»Lahav Shani & friends«

»Lahav Shani & friends«

Lahav Shani & Gil Shaham

Lahav Shani & Gil Shaham

Lahav Shani and Alisa Weilerstein

A mysterious woman and two rival brothers competing for her love: Maurice Maeterlinck’s ambiguous Pelléas et Mélisande inspired Arnold Schönberg to write a tone poem in which he traces the love triangle in sensuous and expressive sound. Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphonic Concerto for Violoncello makes a sharp contrast, with music that is at once relentless, motoric and lyrical. Alisa Weilerstein tackles the demanding solo part; the orchestra is not merely an accompanist, but a distinguished counterpart. Lahav Shani, chief conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, is on the podium.

Lahav Shani and Alisa Weilerstein

A mysterious woman and two rival brothers competing for her love: Maurice Maeterlinck’s ambiguous Pelléas et Mélisande inspired Arnold Schönberg to write a tone poem in which he traces the love triangle in sensuous and expressive sound. Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphonic Concerto for Violoncello makes a sharp contrast, with music that is at once relentless, motoric and lyrical. Alisa Weilerstein tackles the demanding solo part; the orchestra is not merely an accompanist, but a distinguished counterpart. Lahav Shani, chief conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, is on the podium.

Lahav Shani and Alisa Weilerstein

A mysterious woman and two rival brothers competing for her love: Maurice Maeterlinck’s ambiguous Pelléas et Mélisande inspired Arnold Schönberg to write a tone poem in which he traces the love triangle in sensuous and expressive sound. Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphonic Concerto for Violoncello makes a sharp contrast, with music that is at once relentless, motoric and lyrical. Alisa Weilerstein tackles the demanding solo part; the orchestra is not merely an accompanist, but a distinguished counterpart. Lahav Shani, chief conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, is on the podium.

Lahav Shani conducts Ben-Haim and Bruckner

Recording & Broadcast BR-KLASSIKIt‘s a great mystery what and where the soul is exactly: whether it is immaterial or somehow palpable or a measurable energy – yet researchers have said to have found out that its weight is 21 grams. Opinions differ widely across humanity. However, many agree that this precious essence plays an important role. This season, we want to tie in Anton Bruckner‘s symphonies with other compositions which, in their own way, have a soul-related, and sometimes spiritual, content. In this concert, Lahav Shani, winner of our MAHLER COMPETITION in 2013 and the new principal conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, will conduct the world premiere of a work written by the Baku-born composer Frangis Ali-Sade, who once said: »Every time, music helps me to chase away the problems of life.« Paul Ben-Haim‘s violin concerto is also worth discovering: his scintillating works combine European, Israeli and Arab traditions – because the artist, born as Paul Frankenberger in Munich, fled to Palestine in 1933. The violin concerto from 1960, which at times sounds like film music, turns out to be very stirring, but also exudes a wonderfully soulful tranquillity at times. At the end, Bruckner‘s Seventh Symphony, with which he finally achieved the longed-for breakthrough as a recognised composer in 1884. It captivates with masterly intensifications and heartfelt moments such as in the stirring Adagio – and is one of those confessional works about which it was said that in them there appeared »a changing radiance of a spiritual kind«.

Shani, Ólafsson · Adams, Bernstein

Shani, Ólafsson · Adams, Bernstein

Shani, Argerich · Beethoven, Schönberg