Music and much more

A new festival opens at the Ralli Museum during Passover.

By MAXIM REIDER
Uri Hollander (photo credit: ROI SHPERNIK)
Uri Hollander
(photo credit: ROI SHPERNIK)
Chamber, a new and unusual classical music festival, will take place at the Ralli Museum in Caesarea next month. The museum is one of five Recanati Museums around the world (there are museums in Uruguay, Chile, Spain and two in Israel), and they were founded by the late Israeli banker Harry Recanati, who since 1980 had devoted himself to art.
“The Ralli Museums are funded solely by the Harry Recanati Foundation, which guarantees the museum’s total artistic freedom.” Says Uri Hollander, the artistic director of the museum and the festival.
“The second principle, proclaimed by Harry Recanati, is that art should be accessible to the people. As a result, entrance to the museum and all its activities is free of charge.”
Hollander, a multifaceted personality – musician, poet, lecturer, researcher – stresses that “We at the museum believe in high culture, and we are not ashamed of it.”
He explains that the festival is a continuation of a series of ongoing chamber events at the museum.
“Being chamber in their spirit, with intimate communication between the performers and the audience as their essential feature, the concerts have become so popular that often there’s not enough space for all those who want to attend,” he says.
A series of events dedicated to the connection between literature and music was presented by Hollander himself.
“The two worlds are close to me, as I graduated from the conservatory as a pianist and completed my doctorate in literature,” he explains.
Another series hosted artists from various fields, who presented their realms of interest.
“For example, there was an evening of singer Nurit Galron, who presented the poetry of Nathan Zach and an evening of composer Shlomo Gronich and more. This year, within the framework of the festival, I will perform with Eran Tzur, while another show will feature Matti Caspi,” he says.
But classical music is not forgotten. Far from it.
“The Israeli Conservatory in Tel Aviv is my second home, so the collaboration between it and the Ralli Museum was quite natural. Members of the Israel Philharmonic perform at the museum in chamber ensembles, as well as the top conservatory students. And if that is not enough, the closing session of the Itzhak Perlman master course for violinists took place at the museum.”
The museum also hosts academic conferences.
“We cooperate with such institutions as Tel Aviv and Bar-Ilan universities,” he says.
Having different art forms meet is not new for Hollander, who until recently served as artistic director of the Poetry Festival in Metulla.
“There, it was a combination of poetry and music. Here in Caesarea, it is music, poetry, art and more,” he says.
In addition to concerts of established artists and music students, the festival program features lectures, presentations and discussions for the entire family.
April 12 to 14 at the Ralli Museum in Caesarea. Admission is free, but reservations are required. Call (04) 626-1013 or email caesarea@rallimuseums.com.