Piano, and Cello to Attracted My Attention

Introduction

The Confluence{s} project explores with unprecedented depth the various facets of Jewish cultures, through the concept of “Mélodie française”. This recital is the fruit of research into little-known or under-appreciated repertoires; it is the result of a creative process combining the folkloric melodies of Israel’s pioneers, pieces from a classical repertory, and contemporary music.

We owe these works – sung in French, Hebrew, Aramaic, or Yiddish – as much to famous composers as to authors, Jewish and non-Jewish, men and women, often unknown or forgotten. These works, destined to the concert, deliver pieces of our history.

Confluence{s} is an experiment, a dialogue undertaken in four languages, caught between tradition and modernity, Francophonia and Jewishness. It is the first time anyone has proposed a recital of melodies whose program is interwoven with Jewish culture. The musical heritage presented here spans from the 20th century to present day.

Composers

Known composers Women composers Composers of today

Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) Elsa BARRAINE (1910-1999) Graciane FINZI (1945) Darius MILHAUD (1892-1974) Verdina SCHLIONSKY (1905-1990) Nicolas BACRI (1961) Arthur HONEGGER (1892-1955) Graciane FINZI (1945) Vincent BOUCHOT (1966)

Rare composers Unearted composers

Léon ALGAZI (1890-1971) Vladimir DYCK (1882-1943 Auschwitz) Louis AUBERT (1877-1968) Paul MARTINEAU (1890-1915) Manuel ROSENTHAL (1904-2003) Louis SAGUER (1907-1991) Alexandre TANSMAN (1897-1986)

Benjamin Alunni with Les Musiciens du Paradis for the Venitian Center for Baroque Music (Punta della Dogana / Fondation François Pinault - Venise 2012) ©Olivier Lexa

From the rediscovery of a little-known repertoire to Confluence{s}, the project

One of the Nevertheless, each piece – in its own way, with a distinct motivations behind angle – reflects an intimate link between classical music this project is to and Jewish cultures. These pieces tell of ‘Jewish history’ as offer up to it unfolded in France – a story connected to ours. Thus, this audiences works music is more than an emotional, aural pleasure: it is also which, in many a meeting-place between history, and ourselves. cases, have not been interpreted since their composition. We owe some of the Each piece conveys its own path, and its own past. Let the programme’s melodies to acclaimed composers – such as biographies of its composers portray this project’s identity. Maurice Ravel, whose Kaddish is so popular in the context of classical music that it now belongs firmly in the Confluence{s} has as its central theme non-synagogal canon. As a religious Jewish work, created by a non- concert melodies inspired by Jewish cultures. I was Jewish musician, it transcends its spiritual origins, and has already familiar with Maurice Ravel’s Deux mélodies been heard in concert-halls, at times even studied in hébraïques. I needed to identify other composers who had conservatories. But this is a unique example, of a piece been inspired by Judaism in the creation of their vocal or buoyed by its composer’s renown. The majority of the chamber compositions. programme’s works remain as yet un-interpreted, little- During my investigations, I became interested in the known, or unknown. works of Darius Milhaud, one of the most prolific composers of his generation (443 opuses) who would

