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Israeli Chamber Tango Night with the Israel Chamber Orchestra
By elibikoret

The “Circular Tango Night” was a very special concert that probably suited the audience’s taste, since the auditorium in the Tel Aviv Museum was packed. Of all the 9 composers we heard only two of them were known to me.

Gisele Ben-Dor led this special concert, with Dutch soloist Carl Kreinhoff on bandoneon.
In addition, there were performances from “Project 1721”, established in 2012 by the sisters T’lalit Cersky and Nufar Fay. This composition creates new musical combinations of classical works with contemporary music, tango and improvisation in the 21st century artistic spirit.

The excellent concert was most enjoyable, even as the music performed was written by unknown composers, as the music joyfully engaged the ear with tango rhythms and its many variations.

The conductor, Gisele Ben-Dor, of Uruguayan origin, is a famous international conductor. One of her goals is to promote the music of Latin American composers around the world, which she did successfully in this concert.The newest CD she released with Placido Domingo was dedicated to Alberto Ginastera -best known Argentine composer- on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

I have no doubt that a large part of the audience had never heard these Latin American composers before. The concert was full of interesting, beautiful music, as the recognition of worth hearing and enjoying composers who are not often performed was fully deserved.

The Israel Chamber Orchestra landed a surprise
By Hagai Hitron

The ICO and dancing couple. Interesting and pleasant, to the ear and the eye. © Photo, Shelly Boharon

Attached to the concert was the theme “Latin Passion”, which camouflaged a great event starring a unique singer.

Conductor Ben- Dor, singers Tola and Machado and the Israel Chamber Orchestra, De Falla, Ginastera and a selection of Zarzuelas

In terms of content, one would expect excitement; In terms of performance, there were surprises, in the form of Virginia Tola (Argentina) and Achilles Machado (Venezuela).

Is Machado a surprise? Yes and, actually, no. As soon as I heard his voice, I remembered: Achilles Machado had already surprised many Israeli listeners when he performed with the Israel Philharmonic a year and a half ago in Verdi’s “Masquerade Ball” (concert performance). His tenor is strong and of a special, captivating tone, signaling an opera singer in the top league, a fact confirmed in his performances with the best conductors of our generation. After the Israeli Chamber Orchestra concert, I told Machado that I was fascinated and he immediately said he was fascinated by Israel, even on the previous visit.

How could the Israeli Chamber Orchestra, which has no budget of the size of the Philharmonic, be able to summon such an artist? The answer is probably related to both the success in recruiting philanthropists and the musical connections of Gisele Ben Dor, an Israeli conductor whose roots are South American.

The second surprise was Virginia Tola, a deep soprano, with “Spanish Songs” by Manuel de Falla. These seven songs, each in itself a hit, have become very familiar since de Falla composed them in 1914 (for singer and piano) based on folk songs from various areas in his country – from south to north. Tola initially sounded somewhat hesitant (perhaps due to insufficient rehearsal with the orchestra), but “warmed up” later in the concert as a soloist on her own and at Machado’s side. The next works were five Zarzuelas, by several composers, which raised the temperature. The second part of the event consisted of an Israeli premiere, Alberto Ginastera’s complete ballet “Estancia” (“The Farm”), with a pair of our own dancers and Machado as narrator, with brief (and somewhat humorous) explanatory remarks.

Excerpts From the Israeli Press

Refreshing Account of Familiar Works

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra – Davar – By Israel Daliot

… full command of the orchestra and a solid grasp of every score. The performances were admirable, with right tempi and dynamics, sensitive phrasing, and no trace of artificial “fireworks” for their own sake.

Particularly successful and convincing was the Suite No.2 from Daphnis and Chloe, by Ravel. An orchestra jewel, a challenge and measuring stick for every serious conductor who claims his right to the podium.

… the orchestra, who had played this work numerous times with various conductors, collaborated with the conductor out of true involvement, responding with vitality to every suggestion and wish. Ben-Dor moulded the Suite’s development with wisdom and restraint, as well as an uncanny sense of balance, from the mysterious and poetic “dawn” to the jubilant “Danse generale.”

Lady of Substance

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra – Maariv – By Harai Golomb

This was not an ordinary “Light Classical Music” concert. Conductor Gisèle Ben-Dor, a Uruguayan-born Israeli, now active in the US, treats every sound with utmost attention and commitment …

The conductor demonstrated full command of the score and of every aspect of the orchestral mechanism in the excerpts from the ballet, Gayaneh, by Khachaturian 1878-1903). The level of rhythmic precision and acoustic balance between the sections was exemplary, high and above the average heard at the Philharmonic in recent concerts …

The Suite No. 2 from Daphnis and Chloe, by Ravel, was given a brilliant performance, presenting all the impetus and elan which characterized the entire concert.

