All Classical Portland’s Program Director John Pitman has long admired the artistry of Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, having featured his recordings regularly over the past 30-plus years. His newest release is especially exciting because it includes rare recordings of the complete Poetic Tone Pictures by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák.
In his latest interview with John, Mr. Andsnes shares how he came to know this music as a young boy, when his father brought home an LP from London, and how it has always intrigued him. Andsnes highlights charming and highly inventive moments in Dvořák’s piano cycle. It is a neglected treasure that, hopefully, will now be heard more through this beautiful recording by Leif Ove Andsnes.
Each year, All Classical Portland’s Program Director John Pitman, selects twelve carols from our extensive Festival of Carols library for a deep dive look into their origins. In 2019, we explored holiday classics like “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” and “O Tannenbaum,” while 2020’s post delved into international favorites such as Riu, riu, chiu and Noël nouvelet. In 2021’s list of carols, we traversed centuries with Medieval pieces such as In dulci jubilo and Veni, veni Emmanuel.
This year, we’re expanding our celebration of the season to include a couple of Hanukkah favorites paired with a hearty assortment of liturgical hymns, 20th century standards, and an operatic favorite.
Originating from an anonymous 14th-century source, Gaudete! (Rejoice!) was discovered in a 16th-century Finnish songbook called Piae Cantiones. Comprising Medieval songs from both Scandinavia and around Europe, Piae Cantiones is home to several beloved Christmas carols today, including In dulci jubilo and Good King Wenceslas. Gaudete! is among the most frequently performed songs from Piae Cantiones, whose joyful text celebrates the birth of Jesus and the symbolic arrival of God in human form on Earth.
Fun fact – the carol had a substantial surge in popularity following a recording in the 1970s performed by the folk-rock band, Steeleye Span.
Hannerot Hallalu
The text of Hannerot Hallalu (“We Light these Lights”) emphasizes the purpose of the lights in recalling God’s miracles during the eight days of Hanukkah. In the ceremony for the occasion, these words would be sung immediately after the lights are ignited on the Menorah. The composer of this arrangement, Belgian-born composer Hugo Adler (1894-1955), emigrated to the United States amid the rise of Nazism in the late 1930s, where he continued his work as a cantor and composer of Jewish liturgical music. His choral setting of Hannerot Hallalu is a blend of beautiful counterpoint set against homophonic moments, making the text of the piece pleasantly transparent for the listener.
O Holy Night (Cantique de Noël)
Despite the immense popularity of O Holy Night today, the tune’s French composer, Adolphe Adam (1803-1856), is perhaps most famous for his tragic ballet, Giselle. In 1847, Adam wrote O Holy Night using a Christmas poem by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877), which had been penned to commemorate the renovation of the organ at the local church. The carol premiered that same year performed by opera singer Emily Laurey. About a decade later, American minister and transcendentalist John Sullivan Dwight (1813-1893) translated the text into English. O Holy Night has since become a staple of seasonal repertoire and one of the most performed and recorded pieces of music. In France, the song is commonly referred to by the first line of the poem, “Minuit, Chrétiens” (“Mightnight, Christians”).
Several musicians have been inspired to set the anonymous 18th-century text from New England, Jesus Christ the Apple Tree, to music, including English composer Elizabeth Poston (1905-1987). Written in 1967, Poston’s sensitive choral setting of the poem resembles a folksong and harkens back to choral traditions of the past. The hymn begins with a simple melody sung by solo voice, which is then developed into richer harmonies in subsequent verses. In the poem, the “apple tree” may allude to Song of Solomon 2:3, which is considered to be a metaphor representing Christ.
Caroling, Caroling
American musician Alfred Burt (1920-1954) contributed several Christmas carols to the holiday soundscape in the mid-20th Century, the best-known being Caroling, Caroling. With words by Wihla Hutson (1901-2002), Burt’s 1954 classic became famous after making its way onto Nat King Cole’s holiday album, The Magic of Christmas.
The story of Burt’s collection of carols is a particularly creative one. The composer’s father had a tradition of sending out Christmas cards each year to family and friends containing an original carol. Burt took over the tradition in 1942 and wrote annual carols until his untimely death in 1954. His collection of 15 “card carols” wouldn’t be published until after the composer’s death but subsequently became popular holiday tunes.
