LAJS Debuts at the Ford Amphitheatre on July 11
Program titled “Two Streams in the Desert -
features Yiddish and Sephardic Music
and U.S. Premiere of David Stern's Clarinet Concerto
Guest artists include:
Cantor Alberto Mizrahi
Clarinetist Leo Chelyapov
Flutist David Shostac
The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony makes its first appearance at the Ford Amphitheatre on Sunday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m. In pursuit of its mission to establish opportunities for the presentation of new compositions by Jewish artists, Dr. Noreen Green, Artistic Director and Conductor, will conduct a concert entitled “TWO STREAMS IN THE DESERT~ Celebrating Judeo-Español and Klezmer-Yiddish Jewish Music.” The event will introduce the audience to two forms of Jewish folk-oriented music: Klezmer-Yiddish with its roots in Eastern Europe and Judeo-Español (or Sephardic-Ladino) with its roots in the Iberian Peninsula .
The first part of the concert will feature the U.S. premiere of contemporary American composer and conductor David Stern's Clarinet Concerto . Virtuoso clarinetist Leo Chelyapov, the new Klezmer sensation from Russia , is the guest soloist. Also on the first half is composer Paul Schoenfield's Klezmer Rondos for solo flute and tenor. Renowned Cantor Alberto Mizrahi, known as the “Jewish Pavarotti,” and prominent Los Angeles-based flutist David Shostac do the solo honors. Klezmer Rondos, written using Eastern European modes, incorporates Hasidic-style songs, marches, and dances, and other Jewish folk songs. After intermission, Cantor Mizrahi sings selections in both Yiddish and Ladino (the language of the Spanish Jews) accompanied by the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony.
Klezmer was the traditional instrumental music of Yiddish-speaking Jews in Eastern Europe . The Yiddish language originated nearly 1,000 years ago when Jewish emigrants from Northern France settled in Germany and adopted dialects of the area. Their speech was strongly influenced by Hebrew. As people moved eastward, Yiddish absorbed elements from various Slavic languages. Until recent times, it was the language spoken by the majority of Jews of the world. Throughout the centuries, Yiddish evolved into more than just a language and became a way of life, a culture and a way of perceiving the universe that incorporates Judaism and its principles as well as describing the lives of those people who were and are involved in it. The use of Yiddish in America is on the wane as children and grandchildren of turn-of-the-century immigrants do not know the language. However, many Yiddish words have entered the English language and are commonly used.
Klezmer music was brought to America with the great wave of immigration beginning in the 1880's. The word Klezmer comes from two Hebrew words, clay and zimmer, meaning vessel of music or song. The idea is that the instrument, i.e. the violin or clarinet, takes on human characteristics like laughing and crying. As it developed, Klezmer took on some of the style of the music of surrounding cultures in Central and Eastern Europe, and continued to do the same in the United States . The influences include Russian, Ukrainian, Bessarabaian, Romanian, and German folk music as well as Western art and popular music. Klezmer music is a style of music that is inherently Jewish in nature, different than the music of non-Jews as Jewish music was played in the prayer modes ( shtaygerim ) and many were melodies based upon tunes heard in the liturgy from cantorial music heard in the synagogue. This sets Jewish music apart, in that although it is secular, it is rooted in devotional music that often causes the listener familiar with the various prayers to enter a quasi-religious state. This fact separates Klezmer music from the music of most of the Jews' neighboring cultures. Klezmer musicians were an informal group of musicians, typically itinerants, who went from village to village in Eastern Europe . They played traditional music, folk songs, folk dances and solemn hymns before prayers.
Sephardic music includes songs and melodies preserved by communities formed by the Jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula ( Spain ) at the end of the 15th century. Most of the Spanish Jews set up house in Mediterranean countries: Morocco , Greece , Turkey , Iraq , Iran , Yemen and Israel . Ladino is the Judeo-Spanish dialect spoken by Sephardic Jews of the Mediterranean . It contains elements of other Spanish dialects including Portuguese and Hebrew words and expressions. The term “Sephardim” refers to those Jews who follow the liturgy and customs developed by the Jews of medieval Spain and Portugal . The name comes from Sepharad , a place of exile mentioned in the bible and early identified with Iberia . Sephardic Jews developed their own language, ladino, also known as Judeo-Español that was derived from 15 th century Castilian Spanish that the Jews brought with them from the Iberian Peninsula to the greater Mediterranean region. Ladino is a combination of Spanish, Hebrew, Turkish, Greek and Arabic.
The
Ford concert concludes the orchestra's Tenth Anniversary Season. Since its
beginnings in 1994, the LAJS, under the direction of Dr. Noreen Green, has
performed for audiences throughout Southern California . It has premiered
over a dozen new works, revived many forgotten masterpieces, and performed
many Los Angeles area premieres. Because of its unique mission and the quality
of its performances, the LAJS has become a treasured asset in the Southern
California Jewish community.
Who: Los Angeles Jewish Symphony
Dr. Noreen Green, Artistic Director and Conductor
Guest Artists – Cantor Alberto Mizrahi, Clarinetist Leo Chelyapov, Flutist David Shostac
What: Concert which is part of the 2004 John Anson Ford Amphitheatre Summer Series –
titled “Two Streams in the Desert - Celebrating Judeo-Español and Klezmer/Yiddish Jewish Music”
When: July 11, 2004 at 7:30 P.M.
Where: Ford Amphitheatre - 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East , Hollywood , CA 90068
Prices: $36, $25, Full-time students and children 12 & under $12
For tickets: log on to www.fordamphitheatre.org or call the Ford Box Office at 323 GO 1-FORD (461-3673).
The Ford Amphitheatre is located off the 101 Hollywood Freeway across from the Hollywood Bowl and south of Universal Studios. The Ford is disabled accessible. Portable wireless listening devices are available upon request. The Ford offers a number of dining options: a variety of food and beverages is available on site and box dinners for evening events may be ordered in advance. Picnicking is encouraged.
On-site, stacked parking costs $5 per vehicle
Satellite parking serviced by FREE shuttles to the Ford is available at
- Universal City Metro Station at Lankershim Blvd. and Campo de Cahuenga in the “kiss and ride” area. Parking is free in the Metro Station lot.
- Cherokee parking structure at 1718 North Cherokee, just north of Hollywood Blvd. , 1.3 miles from the Ford. Parking costs $3 with validation available at the Ford.
This event is part of the Ford Amphitheatre 2004 Season, a multi-disciplinary arts series produced by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission in cooperation with Los Angeles County-based arts organizations. For a complete season schedule, directions to the theater and parking information, log on to www.fordamphitheatre.org.
More Information – Call Wayne Hinton at the LAJS Offices 310-478-9311 or lajs1@earthlink.net