The pipes, the pipes are calling

Bagpiper Vladimir Cherepovsky is one of the highlights of the annual Renaissance Festival.

By MAXIM REIDER
Vladimir Cherepovsky (photo credit: CourtesyMasha Gurov)
Vladimir Cherepovsky
(photo credit: CourtesyMasha Gurov)
The annual Renaissance Festival, which traditionally takes place during Succot at the Crusader fortress of Yehiam in the Western Galilee, celebrates its 20 anniversary this year with a program dedicated to the music of different cultures.
From October 2 – 4, some 20 concerts will take place of mostly ancient music, but the program also features a flamenco show, a performance by pianist Shlomi Shaban and singer Alona Daniel, as well as open-air performances, workshops, a food fair and more. In a word, sheer enjoyment for any family that wants to enjoy a holiday in the North and combine the pleasures of nature with those of music.
Tabor and Pipe is an intriguing program of the festival, presented by Russian-born bagpiper Vladimir Cherepovsky on October 3 at 10 a.m.
and repeated at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Cherepovsky, who immigrated from Moscow with his family less than a year ago, will perform ancient music on various ethnic wind instruments, such as the Flemish schaferpfeife, the Gemshor, the Bulgarian kaval and the Ukrainian sopilka.
Cherepovsky, 43, who learned to play the horn in his native Ukraine, later moved to Moscow, where he continued his music education. “I studied privately, attended master classes and just met with musicians,” he recalls. “In Russia, there’s no any formal framework for learning bagpipe, so people go to Europe or study with visiting musicians who come to perform in Russia,” he explains.
In Moscow, he performed in various ensembles, including the ancient music wind ensemble Pfeyfer, and he taught recorder. “Pfeyfer is an old German word for a musician who has the command of many pipes – and our ensemble included many wind players,” he says.
Explaining his attraction to the bagpipe, Cherepovsky says, “The first thing people think when they here the word ‘bagpipe’ is a Scotsman in a kilt playing his bagpipe. True, the Scottish bagpipe is the loudest and probably the most popular. That said, the bagpipe is a musically rich instrument that was invented long before it arrived in Scotland, and it exists in many different versions. For example, I first started playing the Spanish bagpipe – Gaita Gallega – and later tried the Swedish one, which is much more quiet, and so on. The important thing is that this instrument, whose pipes produce a constant low sound and others lead the melody, is the predecessor of polyphony.
Like other wind instruments, the bagpipes, which were first described by Michael Praetorius, have developed into far more complicated instruments.”
At the festival, Cherepovsky will play music of the Renaissance, the Medieval period and early Baroque – pieces by P. Attaignant, T. Susato, T. Arbeau, P. Phalese, C. Gervaise and M. Praetorius, as well as folk music – German, Irish, French, Balkan, as well as some pieces of his own.
“In addition,” he says, “I am very curious about klezmer music.
Interestingly enough, images of a bagpipe can be seen in the Barcelona Hagadda, which dates back to 1450. I do not think this was some special Jewish bagpipe. Probably the musicians used the existing Spanish bagpipes, but nevertheless it was played by Jewish musicians exactly as they played traditional string instruments.” he says.
For more details, visit www.lagalil.com or call (04) 952-1175.