remain true to his Jewish heritage throughout his life, songs to stimulate their life and their work, insisting on including in his art. their new-found sense of liberty. I inventoried As part of his task for the Keren Kayemeth, Hans Nathan his works invited different composers of art music to create an that were accompaniment for these melodies. Besides Darius linked with Milhaud, another great francophone composer was asked Judaism to participate in this project: Arthur Honegger, who will (more than be included in the program. twenty) and chose a selection Three female composers in the Program That could be integrated into the program. His Opus 179, Deux chants populaires palestiniens, composed in 1937, Elsa Barraine was an excellent pianist, composer, and particularly attracted my attention. However, finding the professor at the Conservatoire supérieur de musique de score of this work turned out to be difficult. To the extent Paris for 20 years. A disciple of Paul Dukas – whose music that I could determine, none of Millaud’s own editors had was forbidden to be played by the Nazis in Germany from ever published or even left a trace of these hymns. It was 1933 - Elsa Barraine won the Prix de Rome at the age of eventually from an American publisher, that I procured, 19. She was director of the French National Orchestra the score, in the United States, as it was unavailable for from 1944 to 1946. sale in France for copyright reasons. It is part of collection She finished her Israeli Folk Music, edited and arranged by Hans Nathan. career working as a lyric theater inspector for the Ministry of Hans Nathan’s research on Jewish folk songs allowed me Culture. She was a to become familiar with this repertoire and to discover brilliant and dedicated 20th-century works related to this theme. His work woman. Jewish, started when he was still a young musicologist living in Communist, and a the Jewish community of Berlin before the rise to power participant in the of the Nazi party in 1933. Around this time, the Keren French Resistance, she was involved in the creation of the Kayemeth 1 (National Jewish Fund) had distributed, Front National des Musiciens, which, under the Vishy throughout the world, postcards inscribed with folk regime and the German occupation, sought to prevent melodies, in order to promote a national music project. musicians from collaborating with Hans Nathan was put in charge of coordinating this them. It was Elsa Barraine who, mission. He pursued the project after emigrating to thanks to her network of Boston, publishing some of these songs in 1938 and 1939 resistants, was able to provide a in the collection Chansons folkloriques de la nouvelle false identity for her friend and Palestine (Folk Songs of the New Palestine, published by composer, Louis Saguer, whose Nigun). After an interruption of forty-five years, due to an real name was Ludwig Wolfgang intense life of teaching, Hans Nathan returned to his Simoni, born in Berlin in 1907 and project in retirement in Boston. Thanks to the musicologist who is also featured in this Philip V. Bohlman of the University of Chicago, the program. During the concert, we collection Israeli Folk Music was able to be completed and will hear some of Barraine’s melodies to Hebrew texts by published, after his death in 1989. Bialik – known as the great 20th-century Hebrew-language poet – which was composed for children. Also featured is These melodies come from old Israeli folk songs, created Quatre mélodies hébraïques in French. by the Jews of the Diaspora in Russia and Poland. Born in the 1900s decade, and returned back to Palestine, Erezt- Israël, cradle of their culture, they were moved by a desire for liberty. Most of them lived in the kibbutzim as manual laborers. True pioneers of Israel, they invented

1 Founded in 1901, this organization sought to buy land in Palestine in order to facilitate the settlement of future pioneers.

Verdina Schlionsky: a I am pleased to forgotten talent. A gifted include in the pianist and disciple of Nadia program a work by Boulanger at the Graciane Finzi, a Conservatoire de Paris, she contemporary won the Prix musical de composer. Here are l’Aide aux femmes de her own words professions libérales in 1930. (translated) as an This prize, shocking at the introduction to her time, was won for her Kaddish: "Nothing could be more profound or moving for a melody Poème hébraïque to composer than to write music to a sacred text, to allow a text written by her Brother, the great poet Abraham oneself to write sounds over words that have an infinite Schlonsky. Fourth out of the six that comprise the sense, to know to maintain an atmosphere of reverence, collection Images Palestiniennes, this work particularly intrinsic to the liturgy, using voice, piano, and cello to attracted my attention. They were originally sung in support it. Nevertheless, as with any music written to Hebrew, but each has a French version. Verdina Schlonsky, religious texts, this Kaddish, like that of Ravel, must also perhaps considered the first female Israeli composer, has be able to be played in a secular context, a concert hall or unfortunately been forgotten by history. any other non-sacred venue. Indeed, in 2013, Abdellah Lasri performed his Kaddish, created in Paris in 2009, at the Essaouira Festival.”

CONFLUENCE{S} recital, When Mélodie Française and Jewish cultures embrace is sung in four languages: French, Hebrew, Yiddish and Aramaic.

Through these great figures and their surprising careers, we are struck by the fact that these composers’ names never appear on concert programs. They might be known to specialists, sometimes to musical performers, but they are unknown to the general public.

These works are histories within History. Each composer, Jewish or non-Jewish, was inspired by some aspects of the Jewish cultures. Thus, for some, the music is a place of expression for their culture. For others, the Jewish cultures are a source of inspiration for their compositions.

