The aim of CityMusic Cleveland’s upcoming “Two Faiths: One Spirit” program “is lofty but simple: to remind people that for much of history, Arab and Jewish populations co-existed in harmony and to prove that on the musical front, especially, the two still share a great deal,” writes Zachary Lewis in Wednesday’s (3/7) Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH). “The first half of the program highlights music grounded in Judaism, including a work by Josef Bardanashvili, [Music Director Avner] Dorman’s former teacher and one of the most well-known living composers in Israel. The second half, meanwhile, features a work by Iranian composer Behzad Ranjbaran as well as ‘Warzazat,’ a work arranged by a Jewish composer but employing the musical language and instruments of Morocco. Along the way, listeners will be bound to hear overlap, bold points of intersection…. ‘Two Faiths’ originated … with composer and accordion virtuoso Merima Kljuco. Three years ago, after witnessing ‘Music of the Book,’ her then-new work … CityMusic’s directors were inspired to expand on the idea with an entire program exploring a shared musical heritage…. Kljuco will again perform on accordion.” Says Dorman, “It’s wonderful that we’re able to address these kinds of issues in music.”
Posted March 13, 2018
