Yitzhak Yedid
Visions, Fantasies and Dances
- Type CD
- Label Between The Lines
- UPC 0608917123623
- Catalog number BTLCHR 71236
- Release date 03 January 2014
About the album
The spiritual experience of Yitzhak Yedid as a child chanting the Baqashot at the well-known Ades Synagogue in Jerusalem inspired this composition. Baqashot are collections of supplications, songs and prayers that have been sung by the Sephardic Syrian Jewish communities for centuries. "Every Shabbat during winter months my father woke me up a few hours after midnight to walk to Ades Synagogue to participate in the singing until dawn. Later in my life I was able to distinguish between different Maqamat. This attracted me to explore classical Arabic music and heterophonic textures, and, just as has occurred in Baqashot, to compose works that merge Maqamat with Jewish themes. Since I trained in Western classical music and practice improvisation (as a pianist) it seemed appropriate to merge these different influences" says Yedid.
And so, Visions, Fantasies and Dances is an authentic expression of new music which incorporates a wide spectrum of contemporary and ancient styles. It creates a confluence between the heterophonic textures of Arabic genres (classical Arabic music and Arabic-influenced Jewish music) and the compositional approaches of contemporary Western classical music. Amongst the Western composers of special importance to Yedid are Béla Bartók (1881-1945), György Kurtág (b. 1926), György Ligeti (1923-2006), Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992), Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998), Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), Stefan Wolpe (1902- 1972) and John Zorn (b. 1953).
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11Introduction: Fire of my spiritual life00:41
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12Vision of an old woman sitting alone and weeping01:35
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13Mirages of friendship00:36
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14The vision of the woman dows not loosen its grip on me00:26
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15In a sharp transition02:36
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16Flying in the heavens with the exalted angels01:24
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17Awakening01:22
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18Fantasies from the Antipodes01:40
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19A conflict of loves00:11
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110Vision of chaos and calamity00:49
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111Hallucinatory dance of a drunken Klezmer player02:02
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112Image of the calm after the storm01:34
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113Singing the Baqashot00:58
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114A day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and desolation... (Zephania 1:15)02:15
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115Prayer Of The 'Soul Of Every Being'01:04
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116Dreaming reality02:20
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117'And Thy Faithfulness Every Night'03:36
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118Night watch prayer at the Western Wall01:47
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119Celebration of the promiscuous dancers01:32
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120Chorus about the hallucinations01:51
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121'A Time To Weep, A Time To Laugh, A Time To Mourn, A Time To Dance.'01:05
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122Wondering about the hallucinations01:51
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123And behold, again the celebrators02:08
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124Craze of creation01:12
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125Fire of my spiritual life02:56
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126The violinist´s gaze00:26
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127Unison of marchers02:54
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128He breaks into a solo like someone who doesn´t want to stop00:14
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129Trumpeting of the dancers00:26
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130Image of a bloodied pig falling from the sky00:26
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131'Lu Yehi' (Naomi Shemer)01:45
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132'Thy Destroyers And They That Laid Thee Waste Go Away From Thee'00:51
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133And in the midst of the holy thouy shall be praised01:27
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134Prayer for another day05:57