At the crossroads

Idan Raichel talks about the making of his project’s new album.

By TAL LADO
Idan Raichel 311 (photo credit: Last.fm)
Idan Raichel 311
(photo credit: Last.fm)
“We don’t usually do that,” says Idan Raichel, half shy and half apologizing. By “that” he means a special meeting with the media to launch his new album, Reva Lesheish.
It’s weird seeing him without his usual (and very impressive) ensemble of singers and musicians, but there is something very genuine about Raichel sitting alone by a piano. “I decided to do that in this specific album, because it’s a very personal album to me,” he admits.
According to Raichel, the name of the album comes from a quote by Yossi Banai, who talked about a conversation he had with his mother before she died. When Banai asked how she was doing, Banai explains that she told him, “‘I feel like quarter to six. Soon it will be dark.' This album is a crossroad in my life, and this is why I picked this name. People see this hour (quarter to six - T.L) in different ways.
"Some are sad that the day is over, and some accept it, look back at the day they had and wait for the night,” says Raichel. “In this album, the writing and recording process was affected by this point of view – one of acceptance and resignation, being at peace with things.”
Part of The Idan Raichel Project’s charm is the variety of guest musicians and singers that take part in the project. The range of people Raichel hosts in his project does not stop at Israel’s borders. One of the most unique voices of our time, Andreas Scholl, a German contra-tenor singer, is a good example.
“We met Andreas in New York, when he came to see our show,” remembers Raichel. “After the show ended, he came back stage and sang ‘Shoshanim Atsuvot,’ and I was blown away. Meeting him changed the way I look at shows… When we performed in India I realized that all the things that seem so important before the show, such as lightning, sound, being accurate, are not so interesting compared to the fact that you were able to touch someone with the music.”
And that, dear readers, The Idan Raichel Project definitely does.