New season for Tel Aviv soloists

Yael Karet, a piano student of Daniel Barenboim in Berlin, joins the Tel Aviv Soloists chamber orchestra for its season-opener.

By MAXIM REIDER
piano keys 88 (photo credit: )
piano keys 88
(photo credit: )
Yael Karet, a piano student of Daniel Barenboim in Berlin, joins virtuoso clarinetist Orit Orbach and The Tel Aviv Soloists chamber orchestra for its season-opener Saturday night at Haifa's Rappaport Auditorium. The program features pieces by Mozart, Copland, Andre Hajdu and Schubert, and will be repeated Sunday at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and Monday in Kfar Shmariyahu. Conductor Barak Tal, who co-founded the young ensemble in 2001, says the idea was "to keep music-making fresh. This is not an orchestra which works day in and day out, finishing one program and then starting another. We work on several projects a year, which allows us to build up an ensemble with individual solo or chamber music careers, or who play in other major orchestras, and allow those who are based abroad to appear at home." This year the soloists include cellist Ira Givol and violinist Matan Dagan, who currently work and live in Germany (the latter is the ensemble's first violin for this season), and oboe player Tamar Inbar from Camerata Salzburg, among others. Over the years the ensemble has changed, says Tal, citing the Aviv Quartet, which (together with Tal) co-founded the Soloists and developed an independent career which leaves no space for performing with the ensemble. There are also changes in the repertoire. "We started with traditional pieces such as Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, or Mozart's Symphony No. 40. Now we play symphonies by Haydn which are less familiar in Israel yet suit our ensemble perfectly. We also perform contemporary music and pieces by Israeli composers." One important "acquisition" is phenomenal Italian bassoon player Sergio Azzolini. "He played with us last season. We enjoyed working together and learned a lot from him. He will be our artistic advisor, coming once a season," says Tal. The season of The Tel Aviv Soloists consists of five subscription concerts in Tel Aviv and Haifa, with some repeated in Jerusalem, Karmiel, Kfar Blum and Kfar Shmariyahu. Future programs feature a world premiere of "Homage to Stravinsky," collectively composed by several Bar-Ilan University doctoral students. Details and reservations: 054 233-3216