Chamber Music in Israel

Chamber music is the most intimate medium in classical music and its attraction lies in its clarity. Chamber music developed in parallel with the wave of virtuosity that swept Europe in the 19th century. The pianist Franz Liszt was the first person who appeared in a solo recital and it was also he who initiated the sideways position, sitting in profile so that the audience could see his fingers flying over the keys. But the greatest acrobatic ability of all was that of the Italian violinist Niccolo Paganini, whose playing was so amazing in its speed, accuracy and emotional power, that rumours circulated that he was in league with the devil. But while musicians were demonstrating acrobatic control on one instrument, intimate chamber music was also developing for trios, quartets and quintets and even for sextets and octets.

Of all these groupings, the peak of them all was considered the string quartet. Haydn was called "The father of the quartet" and it was he who shaped its classic form as well as influencing other chamber music groupings. Chamber music, developing in tandem with the development of the symphony orchestra, was the most important form for the composer to express his own personal emotions. and the different groupings played an important role in this form of expression. In chamber music there is an emotional dialogue among the instruments, and great stylistic unity is required from all the performers.

The beginnings of chamber music in Israel is described by Nathan Shaham in his novel "The Rosendorf Quartet" (Am Oved, 1987), in which he tells of the string quartet established in Tel Aviv in 1936 by musicians belonging to the Palestine Symphony Orchestra, which had been founded that year by the violinist Bronislaw Huberman. The story is set against the situation existing before the state was established, when superb musicians arrived in Palestine, while it was still possible to do so, and wanted to set up a temple to the European culture from which they had been uprooted. It was a time of riots, disrupting the life of the country's small Jewish population. These disturbances shattered the harmony of the artists whose only talent lay in expressing their emotions through their playing. The book's main character, a violinist who arrives from Germany and lives in rented, shabby rooms, writes a letter to a childhood friend: "The quartet is my second home. We struggle over how to play - down to the very last detail: the length of the bow, its position, the number of strands on the bow that touches the strings, the finger pressure and other such seemingly technical matters, that add the required colour, warmth and sharpness to the sound - it's all an important lesson to me in the art of playing, but at the same time it also provides an opportunity to peek from up close into the depths of other people's souls."

During the pre-state period and immediately after the establishment of the state, chamber music concerts were given in the Tel Aviv Museum, at which leading musicians from Europe performed the best of the chamber music repertoire for a small but knowledgeable audience. Over the course of time after the founding of the state, there were various waves of musical development. The first step was the establishment of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra which provided work for European musicians, then afterwards the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, which also served as the Israel Radio orchestra, was founded.

The rise to power of the Nazis in Germany in 1933 had brought additional immigrants to Israel, leading to an enormous change in the country's musical life. Emil Hausner, the first violinist of the renowned Budapest Quartet, as well as many others, landed on these shores. Huberman visited three times, in 1929, 1931 and during his third visit, in 1934, he not only gave a recital, but gave a chamber music concert in Jerusalem with Emil Hausner, Hanoch Ya'akobi and the cellist Thelma Yellin, who was one of the pillars of musical life in Israel from her arrival in 1920 until the 1950s. Together with the composer and violist Oedoen Partosh, she established the first Israel Quartet.

It was during this period that great violinists were discovered and nutured, such as Yitzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman and, some time afterward, Shlomo Mintz. They were all students of the great teacher Ilona Feher and, after studying with her for several years, left to continue their studies in the wider world - in New York. Crowned with glory, they would return again and again as brilliant soloists with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. At that time, musical education focused mainly on solo instruments and no resources were available to cultivate players of chamber music.

Chamber music in Israel's musical life was given a real boost by the pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, who in 1967, married the celebrated cellist, Jacqueline du Pré. The couple, who were among the world's topmost talents and glowed with their love of music, performed during the Six Day War for soldiers and civilians. A short time after their marriage, Barenboim and du Pré met in London with their fellow musicians, Yitzhak Perlman, Pinhas Zuckerman and also with conductor Zubin Mehta, whose instrument is the double bass. They got together to perform Schubert's "Trout" quintet. This ensemble, made up of some members of the world's musical elite, soon acquired the nickname, "The Israeli Mafia." Their rendering of Schubert's quintet was filmed in a video that also includes a rehearsal and its many amusing moments, permeated with the humour characteristic of such a group of outstanding musicians.

Over time, after investing enormous efforts in instrumental education, a generation of talented musicians grew up in Israel. Principals of educational institutions started cultivating not just solo musicians from among their students, but also players of chamber music. The great surge of immigration from the former Soviet Union brought with it excellent teachers, who have raised the level of musical instruction in the country to unprecedented levels. Whereas previously, ad hoc ensembles of young students were developed, principals of music conservatories have now started creating permanent ensembles, with professional training, who work consistently together over a period of time.

Twelve years ago, a festival focused entirely on chamber music was inaugurated by the pianist Idit Zvi in Kibbutz Kfar Blum in the northern Galilee. Israeli musicians together with visitors from overseas take part in this annual festival that has played host to Israel's Yuval Trio, one of the most successful chamber music groups ever established in the country. In recent years, the festival has provided a stage for both permanent and temporary chamber music ensembles. Because of the festival, when the symphony music season with its star performers ends, the country's musical agenda is balanced by a festival devoted entirely to chamber music.

In recent years, a season of chamber music concerts has also developed at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and in the auditorium of the Israel Conservatory of Music in that city. Among the groups that have been warmly applauded are the Jerusalem Quartet, the Aviv Quartet, the Jerusalem Trio and the Carmel Quartet - all composed of young Israeli musicians. The Jerusalem Quartet had its beginnings in the Rubin Academy High School of Music and Dance in Jerusalem, and each of its members is a talented soloist. In their last two years at the high school they formed a quartet, and this partnership has met with such success that the foursome is now considered to be one of the most promising in the world.

In this context, mention should be made of another important contribution to the development of chamber music in Israel. A few years ago, the Jerusalem Music Centre initiated a special department, The Unit for Young Musicians, which aims to provide professional patronage for young musicians to develop the chamber music tradition. As a result, the Jerusalem Quartet, the Jerusalem Trio and a new quartet of youngsters, who have chosen the name "The Ariel Quartet," are provided with the finest training from experienced chamber music teachers, from Israel and around the world. The Jerusalem Quartet has actually trained with musicians of the famous Alben Berg quartet in Vienna, and the first CDs they recorded were produced on the initiative and under the patronage of the Music Centre.

Today, it can be stated that chamber music in Israel is flourishing and that most of the chamber music groups have also acquired great esteem internationally. One of the great catalysts to the contemporary playing of chamber music, quite apart from its beauty, is the fact that the number of talented musicians in the world, including these who stream with such energy from the Far East, is constantly increasing. And thisplanet is quite simply too small to hold so many soloists.

Articles in professional music magazines often discuss whether or not classical music is dead, and whether its audience is growing smaller. There is some justification for this opinion. Yet, at the same time there is a trend toward strengthening chamber music, because competition in the solo field becomes harder each day. In Israel too, this trend is also apparent and, as a result, a generation of excellent chamber music players has developed. The general public that is, by and large, reared on the myth of star soloists, is also searching for escape routes leading to more intimate experiences that express one's inner feelings.