Idan Raichel took time out from his busy schedule on Monday to perform a few
select songs from The Idan Raichel Project’s latest album, Quarter to Six, at
the Tel Aviv Port’s Beit Hayotzer.
The ever calm-and-collected singer
took his place at a grand piano and proceeded to regale assembled members of the
press with the stories behind the songs on his latest album.
Raichel
spoke of his journey during the making of the album and the importance of
finding the right collaborators.
He explained that the album focuses on
that special time of day which for him symbolizes a crossroads in life that
“isn’t here yet, but isn’t quite there.” He used the example of a Friday evening
and a mother waiting for Shabbat to start: that special time when the week is
ending, but the day of rest has not yet begun.
Raichel gave heartfelt
renditions of two already-released singles from the album, “Achshav Karov”
(“Close Now”) and “Belayla” (“At Night”), which have received widespread
praise.
The singer, known for featuring a range of artists from different
backgrounds, said he doesn’t feel the need to always sing the songs he
writes.
“I love all the singers in my project. They really move me
when they sing,” he told the intimate crowd of about 30 journalists.
To
the amusement of those present, Raichel compared his artistic collaborations to
director Woody Allen’s penchant for sometimes choosing to perform in the films
that he writes, and other times not.
Always looking for new talent,
Raichel is keen to display the diverse range of singers he works with. Perhaps
the most interesting collaboration for this new album is German countertenor
Andreas Scholl, the first time a German-language song is to be released in
Israel. Raichel played a recording of the classical singer’s voice on his
laptop, while accompanying it on the piano. Despite the poor recording quality –
Raichel admitted the song was taped in a hotel room – it was as if Scholl were
live on stage in Tel Aviv.
Raichel was straightforward, saying it was
very important for him to take time out of his busy schedule to remember why he
started in the business in the first place.
“Sometimes I have to leave
the project for a while in order to keep things real,” he said.
To
celebrate the launch of the new album The Idan Raichel Project will perform at
the Amphitheater in Caesarea from June 11 to 15.
|