The university concert series in Haifa • A balm for the soul

The saying "When the cannons roar - the muses are silent"... originates in the 4th century BC, in a play by the Greek comedy author, Menandros, it is written: "Where violence prevails - the law loses its validity". Today, although art is seen as a luxury - that is to say, something There is no real sustainable need for it, because after all art has no substantial effect on the real life of the war, it may actually help in healing the souls of the warriors.

It is true, the war machines are indeed rumbling and the alarms are indeed jarring and frightening, but the art continues to be created and its consumption is a balm for the souls of the people on the home front as well as a salutation to the fighting forces.
This time, the topic was brought to the mind of the audience: ancient music and the baroque period, with "Ofira Zakai and friends".

The concert that opens the series - "Ofira Zakai and friends"

That is, even today many cultural events take place in our city of Haifa, and even very fine ones. One of the special events, and one could even say one of the best of them, took place in the afternoon of Sunday 7.1.24/XNUMX/XNUMX. It was a unique and excellent concert that also constituted the opening of the "University Concert Series" in Haifa.

The theme of the event was ancient music and the baroque period, all with the ensemble "Ofira Zakai and Friends".

The concert hall by Hecht

The auditorium, the Hecht concert hall, which is at the top of the mountain, was filled to the brim with a large audience who absorbed with great pleasure the concert which was presented to the Haifa audience for free, no money.

Between the opening greetings and a sort of "guest by the way" announcement, it was explained that in the future there would be a cost, albeit modest, for each and every show. It is very interesting how this will develop and how it will affect the audience.

Ensemble "Ofira Zakai and Friends" ► Watch

about the music

The music that was played was ancient and from the Baroque period. Baroque music was composed from the beginning of the 17th century until the middle of the 18th century, it has a place of great influence and respect in the development of Western classical music.

At the time of their writing, these works were considered innovative. But now, in the 21st century, they sound to our ears as having the same rhythm. Despite this, they continue to be performed today and are even more popular now than they were at the time of their creation.

Tal Arbel in Viola da Gamba ► Watch

At this event, the ensemble "Ophira Zakai and Friends" played, which included the contra tenor singer Doron Shleifer, Yair Avidor on the lute, Tal Arbel played two types of viola da gamba and Ofira Zakai on the lute and the lute.

on baroque music

On the axis of the time sequence of Western classical music, the Baroque period is after the Renaissance period and before the Classical period and only after it comes the Romantic period.

Baroque music was often written for virtuoso players, so it can be said to be more difficult to perform than Renaissance music. Another difference between the Renaissance period and the Baroque period is the rise of the instrumental sections, and the decline of the a cappella style which is singing without instrumental accompaniment.

Another new feature entered into Baroque music is the extensive ornamentation of the piece, which ornamentation is often improvised by the player himself.
Among the prominent composers of the Baroque period are: Monteverdi, Schitz, Coperan, Charpentier, Loli, Pachlbel, Purcell, Corelli, Talman, Ramo, Scarlatti and more.

Baroque music ► Watch

The members of the ensemble

The members of the ensemble "Ofira Zakai and friends" who specialize in ancient music performed vocal and instrumental music from the 17th century. The repertoire that was played in this concert was from England and Italy and included the composers: Henry Purcell, Girolamo Prescobaldi, Matthew Locke, Barbara Storuzzi and Valdi.

Ancient musical instruments - "on the tip of the fork"

lute is a musical instrument that preceded the classical guitar. This frittata vessel arrived in Europe in the Middle Ages and became accepted and very popular during the Renaissance. The lute is used as a solo instrument and also as an accompaniment for singers and vocal ensembles. The strings of the lute are usually played with the fingers.

During the Moorish conquest, the lute was brought to Spain and from there it spread to all the provinces of the European continent. From the end of the Middle Ages until the 18th century, the lute became a unique and central instrument and from it, during the following centuries, the guitar developed.

Playing with a lute ► Watch

Theorbo is a frittata instrument that belongs to the lute family, but has a much longer neck. As with the lute, the front is made of wood and includes a resonance opening. The sound box of the Theorbo has a convex back and a neck attached to the outer part of the sound box which stretches from it upwards.

Viola da Gamba is a musical instrument with five to seven strings and a bow. The viola da gamba is similar in shape to the cello. The imagination is both in form and size. Like the cello, the viola da gamba is usually played sitting down, it is also held vertically between the knees or placed with the side on the leg.

In this concert, the musician Tal Arbel used two types of viola da gamba: one with low notes and the other with high notes.

The concert repertoire was extremely unique with the best musicians and instruments of the Baroque period

The performance was impressive and the performance spectacular and impressive. Although it can be said that due to the uniqueness of the repertoire, which is not common to every Bar B Rabbi, it was necessary to spice up the performance with a few explanations between the sections (and not just short opening remarks, which were also barely heard... since, by the time the microphone was brought, the few sentences that were said had finished) , and a small commentary for each and every section was desirable.

"Tashpad University Concert Series"

The "Tashpad University Concert Series" was organized by Prof. Oded Zahavi, Head of the Department of Music, and the production was produced by the School of the Arts, Mrs. Ward Levinson. Admission to the first concert was free, as was the case for all concerts that were in the past, although, as mentioned, tickets will be required for the rest of the series which will be used as a resource for music student scholarships.