Three Kings of Orient was written by John Henry Hopkins (1820-1891), an American clergyman and hymnodist known for clarity and simplicity in his music. The classic carol was part of a collection by Hopkins called Carols, Hymns, and Songs published in 1865. Unfortunately, Three Kings of Orient was the only piece from the group to have retained its popularity in the following decades. The composer’s text depicts the three kings from the east described in the Nativity story, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn King.
I Have a Little Dreidel
The beloved Hanukkah song about crafting and playing with a dreidel is certain to make an appearance around the winter holiday. The game is a staple of the Festival of Lights, particularly among children. I Have a Little Dreidel was written by American composer Samuel Goldfarb (1891-1978) in the 1920s with text by Samuel Grossman. Goldfarb, along with his brother, Rabbi Israel Goldfarb, collaborated to promote Jewish music and published several books and pamphlets compiling songs used for various holidays. The popularity of I Have a Little Dreidel really took off in the 1950s with the increased commercialization of Hanukkah as a parallel holiday to Christmas.
In the Bleak Mid-Winter
You might be surprised to learn that English writer Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) did not intend her poem, “In the bleak mid-winter,” to be set to music. However, given the inherent musicality of her words, composers have long been drawn to set her writing to song. Gustav Holst (1874-1934) composed a choral setting of the poem for the first edition of The English Hymnal in 1906. The combination of Rossetti’s poetic text and Holst’s ethereal music is highly evocative of the season in the Northern Hemisphere. Though Bethlehem likely would not have been covered in snow at the time of Jesus’s birth, snow has long been associated with the event as a symbol of purity.
Shepherd’s Pipe Carol
Shepherd’s Pipe Carol is a contemporary Christmas carol written by English composer and choral director John Rutter (b. 1945). As a composer, Rutter has established himself as a prominent figure in choral music and is best known for his sacred vocal pieces, particularly his Christmas carols. The composer’s oeuvre of carols consists of a mix of arrangements and original works, the latter of which is exemplified in Shepherd’s Pipe Carol. Written in the 1960s, the carol depicts the piping of a shepherd boy on his way to visit Baby Jesus. Rutter suggests that his inspiration for the piece may have come from his experience singing in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors as a boy, noting: “I think the piping heard as Amahl heads for Bethlehem with the Wise Men may have stuck in my mind.”
A La Nanita Nana
The traditional Spanish Christmas carol (or villancico), A La Nanita Nana, is a gentle lullaby with a striking melody sung for Baby Jesus. While “villancio” is most often associated with Christmas carols today, the term historically had a much broader meaning dating from the Renaissance. Early villancicos were sung with or without accompaniment and varied in vocal texture with both solo and choral settings. A La Nanita Nana offers a tender example of the genre’s evolution towards Christmas subject matter. You can follow along with an English translation of the Spanish lullaby here.
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
If you asked a group of people to sing this popular Christmas carol, you might unknowingly conjure quite the cacophony. This is because there are two commonly sung versions of this Christmas hymn – one tune with American origins and the other with British ones. In this post, we’re going to discuss the American version written by Richard Storrs Willis (1819-1900). Willis’s original tune was conceived as an organ study, which was then arranged into the choral setting we know today by Uzziah Christopher Burnap (1834-1900).
The text for the carol was written by American Unitarian minister and author Edmund Sears (1810-1876). Interestingly, the poem doesn’t mention the Nativity but instead focuses on the message from the angels, “Peace on the earth, goodwill to men.” It has been suggested that the poem was inspired by the contemporary social tensions leading up to the American Civil War.
Once, in Royal David’s City
The poem, Once, in Royal David’s City, was one of many from an 1848 collection called Hymns for Little Children written by Anglo-Irish poet Cecil Francis Alexander (1823-1895). Alexander is remembered today for her hymnal contributions, such as All things bright and beautiful and There is a green hill far away. English composer and organist Henry John Gauntlett (1806-1876) was also a prolific hymn writer who, after discovering Alexander’s collection of poems, took an existing tune of his called “Irby” and set Alexander’s Christmas poem to music. Once, in royal David’s city tells the story of the Nativity and traditionally opens the Christmas Eve festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in the chapel of King’s College, Cambridge.
Thanks to your generous support, All Classical Portland has had monumental achievements over the past year—from brand new radio shows to innovative community collaborations, composer and artist residencies, and a groundbreaking album release.
