Nadav Lev, Guy Barash Total Playing Time: 62:16

Nadav Lev guitars New Strings Attached

1 DE 3488 0 13491 34882 7 ORIGINAL DELOS DE 3488 NADAV LEV • NEW STRINGS ATTACHED DIGITAL

, classical electric and guitar

Nadav LevNadav Featuring: Mivos String Quartet • Rinat Shaham, mezzo Quartet Shaham, • Rinat String Mivos • Miranda violinsoprano Cuckson, • Tehila Ben-Ze’ev, • Re’ut soprano Nini-Goldstein, mezzo electronics Barash, live • Guy soprano

StringsNew Attached Contemporary Music for Guitar by Young Israeli Composers Israeli ContemporaryYoung by Guitar for Music

NADAV LEV: Shomeret Layla LEV: NADAV

Me’ever layam • Sna’i • Dov • Tarnegol • Dov • Sna’i layam Me’ever

Four Bialik Children’s Songs Children’s Bialik Four RESHEF: RONNIE

TalkBack III TalkBack GUY BARASH:

puerta cocharas serrada con va ver • Quen te

Durme, durme mi linda donzella • Abretu • Abretu donzella linda mi Durme, durme

JONATHAN KEREN: Three Ladino songs JONATHAN

Nothing to express to Nothing KLARTAG: YAIR

GILAD The COHEN: Rushing Camel

ORIGINAL DIGITAL

DELOS DE 3488 NADAV LEV • NEW STRINGS ATTACHED New Strings Attached

Contemporary Music for Guitar by Young Israeli Composers

1. Gilad Cohen (b. 1980): The Rushing Ronnie Reshef (b. 1979): Four Bialik Camel (2012) (9:26) Children’s Songs (2009) (8:42) Nadav Lev Nadav Lev, Tehila Nini-Goldstein

2. Yair Klartag (b. 1985): Nothing to 7. Me’ever layam (3:06) express (2014) (8:23) * 8. Sna’i (1:31) Nadav Lev, Mivos String Quartet 9. Dov (2:13) 10. Tarnegol (1:52) Jonathan Keren (b. 1978): Three Ladino Songs (2008) (11:18) 11. Nadav Lev (b. 1977): Shomeret Layla Nadav Lev, Miranda Cuckson, Rinat (2013-2014) (14:54) Shaham Nadav Lev, Re’ut Ben-Ze’ev, Guy Barash

3. Durme, durme mi linda donzella Nadav Lev, classical and electric guitar (4:00) (accent marks) with Mivos String Quartet 4. Abretu puerta serrada (2:27) Rinat Shaham, mezzo-soprano 5. Quen te va ver con cocharas (4:51) Miranda Cuckson, violin Tehila Nini-Goldstein, soprano 6. Guy Barash (b. 1982): TalkBack III Re’ut Ben-Ze’ev, mezzo-soprano (2010) (9:28) Guy Barash, live electronics Nadav Lev, Guy Barash Total playing time: 62:16

*Commissioned by the Adele and John Grey Endowment Fund All works are heard here in world premiere recordings 2 he release of New Strings Attached would best serve their artistic language marks the culmination of a long and vision in conjunction with the guitar. journey. It all started a few years ago The accumulation of the newly written Twhen the initial idea for this project was music that followed has been a moving born: initiating the creation of new rep- and surprising process of discovery. Al- ertoire for classical and electric guitar by though I aimed for diversity in the first prominent young Israeli composers. This place, I was still amazed by the broadness mission captured me, as it promised to be of the musical spectrum presented in the not only relevant for both the Israeli music results – a journey between immensely corpus and the guitar repertoire, but also different musical landscapes. particularly personal. It seemed to naturally combine two of my deepest interests New Strings Attached is a fascinating, ev- – performing and initiating the creation of er-changing musical road. I believe it not new music on the one hand, and exploring only reflects exceptional originality while layers of my own cultural roots and iden- exploring a broad array of sonic possibil- tity on the other. I came to believe that in ities, but also serves as yet another living order to bring forth the unique diversity of testimonial to the endless faces of the musical voices emerging from Israel, the contemporary guitar. guitar with its endless versatility of color, style and texture is the perfectly suited in- The album is equally divided between strument. two main centers: one of purely instrumental music, and the other of vocally I went on to approach and commission oriented music. It opens with Gilad Co- an exceptional group comprised of some hen’s The Rushing Camel, brilliantly of the most prominent and interesting fusing influences of classical music, eth- composers to emerge from Israel in re- nic music and progressive rock through cent years. I invited them to compose a deeply intimate, virtuosic and original for either classical or electric guitar in take on the very idiom of classical guitar. different settings, attempting to choose It moves on to Yair Klartag’s Nothing to with them the ensemble and format that express, which creates an abstract sonic

