THE AMERICAN COLONY CONCERT SERIES

On December 12^th the American Colony Hotel will present a new classical music program, the first one of its kind in East Jerusalem. The opening evening will take the audience on a magnificent musical journey into the world of the legendary figure Don Quixote de la Mancha. 
What’s to be expected is a touching and virtuosic recital with songs by Jules Massenet, Maurice Ravel, Jacques Ibert and Mitch Leigh performed by one of the leading singers of today's opera world, French bass Jérôme Varnier who visits Jerusalem before his next commitments at the Opéra de Paris and the Scala opera house. Jérôme Varnier's accompanist will be the internationally renowned pianist Thomas Palmer. 

Jérôme Varnier opens the new American Colony Concert Series

Pianist of the first recital: Thomas Palmer

"I am honored to announce the beginning of our Christmas celebrations with a heartwarming recital that comes in a time when we all need to refresh our spirits with joy and hope” says Thomas Brugnatelli, general manager of the hotel.  Cultural encounters are certainly now more important than ever and the American Colony Hotel will once again act as an international haven where everyone is able to meet and enjoy the beauty of the place and the program together. But classical music has always played an important role at the legendary American Colony Hotel. Through centuries it was not only a location of historic encounters of world known personalities from Lawrence of Arabia to the political leaders of today, it has also been a place of arts and creation.

Through centuries it was not only a location of historic encounters of world known personalities from Lawrence of Arabia to the political leaders of today, it has also been a place of arts and creation. The archive of the hotel is a treasure chest of old partitions, rare music scores and compositions that were once written at and for the American Colony. Now it’s time to let the music play again its prominent part at this special and unique venue. The newly restored historic Pasha Hall offers the perfect ambiance and acoustics for classical chamber music evenings. “It’s wonderful to know that artists from all around the world are going to meet again in Jerusalem to bring history back to life while creating a new musical adventure for this city” confides Petra R. Klose, artistic curator of the concert series. 
The cycle will continue with a Viennese Soirée in January presenting the Austrian baritone Thomas Zisterer performing a program of Schubert, Mozart, Korngold and Lehar.

Concert review by Pamela Hickman:
Pamela Hickman's Concert Critique Blog

Event details:

American Colony Concert Series

“Don Quijotte”

Jérôme Varnier (bass), Thomas Palmer (piano)

Saturday, December12th, at 7pm at the Pasha Room of the American Colony Hotel,

Louis Vincent St. 1, East Jerusalem

Glühwein and light refreshments after the concert.

Admission: 100 NIS

Information and reservations: admin@amcol.co.il, Phone: +972 (0)2 627 9777

www.americancolony.com 

DAS KAFFEHAUS

Es mag ein verklärt nostalgischer Zugang sein, zu einer Welt aus Milchschaumhäubchen, Erdbeerstrietzeln und Herren im Frack.

Doch ich denke es ist an der Zeit, in diesem Blog einmal einen näheren Blick auf unser „Außenbüro“, unseren „Zweiten Arbeitsplatz“ zu lenken, denn ich glaube nicht zu übertreiben, wenn ich sage, dass die meisten Treffen mit Künstlern und Veranstaltern sowie die wichtigsten Konzeptionen und Entscheidungen stets im Kaffeehaus stattgefunden haben.

Das klassische Wiener Kaffeehaus: Thonetstühle, eine große Auswahl an Zeitungen und der obligatorische Duft gerösteten Kaffees. Vielleicht gibt es noch einen Cafehauspianisten, der zu bestimmten Stunden spielt, in manchen Fällen ein paar Billardtische oder  Veranstaltungsposter und alte Photographien an der Wand. Serviert werden Eier im Glas, Fiakergulasch und hausgemachte Mehlspeisen.

Das Wiener Kaffeehaus, vor einigen Jahren als Institution zum UNESCO Weltkulturerbe erklärt, stand seit jeher für das gesellschaftliche Leben und war Treffpunkt der Künstler und Intellektuellen. Auch in vielen anderen Städten der Welt, war es das Kaffeehaus, wo revolutionäre Gedanken geboren und Meisterwerke der Literatur geschrieben wurden.