The musical project Confluence{s} is aimed at a large audience of music lovers and musicians of all levels. These melodies are enriched by their cultural mixing. This music will touch one and all by its melodic inventions and by the universes that it reveals. Each element is tied with one another along a guiding thread that links France and its history to the Jewish cultures, particularly through music.

Technical Rider

Line-up: 3 musicians: one tenor singer, one cellist, one pianist

Technical Needs: - 1 tuned piano with a bench and adapted lighting - 2 chairs - 2 music stands

Travel, accomodation and per diem for food on top of the fee.

Rate: upon request

Contact: Anima et Cie / Annie Rapoport Rayski email: [email protected] mobile: +33 6.63.45.93.77 website: http://anima-cie.fr/

Benjamin Alunni email: [email protected] mobile: +33 6.61.12.49.36

Musicians

Benjamin Alunni – Tenor

Very early on, Benjamin Alunni received in-depth musical instruction at the Ecole maîtrisienne de Grasse-Côte d'Azur. Concurrently to his flutist formation at the Versailles Conservatoire de Région CRR, he attends Caroline Pelon’s singing classes and the Paris CNR’s course in ancient music. Accepted in 2005 to the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is there that he carries out a first cycle of operatic singing in the classes of Pierre Mervant and Gerinda Hartman. He then obtains his Masters at the Oslo Norges Musikkhøgskole, taking classes with Hagegård and Svein Bjørkøj. During his training, Benjamin Alunni also attends the masterclasses of Malcolm King, Yvonne Minton, Philipe Huttenlocher, Nathalie Stutzman, Pat Misslin, Walter Moore, Paul Kiesgen of Indiana University. He participates in the 2006 Liedforum organised by Berlin’s Künste Universität. In 2007, he enters Ambronay’s European Academy as a soloist, directed by Christophe Rousset, whom he later rejoins via Les Talents Lyriques, during concerts held in Italy around Monteverdi, and via the Opéra de Compiègne’s Actéon et Les Arts florissants. He is regularly called upon by the Capriccio Stravagante, and directed by Skip Sempé. He performs across Europe in various programmes of French music (Versailles, Bozar of Bruxelles, Festival of Música Antiga de Barcelone, Oude Muziek of Utrecht). Following his interest for the baroque repertory, he sings the part of Phantase in the 2011 recreation of Lully’s Atys, directed by William Christie – which produces itself in Bordeaux, Caen, Versailles, New York, and the Opéra Comique. He collaborates once more with the following seasons of Les Arts Florissants, for the shows David et Jonathas (Aix-en-Provence Festival, Edinburgh, Caen, Opéra Comique, New York). He also takes on the role of the Duke of Nottingham alongside Edita Gruberova in the finale of Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées. Now a tenor, he sings in Poulenc’s Mamelles de Tirésias (Aix-en-Provence festival, La Monnaie à Bruxelles), as well as the Soldier’s part in Ullmann’s Der kaiser von Atlantis at the Dijon Opéra. Equally passionate about contemporary music, Alunni leads as Ulysses in Frederico Gardella’s Sirènes, composed in 2012 and performed at the Royaumont Foundation, and ARCAL. In 2013 he is invited to Brian Ferneyhough’s program « Voix Nouvelles ». Alunni creates two works for Brian Ferneyhough, with the Namascae Lemanic Modern Ensemble. Finally, in 2012 he participates in the creation of La Jeune fille et la Mort, a choreographic piece by Thomas Lebrun (Centre Chorégraphique National de Tours), with whom he continues to collaborate when Lebrun creates Lied Ballet for the 2014 Avignon Festival, touring France and the world during the following seasons. In 2016 he sings for the new opera by Brice Pauset Wonderfull Delux at the Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg with director Stéphane Ghislain Roussel. With les Arts Florissants some french motets from XVIII century at the Philharmonie de Paris. Benjamin will be Pastore in Orfeo by Monteverdi at the Dijon opera house for the opening season 2016-2017. Benjamin Alunni has received the Prix des Amis du festival d’Aix-en-Provence, the Saints-Anges Prix d’Honneur.

