This year’s Yemei Zemer Festival in Holon pays homage to some of the country’s most revered singing stars.
By BARRY DAVISShalom Hanoch 390(photo credit: Wikipedia)
This year’s Yemei Zemer Festival will take place at the Holon Theater on April 8 –11. The program is chockful of some of the biggest names on the local music scene, including intriguing superstar synergy between Shalom Hanoch and Ninet Tayeb.Says festival artistic director Naomi Atias, “The accent this year is on original productions, premieres and special tribute slots to the icons of Israeli music over the years and performances by beloved veteran artists alongside some of the younger artists.”There is certainly plenty of all that in next month’s event.This year’s festival Lifetime Achievement Award will go to 80-year-old Yugoslav-born composer Moni Amarilio, who has written more than 600 songs since making aliya 60 years ago.The Be’eretz Ahavati tribute show, curated by Rami Harel, features an impressive roster of vocalists who will offer their singular renditions of Amarilio numbers, including Din Din Aviv, Sasi Keshet, Eli Gornstein and Natan Datner.Another homage slot will features numbers by iconic 1960s trio The High Windows – comprised of Arik Einstein, Shmulik Krauss and Josie Katz – with Shai Avivi as emcee and a stellar lineup of the likes of Efrat Gosh, Dana Berger, Mika Carni, Shlomo Gronich and Hemi Rudner.Late Israel Prize winner composer Moshe Vilenski will also be honored at the festival, with a performance of such Israeli Songbook staples as “Kalaniot” and “Hayu Z’manim” performed by Mika Carni, Hani Livneh and Meital Trabelsi.Songs performed by late Greek singer Aris San, who was hugely popular in this country, will also feature in Yemei Zemer, with radio personality Muli Shapira orchestrating the San tribute show.There will also be a number of topnotch musical confluences over the four days at the Holon Theater, including Yehonatan Gefen and Shlomi Shaban, Beri Sacharov with a new electricacoustic show and Asaf Amdurski, with his guest Efrat Gosh.Other big names in the festival program include Yirmi Kaplan, Israeli Gurion, Rutie Navon, Eran Tzur and flutist Matan Klein.
