OFRA YITZHAKI
“OFRA YITZHAKI - AN ISRAELI ARTIST OF THE HIGHEST ORDER”
HA'ARETZ DAILY NEWS, ISRAEL
HA'ARETZ DAILY NEWS, ISRAEL
|
Ofra Yitzhaki has established herself as a real embassador of the piano music of her country. She has collaborated with most Israeli composers of her time, and performed Israeli music on important concert stages in Europe, the USA and Israel. Recently, she revived the First Piano Concerto of German-born Israeli composer Joseph Tal in an acclaimed performance with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra in Berlin. In June 2020, she will record his piano works for the Hessischer Rundfunk, Germany. In addition to her pianistic work, Yitzhaki also lectures regualrly on the topic of Israeli Music at the Tel Aviv University and has written her Doctorate Dissertation on this subject at the Juilliard School.
Paul Ben-Haim - Sonatina (1946), Third Movement. Recorded at the Clairmont Hall, Tel Aviv University.
|
ISRAELI MUSIC - RECITAL PROGRAMS
2019-2021
PROGRAM I: SONATAS
THREE ISRAELI MATERPIECES
MORDECAI SETER (1916, Russia - 1994, Israel)
Piano Sonata (1982)
DOMENICO SCARLATTI (1685-1757)
Sonata K.213 in D minor
TZVI AVNI (b. 1927, Germany)
Piano Sonata No. 2 - "Epitaph" (1979)
DOMENICO SCARLATTI
Sonata K. 474 in E-flat Major
JOSEPH TAL (1910, Germany - 2008, Israel)
Piano Sonata (1950)
This reital program was commissioned by the Israel Music Fest 2019.
Piano Sonata (1982)
DOMENICO SCARLATTI (1685-1757)
Sonata K.213 in D minor
TZVI AVNI (b. 1927, Germany)
Piano Sonata No. 2 - "Epitaph" (1979)
DOMENICO SCARLATTI
Sonata K. 474 in E-flat Major
JOSEPH TAL (1910, Germany - 2008, Israel)
Piano Sonata (1950)
This reital program was commissioned by the Israel Music Fest 2019.
|
Joseph Tal - Piano Sonata. Live recording from the Israel Music Fest 2019, Tel Aviv Museum.
Produced by the Israel Ministry of Culture. PROGRAM II: REFLECTIONS
|
|
VERDINA SHLONSKY (1905, Ukraine - 1990, Israel)
Reflections (1962) JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Fuges 1 & 3 from "The Art of Fugue" MORDECAI SETER (1916, Russia - 1994, Israel) Janus (1972) JOHANNES BRAHMS Three Intermezzi Op. 117 JOSEPH TAL (1910, Germany - 2008, Israel) Three Piano Pieces (1937) Intermission WISAM GIBRAN (b. 1970, Nazareth, Israel) From Silence to Silence (2000) JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Canons 1 & 2 from "The Art of Fugue" JOSEPH BARDANASHVILI (b. 1948, Georgia) Sonata No. 2 (1984) Wisam Gibran - "From Silence to Silence" (2000), 4th Movement. Live recording from the Tel Aviv Museum.
|
PROGRAM III: ISRAEL NOW
THE MANY FACES OF CONTEMPORARY ISRAELI MUSIC
LIOR NAVOK (b. 1971, Israel)
Shimmer (2017)
JOSEPH BARDANASHVILI (b. 1948, Georgia)
Faraway Echo (2016)
WISAM GIBRAN (b. 1970, Israel)
From Silence to Silence (2000)
BETTY OLIVERO (b. 1954, Israel)
On Water, Wind and Bells (2016)
BEN-ZION ORGAD (1926, Germany - 2006, Israel)
Tone Gesture No. 2 (2000)
SHLOMO GRONICH (b. 1949, Israel)
Piano pieces from "Thoughts" (2016)
Shimmer (2017)
JOSEPH BARDANASHVILI (b. 1948, Georgia)
Faraway Echo (2016)
WISAM GIBRAN (b. 1970, Israel)
From Silence to Silence (2000)
BETTY OLIVERO (b. 1954, Israel)
On Water, Wind and Bells (2016)
BEN-ZION ORGAD (1926, Germany - 2006, Israel)
Tone Gesture No. 2 (2000)
SHLOMO GRONICH (b. 1949, Israel)
Piano pieces from "Thoughts" (2016)
|
Ben-Zion Orgad - Tone Gesture No. 4 (2000). Live recording from the Jerusalem Music Center.