3 landscape, transcending any ethnic or artist Guy Barash and three incredible Is- non-musical pretexts while exploring the raeli-born singers, who – with their distinct surprising synergy between electric gui- voices and musical personalities – add tar and string quartet. Jonathan Keren’s fresh dimensions of variety and soulfulness Three Ladino Songs illuminate the to the music: Rinat Shaham, Tehila Ni- deep, multi-layered essence of seemingly ni-Goldstein and Re’ut Ben-Ze’ev. straightforward folkloric music with the composer’s ever-flowing musical imag- - Nadav Lev ination and contrapuntal language. The album turns back to a more abstract musical world in Guy Barash’s TalkBack III, Gilad Cohen: The Rushing Camel a hectic, energetically charged dialogue between guitar and computer, exploring The Rushing Camel begins its journey tensions between spontaneity and con- from afar. I like to think of the beginning trol, narrative and commentary, as well of the piece as the distant sound of a beast as human creativity and technology. It galloping in the desert, impossibly long returns to concrete cultural context in legs thumping along in a vast, open void Ronnie Reshef’s crystalline, lyrical and of endless sand. Both the view and the witty art-song settings of Four Bailik sound are not quite clear but sometimes Children's Songs by Israel’s national you can see its obscured frame peeking poet H. N. Bialik. The program ends on a from between the mountains, until at most personal note with my own original some point it is within view. And stand- piece, the extensive Shomeret Layla. The ing in front of you, you begin to realize program notes that follow were contrib- it is communicating with you. It speaks uted by the composers themselves. of dreams and desires lost and gone, recollections of moments that still make I was fortunate to be joined in this album the heart ache . . . all while staring at you by an amazing group of world-renowned with those goofy camel eyes and baring collaborators, including violinist Miranda that impossibly long tongue. (Erin Mick- Cuckson, the Mivos String Quartet, Sound elwaite and Gilad Cohen)

4 Yair Klartag: Nothing to express* The search for my personal understand- ing of the term “expression” has been A conversation between writer Sam- occupying my thoughts in the last few uel Beckett and art historian Georges years. I have tried to dismantle my urge Duthuit regarding (among other artists) for expression and find the concrete pro- the painter Pierre Tal Coat: cesses it meant for me – what am I “push- ing out”? Is my natural thought process Beckett – The only thing disturbed by the reflected in my pieces’ structures? Is there revolutionaries Matisse and Tal Coat is a a concrete sound world that exists in my certain order on the plane of the feasible. inner world and wishes to be realized? Duthuit – What other plane can there be How big is the discrepancy between these for the maker? potential inner sounds and the musical B. – Logically, none. Yet I speak of an art scores? turning from it in disgust, weary of puny exploits, weary of pretending to be able, of In this piece I have tried to create music being able, of doing a little better the same that corresponds to neither my thought old thing, of going a little further along a process nor my inner sound world. The dreary road. “drama” is based on the abstract relations D. – And preferring what? between the sounds. A constant pulse B. – The expression that there is nothing lies in the center of the piece and is re- to express, nothing with which to express, peatedly destructed and reconstructed. nothing from which to express, no power to The entire piece can be heard as waves of express, no desire to express, together with de-pulsation and re-pulsation. the obligation to express. D. – But that is a violently extreme and *A piece commissioned by the Adele and personal point of view, of no help to us in John Gray Endowment Fund the matter of Tal Coat. B. – ……………… D. – Perhaps that is enough for today.

5 Jonathan Keren: Three Ladino Songs tunes, but rather to keep their original folk nature, while using my own compo- In 2008, guitarist Nadav Lev and I were sitional voice. discussing the possibility of commis- sioning me to compose a chamber music Guy Barash: TalkBack III piece featuring the guitar. The idea that appeared to be most appealing to both of Inspired by a conversation with guitarist us was a mixed-ensemble piece, which Nadav Lev, the dedicatee, I wrote Talk- would make use of folk material. Even- back III for guitar and computer in 2010. tually I chose female voice and violin in It is the third in a series of compositions combination with the guitar and started for acoustic instruments and interactive searching Ladino songs that would fit computer processing. With Talkback, the piece. After looking at innumerable I explore new playing techniques, en- tunes, three songs were chosen. These hanced timbre, and other sonic features songs did not only captivate me musical- that are characteristic of the instrument ly; I saw the potential in presenting them by magnifying and amplifying otherwise together as one piece, thus creating a uni- subtle nuances of the instrument and fied narrative, as if the lyrics were writ- bringing them to the foreground. ten by the same hand, in a specific order. I also discovered many small accidental Talkback, just like in online media, is a connections among the tunes, which response to something more substan- made both the search for tunes and the tial: Western tradition and the canon. It composing process highly inspiring. is smaller but often as significant, as it is a sincere manifestation of the zeitgeist. One thing which draws me to folk music Real-time interaction between the gui- is its simplicity and elasticity; the fact that tar and the computer is a form of dialog. most folk tunes do not demand a specific Very similar to forms of communication treatment from a composer make them via the Internet – posting, tweeting, blog- the perfect raw musical material. In this ging, etc. – it is filtered, yet very real. piece I did not attempt to arrange the

