The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2022-23 season is coming to a close with two series of performances, July 4-10 and July 12-21.
The first series will take place this week when music director Lahav Shani leads the IPO in the performance of four concerts with the acclaimed pianist, Yefim Bronfman, and Hila Baggio, the leading soprano of the Israel Opera Company – at the Charles Bronfman Hall in Tel Aviv; the Jerusalem Theatre; and the Rappaport Auditorium in Haifa.
A week later, Shani will conduct the IPO in five performances in concert form of the opera La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini, on the stages of Tel Aviv and Haifa with a cast of international soloists and the Gary Bertini Israel Choir.
Yefim Bronfman's only appearance with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
The initial concerts, at the beginning of July, will bring piano soloist Bronfman to Israel for his only IPO appearance. He is a powerhouse of an artist, who will play Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4, a work that has become trademark in his repertoire. He was born in Tashkent in 1958 where he began his music studies. In 1973, he made aliyah and became an Israeli citizen. He was granted United States citizenship in 1989, the year he made his Carnegie Hall debut, and the rest is history.
The intuitive Bronfman has become a commanding presence on the international concert circuit. Known for his interpretive skills, he also has the distinguished reputation of an artist who injects strength and life into his music, as well as into his audiences.
The second “first” of these concerts will afford IPO audiences a chance to experience yet another of resident music director Shani’s talents. He created an arrangement for chamber orchestra of “Three Songs without Words,” by Felix Mendelsohn. This will be the first IPO performance of Shani’s arrangement and an added view into his fine musicianship.
The next “first” will showcase contemporary Israeli composer Betty Olivero’s new work, commissioned by the IPO. This dynamic composer is critically lauded and successful throughout the music world. She has the distinction of having her compositions performed upon completion by leading international orchestras and chamber ensembles such as the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony, the London Sinfonietta, and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2015, Olivero was awarded the Israel Emet Prize for excellence in academic and professional achievements, and in 2000, the Koussevitzky Prize by the Koussevitzky Foundation and the US Library of Congress. This award is considered one of the most important, given annually to only six composers.
Olivero is a professor of composition at Bar-Ilan University. Much of her music is inspired by melodies found in ancient Jewish traditions, flawlessly combined with the sounds and idioms of today. Her scores mix the sounds of the East and the West, as well as the subtleties of contemporary complexities combined in varied compositional forms. The essence of her music is always accessible, and its sounds are soul-nourishing.
For further information, ipo.co.il or *3766
