Pat Kop trots out Palestinian Song

Pat Kop trots out Palestinian Song

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norman lebrecht

December 13, 2019

The restless violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, has been dying to swap her normal instrument for a medieval rebec.

The first thing she’ll play on it is a Palestinian Song – a work ascribed to the medieval troubadour Walther von der Vogelweide (1170-1230), a camp follower of the Crusaders.

Pat writes: Our “Maria Mater Meretrix”-Program includes the “Palestinian Song” of the medieval troubadour Walther von der Vogelweide (1170-1230), the first chance for my rebec to get on stage. The rebec is derived from similar middle-eastern instruments like the rabab, the Arabs brought it to Spain wherefrom it became the precursor of the violin.

 

Comments

  • Mustafa Kandan says:

    It is a good thing she focuses on less standard projects & modern compositions. As a daughter of folk musicians, she is definitely authentic (unlike that talented, but lost soul Nigel Kennedy), but too idiosyncratic for classical repertoire.

  • Normina from Gaza says:

    a “Palestinian Song” Norman? Lol… what you are referring to is a song originally called the Kreuzlied – “Song of the Cross” which was written by a dedicated christian composer to support the Crusaders’ journey to the Holly Land of Israel. Are you so desperate to attract readers that you have to use such charged and misleading headline? whats next? Calling the BDS and Hamas terrorist organization to support Patricia Kopatchinskaja’s work?

    • V. Lind says:

      There are Palestinian Christians.

      Don’t think they live in the Holly Land, though — I would have thought that was the Home Counties.

      • MWnyc says:

        Nevertheless, Walther von der Vogelweide’s song, isn’t a Palestinian song, it’s a song about Palestine as the Crusaders’ destination.

  • Johnson says:

    I think Mr. Lebrecht here is really frustrated by the fall of the pro-palestinian Labour Party. Not sure why his audience here has to deal with the consequences, but here is something to cheer him up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB-qEYVdvXA

  • Walther von der Vogelweide says:

    Walther von der Vogelweide was one of the greatest poets .. one could mention that as well ..

    • Carlos Solare says:

      Indeed he was, and the “Palästina-Lied” is one of his most beautiful pieces – the only one for which the music has survived. But to call Walther a “trobadour” suggests that naughty little Norman bunked off Music History once too often.

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