snake Discharge", which from time to time sounds more like a hidden song from the "Moonlight" era;

And of course Shuli Rand, whose performance for "Errol" is a one-man show of a star who dares to challenge one of the most mischievous texts by one of the most bastard writers we've had here.

To actually hear Shuli Rand, with the black cap and tassels, perform the first song in Hebrew that mentioned a homosexual relationship, is another beautiful wink that Meir sends us across the grave.

And as mentioned, there was Shalom, who performed "Summer Seeds" in a melancholy and moving way, and then his Roman daughter joined him to perform "The End of the Orange Season" - one of the greatest encore songs ever written in Hebrew.

A bit strange that this time it was decided not to end the show with him.

We will also mention the regular presenter Yoav Kutner, who this time joined Yehuda Adar to perform Spoken Word for David Broza's "Noon", who himself performed "Under the Sky" as usual, as well as a new song in Meir's estate called "Do not start with me".

What a wonderful gift.

To think that there are more songs by Meir Ariel that we have not heard before, and so many more talented Israeli musicians who can create life in these works.

You will be right, Meir really is not dead.

It is only we who should occasionally shake ourselves and remember to live.

• culture

Tags

• Meir Ariel

• Shalom Hanoch