Israeli Superstar RITA to Sing in Southern California

By Eman Isadiar

THOUSAND OAKS, CA—On March 21 at 7 pm, the Fred Kavli Theater at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza braces for what promises to be a blockbuster concert by Israel's most popular singer of all time—RITA—along with a performance by American-Israeli dance company Keshet Chaim (“Rainbow of Life”) to the exotic beat of LA's own Naked Rhythm Drummers.

This concert is the last in RITA's eagerly anticipated US tour, which included a charity benefit in New York, and performances in Philadelphia and Miami.

Voice of a Nation

Israel's most popular singer of all time, RITA, will perform in Thousand Oaks on March 21 (photo courtesy of Keshet Chaim).

Now in its seventh decade of existence, the State of Israel has finally accomplished what may have been only a distant dream to the country's founders—to create a cohesive society from a hodgepodge of immigrant populations coming from as far-flung places as Yemen and America, with little or nothing in common except a legacy of persecution for their faith or ancestry.

Perhaps no other single artist has had so profound an impact on the nascent culture of Israel as the Persian-born songstress known simply by her first name, “RITA.”

Launching her singing and acting careers in the 1980s, RITA has become a powerful unifying force, loved and admired by multiple generations of Israelis whether they trace their cultural roots to Eastern or Western Europe, to North Africa or Central Asia. Her deeply moving rendition of the national anthem in Israel's 50th anniversary jubilee has forever engraved RITA's name in the pages of history and in the hearts of her people.

And now, RITA seeks to conquer America's heart.

New Music Weekly recently named RITA as the latest “Top 40 Breakthrough Artist” for her new American single “Love Has Begun,” which continues to make its way through American music charts. She has raised the Western-style pop song to new heights with her impressively wide vocal range and musical ornamentation akin to ancient Persian music.

Throughout her career, RITA has also recorded, performed and paraphrased well-known songs by the late Persian diva Hayedeh, which indicates her reverence and love for the music of her birthplace.

RITA's deep chest voice has a grainy, rich timbre while her high head voice is powerful, pure and penetrating. Her natural gift, her technical prowess and her diverse cultural influences have combined in a rare convergence of elements to create a truly unique artist.

Perhaps in an effort to connect with her younger fan base, RITA seems to have dropped the emblematic rolled “r” of the Mizrahi accent, which she has now replaced with its guttural counterpart of mainstream Hebrew.

Whatever the accent, prepare to fall under RITA's spell as did thousands in her 2003 Los Angeles appearance also produced by Keshet Chaim. This single performance on the first day of spring—the Persian New Year—could very well be the harbinger of many more concerts in the United States by Israel's beloved superstar, and possibly America's new dark-haired sweetheart.

“RITA Live in Concert”
Sunday, March 21 at 7 pm
Fred Kavli Theater
Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
818-986-7332 – www.kcdancers.org

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Eman Isadiar is a San Francisco-based pianist and music writer.

Pianist Adam Neiman Honors Chopin Bicentennial in Fremont

By Eman Isadiar

FREMONT, CA – It is unclear whether the legendary composer of the piano Frédéric François Chopin was born on February 22, 1810 or a week later on March 1. Fremont Symphony Orchestra presented the internationally acclaimed pianist Adam Neiman on the evening of Saturday, February 27—an approximate halfway point between Chopin's disputed birthdays—in a special recital dominated by the Polish composer's works. The performance also included music by Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, and Adam Neiman himself.

Fremont Symphony Orchestra presented pianist Adam Neiman in a special recital honoring Chopin’s 200th birthday (photo courtesy of Fremont Symphony Orchestra).

Neiman proved to be an especially gifted speaker, capable of communicating the musical highlights of each piece equally well to the average concertgoer as to the aficionado. His introductions from the stage primed the listener to follow particular musical details that may otherwise have gone unnoticed.

The first half of the concert was dedicated entirely to Chopin's music—short single pieces, which Neiman presented in pairs based on tonality and character without pause for applause.