|
PROGRAM IV: HOMMAGE TO FRANK PELLEG
EUROPEAN MUSICAL CULTURE IN ISRAEL
|
Frank Pelleg (1910-1968) was a Prague-born Czech-German Jewish pianist, conductor, composer and writer, who immigrated to Israel in the 1930s. Since his immigration he became a major force in local music life and a pionier both in the performance of Israeli piano music and in the performance of Bach's keyboard works. This recital commemorates this great musician through piano works from his repertoire. This program was commissioned by the Israel Music Fest 2018.
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Duet No. 1, BWV 802 MORDECAI SETER (1916, Russia - 1994, Israel) Chaconne & Scherzo (1963) JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Duet No. 2, BWV 803 VERDINA SHLONSKY (1905, Ukraine - 1990, Israel) Ballade No. 3 (1961) JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Duet No. 3, BWV 804 ARTHUR GELBRUN (1913, Poland - 1985, Israel) Message No. 3 from "Five Messages" (1965) JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Duet No. 4, BWV 805 PAUL BEN-HAIM (1897, Germany - 1984, Israel) Sonatina Op. 38 (1946) |
Verdina Shlonsky: Ballade No. 3. From "Hommage to Frank Pelleg" at the Israel Music Fest 2018, Jerusalem Music Center.
Produced by the Israel Ministry of Culture.
Produced by the Israel Ministry of Culture.
|
SOME OF THE PROGRAMS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE AS CONCERT-LECTURES OR WITH A PRE-CONCERT TALK WITH THE ARTIST.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, QUESTIONS AND BOOKING, PLEASE CLICK HERE. * All programs are subject to change with advance notice. |
REVIEWS OF OFRA YITZHAKI'S ISRAELI MUSIC CONCERTS
|
BERLIN TAGESSPIEGEL, GERMANY, ABOUT TAL'S CONCERTO WITH THE BERLIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
„The supreme soloist Ofra Yitzhaki showed astonishing melodic qualities. She made the thematic connection clear, yet without losing any of the force and harshness required by this musical work.” NEUE MUSIKZEITUNG, GERMANY, ABOUT CONCERTS AT THE "NEW LIFE FESTIVAL", BERLIN “Ofra Yitzhaki played the demanding songs by Ben-Haim’s with great delicacy and sensibility. The extremely high quality and niveau of her playing showed again in Joseph Tal’s Piano Concerto, played with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra.” HA'ARETZ DAILY NEWS, ISRAEL, ABOUT A PERFORMANCE AT THE ISRAEL MUSIC FEST “Seter's Piano Sonata and Leibovich's 'Adayim' were both performed in the masterful hands of Ofra Yitzhaki.” OBERHESSISCHE PRESSE, GERMANY, ABOUT A RECITAL AT THE MARBURG SYNAGOGUE "Yitzhaki interpreted Paul Ben-Haim's 'Sephardic Lullaby' with great emotion and beauty, and gave a brilliant performance of his Sonatina." WESTFAELISCHE RUNDSCHAU, GERMANY, ABOUT A RECITAL IN KLAVIERFESTIVAL RUHR "An Evening with Soul, Poetry and Glorious Sounds “Yitzhaki's engaging sincerity in dealing with contemporary sounds and structures let her approach also works by important representatives of Israeli music. With a secure feeling for the very individual character of the music and through her sensitivity to sound, the young pianist created a moving interpretation." ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG, GERMANY, ABOUT A RECITAL AT THE OPEN UNIVERSITY, INGELHEIM “Ofra Yitzhaki Draws Listeners into Foreign Worlds: Orient Meets Classical Music Yitzhaki presented a concert rich of variety and contrasts. She gave an overview of the classical music in Israel between 1933 and the end of the 20th century. This music is often highly expressionistic, yet never ceases to be melodious.” INGELHEIMER WOCHE, GERMANY, ABOUT A RECITAL AT THE OPEN UNIVERSITY, INGELHEIM “World-Class Pianist Dr. Ofra Yitzhaki presented composers from her native country Israel through a virtuoso performance of their music.” Mordecai Seter - Piano Sonata (1982). Live recording from the Felicia Blumental Music Center, Tel Aviv.
|
