Booklet

Uri Brener – Spanish Lamento
Ensemble PHOENIX on early instruments:
Tali Goldberg (baroque violin), Cordelia Hagmann (baroque violin), Miriam Manasherov (baroque viola), Marina Minkin (harpsichord) and Myrna Herzog (viola da gamba, musical direction).

Recorded live on March 15th, 2015 at the Austrian Hospice, Jerusalem
Recording: Eliahu Feldman
Mastering: David Feldman
Graphic Art: Myrna Herzog
Cover picture: Max Pixel https://www.maxpixel.net/Red-Painting-Background-Texture-Abstract-Painted-1697391

 

Commissioned in 2014 by Israeli Ensemble PHOENIX on early instruments, Uri Brener’s Spanish Lamento (in memory of the Jewish expulsion from Spain 1492-97) features a prominent role for the harpsichord in powerful exchanges with 2 baroque violins, baroque viola and viola da gamba. It quotes an ancient Andalusian piyut sang for the Jewish High Holidays called “Ki Gadol Yom”. In a letter to Myrna Herzog, Uri Brener wrote: “The music took me to a somewhat off-the road journey, and I couldn't resist to follow her. I just heard it from outside and felt what it asked for.”

Composer / pianist / arranger Uri Brener was born 1974 in Moscow and has been playing the piano since the age of four. His first compositional attempts go back to the age of seven; his first acclaimed opuses appeared at the age of 12. After studying and performing in Russia, Germany and Holland, Uri moved to Israel, where he got his PhD cum laude in composition from the University of Bar-Ilan.

Uri's music is performed worldwide, among performers of his music are The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Metha, The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, The Israel Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble PHOENIX, the “Tel-Aviv Soloists” Orchestra, The Aviv Quartet, Ensemble Continuum (NY, USA), The New Julliard Ensemble (NY, USA), Igudesman & Joo Duo, Sergey Nakaryakov (France) and many others.
Among his works: three piano sonatas, two Piano Concertos, two Double Concertos, “Faust-Concerto”, many chamber pieces, Oratorio “Shunamit“, symphonic poems and much more.

Uri has won a series of prestigious awards and scholarships, among them the 2006 and 2017 Israel Prime Minister Prize for composition, an ACUM award, which he has been awarded three times (2008, 2010 and 2015) and many others.
Since 2007 Uri is a composer in residence of the Israeli Sinfonietta and since 2016 he is a music director of the `Mikro` Theater in Jerusalem. In 2017 Uri became the director of a oldest conservatory in Israel – “Ron Shulamit” (Jerusalem).

  

Reviews

 
"A vibrant, eclectic work which reflected Brener’s use of a wide range of styles. His musical agenda included oriental touches, dance music, the bourdon, clusters and driving rhythms in what built up to relentless, full-on energy. This energy spent, we were presented with a tranquil, homophonic chorale-like section, the piece finally winding down to the minimal strand of pizzicato notes on the viol. Brener is a master orchestrator with much to say in the chamber music medium. Writing for specific artists meant including vigorous, challenging solos of strongly individual character – for violin, viola as well as some electrifying material for harpsichord.
Once again, PHOENIX has presented its listeners with a unique, thought-provoking program. There was a sense of in-depth enquiry, inventiveness, involvement as well as enormous vivacity in the playing of all five artists, inviting the listener to immerse himself fully in each item on the program." Pamela Hickman

Read the full review here.