The Prélude in C-sharp minor of opus 45 was the concert-opener, paired together with the Barcarolle in F-sharp major. Then followed the familiar Waltz in C-sharp minor of opus 64 and the highly energetic Waltz in A-flat major. The passionate Nocturne in C Minor of opus 48 was presented together with the lyrical Nocturne in F Major of opus 15. The F-minor Ballade of opus 52—Chopin's last—made a worthy conclusion to a program meant to honor the single most important composer of the piano in history.

While Adam Neiman showed remarkable clarity in outlining the musical contours, with carefully measured peaks and valleys, it was his delicate pianissimo that left the audience breathless on multiple occasions throughout the evening. He proved to have a special knack for mining melodic gems buried deep in the elusive middle voices. Neiman's approach to Chopin's counterpoint bears the unmistakable mark of an artist well-versed in the fugues of Bach.

Another significant quality in Neiman's playing was his ability to raise Chopin's smaller pieces, such as the C-sharp minor Waltz, to the same level of artistic merit as the larger works on the program, like the Barcarolle and the Ballade. The same degree of painstaking musical finesse was apparent in the miniature pieces as in the epic works.

The second half of the program included works by two diametrically opposed Russian contemporaries named Sergei—Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev. While Prokofiev sought to provoke and shock with his inventive harmonies and percussive rhythms, Rachmaninoff continued the work of composers in the preceding century and brought his own brand of extreme romanticism. Both drew brutal criticism during their lifetime, and both changed the course of piano writing forever. The Russian works were separated by Adam Neiman's 2004 composition titled Vision.

Rachamaninoff's Etudes tableaux numbers eight, two and one (the French title implies studies in tonal painting) offered a wide spectrum of the composer's style and temperament. They also demonstrated many more facets of Adam Neiman's playing, chief among them his exceptional singing tone.

Following Rachmaninoff, Adam Neiman presented his own work, which was apparently composed for a PBS documentary. Vision is a hypnotic piece with a repeating harmonic pattern laden with intricate finger work. Neiman made no secret of his affinity for the movie industry, and his ambition to pursue a secondary career composing for film. Judging by the sample included in the program, composition is also a highly promising career choice for Adam Neiman.

The program ended with Prokofiev's Sonata No. 2 of opus 14, which Neiman infused with an impressive array of emotions ranging from disdain to dread to triumph. Before playing the piece, Neiman divulged his imaginary mascot for the third movement—an old Tolstoyesque exile to Siberia with a long frozen beard, dragging a ball and chain. Whether or not Prokofiev had a similar image when composing this movement, the world shall never know. The music, however, was a perfect fit for the image.

Neiman reminded us that conjuring a visual image or a specific storyline for each piece is a valuable tool in communicating its musical ideas. Pianists of the world, take note!

The audience showed no hesitation in offering a heartfelt standing ovation, which Adam Neiman gracefully reciprocated with an encore—the Prélude in C from the first book of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier.

For generations, pianists have been taught to simulate the harpsichord when playing the music of Bach, with detached articulation and total avoidance of the pedal. Neiman, however, made no such attempt. Au contraire, he gave a highly “pianistic” interpretation, which was a refreshing break from tradition.

Having played a program of Chopin with the clarity of Bach, Adam Neiman now gave us a Bach with the sensitivity of Chopin. Clearly, here is an artist who does not merely play with flawless technique, but has taken complete ownership of the instrument—a quintessential pianist.

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Eman Isadiar teaches piano at the Peninsula Conservatory and writes about music in the San Francisco Bay Area.

San Francisco Symphony Combines Classical with Neo-Classical

By Eman Isadiar

In a rare performance of Mozart's piano concerto No. 23, Michael Tilson Thomas appeared in the twin roles of conductor and soloist (photo courtesy of San Francisco Symphony).

During a break in this winter's extreme weather, San Francisco Symphony music director proved himself a force of nature on the keyboard in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23. This rare appearance by Michael Tilson Thomas in the twin roles of conductor and soloist was framed by two works by Stravinsky – the Octet for winds and music from the ballet Pulcinella – each representing a different side of the composer's stylistic temperament.

