What they are playing in Tel Aviv

What they are playing in Tel Aviv

Daily Comfort Zone

norman lebrecht

December 19, 2023

This is the Carmel Quartet at the Tel Aviv Museum, playing the shattering Adagio of Oded Zehavi’s 20 year-old string quartet.

The Quartet leader lost her niece in the Hamas massacre.

Comments

  • David K. Nelson says:

    Lovely playing- in particular, what sensitive viola playing by Yoel Greenberg. I did not know of this composer or this piece. Now I do thanks to N.L. and this site.

  • Daniel Reiss says:

    Condolences to Rachel Ringelstein, wonderful primo of the wonderful Carmel.

  • Sam's Hot Car Lot says:

    Another piece Israeli quartets would do well to play these days is “Echoes” by the Jewish American composer, Bernard Herrmann.

    It’s one of the most mournful quartets I know.

  • Frank says:

    Once again, this site only shows one side of the story, i.e. how people in Israel are playing music. Surely there must be some examples of Palestinians’ music-making as they mourn the 18,000-plus people who have been killed by Israeli bombs since October…

    • James says:

      Once again, Israel was attacked – in the most horrific way possible. It was not doing anything to Gaza, and in fact there was a long-term ceasefire agreement in place with Hamas, which was getting huge benefits including money, work permits for Gazans in Israel and there were plans for a new Gazan seaport. Most of the Israelis massacred, burnt, dismembered, raped, beheaded or some combination of all of these or more, were peace activists. There is no ‘other side’ to that. It was pure evil. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Itanian elements in Syria and in the West Bank, have not stopped trying to destroy Israel every day since. This poor lady’s niece was murdered. This was an act of unspeakable evil the likes of which the world has rarely seen. There is no excuse, no defence and no whatabouterry.

      • Frank says:

        I’m not talking about Hamas here. I’m talking about innocent Palestinians who are caught in the middle of this conflict and half of whom are now starving (per the UN) because of Israel’s cruel, criminal actions.

        It boggles the mind that this website can claim to be so sympathetic towards Ukrainians suffering under Russian bombardment but turns a cold shoulder to the Palestinians in a far worse humanitarian situation.

        • Anthony Sayer says:

          You didn’t read James’s post, did you?

        • Daniel says:

          I can fully understand your support for any human suffering. But it looks you ignore the facts: Palestinians were not caught in the middle of the conflict, they elected Hamas and since it come to power, Gaza turned to an islamic fundamentalistic caliphate. If you imagine them playing Haydn or Bartok string quartets you are very far from reality. You can criticize Israel as much as you want, but in fact the Hamas is the one stoling all the money, food, fuel from their own people. They built 500km of tunnels but didn’t let one civilian to use it as shelter. They themself admit that they use civilian population as human shield. It’s their fault.

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