Marine Thoreau La Salle – Piano

Marine Thoreau La Salle has trained at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP). She received training in "Lied" (German art music) and Mélodie Française, first from Anne Grappotte, then from Anne Le Bozec, Emmanuel Olivier, and Jeff Cohen, and won 1st prize with high-class honors unanimously in June 2007. She then completed her training in opera repertoire under the tutorship of Erika Guiomar and Nathalie Dang and won in June 2009 a unanimous 1st prize with high-class honors and congratulations of the jury. She was also advised by Hartmut Höll, Susan Manoff, Janine Reiss, and participated in 2006 in the European Lied Forum in Berlin, and, in 2008, in the masterclass series “The art of vocal accompaniment”, given at the Musée d’Orsay by Julius Drake, Roger Vignoles, and Mickaël Levinas.

Marine Thoreau La Salle is regularly invited to perform in piano-vocal recitals and for various chamber music training courses (Opéra Comique-Paris, Jeunes Talents aux Archives Nationales- Hôtel de Soubise Paris, Centre tchèque-Paris, Festival des Nouveaux Talents-Villers-sur-Mer, Soirées Lyriques de Gigondas, Académie Ravel - Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Concerts de midi de la Sorbonne, Festival 1000 sources et Dordogne, Semaine du Son, Scène nationale de Dunkerque, etc.).

In 2009, she accompanied the soprano Isabelle Poulenard during her Middle-East recital tour and recorded an album of 20th-century melodies and Lieder related to Asia, with the Taiwanese soprano Li-Chin Huang. In 2010, she recorded with France Culture alongside the contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux and performed at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées with the musicians of the Orchestre Lamoureux for the concert “Carte blanche à Agnès Jaoui”. In 2013, she could be heard on France Musique with the mezzo-soprano Marie Lenormand.

Marine Thoreau La Salle is also a vocal coach, working on numerous productions at Théâtre de l’Opéra Comique de Paris, Grand théâtre de Genève, Théâtre du Chatelet, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, etc. Since 2012, she has been a pianist-vocal coach at Théâtre National de l’Opéra Comique in Paris and supervises the Academie singers on a daily basis. In this capacity, she participates in a series of recitals at the Foyer du Théâtre and Salle Favart, takes part in its productions and provides the preparation and accompaniment of Christiane Eda-Pierre’s masterclasses.

Marine Thoreau La Salle is often sollicited by first-rank vocal soloists in the course of their role studies.

Lydia Shelley – Cello

Originally from London, Lydia Shelley started the cello aged seven with Eileen Croxford. From 2002 to 2007 she studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester in the class of Hannah Roberts, where she was awarded her Bachelor of Music and Diploma of Postgraduate Performance, both with First Class Honours. Passionate about chamber music, she decided to continue her studies at the Royal College of Music with Richard Lester (Florestan Trio), and in 2009 was awarded a Master of Music in Performance again with First Class Honours.

An eclectic musician, she has played with many of UK’s finest chamber orchestras, such as the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and the Orchestra of St John’s, as well as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, with whom she takes particular pleasure in interpreting on classical and baroque cello.

In France she is regularly invited as principal cello or co-principal cello by the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie and the Opera de Lyon, with whom she has broadcast live on France’s national radio station, France Musique.

Since 2013 Lydia has been a member of the Paris-based Quatuor Voce. One of the leading string quartets of their generation, they recently toured the most prestigious halls in Europe thanks to the ECHO organization, which named the quartet as ‘Rising Stars’ in 2013: Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Konzerthaus (Vienna), Philharmonie de Luxembourg, Barbican (London), Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg), Philharmonie de Cologne, MUPA (Budapest), Gulbenkian (Lisbon), Casa da Musica (Porto), BOZAR (Brussels), Megaron (Athens), Town Hall (Birmingham), Cité de la musique (Paris), Konserthuset (Stockholm), Konzerthaus (Dortmund), Palau de la Musica (Barcelona) and Festspielhaus (Baden Baden).

