Behind the Voices

Podcast Sixteen for the Program “Behind the Voices”, Brahms: German Requiem

Conductor Yuval Benozer discusses one of the most wonderful and moving works in the repertoire, Brahms’s German Requiem. Benozer guides the listeners through the movements of the piece and plays excerpts from the Requiem. Despite its name, the text of the work contains no reference to the Latin Requiem Mass. Instead, it is an oratorio with texts from the Old Testament and the New Testament related to death and mourning.

The seven movements of the Requiem, from the opening (“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”) to the closing (“Blessed are the dead in the name of the Lord, for they rest from their labours, but their works follow them”), create a complete, magnificent, and moving circle of consolation and hope for the survivors who live, and a song to humanity and the circle of life which includes death.

The four-hand version was written by Brahms himself and was completed in the winter of 1866. It was dedicated to Clara Schumann. The premiere of the complete work in this “domestic” version was held in England in 1871 and became known as the “London Version.”

Sound excerpts:

The orchestral excerpts of the Requiem are by the Gewandhaus Orchestra, conducted by Kurt Masur.
The piano-version excerpt of the Requiem is by the RIAS Chamber Choir from Berlin, conducted by Simon Halsey.

For the 3rd concert of the 23-24 Season of the Vocal Experience Series: 

Duruflé’s Requiem and Poulenc’s Mass

Conductor Yuval Benozer in a podcast on two wonderful pieces from the French choral repertoire: the Requiem by Maurice Duruflé, and the Mass in G by Francis Poulenc. Benozer talks about the pieces and plays musical excerpts from them. The Requiem, which brought Duruflé most of his publicity, is a tribute to Gregorian chant and is one of the most performed pieces in the choral repertoire. The original version of the piece, influenced by Gabriel Fauré’s famous requiem, brings the spirit of peace and reconciliation with death, written for organ and choir, and will be performed on the symphonic organ of the Israeli Vocal Ensemble. Along with the Requiem, another French gem is discussed—the Mass in G by Poulenc, characterized by lyrical musical lines, which cast a spell over every listener.

Audio excerpts: 
Duruflé’s Requiem: The Choir of St. John’s College, Cambridge, conductor:  George Guest
Poulenc’s Mass: Tenebrae Choir, conductor:  Nigel Short

:13th podcast in the series Behind the Voices
Requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

For the ‘23-‘24 Season opening concert of the Vocal Experience: Mozart’s Requiem

The Requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the composer’s immortal work, a much-loved work that is performed over and over again, treasures within it unresolved secrets and mysteries that added to its aura of magic. Yuval Benozer, the music director of the Israeli Vocal Ensemble, tells about the piece, about the circumstances of its writing, its style, and plays excerpts from it.

:12th podcast in the series Behind the Voices

Conductor Yuval Benozer in a podcast on the works that make up the program of the second concert in the Vocal Experience Series, in a program we called: Crescendo for Love. A concert that will bring present music written by eleven wonderful composers to words from different sources, all deal with love, passion, happiness, pain, beauty and humor.

11th podcast in the series Behind the Voices:

Conductor Yuval Benozer in a podcast on the works that make up the program From Winter to Summer, and on the transition of seasons from the snowy European winter through the spring buds to the sunny summer, as reflected in the works of Poulenc, Debussy, Janequin, Renaissance madrigals, Argov, Sandström, and more. Three Israeli young conductors will lead the concert (Dor Magen, Lily Solomonov, Guy Pelc), two of whom, Solomonov and Magen, are interviewed in the program about the experience of working with the Israeli vocal ensemble.

10th podcast in the series Behind the Voices:

Conductor Yuval Benozer in a podcast about Fauré’s beloved and beautiful work, the Requiem. He talks about the background to its writing, the text, and music. Unlike the Catholic requiem of Mozart, Verdi, Cherubini and others, for Fauré death is part of life, and instead of emotions of threat and fear come encouragement and hope, in the choice of text and in his musical treatment.

Yuval Benozer in a podcast on Dietrich Buxtehude’s most famous and well-known piece, Membra Jesu Nostri  which will open our 2021-22 subscription series. Despite being a well-known and famous organist and composer in Germany in the mid-Baroque period, Buxtehude’s name is less known to the general public today. Benozer tells about the composer and the piece of which excerpts he also plays, and is written as a 7-movement cantata for texts from the Song of Songs, the Book of Isaiah and Zechariah and Psalms, in which each movement is dedicated to a different organ in the body of Jesus.

Yuval Benozer, Music Director of the Israeli Vocal Ensemble, in a short podcast about the upcoming Vocal Experience season programs. He talks about the selecting process, gets excited and enthusiastic about it, and plays some music from the upcoming season.

.Guests: countertenor Alon Harari and music director Amit Tiefenbrunn

Conductor Yuval Benozer talks about a wonderful Italian work written by a German before becoming English; about another work that “escaped” the Vatican thanks to Mozart, who restored it from memory, and about the connection between Bobby Mcferrin and Psalms – all this and more great music in a special podcast broadcast in preparation for our subscription concert Dixit Dominos. 

Guest: composer Moshe Zorman

Conductor Yuval Benozer plays music with a wink and brings fun pieces that will make you smile. Juicy madrigals, silly canons, the King’s Singers Deconstructing Bach , music for pre-concert announcements and a special guest: composer Moshe Zorman presenting his work “Atrial fibrillation – the song of the hypochondriac”. For spontaneous listeners with a sense of humor.

This program is dedicated to the famous oratorio by G.F. Handel: Judas Maccabaeus. Conductor Yuval Benozer talks about the masterpiece, the German composer who became England’s greatest, the birth of the English Oratorio, and the English victory which inspired him. Benozer walks the listener through significant places in the work and plays music from the Israeli Vocal Ensemble’s concert in 2019 with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and Israeli soloists: Daniela Skorka, soprano; Alon Harari, alt; Ron Silberstein, tenor; Oded Reich, bass. A Hanukkah celebration of delightful music and the fascinating stories behind it.

Editors: Zvi Sherf, Avivit Hochstadter

This episode is dedicated to folk melodies that were turned into symphonic works, as well as to Piyyutim (Jewish liturgical poems, usually designated to be sung during religious services) which were arranged to wonderful choral works. Conductor Yuval Benozer talks about the Israeli Vocal Ensemble’s special project on liturgical poetry, hosting arranger Zvi Sherf and singer Avivit Hochstadter.

This episode is dedicated to the ‘Sacred Concert’ – the religious work by 20th century jazz legend Duke Ellington. Conductor Yuval Benozer talks about Ellington, and discusses why he wrote his first ever religious work at the age of 65. Benozer also plays some sections from the ‘Sacred Concert’ in light of their Israeli premiere,  performed by the Israeli Vocal Ensemble in June 2021.

Editors: Yoel Sivan and Idit Magal

This episode is dedicated to the composer Francis Poulenc and his work ‘Figure humaine’. Conductor Yuval Benozer explains why this 1942 composition is considered one of the most important works of the 20th century. He talks about the context in which it was written, as well as the creative process leading up to the Isaeli Vocal Ensemble’s premiere of the piece in Israel. This episode includes several interpretations of the piece and discussions with singers.

Guest: Pianist Ofra Itzhaki

In this episode, conductor Yuval Benozer talks about Bach’s music and tries to understand what makes the Well-Tempered Clavier’s collection of preludes and fugues a pinnacle of western music. He also discusses why on earth it should be sung in vocal harmony. This episode combines recordings from the first concert in Haifa, which took place just before the covid-19 lockdown (7-3-21), with a conversation with pianist Ofra Yitzhaki who was brought in to play with the ensemble two days before the concert.