This powerful and compelling program follows renowned cellist Amit Peled's personal, musical, and spiritual journey. From his childhood growing up in a small kibbutz in Israel and listening to his mother singing the traditional tune “Eli Eli,” to playing Max Bruch's “Kol Nidrei” as a young cellist and personally connecting with the Yom Kippur message, Amit explores the ups and downs of life and the desire to balance tradition, identity, and self-expression.
SUGGESTED REPERTOIRE
ELI ELI My God, My God
BACH Suite No. 1 for solo cello
BRUCH Kol Nidrei
BLOCH From Jewish Life
KOPYTMAN Kaddish
POPPER Hungarian Rhapsody
For more information please contact: Aliya Cheskis-Cotel sc523@aol.com
Audience “Applause”
“Amit Peled and Elizabeth Borowsky provided an exceptional concert at the German Society. The synergistic collaboration of these two highly skilled artists produced music of uncommon sonority and depth – inducing an almost hypnotic state within the enraptured audience. A magical experience!” -Hardy von Auenmueller and Karl Spaeth (German Society of Philadelphia )
“Painfully beautiful and passionate... Absolutely STUNNING. The sounds you co-created take us to a place so deep and profound that no words can touch. It literally moved me to tears.” -Michiko L.
“Peled played beautifully with so much soul and conviction and total commitment to the music that is beyond rare. Really enjoyed the insight into the music as well. BRAVO!!!” -Dan Weiser (Classicopia)
“What a beautiful program! I am truly grateful that I was able to be at your concert. It is a tribute to your performance that the music and actual playing of it stayed with me with such clarity and presence after several days. There were so many beautiful colors and wonderful nuances and details. You achieved an intensity of emotion on the Kopytman that was utterly compelling. I can still feel the sadness, anguish, ferocity and resignation of the music. I also loved the Bloch pieces and Amit's characterization of them as each one being evocative of a scene -like a Chagall painting- was perfect. It was a special evening of music and music making!” -Catherine R.
“This was not just a performance of “Prayer” (awe-inspiring!) and “Supplication”, but a deeply, deeply-felt manifestation. . . much of the piece is not piano-accompaniment, but, rather, a heated conversation or even confrontation between piano and cello. Each goes its own way. The final segment is full of agitation, up to the last minute, when a final long, dying-out line by the cello seems to be the final breath of the dying person. . . The program ended with David Popper's ever-popular Hungarian Rhapsody. The “friska” section is familiar because Franz Liszt used the same tune for his Hungarian Rhapsody. It is virtuosic. It is fun! It was a grand way to end the evening, as it gave Elizabeth and Amit a vehicle to show off their virtuosity. The audience loved it.” -Josiah Tazelaar (Pro Musica Detroit)