Bachanalia Celebrates the State of Israel

On Wednesday May 21, 2008 Nina Beilina and Bachanalia will present a concert featuring traditional orchestral and Klezmer works by Israeli composers in commemoration of Israel s sixty years as a state. This final concert of Bachanalias “20 Years Later” season is made possible by generous contributions from the Polish Cultural Institute and the New York State Council for the Arts. It takes place at 8:00 pm, in the newly refurbished Merkin Concert Hall 129 West 67th Street (accessible by the 1 train and M66 and M11 buses). Tickets are $35 for adults and $18 for students and senior citizens. For ticket information call (212) 501-3330. The full program for the May 21st concert consists of: ? A. Tansman Triptych for Strings A. Hajdu “Truat Melekh”: Jewish Rhapsody for Clarinet and Strings Pavel Vinnitsky, bass clarinet and clarinet Traditional “Negunei Neshama” arr. by Anatoliy Trofimov and Pavel Vinnitsky ? Nina Beilina, violin Pavel Vinnitsky, clarinet Tatyana Margulis, cello Anatoliy Trofimov, bayan Jerome Butler, double bass I. Tkachenko Lacrimosa for Strings (World Premiere) N. Shemer- ” Jerusalem of Gold” (arr. for Strings by Raphael Fusco)? Notes on the Works and Composers? In gala celebration of Israel s 60th anniversary of statehood, Bachanalia presents a concert of works by composers whose strong ties to Jewish and Israeli tradition have influenced their music. The program kicks off with Alexander Tansmans Triptych for string orchestra. Born in Poland in1897 to a Jewish upper middle class family with strong connections to the European musical elite, Tansman began piano at the age of five and began composing by the age of eight. His career took him around the world and he would become renowned as one of the best composers that Poland ever yielded. Tansman wrote his Triptych for string quartet in 1930 and later arranged it for string orchestra. Andre Hajdu was born in Hungary in 1932 and studied gypsy music in Budapest , and composition under Milhaud and Messiaen in Paris . Since 1966 he has resided in Jerusalem where he teaches at Bar-Ilan University where he founded a composition department. He is an authority on Klezmer music and has published many articles on the topic as well as compositions inspired by Klezmer styles. His work, Truat Melekh features clarinet solist Pavel Vinnitsky. Mr. Vinnitsky returns to give his own take on the style in Negunei Neshama, a selection of Klezmer tunes compiled and arranged especially for Bachanalia with bayanist A. Trofimov. After all the Klezmer fun comes Igor Tkachenkos hauntingly beautiful Lacrimosa for Strings of which Bachanalias performance shall be the world premiere. The Program closes with Shemers famous traditional Israeli song, Jerusalem of Gold, in a new arrangement by composer and Bachanalia collaborator Raphael Fusco. Joining us at this special event shall be Renee Schreiber, Director of Performing Arts at the Israeli Consulate, and Yoram Morad , Israel s cultural Attache in the USA . About Bachanalia Bachanalia, a chamber orchestra of international competition winners and soloists, was founded in 1988 by violinist Nina Beilina. The inaugural series of concerts was a resounding success, and the musicians chose to remain together under Beilinas tutelage and guidance. Since then, the conductorless ensemble has become a New York City institution, committed to varied and comprehensive programs in which the music of Johann Sebastian Bach plays a seminal role. In its 17 seasons, Bachanalia has performed every work for strings that the Leipzig master wrote. Each program opens with a Bach composition and continues with chamber music that has been influenced by his work, including one piece by a contemporary composer. In addition, Bachanalia frequently performs masterworks of other eras, and is a firm supporter of contemporary music, with over a dozen World Premieres to its name. About Nina Beilina Nina Beilina, Bachanalias Founder & Artistic Director, performs extensively in Europe and the United States , both as a soloist and with Bachanalia. In the course of an illustrious career, she has given recitals all over North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa , and recorded repeatedly on the Melodiya label. Her appearances as soloist with orchestra include concerts with most of the worlds leading orchestras, such as the Chicago, Houston, Baltimore, Detroit, Atlanta and St. Louis symphonies, as well as with the Los Angeles and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestras in the US. Her foreign concerts include appearances with the Santa Cecilia Orchestra of Rome , the RAI orchestras of Milan and of Turin , the Liverpool Philharmonic, the Jerusalem Symphony, and countless others. A student of Abraham Yampolsky, Julius Eidlin and David Oistrakh, Beilinas competition honors include the Gold Medal at the Enesco, the Grand Prix in the Long-Thibaud, and the Bronze Medal in the Tchaikovsky International Competitions. She received Italy s Vercelli DOro Gold Medal as Musician of the Year, an honor she shares with the likes of Renata Tebaldi and Igor Stravinsky. A professor at the Mannes College of Music in New York , Beilina also gives annual master classes in Italy . Newly returned from Bachanalia-style performances in Taipei , her new CD of Bachs six sonatas and partitas for solo violin is due to be released in the spring of 2008. About Pavel Vinnitsky? Clarinetist Pavel Vinnitsky has established himself as both classical and klezmer music performer. Having toured extensively throughout the world he performed at some of the world major klezmer music festivals and venues throughout Europe . Native Ukrainian, he repatriated to Israel in 1990 where he held position with the “Habima” National Theatre in Tel Aviv and performed with Youth Israel Philharmonic, Beer-Sheba and Raanana Symphony Orchestras. His performances were broadcast on the Israeli National Television and the Bavarian Radio. Currently Mr. Vinnitsky is leading an active performing career as soloist, chamber and orchestral musician in the NYC area. His orchestral and chamber music performances include Opera Orchestra of New York, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Albany Symphony Orchestra, New York Scandia Symphony, Berkshire Opera Orchestra, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, New Haven Symphony, So Percussion, Wall Street Chamber Players, Biava String Quartet and the Norfolk Contemporary Music Ensemble among others. Mr. Vinnitsky holds degrees in clarinet performance from both Rubin Academy of Music in Tel Aviv and the Yale University School of Music. His teachers were Steven D. Hartman, Richard Lesser and David Shifrin.? About Igor Tkachenko Igor Tkachenko, whose Lacrimosa for Strings will receive its world premiere during the “Honoring the State of Israels 60th Anniversary” concert, is an accomplished and versatile composer in a wide array of styles and genres, including orchestral, chamber, vocal, film, multimedia and electronic music, with over a dozen published CDs and numerous commissioned works performed. His awards include the first prize at the Aspen Music Festival and Best Music at the FIFI International Internet Film Festival (France). Tkachenko is also a virtuoso pianist who has toured internationally since the early 1990s, appearing at Carnegie Hall, The Berlin Philharmonic, The St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Helsinki National Opera, Bank of Boston Celebrity Series, and numerous other major venues and festivals throughout Europe and the US . Over the last five years Tkachenko has produced the award-winning http://www.interactiveclassics.com//t_blank”>Interactive Classics series of educational music games for children. https://videos.whiteblox.com/gnb/secure/player.aspx?sid=47371