Whatever your musical inclinations, you can never accuse Revolution Orchestra of being static for too long. For the past 20 years, the ensemble has rapidly put out a full range of cultural and stylistic shows. Just last month, the outfit thrilled audiences at the Israeli Opera House in Tel Aviv with an exciting and fun trip into the uniquely comical and iconoclastic world of Monty Python.
Next up is a completely different venture that offers a typically extensively elaborated interpretation of George Gershwin’s work.
One of the iconic figures of 20th century music, Gershwin was present at the beginning of what would become the Great American Songbook, creating timeless songs such as “Strike Up the Band” and the iconic “Summertime.” It is included in the list of works. It has been performed and recorded by hundreds of major artists from jazz, Broadway theater, and many other fields of musical activity.
In fact, Gershwin – Revolutionary Version was in suspended animation for a while. “We performed a show in July, at the end of the previous season,” explains orchestra co-founder, house composer, arranger, and pianist Zohar Sharon.
Like many other arts and cultural activities, this performance has been postponed until October 7th. Earlier this week, Sharon, conductor and ensemble co-founder Roy Oppenheim, and the instrumentalists joined forces as three-way conductor, and the dust jacket finally came off. Musicians spread their talents and skills across a wide range of creative fields.The next performance is scheduled for March 25th at 8:30pm at Haifa Auditorium
The show is described as a “three-act celebration of Gershwin’s work” and features three soloists, including guitarist/vocalist Jonathan Albarak, cellist/vocalist Maya Bersitzman, and pianist/vocalist Guy Mintas. do. All three have been on the scene for a while and have earned a reputation for delivering undeniably entertaining work along with great musicality.
It suits Sharon et al thoroughly, and also fits the Gershwin bill. “We call it ‘Gershwin in Three Acts’ because we asked each artist to choose one of Gershwin’s works and invent a fantasy around it.” Sounds like a blank slate approach.
Given the proven track record of Albarak, Bersitzmann, and Mintus, Sharon was in a safe position to let the trio of protagonists carve their own paths conveying their respective interpretations of the composer’s songs.
“Jonathan” [Albalak] I chose a suite from [Gershwin opera] Porgy and Bess, it’s called ‘Catfish Street,’” Sharon said. “He took a few songs from there and also from the next great record. [legendary jazz trumpeter] with Miles Davis [iconic arranger] Gil Evans. ” Davis-Evans’ eponymous release was released in his 1959 year.
Albarak sympathized with the sentiments of Gershwin and Davisescu and ran with them. Despite his awe-inspiring musical standards, the guitarist was determined to leave his own unique mark on his concerts. “There are a lot of topics out there and a lot of hit songs, and I wanted to make it my own,” he says.
It also included an evaluation of his vocals. “I sing a few songs, like ‘I Loves You Porgy’ and ‘A Woman Is A Sometime Thing.’ I’ve also done some instrumental versions like ‘Bess You Is My Woman Now.’ Here are some excerpts from Miles Davis and Gil Evans records. There’s “Gone and Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus).” It’s a very powerful piece. ”
Basically, there was no choice in the soloist. When trying to reimagine past works, we have quality materials that are robust enough to be twisted this way and that, yet still approachable, yet fresh and appropriate to contemporary musical conventions. It helps to do that. – without losing track of the original score.
Albarak says it wasn’t just a matter of extracting, mixing and matching. He dismantled and rebuilt. ”
Organizing a preparatory show was not an easy task
We were trying out some logistics in the lead-up to the show. “A lot of the material came from that,” advises Albarak. “There are about 10 to 15 topics in this suite, which he had to cut down to seven or eight. There’s a lot you can do in 20 minutes.”
Although it may be a little cramped, each soloist will bring musical and creative baggage to the concert fray, both in their individual slots and when joining forces in the finale. According to Sharon, it will be the sum of its parts.
“Yonatan and Maya will add the sound effects,” says the orchestra leader. “Maya plays like an electric guitarist, adding delays and things like that. And then she plays and sings ‘I Got Rhythm.’ Very impressive. She plays the cello like a kind of walking bass line, like a jazz bassist. ”
Both Belsitzman and Albarak have expanded their talents across numerous genres and stylistic areas, incorporating rock, pop, and jazz as well as more classically oriented disciplines. And then there’s Mintus, which has earned a reputation for its 1,000-watt performance that seamlessly blends symphonic, operatic, jazz, rock, pop, and other sounds and sensibilities. “Guy is a sparkling guy,” laughs Albarak. “He brings so much energy to the show. He’s so full of life.”
Sharon also digs into the active Mintus offensive line. “About 45 minutes into the show, Guy comes in with the fireworks. Then the piano takes over center stage.” It also puts Sharon in an unfamiliar predicament, forcing him to consider alternative acoustic directions. I will send it in. “If Guy is in the middle of the piano, what does Zohar Sharon do?” he laughed. “I thought Guy would give me a percussion role with cymbals or something. He couldn’t bring himself to come off stage,” he jokes.
As it turned out, Sharon didn’t have to worry about being superfluous to the orchestra’s requirements. “He has given me a challenging role as I am not used to playing percussion. He is having a great time.”
The Haifa crowd, and ticket buyers for future performances of the Gershwin program (more performances are planned, according to Sharon), will also be treated to a spectacular melodic work by the Revolution Gang and their famous guests. I’m sure you’ll enjoy watching it change. One of America’s greatest composers.
For tickets and more information: www.rev-orch.com