6 Ronnie Reshef: Four Bialik Children’s The second song, “Sna'i" (Squirrel), is a Songs light song with a comic touch. Its harmo- ny is dominated by dissonant intervals, This song cycle was written in 2008 in one which give it a sharp and witty sound. of the smoothest compositional process- The third song is titled “Dov” (Bear), and es I have ever experienced. It felt as if the it is no surprise that it is the heaviest in songs already existed in some dimension, the set. Incorporating semi-horrific allu- and were only waiting for me to write them sions in the text, the vocal part sits very down. They sprang out of me effortlessly low in the singer’s tessitura, giving it a and naturally, in what felt like a real epiph- darker tone, and the guitar part is based any. The texts of Bialik, one of the most on a minor key with touches of the dark important Hebrew poets of the early 20th Phrygian mode. The fourth song, “Tarne- century, surely contributed to the ease of gol” (Rooster), is the most vocally virtu- the process; being as musical and inspiring osic in the set and the only strophic one, as they are, they were a joy to work with. meaning that every stanza of the poem It took me very little time to recognize that receives a similar musical treatment. The the children’s poems that deal with nature text describes a rooster who tries to wake are the ones that speak to me most strongly, up a child who wants to keep on sleeping, and thus I started working. and the vocal part attempts to imitate the persistent loud rooster. The etude-like The first song, “Me'ever layam” (Over the guitar part joins the rooster’s persistency Sea) – a magical fairy tale – is through-com- with its recurring fragment that repeats posed, meaning that the music is different all over the guitar’s range and is climaxed for every stanza of the poem. The last stan- in the intense instrumental section. It za of the song does function as a reprise, was a joy and honor to compose these and thus elegantly closes the song with a re- songs for my good friend and wonderful call of its beginning. Written in E, the song guitarist Nadav Lev, and I could not be takes advantage of the warm sound of the happier that a piece I love so much has guitar’s open strings, which contribute to found its way into Nadav’s debut album. the fairy-tale atmosphere of the song.

7 Nadav Lev: Shomeret Layla Three Ladino Songs Texts: Traditional Shomeret Layla is a nocturnal musical Translations by Aron Seidel journey that explores experiences and © 2001 by C. F. Peters memories from a kibbutz childhood. Each week, a different woman would be Durme, durme mi linda donzella assigned the job of the Shomeret Layla, or the woman in charge of overseeing the Durme, durme mi linda donzella, communal nursery at night. Durme, durme sin ansia ni dolor.

In the course of the piece, layers of mem- Siente niña el son mi guitarra, ory are being peeled, assembled and dis- Siente hermoza, mis males cantar. assembled. I created an original text by “melting” together excerpts from three Hay dies años sufre mi alma, different sources: an old night log from Por tí djoia, mi linda dama. an actual Shomeret Layla, the verses of Israeli poet Natan Alterman, and the Yo non durmo ni noche ni día, book of Psalms – also from my own rec- Al que ama, angustia los guía. ollections. This blend of diverse elements ¿Quen es ésta, abaxo a la guerta is poured into the music, serving as a Con un sestico arrancar las flores? melting pot of memory and consciousness. This shifting flow of consciousness ------moves through these layers in a dream- like kind of “non-sense,” trying to “make- Sleep, sleep beautiful maiden, sense.” Sleep, sleep, without pain and sorrow. Hear, girl, the sound of my guitar, Hear me sing my grief

For ten years my soul has been suffering For you my jewel, my beautiful lady. 8 I am awake night and day, ------Those who love are guided by sorrow. Open your closed door Who is this woman who came down to There is a bright light on your balcony, the garden But the love I have for you, my beautiful Carrying a basket of gather flowers? one – Let us go away together.