Until today, we might have thought it impossible for Michael Tilson Thomas to charm us any more than he already has over his fifteen-year history as the symphony's music director. For a world-renowned conductor to show his instrumental skills, it takes more than courage. It is a meaningful gesture – an expression of trust.

And having done so with the sublime elegance of a Mozart concerto rather than a technically opulent romantic or modern work, M.T.T. made this occasion even more precious.

There is a long list of reasons why many consider Mozart's K. 488 concerto in A major to be his greatest musical achievement. Completed five years before the composer's death, the concerto predates Mozart's decline in health and was written at a time when his creative genius and his career in Vienna were both at their brightest. It was also written in the same year that saw the creation of The Impresario and The Marriage of Figaro, which could explain the concerto's unmistakable operatic quality.

Tilson Thomas displayed a clear sense of reverence in his approach to the concerto, which indicates the piece must hold a special place in his repertoire as a conductor and pianist. Delicate dynamics, lyrical swells and singing effects were prominent throughout the first movement. The very subtle fluctuations in tempo added a moderately romantic touch, and the tastefully held-back cadenza displayed some impressive finger work.

Some fleeting moments of the second movement, however, were intensely laden with emotion. The most powerful of these was marked by Tilson Thomas' sophisticated half-pedaling and use of the sostenuto pedal, which simulated the sonorities of an 18th century fortepiano. In a moment of pure musical enchantment, the faint, pleading voice of Mozart was heard, as if through a tunnel from 220 years away.

Any clouds which may have gathered during the dark despair of the second movement were quickly dispelled in the opening bars of the energetic third, and the more familiar jovial Mozart came bursting through.

Stravinsky's Octet for winds preceded Mozart's concerto on the program, and made a rather suitable complement. The piece dates back to the middle period in the composer's career dominated by a return to older musical idioms, during which Stravinsky explores the same principles of music used and perfected by Mozart, but in a contemporary context.

The three-movement Octet for winds is notoriously difficult in its frequent and sudden tempo changes, which are often managed by a conductor. Stravinsky himself conducted the premiere at the Paris Opera House, and was described by playwright Jean Cocteau as “an astronomer engaged in working out a magnificent instrumental calculation in figures of silver.”

While most chamber groups would have required a conductor to smooth out the rapidly shifting transitions, the elite ensemble of the San Francisco Symphony was able to give a solid performance of the Octet without the need for one. The fast-paced and playful finale was particularly exciting.

The final piece on the program was the music from Stravinsky's ballet Pulcinella commissioned by the fabled Russian ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Stravinsky was specifically tasked with using music attributed to 18th century Italian composer Giovanni Pergolesi, which Diaghilev thought would be the perfect accompaniment to the ballet's Comedia dell'arte setting.

While wrapping the ancient Italian tunes entirely in his own unique style – to the point that any trace of the original composer is all but entirely erased – Stravinsky is deeply marked by this return to Europe's earlier music. Pulcinella is said to be the seminal work that triggered an important period in Stravinsky's style, and subsequently that of other composers of his generation, known as “neo-classicism.”

Apparently, Diaghilev had in mind a lavish ballet production, incorporating orchestral and vocal music as well as making prominent use of the visual arts in the sets, which were to be designed by none other than Pablo Picasso. The choreography and libretto were both done by Diaghilev's protégé Leonide Messine.

Michael Tilson Thomas led the San Francisco Symphony in a stunning performance of Pulcinella with its nine arias, each sung brilliantly by mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, tenor Bruce Sledge and bass Eric Owens.

While both of the Stravinsky pieces were written in close chronological proximity, they represent the two extremes of composer's approach to neo-classicism – the Octet being essentially a modern piece aspiring to classical principles while Pulcinella contains old music guised in 20th century modernism and orchestral color.

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Eman Isadiar teaches piano at the Peninsula Conservatory and writes about music in the San Francisco Bay Area.