By Helen Kaye - Israel 21c
He's likeable, sophisticated, =
media-savvy,=20
workaholic, something of a celebrity in =
his native=20
Israel, dedicated, unpretentious, =
successful,=20
single and very, very, very talented.
He's Gil Shohat, former wunderkind, =
today a=20
32-year-old pianist, teacher, conductor of =
the=20
Israel Chamber Orchestra, and arguably one =
of=20
Israel's most prolific and widely known =
composers.=20
He has to his credit nine symphonies, =
eight=20
concerti for various instruments, two =
operas and a=20
hefty bundle of choral, chamber and piano =
works=20
that are performed locally and =
internationally.=20
And that list doesn't include a growing =
number of=20
international commissions such as =
Songs of=20
Bathsheba, an oratorio based on the =
psalms of=20
David. It was written for Soli Deo Gloria =
in=20
Chicago and premiered in the fall by the =
Milwaukee=20
Symphony Orchestra and Choir.
"Conducting and composing don't go =
together=20
like fish and chips," he tells ISRAEL21c, =
"but=20
conducting is an important brick in the =
house of=20
my musical personality that complements =
and=20
enforces my beliefs. When I conduct, I =
hear the=20
sound in my head a second before I get it. =
That's=20
the secret. You hear the sound and then =
transmit=20
it to the orchestra."
Shohat became music director of the ICO =
last=20
fall, the youngest conductor ever of a =
major local=20
orchestra. Fitting, since it was the ICO =
that in=20
1991 commissioned and performed his early =
work,=20
The Nightingale and the Rose. =
Shohat was=20
then 18.
The artist's first composition was the=20
12-minute Fantasia for solo piano, written =
when he=20
was 12 and very seriously studying piano. =
"I was=20
already learning theory," he says, "and I =
was=20
asked to write a few lines for the piano. =
I=20
decided to write something I could perform =
at a=20
recital. I still have the manuscript. I =
see in it=20
the writing of a child, for sure, but also =
a lot=20
of ambition and something that's calling =
to get=20
out."
His career direction was born when he =
was four=20
and his kindergarten teacher had told his =
parents=20
"this child needs to learn music." They =
were=20
subsequently told that four was too young =
to=20
begin, so little Gil started piano at =
seven years=20
old. "My father said, 'we'll get you a =
piano only=20
if we see you're serious,'" he recounts. =
"I got my=20
piano after walking to the conservatory =
every day=20
for 18 months to practice."
Truly gifted child musicians are =
recognized and=20
rewarded in Israel, so young Shohat swept =
through=20
the Israel Music Conservatory and the =
Rubin=20
Academy of Music on scholarships and =
sponsorships.=20
He completed his army service as commander =
of the=20
Israel Defense Forces Chamber Orchestra, =
and after=20
he got his Masters of Music, summa cum =
laude he=20
spent three more years studying, two of =
piano and=20
composition in Italy and one more at =
Cambridge,=20
England.
His sojourn abroad rubbed off the =
spikiness=20
that sometimes characterizes Israelis, but =
whenever he goes abroad, and he travels a =
lot,=20
"people know I'm Israeli. I'm definitely =
and by=20
definition an Israeli and people ask me =
about=20
Israel a lot. I do regard myself as a =
cultural=20
ambassador, but not just for Israel, for =
the=20
Jewish people, because my [vocal] music is =
performed in Hebrew in non-Jewish places. =
"Many of=20
my pieces deal with Israel and Jewish =
issues. I=20
draw much of my inspiration from the =
Bible, like=20
Bathsheba and The Song of Songs. My opera=20
Alpha and Omega is a parable of =
the Adam=20
and Eve story. Sure Israel has problems, =
but my=20
Israel, the one I talk about, has 14 =
orchestras,=20
sells 3.5 million theater tickets annually =
and two=20
million for classical music and is the =
best talent=20
factory in the world."
He's living proof of this - and even in =
the=20
'factory,' his level of talent was =
unmistakable.=20
It was during a stay in Italy that the =
eminent=20
music publishers Ricordi signed him to a =
contract,=20
their youngest ever client. This was in =
1996, the=20
year he wrote his first violin concerto. =
It=20
premiered in Israel to near hyperbolic =
reviews.=20
"All of a sudden, Israeli music has a =
genuine=20
violin concerto," raved musicologist and =
music=20
critic Dr. Hanoch Ron, "The concerto is an =
anthem=20
for a virtuoso dialogue between soloist =
and=20
orchestra... It's genuine hutzpa for such =
a young=20
man to achieve an ideal balance between=20
intellectual and emotional expression." =
"He was born to be a composer," says =
Ron, an=20
unabashed fan still. "His music flows and =
takes=20
you with it; it's adventurous. He thinks =
big. His=20
composition is epic and he has a sense for =
the=20
dramatic. He's a romantic and emotional =
but avoids=20
the sticky and sentimental. His works =
usually tell=20
a story and always man is in the center, =
and=20
that's important. He orchestrates =
marvelously and=20
at the highest possible standard, on a par =
with=20
Ravel, or Richard Strauss, I'd say, and =
what's=20
very special is his feel for orchestral =
tone and=20
color. He can write a piece for four =
instruments=20
and you can sit there hearing eight."
That same violin concerto was his US =
debut the=20
following year when the Ra'anana =
Symphonette - he=20
was its in-house composer at the time - =
performed=20
it at the opening of the new performing =
arts=20
center at Newark, New Jersey.
If the violin concerto was the start, =
the=20
previously mentioned Alpha and =
Omega=20
definitely tipped the scale towards =
success and=20
recognition. The opera had its world =
premiere at=20
the Israel Opera in 2001, acclaim for the =
music=20
was universal and it showed that Shohat =
had=20
definitely arrived on the international =
music=20
stage. He believes that his music speaks =
"for the=20
new voice of young composers worldwide. =
"I believe concert music is the next =
big thing.=20
We'll be able to absorb many 'refugees' =
from such=20
as hip-hop, pop, trance, get back the =
millions the=20
concert hall lost to light music when the=20
avant-garde movement banished melody." =
American audiences will be able see =
some select=20
performances by Shohat during the year, =
before he=20
takes the ICO on the road near the end of =
2007 for=20
an extensive concert tour of the US..
Shohat, a disciplined professional, =
writes=20
every day. In the old days he composed at =
night,=20
"but now that I'm the music director of =
the ICO=20
and of the Israel Festival, I have to get =
up at=20
eight o'clock, so I try to write during =
the day."=20
He avoids writing music on the =
computer. He=20
writes with a fountain pen in black ink =
"but=20
sometimes I feel the ink is red because =
it's=20
sucking my blood. Composing is not easy. =
It's one=20
of the hardest, most painful, irritating,=20
nerve-racking processes in my life. But =
the result=20
is so very rewarding."
Courtesy http://www.israel21c.org/