Duration: Approx. 20 minutes
Written in honor of the 75th birthday of Yehuda Aschkenasy
Commissioned by the B. Folkerstma Foundation for Talmudic Studies and supported by donors, friends and acquaintances
Scoring
Soprano
Oboe
Violin
Viola
Cello
Score in C
First performance was on Sunday, November 7, 1999 at the Jewish Cultural Center in Amstelveen performed by Nienke Oostenrijk, soprano, Henk Swinnen, oboe, Elisabeth Perry, violin, Jouke van der Leest, viola, and Monique Bartels, cello.
Text Sources
Texts are taken from the CD booklet produced by the Folkertsma Foundation. Illustrations are by Bert Hof, design is by Bert Arts.
The first poem, in German, is by Rose Ausländer, born in 1918 in Bulovina, at that time part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. She now lives in Germany. An English translation of her 'Selected poems' appeared in 1977.
The second poem, in Hebrew, is by Leah Goldberg (1911-1970). She was born in Koenigsbergen and spent her early years in Kovno (Lithuania). After earning her doctorate in Semitic Languages from the University of Bonn, she emigrated to Palestine in 1935. Together with Abraham Shlonsky she published an authoritative anthology of Russian poetry. She was also chair of the department of Comparative Literature at the Hebrew University. Some of her most beautiful love poems - often presented as a conversation are in sonnet form. She has translated Lithuanian folk songs as well as poetry by Petrarch, Dante, Baudelaire and Rilke. She was also well known for her prose and verses for children.
Judith Herzberg was born in Amsterdam in 1934. She produced five collections of poetry, including 'Beemdgras' and '27 Liefdesliedjes', a paraphrase of the Song of Songs. She has written for the theatre, television and film. In 1998 Judith Herzberg was awarded the prestigious P.C. Hooft Prize.