Abstract
BODY & SOUL is a concert programme curated and directed by Yonit Kosovske (harpsichord) in collaboration with Caitríona O'Mahony (baroque violin), Sarah Groser (viola da gamba), and Wolodymyr Smishkewych (hand drum). The programme features repertoire by contemporary composers in Ireland and around the world, including works by Tal Arbel, Brooke Green, Will Ayton, and Fiona Linnane. This performance of BODY & SOUL took place in Mick Lally Theatre as part of the Galway Early Music Festival 2023.
The concert included the world premiere of the first live performance Justin Ground's "Triple Spiral" and the world premiere of Tal Arbel's "Alchemy", commissioned by Yonit Kosovske for harpsichord and viola da gamba. "Alchemy" is a name that represents the merging of the two melodies in this piece: "Separation of Soul and Body" and "Shalom Aleichem" (Peace be upon you). "Separation of Soul and Body" is a tune by the Irish composer and harper Turlough O'Carolan and is found in Neal’s Celebrated Irish Tunes, Dublin (1724). "Shalom Aleichem" is a Jewish song (in Hebrew) about angels and is traditionally sung on the sabbath eve (Friday night). While the melody originated just over 100 years ago by Israel Goldfarb (published in The Jewish Songster of 1918), the Hebrew poem was written by the mystics (kabbalists) in Safed around the late 16th or early 17th century. The two melodies are cited fully in the middle of the piece, but mostly they are intertwined together, presented in fragments that include elements of both. In our concert, we prefaced Arbel's "Alchemy" by first playing through the two tunes ("Shalom Aleichem" & "Separation of Soul and Body"), followed by our performance of Tal's contemporary composition.
Special thanks to:
The concert included the world premiere of the first live performance Justin Ground's "Triple Spiral" and the world premiere of Tal Arbel's "Alchemy", commissioned by Yonit Kosovske for harpsichord and viola da gamba. "Alchemy" is a name that represents the merging of the two melodies in this piece: "Separation of Soul and Body" and "Shalom Aleichem" (Peace be upon you). "Separation of Soul and Body" is a tune by the Irish composer and harper Turlough O'Carolan and is found in Neal’s Celebrated Irish Tunes, Dublin (1724). "Shalom Aleichem" is a Jewish song (in Hebrew) about angels and is traditionally sung on the sabbath eve (Friday night). While the melody originated just over 100 years ago by Israel Goldfarb (published in The Jewish Songster of 1918), the Hebrew poem was written by the mystics (kabbalists) in Safed around the late 16th or early 17th century. The two melodies are cited fully in the middle of the piece, but mostly they are intertwined together, presented in fragments that include elements of both. In our concert, we prefaced Arbel's "Alchemy" by first playing through the two tunes ("Shalom Aleichem" & "Separation of Soul and Body"), followed by our performance of Tal's contemporary composition.
Special thanks to:
Galway Early Music Festival
Arts Council of Ireland
Galway City Council
Mick Lally Theatre
Maura Ó Cróinín
Mark Keane
Irish Early Music Network
Now and Then Media, Ltd.
| Original language | English (Ireland) |
|---|---|
| Media of output | Online |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2023 |
Keywords
- contemporary music
- new music
- period instruments
- social justice
- forced migration
- poverty
- sexism
- feminism
- refugee
- physics
