When you get paid for doing something you love, you have the perfect job. When you do something for free that you usually get paid for, you are doing it because you really love it.
In the upcoming Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival all the artists perform for free. Of course their hotel room and flight to Israel is taken care of, but those distinguished performers, used to very high salaries, perform here just because of their love to Jerusalem. And because Elena asked them.
Elena is Elena Bashkirova, founder, artistic director of the festival and a world renowned pianist on her own. In the festival's website, Bashkirova describes the festival as a special and wonderful event where "a diverse array of superb musicians performs wide-ranging chamber music works to a unique audience." In order to create such a special experience, the artists, besides playing out of pure love, perform in ensembles created purely for the festival. As such, the performance is as exhilarating for them as it is to the audience.
Another important aspect of the festival is to "turn the spotlight on great composers who could be classed as maverick not directly in the mainstream, but who created wonderful chamber music masterpieces: Schulhoff, Spohr, Respighi, Franck, Enesco, Falla, Messiaen, Faure, Roslavetz, Bruckner, and many others. Also there will be premieres of works by the Russian composer, Vladimir Tarnopolsky and Israeli Roy Zu-Aretz, both of whom explore new instrumentations and genres, "Of course, works of celebrated composers such as Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn and Martinu are performed as well. Bashkirova believes that despite their familiarity, there is something new coming out of every performance of their music. "This is a wonderful chance to broaden our horizons in performing and listening to their music, to look over their shoulders, as it were, and delve deeper into their creative processes."
The festival takes place at at the YMCA Concert Hall, Jerusalem between August 31 to September 10. Ticket prices are NIS 150 but there are several discounts. Visit jcmf.org.il for more information.
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