Oskar Morawetz goes from Guelph to Tel Aviv for two musical
firsts in a busy composer's career
A lot of good things are happening to Toronto composer Oskar Morawetz and two of them in particular
have brought the composer particular gratification.
Last April Morawetz' Concerto for Harp and Orchestra (commissioned by the Canada Council) was premiered at the Guelph Spring Festival by harpist Erica Goodman and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra under
Boris Brott.
The second event was the long-awaited performance in Israel of the composer's From The Diary of Anne Frank. The performance took place in Tel Aviv early in June on the recommendation of Zubin Mehta and was the first Canadian work to be performed by the Israel Philharmonic. Conducted by Israeli maestro Uri Segal, the soloist was soprano Adi Etzion, who is considered in Israel to be the country's most outstanding interpretor of contemporary music.
It was a most rewarding performance for the composer, who was there, not only because of "the inspired interpretation and the prolonged ovation of the audience," he reported during a visit to The Canadian Composer's offices, "But also
becauseof the presence of pianists Vladimir Askenazy, Penina Salzman, conductor Gary Bertini and violinist Chaim Taub, leader of the Tel Aviv Quartet who, as a result of Uri Segal's invitation, came to the second half of the concert in order to hear my work."
Several other performances of this work are planned for the coming season, including one in Belgium next spring, and the Tel Aviv performance was not only broadcast nationally but included a 15-minute interview with Dr. Morawetz.
Other recent performances of his works include the first public performance of his Memorial to Martin Luther King (for cello and orchestra) in the MacMillan theatre, Toronto. Boris Brott conducted and his brother Denis was the featured soloist. This work has been issued by the International Service of the CBC on a recording with cellist Zara Nelsova as soloist, conducted by Otto Werner
Mueller, with Morawetz' Piano Concerto interpreted by Anton Kuerti on the reverse, Walter Susskind conducting.
The Orford String Quartet gave an outstanding performance of the composer's Second String Quartet in the Canadian Sound series in Toronto last spring; John Avison performed Morawetz' Overture six times during his tour with the Vancouver Chamber Orchestra and Raffi Armenian performed
it with the Calgary Symphony.
Piano works by Morawetz were heard in five different countries over the past months: Carolle and Craigie featured the Fantasy, Elegy and Toccata in their Carnegie Recital Hall concert in New York; Sheila Henig performed the Scherzo in Belgium, Holland and Austria during her recent European tour and Ottawa's Angela Hewitt performed his Suite for Piano during a CBC recital.