Abretu puerta serrada If it pleases you, I would give my blood to see you. Abretu puerta serrada, If my blood does not convince you, Que en tu balcón hay una luz clara. I am gladly willing to die. Ma el amor qué yo a tí mi bela, Partiremos los dos de aquí. Your beauty Is a gift from God. Si es por agradarte, No one but I Na la mi sangre pronta por verte, Am worthy of your pure beauty. Si la mi sangre no te pudo convenser, Na la mi muerte con plazer. Walking down the streets You will be illuminated by my shadow Esta hermozura tuya And you will sigh many sighs Que el Dió te la hizo suyenir. Remembering me. Me esta hermozura tuya pura No la merese otro qué mí. Quen te va ver con cocharas Por las calles qué tu irás, De mi solombra te arrelumbarás, ¿Quen te va ver con cocharas, Y ahes munchos echaras Y clenche reluziente? Cuando de mí te acodrarás. De mí tomates las parás, No tenías de vente.

9 Ayde, vate vate, no te quero, Me’ever layam Chupates me sangre y mi sebo. Vate de buena hora, ya pasó la hora Me’ever Layam, De cuando dezía que por tí me vo murir Me’ever Layam, Hated’u tsiporim, ------Haderech lesham?

Who will see you with curly hair Me’ever layam, And shiny bangs? Bimdinot hayam The money you have, you took from me. Sham ‘Iyeyi hazahav, Before, you were penniless. Shachachti ma shmam

Ayde, go away, I do not want you. Uv’iyeyi hazahav You sucked my blood and my essence, Me’ever layam, Go in peace. The time Mithalchim anakim When I said I would die for you has passed. Am gadol varam

Am gadol varam Four Bialik Children’s Songs Am yashar vatam Texts: Haim Nahman Bialik Umelech aleyhem Kamohu od lo kam. Translations: Nadav Lev; except for “Me’ever layam”: Jessie Sampter Veganim lamelech Me’ever layam Tsiporey gan-eden Mekanenot bam.

Me’ever layam, Me’ever layam, Hted’u tsiporim, Haderech lesham? 10 ------Sna’i

Over the Sea Sna’i katon gedol hazanav Far over the sea Yashav lo berosh he’anaf Far over the sea! Yashov yashav al akuzo O birds, can you show Pitzeach balat egozo The way there to me? Ha’egoz odo bakaf- Far over the sea Pit’om puff!- There kingdoms are set Vaya’af chets, And those golden isles Nafal sna’i min ha’etz, Whose names I forget Ha, al sna’I ba haketz!

In those golden isles ------Far over the sea Live giants so tall, Squirrel Great people and free, A tiny squirrel with tail so large So grand and so free, Was sitting on top of the branch, So true and so kind Sit-sat like that upon his butt, A king such as theirs Peacefully cracked him a nut. You never could find The nut still in his paws – Far over the sea, Then – fooo! Far over the sea, An arrow flew, O birds, can you show, A squirrel from the tree it threw, The way there to me? Ha, tiny squirrel thus was through!

11 Dov Tarnegol

Ba, ba – mi haba? Ura, lama tishan, rika, Duba, raba, ravreva! Kookoorika, Kookoorika!

Tso’ed tsa’od vehitrapot Bashamayim nafla dleka, Keved basar, keved kapot, Kookoorika, Kookoorika! Naptsu sirot, shivru sapot, Irchu shulchan, pirsu mapot, Chama yats’a minartika Kadmu panav bakeylapot. Kookoorika, Kookoorika!

Ba, ba – baruch haba, Ve’ata odcha yashen, rika, Duba, raba, Ravreva! Kookoorika, Kookoorika!

------

Bear Rooster

Boo, boo – who is there, who? Wake up loafer, why sleep and nothing Big, bold, brave bear coming through! do, Cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-doodle-doo! He is marching, pounding thus around, With heavy flesh, with massive paws The sky is burning, red and blue, Denote all boats and sofas, crowd, Cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-doodle-doo! Set silverware, tablecloth and stroud, With hatchet welcome him and sound. Sun has left its pouch too, Cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-doodle-doo! Boo, boo – greetings to Big, bold, brave bear coming through! Still sleeping loafer, you underdo, Cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-doodle-doo!

12 Shomeret Layla Chalam-lam-lam Shhhh.. omeret Text: Nadav Lev Layla, lay-la Translation: Ruby Namdar Based on quotes from poet Natan Alter- Layla layla, ha’ruach goveret man, from the book of Psalms and from Layla layla homa tsameret a Night Watchwoman’s log, in a kibbutz Layla layla, rak at mechaka – somewhere in Israel.