All Classical Portland is community focused, and community supported. Your contribution today will help to keep the music playing, and ensure we can continue to entertain, innovate, and enrich our community in the months ahead.
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Over 30 regional arts organizations featured on Fall into the Arts, All Classical Portland’s annual radio festival
First-ever live broadcast from the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton, OR
Live bi-coastal broadcast with NYC’s WQXR and national syndication of the world premiere of Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem
17,520 hours of outstanding programming on two networks, All Classical Portland and ICAN with listeners streaming in 100+ countries
Bilingual storytimes for children narrated by Artist in Residence María García broadcast on the International Children’s Arts Network at ICANradio.org
Named three Composers in Residence (as part of the award-winning Recording Inclusivity Initiative): Jasmine Barnes, Lauren McCall, and Keyla Orozco. All Classical Portland is one of the only stations in America to have composers in residence!
Brand new program Noteworthy, hosted by Lynnsay Maynard! (It’s like a library card and record player in one!)
Produced and released the station’s first-ever album AMPLIFY: Vol. 1 Changing America’s Playlist
16-year-old double bass player Maggie Carter, double bass
16-year-old Grant High School sophomore Noah Carr, violin
17-year-old South Salem High School junior Diego Fernandez, flute
18-year-old Grant High School senior Ben Price, oboe
18-year-old Oregon Episcopal School senior Nate Strothkamp, violin
Thank you for supporting All Classical Portland. Your tax-deductible contribution by December 31st will help to ensure the music continues in the year ahead, sharing comfort and inspiration with our community every day.
All Classical Portland Program Director John Pitman shares his latest review of a new album by violinist Hilary Hahn, which includes Dvořák’s Violin Concerto, the Violin Concerto by Alberto Ginastera, and Pablo de Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy for violin and orchestra. The album, Eclipse, is available now on Deutsche Grammophon.
As American violinist Hilary Hahn states, “Eclipse is not just when it goes down, it’s also when the lights come back on.” Ms. Hahn had been preparing for months to perform and record with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and its music director, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, when the Pandemic resulted in cancellations of all of their plans.
Hahn spent that time assessing her own relationship to music, and to performing it with colleagues, and now has emerged on the other side with a perspective that was earned through this shared, global experience.
How different do the works on Eclipse sound to her now, compared to before lockdown? Hear her answers in John Pitman’s conversation with this extraordinary musician:
All Classical Portland is thrilled to announce that the GRAMMY® award-winning Navona Records label released AMPLIFY, our Recording Inclusivity Initiative (RII)‘s inaugural album, on Friday, October 28, 2022! The album marks the 1,000th release from the PARMA Recordings label group.
On October 28, 2022, the station aired a special On Air CD Release Party, sharing the world premiere of music from AMPLIFY on the radio. This special program was hosted by Suzanne Nance and Adam Eccleston, and featured music from the album, interviews with Raúl Gómez-Rojas and All Classical Portland Artist in Residence María García, and more.
Listen to the On Air CD Release Party on demand.
All Classical Portland’s Recording Inclusivity Initiative is a response to the classical music industry’s longtime need for greater diversity, with the purpose of increasing awareness and opportunity for previously marginalized artistic communities. Learn more at recordinginclusivity.allclassical.org.
Comprised of leaders from the radio, recording, publishing, and performing arts industries, the RII Panel and Executive Advisors selected five winning compositions from a pool of over 100 entries for inclusion on AMPLIFY. Including three pieces from living composers, and two posthumous works, the album was recorded at the NM Bodecker Foundation’s Halfling Studios in Portland, Oregon.
The full album was released on Friday, October 28, 2022, and featuring works by All Classical Portland Composers in Residence Jasmine Barnes, Keyla Orozco, and McCall. AMPLIFY will also include two posthumous works by Mélanie Hélène Bonis (1858-1937) and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004).
AMPLIFY’s album cover artwork was created by Monica Obaga, an illustrator and graphic designer focused primarily on producing artwork in support of women, the environment, and positive African media representation.