Open to diverse art forms, their curiosity has lead them to experiment with different forms of concert performance: they frequently give their voice to silent movies from W. F. Murnau to Buster Keaton and have shared their universe with such diverse personalities as the musicologist Bernard Fournier, the singer and guitarist -M-, the choreographer Thomas Lebrun and the Canadian neo-folk singer Kyrie Kristmanson, with whom they released the album ‘Modern Ruin’ in 2015.

Their recordings of Schubert and Beethoven string quartets and the complete Mozart’s Flute Quartets (with French flautist Juliette Hurel) were met with high critical acclaim by the international press (The Strad, Télérama, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Diapason, Strings and Bow and Klassieke Zaken). Their most recent release of Brahms and Mozart’s string quintets with violist Lise Berthaud continues their collaboration with Alpha Classics.

Lydia lives in Paris and enjoys dressage and working equitation in her spare time.

Press Review

14 FESTIVALDESCULTURESJUIVES. ORG NUMÉR# 5 JUIN 16

Le magazine du Festival des Cultures Juives Récital classique / Création Festival 2016 Mercredi 22 juin, 20h30 DR DR © Ledroit - Perrin © Ledroit CONFL UENCE (S) 58 QUAND MELODIE FRAN ÇAISE ET CULTURES 59 JUIVES S’EMBRASSENT : AUDACE ! Benjamin Alunni

Lydia Shelley

Marine Thoreau La Salle # Juin 16 # Juin 16 Récital classique / Création Festival 2016 Mercredi 22 juin, 20h30 DR DR © Ledroit - Perrin © Ledroit CONFL UENCE (S) 58 QUAND MELODIE FRAN ÇAISE ET CULTURES 59 JUIVES S’EMBRASSENT : AUDACE ! Benjamin Alunni

Lydia Shelley

Marine Thoreau La Salle # Juin 16 # Juin 16 Lydia Shelley

Benjamin Alunni (voix)

Benjamin est né en 1983. Il reçoit très tôt un enseignement musical approfondi au sein de l’Ecole maîtrisienne de Grasse- Côte d’Azur. Parallèlement à une formation de ﬂûtiste, il suit à Paris, les cours de chant de Caroline Pelon et le cursus de musique ancienne. Reçu en 2005 au Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse, il y effectue un pre- mier cycle de chant lyrique dans les classes de Pierre Mervant et Gerda Hartman, puis obtient son Master à la Norges Lydia Shelley ( violoncelle ) Musikkhøgskole d’Oslo. En 2007, il rejoint l’Académie européenne d’Ambronay en tant que soliste sous la direction de Christophe Rousset. Régulièrement engagé par le Capriccio Stravagante dirigé par Skip Sempé, il se produit en Europe Originaire de Londres, Lydia débute le violoncelle à l’âge dans différents programmes de musique française. Poursuivant son intérêt pour le répertoire baroque, il chante le rôle de de sept ans dans la classe de Eileen Croxford. De 2002 à Phantase dans la recréation d’Atys de Lully en 2011, sous la direction de William Christie (Opéra Comique, Bordeaux, Caen, 2007, elle étudie au Royal Northern College of Music de Versailles, New-York). Devenu ténor, il chante dans Les Mamelles de Tirésias de Poulenc (Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, La Manchester dans la classe de Hannah Roberts, où elle Monnaie à Bruxelles) ainsi que le Soldat dans Der kaiser von Atlantis de Ullmann à l’Opéra de Dijon. Passionné de musique obtient le 1er prix Bachelor of Music et un diplôme de contemporaine, il incarne Ulysse pour l’œuvre Sirènes composé en 2012 par Frederico Gardella. Il participe également en Postgraduate Studies. Passionnée de musique de chambre, 2012 à la création de La Jeune ﬁlle et la Mort, pièce chorégraphique de Thomas Lebrun (Centre Chorégraphique National de elle décide alors de se perfectionner au Royal College of Tours), avec qui il poursuit sa collaboration lors de la création de Lied Ballet en 2014 au Festival d’Avignon, et en tournée en Music de Londres sous la direction de Richard Lester où France et à l’étranger pour les saisons suivantes. elle se voit récompensée, en 2009, d’un Master of Music in Performance avec la plus haute mention. En France, elle © Daanaka est invitée régulièrement en tant que violoncelle soliste ou co-soliste à L’Orchestre des Pays de Savoie et à L’Opéra de Lyon. Elle a rejoint le Quatuor Voce en 2013. DR © Ledroit - Perrin © Ledroit