Shhhhhh… omeret Yael tsarcha pit’om Layla venirdema shuv Layla tov Boaz lo haya shaket Lay-la lay-la-la Yoel hit’orer betse’akot

Yael Bachta Ve’ratsta et ‘ima Shhhhh… omeret Boaz lo haya shaket Layla Kshenichnasti Gila amda besheket Shh… omeret bamita Shan bekeshet Yael tsarcha pit’om - Sheket Venirdema shuv Yael tsarcha pit’om Shhhh… Yoel hitorer betse’akot Shan besheket Chalam she’hu bacheder ‘im chayot tor- Shan basheket fot Keshet hi siman Shh.. lam-lam-lam Tan basheket Lay-la –li Sham nasham nosheket Yaga’ati be’anchati esche bechol layla mitati Shan chalom Bedim’ati arsi amse

13 Yoel hitorer Hushhhh… Oren bacha, Sleep quietly Kanir’e od lo nirdam Sleep in the quiet Shh.. shan bekeshet A rainbow is a sign Sheket A jackal breathes silently there l e’o l am She kisses Sleep, Dream Yaga’ati be’anchati esche bechol layla- Dream-ream-ream layla echad haya teref Hushhhhh… She says Layla layla sheni met ba- Night, Nighty-night layla mitati bedim’ati arsi amse Shh.. Night, night The wind is howling ------Night, night The treetops are swelling A Night Watchwoman Night, night Only you wait, awake Hushhhhh… She says Night Yael shrieked suddenly, Good night Then fell back to sleep Nighty-night-night Boaz was unquiet Hushhhhh… Yoel woke up screaming

Yael cried, asked for her mommy Hushhhhh… She says Boaz was unquiet It’s nighttime When I went in Gila was standing Hushhhhh… She says quietly in Sleep in the rainbow her bed Quiet Yael shrieked suddenly, Then fell back to sleep

14 Yael shrieked suddenly, Composer Biographies Yoel woke up screaming He dreamed there were predators in the Nadav Lev (see Performer Biographies below) room Composer and violinist Jonathan Keren Hushhhh… Ni-ni-ni, nighty-ni is an award-winner from the Kousse- I am weary with my groaning; every night vitzky Foundation (2007), a recipient Make I my bed to swim; I melt away my of ASCAP’s Young Composers’ Award couch (2004), Israel’s Prime Minister’s Prize With my tears. (2011), AKUM’s Achievement of the Year in Composition (2011), and Schol- Yoel woke up arships from the America-Israel Cultural Oren cried, Foundation in violin and composition He probably never fell asleep (1997-2003). His music has been de- Hushhhh… Sleep in the rainbow scribed as “Haunting , rhythmically agile” Quiet (Telegraph) and “…shifts between states Forever of sublime mysticism and catastrophic wildness” (New York Times). His works I am weary with my groaning; every have been performed in Carnegie’s Weill night Hall, Rose Theatre and Alice Tully Hall in Make I my bed to swim; New York City; Tanglewood Contempo- Night, night, one was devoured rary Music Festival; the Louvre Museum Night, night, the second died in… in Paris; The Berlin Philharmonie hall; Night make I my bed to swim; I melt The Tel-Aviv Museum, Jerusalem Mu- Away my sic Center and Tel-Aviv Opera House in Couch with my tears Israel. Performers have included Lynn Hushhhh… Harrell, The Jerusalem Symphony Or- chestra, Samuel Rhodes, The New Juil- liard Ensemble, and the Fountain Cham- ber Music Society, of which he was the

15 Ronnie Reshef’s music has been described by the press as “Vivid, elegant … smart and gorgeous” (Houston Chronicle). Reshef’s work ranges from classical music to Off-Broadway musicals, concentrating on works for the theater. Her first opera, Requiem for the Living, was performed in New York City, Kentucky, and Texas, where it was a finalist in the 2011 Opera Vista competition. Her musical “Conspir- acy!” had an Off-Broadway run at MITF, where it was nominated for best music

Composer in Residence (2002-2008). A Juilliard graduate in composition under the tutelage of Samuel Adler and Milton Babbitt, Keren is also active as a performer of classical, early music and folk music, and has performed in venues such as Alice Tully Hall and the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, the Concert- gebouw in Amsterdam, and Teatro Co- munale Modena in Italy. www.jonathankeren.com 16 and lyrics, among four other nomina- tions. Most recently, her opera Something to Live For was chosen to participate in Fort-Worth Opera’s 2014 Frontiers Festi- val, and received its full production premiere by Boston Metro Opera. Ronnie is the winner of the Atlanta Opera 24-hour Competition, the Boston Metro Opera Main Stage Award and the Israeli Shiri- mon Contest, among others. Her 2013- 2014 season included performances of her two operas, an invitation to stay at Yaddo Retreat, a commission for the Qube String Quartet, and more. www.ronniereshef.com

