I am definitely back in Israel. Remembrance of the holocaust permeates the first twenty four hours of my stay. On turning the TV on late yesterday evening after my arrival, I was immediately face to face with Eichmann, whose trial was being shown for an hour or two in black and white. The TV stayed on late into the night.
This morning, on the way to the rehearsal on foot, was confronted by two minutes of wailing sirens which bring the country to a halt, people freezing in the middle of a zebra crossing, traffic just stopping where it is and all the usual street hustle and bustle dying down.
Next the orchestra who I already know from two years ago. 'Life of Brian' associations pop up on seeing the appearance of the timpanist and first oboist, the two rabbi's of the orchestra: thin El Greco types with huge beards.
It was very nice to see Gilad Hildesheimer again, the young concert master who took me under his wing last time by taking me to an Arab fishing village where, in a cosy slum, hidden behind a plastic curtain, the best humus in Israel can be found.
A quick encounter with the conductor to briefly cover general tempo, rubato and dynamic details before going through Elgar's cello concerto with the orchestra. I always play facing the orchestra at the first rehearsal so that both sides get an idea of who they are playing with, as making music together is about intimate interaction. It goes quite smoothly, the conductor Gabriel Chmura is capable and Elgar is not too complicated. The first concert is not until saturday therefore I've got all the time in the world to cover those tricky passages I had forgotten about.
After the rehearsal, in the spirit of 'Israel revisited', a humus experience with Gilad. An interesting coincidence is that not long ago he gave the judge of the Eichmann trial a lesson on an amateur music course. The man apparently is still an institution.
Back from lunch and I have five hours or so before its time to go to an Arab restaurant with the conductor. Therefore, as well as time to digest my chick peas, also time to do some work in my hotel room. After all this is not supposed to be a sightseeing trip. Next week there's a big recital at the Lyon Opera, then the Shostakovich 1st cello concerto and Shostakovich and Prokofiev sonatas for a festival in Lisbon. Immediately after that there's Lalo's cello concerto with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, not to mention May: as well as Messaien's 'Quartet for the End of Time', also Ysaye's solo sonata and two contemporary solo pieces, the last three being works I haven't performed before.
But first I'm going to get my dat recorder out and, hop, under the headphones I go. I have just recorded the Britten suites again and, apart from the playing bit, it's also my job (I wouldn't want it any other way) to prepare the editing, that is to say to choose the takes which will end up on the definitive cd. An enormous task, about one hundred and fifty hours I reckon!
Friday afternoon
I'm swimming in all the time. Three quarters of an hour rehearsal this morning and now almost thirty hours free. Practice, listening and room service. The restaurant yesterday evening was 'down' on the edge of the Arab district. Above, on the Carmel mountain is west Haifa, with its hotels and night-life, from where you get a beautiful view, especially from my room on the eighteenth floor which, after a bit of pestering on the evening of my arrival, I'd successfully acquired.
The restaurant was actually more of a cafeteria and the chick pea, him again, dominated the menu. My conductor is an easy talker and it is very enjoyable. And I must say, the cuisine isn't too bad. That of the chick pea, I mean. Delicious, specially washed down with beer.
Saturday afternoon
This evening is the first concert and I have, thank god, finished the listening. Practising is not going quite so well...Now I must juggle having a nap and scoring some humus in order to get through the evening (but not too much, I don't want to play on a full stomach).
I'm slightly excited about a phone call from my manager who called to tell me that the The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, the orchestra from my last CD recording, want me to play with them at the Proms and in the Salzburg Festival. I must try not to look forward to it too much!
Sunday
Today was actually a good practice day. After breakfast with the conductor, who was really happy with the concert yesterday evening, I did a two hour session. Then a short lunch, during which Chmura the conductor invited me to come and play with his polish orchestra and to also coach them in classical and early romantic repertoire. Nice.
Monday afternoon
Good mood. And I know exactly why. After breakfast, Chmura rung to say that I didn't have to practice any more. He tells me I have been declared holy in the biggest Israeli newspaper by the most feared critic in the country. And that's a really big relief, even though he's been complimentary before. It's also happened to me that a journalist after years of extremely generous reviews suddenly wrote that he had been wrong all that time! That was Montreal, but why shouldn't it also happen in Israel? Anyway, it didn't happen (apparently he is really knowledgable!) despite the fact that, climate-wise, it was not an easy evening. Yesterday the wind started blowing from the desert which reduces the degree of humidity to a life-threatening level, for instruments anyway, of twenty per cent or less. During the sold out concert (1500 people) the humidity in the hall shot up irrevocably high with all the interesting, ie diverse, consequences on the orchestral intonation front. If you know what I mean.
I'm also happy because my Israeli agent is organising a big concert in Tel Aviv as a result of the 6 Bach Suites marathon that I've already done there. Finally happy because I'm looking forward to tonight's concert - relaxed without press - and also to those in Lyon and particularly Lisbon where I'll be reunited with my girlfriend/wife, Alex.
Tuesday morning
Hopeless night, awake every hour. No need to set the alarm. At six AM, the taxi is standing outside: earplugs go in, eye mask on, so that I arrive at the airport relatively fresh. The concert yesterday evening went OK, fairly run-of-the-mill. Suddenly half way through there was lots of coming and going of attendants. And yeah, deja-vu, just like two years ago, somebody had fainted from the heat. We just carried on playing.
After the concert I said goodbye to Chmura and Gilad and found out that the orchestra, as a present, had left a pot of humus in my mini-bar. That's so nice of them! Ideal for tonight, for my rehearsal with Dejan Lazic, my pianist in Lyon.
Trouw newspaper Friday 27 April 2001
editor: Sandra Kooke
translation: Alexandra Bellamy