A Cultural Cornucopia

by Lili Eylon

The annual Israel Festival - initiated in 1961 as Israel's first art festival of international proportions - is here again. Between May 24 and June 13, a number of very special acts will delight native and tourist audiences alike. The festivities begin with two gala concerts by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Featured on both evenings is Mahler's 5th symphony. The star-studded classical music program includes a single concert by Ohio-born lyric soprano Kathleen Battle who has sung in all the great opera houses of the world and has received five Grammy Awards; the celebrated Alban Berg Quartet playing Haydn, Brahms, Bartok and Debussy; world-renowned organist Marie-Claire Alain of France playing Bach; the English Concert Orchestra and Choir, Britain's foremost early music ensemble, performing Handel's Messiah; the Florestan Trio, also from England, playing Haydn, Dvorak and Beethoven; the renowned Czech Venus Quartet, with works by Mozart, Beethoven and Dvorak, and the cantata Song of Songs, especially commissioned for the 1998 Israel Festival. "I composed the Song of Songs for those who know the taste of true love," says Israeli composer Gil Shochat, 24. The Song of Song will be sung by the Rheinische Kantorei from Cologne, Germany accompanied by the Ra'anana Symphonette Orchestra.

In addition to classical music, jazz, rock and ethnic music will be performed. "We have something for every taste," says director Yossi Talgan, who, together with artistic director Micha Lewensohn, chose the rich, multi-faceted palette of the festival program.

A salute to 50 years of Mediterranean music presents a number of unique ensembles and soloists. Israel is home to a many people from the Magreb countries, whose origins go back to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. Five hundred years later, the Israel Andalusian Orchestra, dedicated to the preservation of the music of this community, was formed in Israel. Drawing a regular coterie of some 3,000 subscribers, the players of the oud, mandolin, darbuka, kamundja and cymbals have found an echo also among music lovers totally unfamiliar with this tradition.

Rhythm is the special feature of another group - the Mimouna, another ethnic ensemble performing a blend of music from East and West. A marriage of Mediterranean and occidental music with jazz is the instrumental and vocal contribution of Night Ark, a group established by Armenian-born American Ara Dinkjian, and of French-Jewish troubadour Enrico Macias accompanied by Algerian musicians. The seven musicians of Yussef ve Ehad - Jews, Arabs and Druze - produce innovative melodies based on classical Arabic and western music, flamenco, jazz and rock. "In our performance we try to express hope for a better future of mutual respect and peace," adds one of the musicians. From Italy comes the Enrico Pieranunzi Trio, and from Greece songstress Eleftheria Arvanitaki.

Tributes to a number of Israel's musical giants, among them composer-singer Naomi Shemer and composer-conductor Noam Sheriff are among the highlights of the Festival. On the first evening of the festival, May

24, 1998, a tribute to Naomi Shemer - whose songs have become an indivisible part of the Israeli cultural fabric is on the agenda. Dozens of well-known Israeli musicians and actors, together with the Ra'anana Symphonette, will perform many of Shemer's songs, with the participation of the composer herself, at the Sultan's Pool in Jerusalem, under the stars.

Theater - humor, slapstick, multi-media, straight drama and satire - is also featured at the Festival. Two companies from England and one from Canada are importing their thespian "wares" to Israel. The Maly Drama Theater of St. Petersburg will perform Abramov's Brothers and Sisters, a monumental 6-hour satire on the Soviet regime. Local talent will be on view in the new production of the classic Jewish drama, The Dybbuk, as well as in a tribute to veteran Israeli playwright Nissim Aloni.

Dance is not being neglected. Whether it is the zany Momix troupe or the impressive Pilobolus Dance Theater, both from the United States, the Taiwanese Cloud Gate Dance Theater which combines scenes of ancient Chinese opera and martial arts, the dynamic Bale da Cidade de Sao Paolo from Brazil or the successful Tango pro Dos group from Argentina, their graceful, athletic performances are certain to capture the sympathy of audiences immersed in the upbeat festival atmosphere. In addition to these dance groups, ten of Israel's young up-and-coming choreographers have been commissioned to create brief works.

And what is a festival without a circus? Quebec's Cirque Eloize, a troupe without animals but with plenty of daredevil acts, is charged with providing stunning entertainment.

During the Festival, a special three-week-long photography exhibition depicting 50 years of cultural events in the country, with an emphasis on the performing arts, will be on show in the Jerusalem Theater, one of the venues of the Festival. The Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion also plays host to some events, as does Sultan's Pool, the Targ Music Center in picturesque Ein Karem, the Gerard Behar Center in downtown Jerusalem, and - for the first time this year - the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv.

"More than 50% of our public comes from outside of Jerusalem," explains Talgan as the reason for this move. He adds that a total of 80,000 tickets will be sold. He is particularly happy about the thousands of students, immigrants and senior citizens from distressed neighborhoods, including Arab neighborhoods, whose tickets are being subsidized. "What I am proud of," he adds, "is that many of the new immigrants (mostly from the former Soviet Union) who received subsidized tickets six years ago now come and pay full prices."

The Festival presents not only formal events in closed halls. Some of the most delightful attractions are free outdoor performances - clowns, dancers, puppets - to amuse the entire family. On the more serious - but still free - side, daily piano recitals by new immigrants as well as jazz concerts have become an appreciated tradition of the Festival.