Yair Klartag was born in 1985 in Israel. He began studying piano at the age of 12 and commenced his composition studies at the age of 15. He received his Bachelor’s composition at Columbia University. degree in Computer Science and in Com- His compositions have been performed position under the instruction of Ruben by ensembles such as Munich Chamber Seroussi at the Buchmann-Mehta School Orchestra, Tokyo Sinfonietta, Ensemble of Music, Tel-Aviv University, graduating Phoenix Basel, Ensemble Proton Bern, in 2010. He continued his composition Ensemble Zafraan (Berlin) and “Meitar” studies, obtaining his Master’s degree in Ensemble (Israel). Among his awards are 2012 at the Basel Musikhochschule with the 31st Irino Prize (Japan), first place at Georg Friedrich Haas and Erik Oña. the International Composition Competi- At present he is a doctoral candidate in tion Ireneu Segarra (Spain), second place

17 at the 7ème Concours Dutilleux (France) Europe, Asia, and Israel; and he has won and the Audience Prize at the Isang Yun prizes from international competitions Composition Competition. in China, Austria, Israel, Turkey and the www.yairklartag.com United States. An Assistant Professor of Music at Ramapo College of New Jersey as well as a member of the Advanced Praised by the 2010 Israeli Prime Minis- Class of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical ter Award Committee for “creating a per- Theatre Workshop, Gilad completed his sonal language fusion that has a unique Ph.D. in composition from Princeton dimension” in music that is “fascinating, University in the spring of 2015. Gilad vibrant and drawing the ear as well as the performs regularly with various ensem- heart,” Israeli musician Gilad Cohen is bles around the US, playing piano, bass an active composer, performer and the- and guitar. His research on structure in orist working in different musical genres the music of Pink Floyd has resulted in including concert music, rock and music a series of published articles and lectures for theater. Gilad’s music has been per- in the US and Israel, as well as in the formed at numerous venues in the US, first-ever academic conference devoted to the band that Gilad co-produced in 2014 at Princeton University with composer Dave Molk. Gilad lives in Ridge- wood, NJ, with his wife Erin, and their dog, Parsley. www.giladcohen.com

Guy Barash has composed orchestral, chamber, vocal and electroacoustic music, as well as music for theater; he also performs often, adding new dimensions to contemporary music via live electronics. He has written an extensive body of

18 work for lyric theater includes the opera Alice Invents a Little Game and Alice Al- ways Wins, currently in workshop and development as part of his fellowship in the American Opera Projects Composers & the Voice program. His multimedia theater piece Hildegard (Vision Cycle), conceived in concert with the Pioneers Go East Collective, was presented in 2013 at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. In 2010 Barash founded Eavesdropping, a new music series at The Tank. Since 2013 Eavesdropping has been hosted by Spectrum. www.guybarash.com

Performer Biographies

Guitarist and composer Nadav Lev is work that incorporates texts in various an exceptional virtuoso on both classi- settings and arrangements. In his music, cal and electric guitar. His proficiency in Barash generates a multi-metric environ- through-composed as well as improvised ment where he explores concepts of time music and his inspired, profound perfor- such as simultaneity, synchronicity and mances of the music of our time have made geometricity. Barash often uses comput- him one of today’s most captivating new er processing to exploit latent character- performers. An Andres Segovia Award istics of acoustic instruments and alter winner (Musica en Compostela, Spain), the relationship between foreground and Lev’s Carnegie Hall debut was hailed by background. He collaborates with a wide Classical Guitar Magazine as “sensitive and array of artists (poets, video artists, musi- nuanced performance … talented and en- cians and choreographers) on innovative gagingly musical ... his stage presence is multidisciplinary projects. Mr. Barash’s 19 20 entirely gracious and personable.” Classical the Israel Kibbutz Orchestra. As of this Guitar Magazine described Nadav’s debut recording’s release, Lev’s planned appear- album as “a CD to savor and delight in. His ances include his debut as a soloist with playing is of the utmost authority … a sheer the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, per- delight from start to finish.” forming a new concerto dedicated to him by composer Ayal Adler. Among Lev’s An Israeli native based in NYC, Nadav recent collaborations are mezzo-sopra- was the only guitarist to recently win the no Rinat Shaham, Klezmatics founders America-Israel Cultural Foundation’s Frank London and Alicia Svigals, double prestigious Abroad Studies award, and bassist Remy Yulzari, mandolin player he also won the Ra’anana Guitar Com- Avi Avital, harpist Sivan Magen, ban- petition’s first prize, the Jerusalem Guitar doneon master Raul Jaurena (Piazzolla’s Competition’s Rodrigo Prize, Artists In- double concerto) and composer/sound ternational and the Lillian Fuchs Awards. artist Guy Barash. Recent engagements include tours in France, Canada, the UK Mr. Lev has been performing throughout and a residency at the Chaillol Festival in the US, Europe, Israel and South Amer- France, featuring Lev in solo and cham- ica, in venues such as Carnegie Hall, ber music recitals as well as new commis- Rose Hall at Lincoln Center and Merkin sions by him. Nadav has also been per- Concert Hall in New York, Oscar Pe- forming extensively with his Lev-Yulzari terson Hall in Montreal and in festivals duo, which recently released its debut al- such as Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mo- bum Azafea with the French IEMJ label, zart, Musique en Graves and Chaillol in featuring guest artists Frank London and France to name a few. He was invited to John Hadfield, and gaining rave reviews. give recitals in prestigious concert series such as the John Marlow Guitar series Nadav is a 2013-14 LABA fellow at NYC’s in Washington D.C. and has performed 14th Street Y, for which he composed with groups such as the International Shomeret Layla (“A Night Watchwom- Contemporary Ensemble, the Israel Sym- an”), to his own text. His original compo- phony Orchestra Rishon Le Zion and sitions for various ensembles and for the-