e Festival des Cultures Juives se veut, depuis sa créa- tion, un lieu unique d’expression ; une scène offerte à CONFLUENCES(S) des artistes pour exprimer librement leur art, inven- Quand mélodie française et cultures juives s’embrassent : Audace ! Benjamin Alunni ter , offrir le fruit de leur imaginaire qui est celui d’un Lperpétuel travail et d’une longue expérience. Proposé par Anima et Cie et la D’AC, Direction de l’Action Le récital que propose le ténor Benjamin Alunni entre parfai- culturelle du FSJU tement dans ce cadre. Il est une création. Sa démarche est Ce récital, fruit d’une recherche autour d’un répertoire originale (c’est la première fois qu’un programme de récital méconnu, explore les mélodies françaises tissées de culture de mélodies françaises « tissées » de culture juive est pro- juive. Il mêle mélodies folkloriques des pionniers d’Israël, posé). Son désir de mêler à la fois des mélodies folkloriques œuvres du répertoire classique et musique contemporaine. israéliennes et les œuvres du répertoire classique français Benjamin Alunni propose ici une création spéciale pour constitue une initiative totalement inédite et une perspective Marine Thoreau La Salle le Festival des Cultures juives, où il rend hommage à des heureuse. Et parce que la pluralité, les métissages de lan- compositeurs parfois oubliés. gues et de sonorités sont la marque de fabrique du Festival des Cultures Juives, voire s’entremêler, se répondre fran- Benjamin Alunni : ténor Marine Thoreau La Salle (piano) çais, hébreu, araméen ou yiddish, ne peut que nous séduire. Marine Thoreau La Salle : piano Destinées au concert, ces œuvres livrent de notre histoire plu- Lydia Shelley : violoncelle Née en 1982, Marine entre au Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris après ses études musicales rielle. 60 en piano et accompagnement et d’un cursus de Lettres Classiques à la Sorbonne. En classe d’Accompagnement Vocal, elle Mercredi 22 juin, 20h30 61 suit l’enseignement en lied et mélodie française d’Anne Grappotte puis d’Anne Le Bozec, Emmanuel Olivier et Jeff Cohen et Archives nationales er obtient en juin 2007 un 1 Prix mention Très Bien à l’unanimité. Elle complète ensuite sa formation auprès d’Erika Guiomar et 60, rue des Francs-Bourgeois, Paris 3e Nathalie Dang en classe d’Accompagnement/Direction de chant et obtient en juin 2009 un 1er Prix mention Très Bien à l’una- 10 €//Renseignements : [email protected] nimité avec les Félicitations du jury. Elle est régulièrement invitée à se produire en récital piano-chant et au sein de diverses ou 01 42 17 10 70 formations de musique de chambre. Réservations : festivaldesculturesjuives.org

# Juin 16 # Juin 16 Lydia Shelley

Benjamin Alunni (voix)

# Juin 16 # Juin 16

DIAPASON September 2017

AUDIO Demo

Link to program extracts:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8if9phm7z544i2u/AABgq0vH6QD5gNMVEuQxbMK3a?dl=0

1. Elsa BARRAINE – La Chanson du gardien de la vigne 1’13 extract from Quatre Chants juifs (French)

06’2 הוֹלֵם צַעֲדִי Darius MILHAUD – Holem Tsa’adi .2 extract from Deux Chants Populaires palestiniens (Hebrew) 03’5 אֱלִי צִיּוֹן Paul MARTINEAU – Eli Tsion .3 (Hebrew)

56’0 יאָמע ,יאָמע Léon Algazi – Yome, Yome .4 extract from Trois chansons populaires juives (Yiddish) 44’4 קריש Maurice RAVEL – Kaddish .5 (Aramaic ashkenazi prononciation)

Benjamin Alunni, tenor Marine Thoreau La Salle, piano Lydia Shelley, cello