To help you prepare for the enriching and musical events of the Haizebegi#11 festival, here are a few resources exploring the main themes of its first week.
François Bensignor
Thursday, October 3
Luigi Nono
Who is Luigi Nono? On the France Musique website, Léopold Tobisch paints an insightful portrait of this brilliant and radical composer in his article Luigi Nono: Revolution Through Composition.
Luigi Nono at a press conference on June 17, 1970 © Evers, Joost / Anefo, National Archives of the Netherlands
Françoise Kubler, soprano – Frédéric Apffel, sound engineer
Recording by Frédéric Apffel – Video by Zoé Khan-Thibeault
18th Summer Chamber Music Festival – Thursday, June 28, 2018, at the Église du Bouclier, Strasbourg
The Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees:
A very brief summary provided by UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency.
Friday, October 4
Book Reading and Discussion:
Palestinian author Yara El-Ghabdan will give a reading from her book *The Dance of the Flamingos* and engage in a discussion with the audience
Palestine. The Dead Sea has evaporated. The “salt disease” is ravaging the region and threatening humanity. Yet, in the place where thousands of residents were once banished, farmers, settlers, soldiers, prisoners, and workers are surviving. Together, they are rebuilding a community. Colonies of flamingos are settling there. A utopia is born.*The Dance of the Flamingos*tells the story of a group of unlikely allies who, thanks to the living, learn to live together differently—without that all-too-human desire to name, control, and possess life.*The Dance of the Flamingos* rejectsfatalism by posing the question: What if Palestine were to produce the only possible utopia?
Trip to Gaza
A firsthand account of the lives of young Palestinians grappling with their reality
Piero Usberti, who is of Italian and French descent, was born in 1992 in Poggibonsi, Italy. After studying philosophy at the University of Turin, he turned to filmmaking. He also occasionally acts, notably in films directed by his brother, Tommaso Usberti.
The trailer for the documentary film *Journey to Gaza* by Piero Usberti
Saturday, October 5
David Krakauer
David Krakauer has established himself as one of the most influential musicians on the international Jewish music scene by infusing his creative energy into the new klezmer movement that emerged in New York at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. Initially a member of the Klezmatics, the spearhead of this resurgence, he went on to forge his own path as a leader (notably at the helm of the group Klezmer Madness), pushing the boundaries of this ancient musical form inherited from Eastern Europe and blending it with jazz, rock, funk, and hip-hop in subtle and exhilarating fusions. A brilliant conservatory graduate, he has never turned his back on the classical repertoire, which he continues to perform, even venturing into composition.
Read the excellent profile Vincent Cotro has written about him on the Philharmonie de Paris website
Der Gasn Nign / La Chanson de Rue (Trad., arr. Krakauer, Tagg)
David Krakauer, clarinet – Kathleen Tagg, piano – Yoshie Fruchter, electric guitar – Jerome Harris, electric bass – Martin Shamoonpour, daf
“Mazel Tov Cocktail Party is an ‘explosion of good vibes’ created in response to the climate of polarization and negativity that permeates our daily lives. In these uncertain times, it’s an opportunity for all of us to come together and celebrate our shared humanity.” For more information, visit www.mazeltovcocktailparty.com
: Concerto for Klezmer Clarinet and Orchestra, composed by David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg
Santa Rosa Symphony, conducted by Francesco Lecce-Chong – David Krakauer, solo clarinet
A short selection of excerpts from the world premiere of the work in November 2021
Kinan Azmeh
A Syrian clarinetist and composer, Kinan Azmeh went into exile in 2011 after his country was engulfed in conflict. He moved to New York, where, after graduating from the Juilliard School, he earned his doctorate in music from the City University of New York in 2013. Invited as a soloist by numerous classical ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic and the Seattle Symphony, his interest in jazz has flourished through his Arab-jazz quartet, the Kinan Azmeh CityBand, and his trio, Hewar. Since 2012, he has also performed with the Silkroad Ensemble, whose album “Sing Me Home” won a Grammy Award in 2017. His first opera, “Songs for Days to Come,” sung in Arabic, premiered in Germany in June 2022.
Wedding
Kinan Azmeh, composition & clarinet – Bodek Janke, drums – Sandra Hempel, guitar – Marcio Doctor, percussion – Wolf Kerschek, arrangements & conductor – NDR Big Band
Suite for improvisers & orchestra
Adriaan Breunis, viola – Daniel van Dalen, drums – Emma van der Schalie, violin – Julia Philippens, violin – Mascha van Nieuwerk, cello – Tobias Nijboer, double bass
