The Ra’anana Symphonette Orchestra has an exciting tradition of producing innovative and exciting programs for the end of the calendar year.
The RSO and conductor in residence David Sebba is taking their audiences away to the sounds of Brazil and Argentina with the syncopated and cool vibes of bossa nova and samba.
“Bossa nova is lovable music,” says maestro Sebba enthusiastically, “and popular in Israel. It is ‘smart music,’ with harmonies which are never simple and unexpected rhythm patterns that make you want to move. The listener cannot sit back and be indifferent, because this music involves you in its sounds.”
Rising in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with its swaying rhythms, bossa nova is a “soft” samba made famous by a tall and tanned girl, young and lovely, as seen by Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim and Portuguese poet Vinicius de Moraes, walking down the famous beach of Rio de Janeiro.
The pair immortalized her in the song “The Girl from Ipanemo,” which became an international hit, sung by Astrud Gilberto and Stan Geltz, and later by the great crooner Frank Sinatra.
The four musicians who are joining the RSO and Maestro Sebba in performances of "Unending Rhythm", on December 30 and 31, in the auditorium of the Ra’anana Music Center, are among the top in the music-making business.
Introducing rising stars
Portuguese singer, drummer, and composer Joca Perpignan was born and raised in the bossa nova capital of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He came to Tel Aviv at age 15 and is currently releasing his second album, Manso Balanco. A member of the prestigious Idan Raichel Project, Maestro Sebba commends Perpignan as one of the greatest artists of our time. “Just listening to the cadences of his words and speech makes one want to get up and dance,” he says.
Soprano Daniela Skorka began her studies at the Karmiel Music Conservatory, served in the IDF as an outstanding musician, and completed her studies at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. She has been awarded scholarships and acclaim for her international operatic and concert performances. Her switch to the sultry, jazzy sounds of bossa nova attest to her skill as a musician.
Guitarist Marcelo Nami is in his element. A top performer in the popular music and bossa nova/samba scene in Brazil, he joins the RSO year-end concert with a repertoire that highlights his love for Brazilian tradition in his innovative playing style.
Mandolin artist Dor Amram takes his ancient instrument to new heights in the realm of popular and bossa nova music. Born in Israel in 1999, his studies began with prominent teachers at the Beersheba Conservatory through the Jerusalem Academy of Music with a degree in performance and conducting.
An accomplished chamber musician, soloist, conductor, and arranger, his repertoire ranges from the pure sounds of medieval music to contemporary music and popular Israeli songs. It will be exciting to hear where he goes in this uplifting and pleasurable concert tuned to the bossa nova beat.