Das was das Wiener Kaffeehaus im Besonderen ausmacht, ist ein bestimmtes nicht ganz greifbares Lebensgefühl. Ich weiß nicht ob es die stets propagierte Wiener Gemütlichkeit oder das Wiener „Grantlertum“ ist, das den größeren Ausschlag gibt, zweifellos sind in einem ordentlichen Wiener Kaffeehaus neben anderen Faktoren beides in spürbarem Ausmaß vorhanden.  Und es sind die Details, das kleine Glas Wasser zum Kaffee sowie der frische Kren zum Beinschinken.

Man trifft sich im Kaffeehaus, man bespricht sich im Kaffeehaus und mehr noch – man verweilt dort allein. Man nimmt sich Zeit.

Ideal ist ein Tisch am Fenster, der einem erlaubt, auch zu sehen wer vorüberzieht. Bekannte, Fiakerkutschen oder Touristengruppen. 

„Noch eine Melange“ bedeutet bei sich selbst eine Bestellung aufzugeben: Eine halbe Stunde kontemplativen Daseins, sich noch einmal zurückzulehnen bevor man wieder in die Geschehnisse des Lebens eingreift.

Letztendlich kann ich nicht beantworten, was es tatsächlich ist, das ein Café zu einem wahren Wiener Kaffeehaus macht, doch eines ist sicher, ein gutes Kaffeehaus kann jeden zu einem wahren Wiener machen – in gewisser Weise. Herr Ober, bitte noch eine Melange!

K und K Wiens beliebteste „Zweitarbeitsplätze“:

Cafe Markusplatz: www.markusplatz.at

Ringstraßencafe Schwarzenberg: www.cafe-schwarzenberg.at

P.R.Klose, Vienna, June 2015

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE - Or what causes a contemporary opera hangover

It was the world premiere of a new opera. I especially flew in to be there. Quite an event in the music theatre world but unfortunately – I am sorry to say it - boring. The production was very smart but boring. Well presented but boring. Virtuously performed but in the end boring.

I am usually very excited when it comes to world premieres and yes, believe it or not, I do love contemporary music. But I did not really sense any of the announced tragedy of the plot or the praised magic of never heard sounds in the music.

After the performance I needed a drink. And I wasn’t the only one. Thank god there was a decent bar just opposite the opera house. I met two old friends and some of the usual suspects of the international contemporary music scene. I usually go for Bombay Sapphire after opening nights. I should probably try something new from time to time but I suspect myself to have been faithful to Bombay Sapphire Gin all the years because I was always attracted by the beautiful blue-glas-bottle and the kitschy old fashioned label with a picture of Queen Victoria.  

We soon got into a severe discussion about what contemporary art should be about or let’s better say – what it should be for. That’s when the fun really started.

One of my friends became pretty passionate: Why don’t they compose music that really touches us? We want to feel something! 

The discussion moved towards the question of intellectual obligations (a topic that is set to make me yawn) and the freedom of art. Is the complexity of those pieces too hard to understand? If we, the regular opera audience and people working in the music business don’t get it, who will? Or is this approach too arrogant and it is especially us who should search for new ways to listen and to perceive?  

“What if the piece is simply badly written?” I asked. I mean, there has always been good music and bad music. If you look into music history one has to admit that out of a few hundred opera compositions you will find one masterpiece, one creation that survived for the future. True, there are certainly still forgotten or undiscovered masterpieces. But how many of the compositions of earlier times really had the potential to fascinate their audiences when they were first performed?

If we look at the repertoire of opera houses today, we find one contemporary production among 10 “classics” like “Die Zauberflöte” and “La Traviata”.

