Ensemble Contraste

CHAMBER MUSIC

A prayer

At the source of Central European music

In the second half of the nineteenth century, an interest developed in Europe in the music of oral tradition and popular music to invent a music that broke with the classical Western language, considerably influencing composers such as Bruch, Ravel or Prokofiev. Bartók thus based his musical language on the folk music of Central Europe. This idea was taken up by Ernest Bloch, considered to be the champion of Jewish art music, and later by Dmitri Shostakovich, who composed a work that sounds like a cry of rebellion against anti-Semitic hatred.

Cast:

The Contrast Ensemble
Arnaud Thorette & Johan Farjot direction
Arnaud Thorette viola
Jean-Luc Votano clarinet
Antoine Pierlot cello
Johan Farjot piano and arrangements

Programme :

BRUCH
Romanian melody for clarinet, viola and piano
Kol Nidrei for viola and piano

BLOCH
Hebrew Rapsody for viola and piano
From Jewish Life for cello and piano

BARTOK
Romanian Dances (arrangement for clarinet, viola and piano)

WILLIAMS
Schindler's List (arrangement for viola and cello)

WEILL
Youkali (arrangement for clarinet, viola, cello and piano)

RAVEL
Kaddish for cello and piano

IRVING GLINK
The Klezmer'swedding for clarinet, viola and piano

Traditional Klezmer tunes for clarinet and piano

PROKOFIEV
Overture on Jewish themes (arrangement for clarinet, viola, cello and piano)

Acoustic programme
Duration: 1h30

Press

Jérémie Cahen, Classica, Octobre 2022

Ce programme intégralement consacré à la musique d’inspiration juive possède toutes les qualités d’un projet longuement mûri. Ainsi Arnaud Thorette à l’alto et Johan Barjot au piano abordent-ils la Rhapsodie de Bloch et le Kol Nidrei de Bruch avec un mélange bienvenu d’intensité oratoire et de sincérité. (…)
(...) Johan Fargot est l'auteur d'un magnifique arrangement de Morenica, célèbre mélodie tradionnelle séfarade, chantée avec tendresse et sans emphase par Karine Deshayes, et plus encore d'une réduction pour violon et alto du fameux thème principal de La Liste de Schindler, composé par John WIlliams, qui revêt sous cette forme une troublante physionomie ravélienne.