Impressive Conductor

The Jerusalem Symphony – Maariv – By Binor Schmitt

The young conductor, Gisèle Ben-Dor, displayed impressive leadership and authority, together with an ability to influence orchestral sound, which yesterday was pliable and tender, even exotic … She created a magical sonic world, bringing out exquisite orchestral colors, as well as the work’s full spiritual beauty in marvelous sound landscapes (Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite) … The audience was exhilirated.

Excerpt From the Dutch Press

Ben-Dor Knows What She Wants and How to Get It

Arnhem Philharmonic – Arnhemse Courant – By Tom Ruijfrok

The Uruguayan-Israeli, Gisèle Ben-Dor, is proof of the fact that whatever reason one can think of for the small number of women conductors can be called a fairytale … Ben-Dor, not impeded by her nearly complete pregnancy, showed in Sibelius’ Second Symphony a firm and extremely fixed direction that kept the HGO musicians constantly alert … Ben-Dor fairly moulded the orchestra to her will … ample attention for even the slightest detail in the brass section … she knows exactly what she wants to achieve and she succeeds in doing so … This was the work of a perfectionist. Ben-Dor is a musician in heart and soul … She can really measure up to her most famous colleagues.

The Brandenburg Philharmonic
Tageszeitung, Germany

Gisèle Ben-Dor, the young American conductor, with the Brandenburg Philharmonic demonstrated what the Potsdam musicians have to offer if they only have the right kind of whirlwind on the podium. The woodwinds achieved exquisite clarity, brass had volume and charisma. The percussion section succeeded in balancing pathos and precision while the strings expressed the wide-ranging tonal surfaces with accuracy.

Ben-Dor inspirational in Australian debut
by Claran McKeown

Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra had a dream run through its first performance under the wing of Queensland Performing Arts Trust with opened its 1997 Singapore Airlines International Series at Brisbane Concert Hall.

It could hardly have been otherwise with the dynamic direction of guest conductor Gisèle Ben-Dor, who was making her Australian debut, and the return visit of British cellist Raphael Wallfisch.

Ben-Dor was everything she promised to be – intelligent, totally committed, thoroughly inspiring and immersed in her music.

Gender certainly was not part of her musical equation.

She simply got right inside the music and swept the musicians along in her confident stride.

She used no score for Dances of Galanta (Kodaly) and Symphony No. 7 in A (Beethoven) such is her command of the material.

It left her free to keep direct contact with the players and drive the music every inch of the way.

She gives both rhythmic strength and restrained sensitivity using her left hand to shape the music as the baton in the right makes pointed attack.

The Philharmonic is a diligent orchestra.

Every player responded keenly to her lead. They also seemed inspired by the lyrical mastery of cellist Wallfisch drawing all the musical color of Rondo for Cello and Orchestra (Dvorak) and Variations on a Rococo Theme (Tchaikovsky), two plums of the cello repertoire.

Wallfisch has such control over his instrument that technique completely gives way to his exuberance and communication of every fine detail.

His elegant sound is perfectly even throughout the instrument’s wide range and the expressive extremes of his work were matched by supremely sensitive solo spots from new QPO principal clarinet Nicholas Murphy.

Concertmaster Warwick Adeney also was alert to his fine phrasing.

Ben-Dor gave over the Beethoven to its driving rhythmic force.

She set a relentless pace through its four movements in a performance that was as overwhelming in its power and conviction as the symphony is in its structure.

QPO manager Chris Farrell is to be commended for his persistence in bringer her to Australia.

May we have her back please – soon?

Original, strong-willed woman sets the beat
Concert with the Helsinki Philharmonic

… In contrast, our image of this completely original, strong-willed woman broadened considerably with Dvorak’s Eighth Symphony. At the beginning, she obtained an intense sound from the cello section, built the slow movement harmoniously into a sensitive and firm whole, and achieved a pleasantly melancholy mood in the dumka of the third movement. From the midst of the polished proceedings, many expressive solos could also be distinguished, so it must be admitted that the visiting maestro had really pressed all the music-making into her own mold.

… Gisèle Ben-Dor, from Uruguay, is probably the best known female conductor in the world today, and she has a natural authority in her conducting which many better-known male colleagues can only dream of. Once in a while, one gets the feeling that she tries a little too hard, but a second later everything seems very natural.

Ginastera’s rhythm practically sent shivers up your spine and Dvorak’s rhythmically challenging symphony emerged as something extremely natural.

Ben-Dor directed Dvorak by heart and the music seemed truly close to her heart. It emerged simultaneously as intuitive and spontaneous, and the smallest detail represented a conscious execution.

The phrasing, nuances, sound balance and, last but not least, the entire formulation of the entire symphony was superior – even if one perhaps might have enjoyed the final output even more – and the orchestra played as if it felt that symphony at that moment was the most important thing in the world.