Looking at the variety, productivity and richness of the music scene in the times when these pieces were first performed how can we have any guarantee that the compositions that are written now will be “worth” to stand between those masterpieces? Of course, many new creations are and we are privileged to experience them at festivals and during the opera seasons. But we have to face the fact that producing opera is incredibly expensive. How does a theatre director or a donor know that – bingo – this will be the one, the one masterpiece out of hundred new creations?

And given that you have discovered a new Mozart, how do you interest your audience in modern music? Many people see modern music as interesting but it is not necessarily popular. The question is, does it have to be? How much are we willing nowadays to take risks? How courageous are we to produce something just because we personally believe in it?

“Well, opera is not sexy anymore. I think we are the ones who have to develop new strategies how to sell it differently” says one of my friends. “Oh come on, please, it’s not about this.” And self-complacency isn’t sexy either, I thought to myself. I was looking for an example and as the hour was late, I ended up with what was in my hands: “Let’s take my gin. I buy this label because I like the bottle, but if the taste is bad, I will not spend money on it twice. To have permanent success you need the right content AND the right packing. If it comes to tonight’s performance, the packing was perfect, set and costumes even looked “sexy” but the content didn’t have any taste at all.”

In times of Händel, Mozart and Rossini it was the music of their period that was performed everywhere. Certainly not all of these creations were masterpieces but there was a strong demand for more and new music. Of course, there was no TV, no I-tunes and no radio, so live performance had a different position in the daily life.

Even though many composers wrote popular music we cannot see them in the place of today’s pop music. Although it might work for a certain range of the classic repertoire, the question remains when have we lost the longing to discover more and new operas? And with new operas I mean contemporary creations.

We cannot deny that a lot of the curiosity has been lost over the centuries even if we take into consideration that opera has clearly always been more accessible to those segments of society who could afford to attend performances or, if we look at performances at the court, to those who were invited to attend.

Maybe this could be one of the new chances to approach and be truly open for everyone. But then again, where are the people who wait for new opera productions? Where is the connection between contemporary opera and the “real life”?

I don’t think that we, the ones working in the music business can get away with explanations like “well it’s just too hard to understand for the masses”. I believe an attitude like this will sooner or later lead to the end of this genre.  

Early next morning at the airport I wondered if my hangover has been caused by last night’s premiere and the strong frustrations about not having had any emotional sensation during the whole performance or from the gin afterwards. Although I can’t remember that Bombay Sapphire ever gave me any headache before.

Once the plane takes off I try to close my eyes. The images of last night’s production are still in my mind, what puzzles me is that it’s so hard to recall any concrete musical impressions even though the composer obviously had intended to produce new sound experiences.

Trying something different is just not enough. If there is one thing that has not changed through all those hundreds of years it is that we want to feel something. We want to be moved. It’s true that the purpose of music theatre should not only be artistic amusement. It has all the potential to make us reflect, to make us think, to make us question what we see and what we hear. Let it be delightful or irritating but whatever we want to achieve on an opera stage we should not risk boring our audience. 



P.R.Klose, Vienna, June 2014

HELLO STAGE - a new music community

In autumn 2013 Bernhard Kerres, former artistic director of the Konzerthaus Vienna, founded a new online platform to connect musicians, promoters and music managers. Responding to the strong need of international communication and networking in the classic concert world it soon became one of the fastest growing music communities. An impressive phenomenon which certainly deserves a closer look.

Founder Bernhard Kerres

"As the internet continues to make the world both bigger and smaller, we have realized: while an online presence helps empower established connections, forging the initial relationship can be overwhelming or frustrating. This is where we come in. " announces CEO Bernhard Kerres on their popular website https://hellostage.com.


HELLO STAGE offers therefore various service packages for professionals of the worldwide music world. Registration and hosting a personalized webpage is free.

Our artists and us have been invited to visit the brand new company's office in Vienna where we were welcomed by the team of HELLO STAGE in order to discover the latest developments and updates on the website. At the same time we were provided with technical advice and recommendations for the efficient online promotion of our artists. An individual service that is regularely offered to all members.

