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Rivka Golani Rivka Golani is recognized
as one of the great violinist and musicians of modern times. Her
contribution to the advancement of viola technique has already given her a
place in the history of the instrument and has been a source of
inspiration not only to other players but also to many composers who have
been motivated by her mastery to write especially for the viola. More than
200 pieces have been written for her and more are currently being written
of which 37 are concertos , a record matched by no other violist in
history.
Ms. Golani’s awesome technique, riveting stage presence, and superbly sensitive musicianship have made her a favourite with music lovers and critics alike. Allied to her technical ability, Rivka Golani’s approach to the instrument is at once passionate and sensitive; and her performances, both on record and in the concert hall, reveal the originality of interpretation and musicianship of a great artist. |
| Familiar to audiences throughout the
world, Rivka Golani has performed as a soloist with the Boston Symphony,
BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal
Concertgebouw, Israel Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, Toronto
Symphony, Montreal Symphony and many others. Her on-stage charisma
unfailingly adds excitement to her appearances, and her reputation as a
teacher draws students from all over the world to her master classes.
Rivka Golani’s most recent CD on CBC Records, entitled Fairies, features an all Schumann offering of viola and piano repertoire. Among her current projects is the recording of a 2-CD set of Bach viola solo repertoire for CBC Records, which includes the Six Suites, Chaconne, and Bach-Kodaly Chromatic Fantasy, to be released later this year. Another CD of a viola concerto by Peter Paul Koprowski, written for Rivka Golani and recorded with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is also awaiting release this season. Other projects Ms Golani is working on include a world premiere in June 2000 of a millenium concerto by Latvian-Canadian composer Talivaldis Kenins with the CBC Vancouver Orchestra. She is also the featured lead guest artist for the Millenium Jewish Festival in London, UK this July in recitals and performances with orchestra. She has also inspired a project of double concertos for solo viola and other instruments; concertos for viola and double bass, cello and clarinet are currently being written, and others are in the works. Also being created for Rivka Golani at this time are concertos for viola solo by composers Jose Evangelista and Clark Ross, along with many more events and programs. Rivka Golani is also a painter of distinction, and has worked closely with composers as a visual artist in presenting multi-media performances of works for viola and orchestra. Exhibitions of her painting have been held throughout Britain, Germany, Israel and North America. Arnon Erez During the past few years, the Israeli pianist Arnon Erez has achieved international recognition both as a soloist and as a chamber musician. In September 1990, Arnon Erez and his duo partner, Hagai Shaham, won the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, a prize which has not been awarded in the violin-piano duo category since 1971.Since winning the competition, Erez's career has taken him to perform on many major stages such as the Carnegie Hall in New York, Bonn's Betthoven Halle, the Alte Oper Frankfurt, Herkulessaal - Munich, the Musikverein in Vienna, the New Auditoire du Louvre in Paris, and the Wigmore Hall in London. Arnon Erez has also appeared in many important venues and festivals around the world, including the Schleswig Holstein, Rheingau, Rolandseck Festival Pro, Banff Festival, Radio France, and Israel festivals. As a soloist, Arnon Erez has performed with various orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Haifa Symphony Orchestra, the SWF Symphony Orchestra and the Banff Festival Orchestra. In addition, he has given many recitals and recorded for Radio and Television stations in Germany, Austria, Israel, Turkey, Mexico, and France. Apart from the Munich International Prize, Arnon Erez has won several major competitions, including the first prize in Israel's most prestigious national competition, the F. Shapira competition. Also, he is the recipient of the first prize at the Tel Aviv Rubin Academy Competition and has been awarded several America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarships. Recently, Erez recorded several CDs including contemporary piano music for the American company CRI, and Jewish violin music, "Stempenyu" by Joseph Achron, for the English company Biddulph. | |