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January 9, 2004/Tevet 15 5764, Vol. 56, No. 16
Concert series explores aspects of classical music
JESSICA BARBER
Staff Writer
Think classical music is boring? Think again.
For the third consecutive year, the Close Encounters With Music series will be presented at Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale beginning Jan. 17. The series follows a chamber music-with-commentary format - while finding a common theme between "real life" issues and the performing arts.
"The idea is to break the barrier between the audience and the performers," says Yehuda Hanani, a native of Jerusalem and creator of the Close Encounters series. "It removes certain inhibitions and intimidating concepts that people have about classical music."
This year's series begins with "Measure for Measure: Shakespeare in Music," which explores the cycle of love in Shakespeare's stories and sonnets with music written on Shakespearean themes, including works from Haydn, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Dick Hyman and Berlioz.
Throughout the salon-style performance, Hanani will speak to the audience to illustrate the theme and explain why he chose certain selections - all the while building connections to encourage participation and enjoyment of classical music.
"Every concert has a theme, but it's not necessarily a musical theme," he explains. "The theme can be historical or relating paintings to music, or a literary theme ... it can be anything to make the audience realize that the music is really dealing with issues we all deal with. It's not esoteric or hard to grasp."
The series continues with "Romantic Landscapes: Pictures Painted in Music for Piano and Strings" on Feb. 21, "Going for Baroque: Early Music Selections for Harpsichord, Oboe and Strings" on March 13 and "American Myths: Premieres, Premieres, Premieres" on April 3.
Hanani, a classically trained cellist and artistic director of Close Encounters, will be joined in the "Measure for Measure" concert by soprano Patricia Prunty, baritone Richard Lalli and pianist Eliran Avni, an Israeli earning a doctorate degree in music from The Juilliard School in New York City. Phoenix media personality and published poet Sterling Beeaff will narrate the series kick-off event, reading Shake-speare favorites including passages from "Hamlet," "Twelfth Night," "The Merchant of Venice" and "Measure for Measure." Other artists appearing throughout the series will be pianists Ralf Gothoni and James Tocco, Yehonatan Be-rick on violin, Lionel Party on harpsichord and Gonzalo Ruiz on baroque oboe.
Hanani created the Close Encounters series nearly 20 years ago, and has since given concerts throughout the country - often with famous Hollywood personalities. In fact, Sigourney Weaver narrated the first "Measure for Measure" concert last May at Tanglewood.
But Hanani is no stranger to famous actors and composers. When he was only 18, he was discovered while playing the cello at a concert in Jerusalem - by composers Leonard Bernstein and Isaac Stern.
"I won a prize so I got to play at the event," recalls Hanani, "and they were in the audience. They simply plucked me up and brought me to New York on a full scholarship to Juilliard. Then I entered some contests, won a few prizes and was signed by Columbia Artists. Before I knew it, there was an international career evolving."
Hanani attributes much of his success to his cultural-minded upbringing in Jerusalem.
"My whole family was an unusual group of people," he recalls. "Israel was a very poor country at the time, we ate meat only once a week. But there was always money for theater, books and concerts."
Hanani's relatives were authors, poets and musicians - and he followed suit. He started playing the violin at a young age and became so enraptured that his parents had to limit his playing time to two hours a day.
"I feel very lucky because I studied a lot ... I had a very broad education," he says. "My parents did not want to take (my talent) too seriously."
But at the age of 18, Hanani switched to the cello and began "making up for lost time" with his musical training.
But after years of international travel, Hanani and his wife have settled in the Berkshires in New York state. He devotes much of his time to the Close Encounters series and strives to find new ways to share music with others.
"Music is last on the list in education," he says. "When they cut the budget, the first thing to go is music, and that's really very shameful because it's such an enriching part of life. When you understand music, it's almost like speaking another language - a language that speaks directly to the soul."
Hanani hopes to continue holding the Close Encounters series in Scottsdale each year. This year's series was made possible in part by a grant from The Richard and Deborah Felder Foundation.
Details
- What: Close Encounters With Music series
- Kick-off event: "Measure for Measure: Shakespeare in Music"
- When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17
- Where: Kerr Cultural Center, 6110 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
- Cost: $20.50-$22.50 for individual event, $74-$82 for series
- Call: 480-596-2660
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