Classic singers, ensembles and solo instrumentalists are facing a big and continuous challenge when it comes to presenting themselves and to gaining an online presence which becomes more and more important day by day. Artistic quality needs to be supported and promoted in order to succeed. It's the first step to reach today's audience.

We believe that personal contacts and experiences will always stay vital and probably most important in the international music business. In other words: We still have to do our job! But as an artist management we were glad to find the new service and professional systhem of HELLO STAGE which we believe is ready to fill a hole in the daily needs of musicians, promoters and managers - and hopefully connect them even more strongly for the future. 

Here is the link and further contact details:

https://hellostage.com
https://www.facebook.com/hellostage

HELLO STAGE GmbH
Mariahilfer Strasse 1c/Top II, A-1060 Wien
Mail: office@hellostage.com

SYRIAN COMPOSER YAZAN LOUJAMI – WINNER OF THE AL QUDS COMPOSITION AWARD 2013

Syrian composer Yazan Loujami is the winner of the international Al Quds Composition Award 2013.

Composer Yazan Loujami from Damascus

The Al-Quds Composition Award was launched and the world premiere of its winning submission presented by the new Al-Quds University College of Music in East Jerusalem.

In its second year the award celebrated the magic and uniqueness of Arabic storytelling and poetry. All participants were invited to reflect on the poem ‘Qais, Majnoun Laila / قيس ، مجنون ليلى” which was dedicated by the Palestinian writer and poet Mahmoud Abu Hashash.

Poet Mahmoud Abu Hashhash

The Al Quds Composition Award was successfully introduced for the first time in 2012 with participants from all around the world. The award aims to encourage the creation of high quality chamber music works, which include elements of Oriental and/or Western European music combined with human voice.

Composers from a.o. Jordan, Egypt, Australia, New Zealand, U.S.A., United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Russia, South Korea, Canada and the Netherlands participated in the second edition of this international competition for contemporary composition. 

Pianist Karl Kronthaler and soprano Lisa Mostin during the world premiere in Jerusalem

This year’s winner Yazan Loujami is a 19 years old Syrian Composer, born in Damascus in 1994. He started learning the violin when he was six years and soon got involved in music composition. He was part in various musical projects like the Syrian children and youth orchestra. In 2010 his first orchestral work was performed at the Syrian opera house under the direction of British conductor Howard Williams.

After graduating from Solhi al-Wadi Music Institute, he studied at the higher institute of Music and Performing Arts in Damascus, besides being an architecture student.

Yazan Loujami recently moved to Amman where he will continue his studies. His works include: In search of Basel (piano), Slama's Waltz (orchestra) and other works for violin and brass ensembles.

Karl Kronthaler, Mahmoud Abu Hashhash, Lisa Mostin and Ferran Sola Albrich after the premiere at Ramallah

The international committee of music experts was highly impressed by the powerful musical imagination, the unique individual style and the virtuosity of the young composer.

The world premiere of Yazan Loujami’s musical creation “Qais, Majnoun Laila” was performed by Karl Kronthaler (piano), Lisa Mostin (soprano) and Ferran Sola Albrich (violoncello) at Hind Al Husseini Theatre Hall in East Jerusalem.

"The honor of winning this award means a lot”, said Yazan Loujami. “Even though I couldn't be there for the premiere; the chance of working with such a promising institution, and such amazing musicians is priceless, because through this project I was in contact with a place that is very dear to me and to all Syrians, and it means that despite all the borders and the checkpoints between Syria and Palestine, music can still make its way through."

For the world premiere in Jerusalem, which Yazan Lujami was not able to join, he sent the following video message:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njleFxdwxR0

Here is the live recording of the very first performance of "Qais, Majnoun Laila" in Jerusalem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9c8afDafLw

For further details please contact: petra@music.alquds.edu

Further information about the Al Quds College of Music Project plese visit:

http://music.alquds.edu/ or http://alqudscollegeofmusic.blogspot.co.at/