21 ater have been performed in the US and Israel, including the International Asian Music Festival at the YMCA Jerusalem hall. He frequently appears in media in North America, Europe and Israel.

Lev holds a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, a BM Cum Laude in composition from the Rubin Academy in Tel-Aviv and a BA in Philos- ophy from Tel-Aviv University. He stud- The Mivos String Quartet, an “accom- ied guitar with Ruben Seroussi, David plished, admirably broad-minded young Starobin and David Leisner; also compo- string quartet” (New York Times), is de- sition with Seroussi and Itzhak Sadai. voted to performing the works of contemporary composers and presenting Nadav Lev was born in kibbutz Nachshon, new music to diverse audiences. Since Israel, and began playing jazz guitar at the the quartet’s beginnings in 2008 they age of nine. After graduating with honors have performed, commissioned and col- from the Jazz Department at the Thelma laborated closely with an ever-expanding Yelin High School for the Arts, he went group of international composers who on to join Israel’s Air Force Orchestra as represent multiple aesthetics of contem- a guitarist, turning later to classical guitar porary classical composition. The quar- and composition. Lev’s many years of en- tet’s international performing schedule gagement with jazz, rock and a wide range has included appearances at the Darm- of other musical as well as intellectual in- stadt Summer Courses for New Music terests allowed him to bring to classical (Darmstadt, Germany), Asphalt Festival and contemporary music an expressive, (Düsseldorf, Germany), Concerti Aperi- knowledgeable, edgy and utterly personal tivo (Udine, Italy), HellHOT! New Mu- voice. www.nadavlev.com sic Festival (Hong Kong), Edgefest (Ann Guy Barash (see Composer Biographies above) Arbor, MI), and Aldeburgh Music (UK). 22 Beyond expanding the string quartet repertoire, the ensemble is committed to working with guest artists, collaborat- ing on multi-media projects, exploring group improvisation, and supporting young musicians through educational activities. Mivos’ 2013 album on Carrier Records features works by Alex Mincek, David Franzson, Felipe Lara and Wolf- gang Rihm. www.mivosquartet.com

Violinist Miranda Cuckson is acclaimed for her performances of a wide range of repertoire, from early music to contemporary creations. Praised for her “undeniable musicality” (New York Times) and “seemingly inexhaustible arsenal of technical abilities” (AllMusic), she is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician at ven- music by Nono (a NY Times 2012 Best ues including the Berlin Philharmonie, Recording), Shapey, Hersch, Martino, Library of Congress, Miller Theatre, 92nd Finney, Carter, Eckardt, Sessions, Haas, Street Y, Guggenheim Museum, and the Xenakis and others. She recorded her first Marlboro, Bard, Lincoln Center, Bridge- CD for ECM Records in 2015. Miranda hampton, Portland and Bodensee festi- studied at Juilliard, where she received her vals. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in DMA and won the Presser Award. She Piston’s violin concerto with the American teaches at Mannes College. Symphony Orchestra. She is director of www.mirandacuckson.com Nunc and a member of counter) induc- tion. Her nine lauded solo CDs include

23 formed with orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Chicago Sym- phony, the New York Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmon- ic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Is- rael Philharmonic Orchestra, under such conductors as Ozawa, Rattle, Previn, Es- chenbach, and Barenboim.

Rinat Shaham is mostly known for her unique portrayal of the role of Car- men, but she has also sung many roles including Charlotte in Massenet’s Werther, Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Mélisande in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, Cherubino in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Zerlina and Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Rosi- Mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham was born na in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, and in Haifa, Israel, and began her singing Blanche in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the studies at the Wizo high school for the Carmelites, and many more. Other re- arts, Haifa. Later she completed her vocal cent projects in Ms Shaham’s career in- training at the Curtis Institute of Music, clude appearances as a theater actress at Philadelphia. Since then the artist has the Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg, had an international career and has sung Duo concerts with guitarist Nadav Lev, leading operatic roles with the New York jazz and musical theater concerts with City Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival, the ZingerQuintet, and improvisation the Berlin State Opera, the Vienna State performances with Noam Sivan. Opera, Royal Opera House London, and www.rinatshaham.com many more. As a soloist she has per- 24 A deep love for music has led Israeli soprano Tehila Nini-Goldstein to sing chamber music, lieder, pera (classical, baroque and contemporary) and litur- gical music, all with equal passion and devotion.

Ms. Nini’s ongoing musical relation- ships include the Meitar Ensemble, the renowned “Les Arts Florissants” led by William Christie, “Sferraina” duo and numerous instrumentalists, composers, singers and pianists. She was chosen as one of Mr. Christie’s young artists of Les Jardin des Voix in 2008. Recent sea- sons include roles of Licida (L’Olimpiade by Josef Mysliveček) directed by Ursel Hermann, with “Collegium 1704” and conductor Václav Luks at the Stavovské Divadlo in Prague, Caen, Luxembourg cobs. In concert, Ms. Nini has collaborat- and Theater an der Wien (DVD); Eu- ed with the Saarbrücken Radio Sympho- paforice (Montezuma by Carl Heinrich ny. In recital, Tehila has collaborated with Graun) with the Kammermusikacade- pianists Hinrich Alpers, Jascha Nemtsov mie Potsdam and Sergio Azzolini at the and conductor Massimiliano Toni; also Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci. Teh- with the Amber Trio, among many other ila was chosen as understudy to Cecilia diverse ensembles. Bartoli in the title role of Handel’s Semele at the Theater an der Wien, as well as cov- ering the title role of Antigone (Traetta) Mezzo-soprano Re’ut Ben-Ze’ev has won at the Berlin Staatsoper with Renee Ja- critical acclaim for her “intense expression and pure voice” (Frankfurter All- 25 new opera Dum Dee Tweedle. Other conductors include Lucas Richman and David Randolph. Her concert repertoire ranges from Vivaldi’s Gloria to Schoen- berg’s OP. 2 (Orch. for her by G. Shohat) performed with St. Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra, the Israel Chamber Orches- tra and others. On the concert platform, Re’ut has performed in venues such as Lincoln Center, Spoleto Festival USA, Jerusalem Music Centre, The American Academy in Berlin, the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art, WQXR radio, Kol Hamusika, and on PBS webcast. A champion of new music, Re’ut has premiered numerous works gemeine Zeitung, with) and “bold, com- by composers such as Del Tredici and mitted account…” (TheNew York Times). Samuel Adler, among many others, in ad- Re’ut majored in Theater at the Thelma dition to recording with John Musto and Yelin High School of Performing Arts, Yehudi Wyner for Naxos Records. She Israel, where she also toured as the vocal has also recorded for Albany Records, soloist of its big band. After moving to Furious Artisans and YIVO label. Re’ut NYC and studying the “Strasberg Meth- has collaborated with members of the Is- od” with Terese Hayden, she decided rael and Berlin Philharmonic, ensembles to pursue a classical singing career. Her such as the Israel Contemporary Players operatic roles include Komponist (Ari- (Pierrot Lunaire), Cygnus Ensemble, ac- adne auf Naxos), and Anna (Die Sieben tor Theodore Bikel and choreographer Todsünden/ Weill). Re’ut recently made Yasmeen Godder (Ensemble nominated her debut with the Detroit Symphony for the Bessie Award.) Re’ut was a finalist Orchestra under the baton of Leonard in the Lotte Lehman competition. Slatkin premiering David Del Tredici‘s www.reutbenzeev.com 26 Special thanks to my family and my beloved wife, Noa Sheikin, for their support, Ryan Streber and Oktaven Audio for the incredible work in the studio, Daryl Perry for the guitar used here, Gabriel Baharlia for the beautiful photos, William Schwartz and Mar- sha Grey for supporting this project in substance and in spirit, Sean Hickey for his support and friendship, to LABA: Ronit MuszcaTblit, Ruby Namdar and to the entire LABA team; also to Omer and Tal Golan, Guy Barash, Yair Klartag and Ronnie Reshef. Special thanks as well to the entire Delos team, and particularly to Carol Rosenberger, Lindsay Koob and Lonnie Kunkel for their dedicated work in bringing this project to light.

Recorded at Oktaven Audio, Yonkers NY; October 2013-November 2014

Executive producer: Carol Rosenberger Producer: Nadav Lev Co-producer: Ryan Streber Recording engineer/mastering: Ryan Streber Booklet editor: Lindsay Koob Art Design/layout: Lonnie Kunkel Cover, headshot, and tray card photos: Gabriel Baharlia Back cover photo: Joanna Williams