ABOUT
Broadcasting from the heart of the Pacific Northwest, All Classical Portland is consistently ranked in the top three classical music radio stations in the United States. Creator of the award-winning Recording Inclusivity Initiative (RII), All Classical Portland is leading the public radio industry nationwide by amplifying composers of our time and expanding access to outstanding classical music recordings. RII seeks to address the gap of classical music composers and musicians from underrepresented communities that make it onto the airwaves. All Classical Portland is globally recognized for its unique programming, innovative collaborations, and community outreach.
PARMA Recordings works with artists across genres, backgrounds, and borders, effectively bringing musical projects to completion with accuracy. By beginning with the end in mind and keeping quality at the forefront, we create projects recognized by the Recording Academy, Billboard, Gramophone, and BBC Music, and performed onstage at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and more.
Navona Records offers listeners a fresh taste of today’s leading innovators in orchestral, chamber, instrumental, and experimental music as well as prime pieces of classic repertoire. Since the label’s foundation in 2008, Navona Records artists have been breaking barriers and breathing new life into the traditions of classical music. Our music is meticulously performed by the finest musicians and handpicked to ensure the most rewarding listening experience. Navona Records is a classical imprint of music production house PARMA Recordings.
Sophie Lippert, concert pianist and All Classical Portland’s 2022 International Arts Correspondent, is currently living in Tel Aviv, Israel. In this edition of Musician Abroad!, she takes us on a journey through Tel Aviv’s culinary landscape, showcasing savory and sweet delicacies and delights.
Sophie enthusiastically shows off an Israeli spread of appetizers at a cozy seaside joint in Herzliya, Israel.
Food has always been one of my favorite ways to connect with a culture. It’s an amazing miracle for me to take a “sensory trip” to experience the essence of a place by sipping a cup of steaming soup, eating a bowl of aromatic noodles, or devouring a delicious dessert.
I find music and food to be strikingly similar in the way they allow us to travel (with our senses) to different places, and connect with the flavors or sounds of a foreign country and culture without getting on a plane.
Transcending, Connecting, and Traveling through Taste and Sound
I notice food’s resemblance to music in several noteworthy ways:
They both serve as conduits of connection, and transcend language boundaries.
They both are vehicles for bringing people together in community.
They both give us a chance to experience a culture outside of its particular geographical location; a vantage point into the sensory experience of a place, without physically being in country.
These are part of music and food’s “special sauce,” and part of what makes them so priceless and precious.
A bodacious spread of home-grilled meats at a Saturday Sabbath meal in Be’er Sheva, Israel.
There were many times during the pandemic when I longed to expand my cultural horizons, but was stuck at home in Portland. The thing that helped me most was to either listen to—or play!—music from a different country, or cook a meal that utilized and showcased foreign flavors and ingredients. Listening to infectious rhythms from Senegal, Africa, or cooking an Indian recipe that utilizes freshly-ground cardamom pods and coriander seeds, might not be quite the same as traveling to Senegal or India—but it creates a great sensory experience, and allows me to travel—in my senses, at least—somewhere outside of my own home.
(One of my favorite things to do is to pair the music I’m listening to with the type of cuisine I’m eating! So, if I’m cooking a Chinese-inspired dish, I’ll find some traditional Chinese music to listen to. What a great way to expand my horizons.)
Given the strong parallels in my life between food and music, it feels only appropriate to spend some time profiling Israel’s amazing cuisine / culinary landscape!
A Melting Pot of Flavors
The Mediterranean Sea runs the western length of Israel’s border, and because of this, it’s no surprise that the primary flavors here pull from Mediterranean cuisine. Street stalls are filled with pungent olive oils and rich dates and nuts; dairy stands sport dozens of varieties of feta cheese; cucumbers and tomatoes are paired with parsley to form the nation’s famous “Israeli salad.” Alongside this, however, there’s a decidedly Middle Eastern flare that also plays into the richness of Israel’s culinary landscape. Spices like cumin and coriander are used liberally in many applications; the quintessential “Za’atar” (a mix of sesame seeds, sumac, salt, and herbs like thyme, oregano, and marjoram) tops bowls of creamy hummus and soft breads and savory pastries; kebab meat makes an appearance at nearly every Israeli restaurant. And then, with the prevalence of Judaism comes an abundance of kosher and other religiously-influenced food products: beef-based sausages and deli meats abound (it’s rare to find pork on a menu!), special sweets make appearances for the Jewish holidays, and challah is baked fresh at all the bakeries in time for Friday’s sabbath dinner. Much like many aspects of Israeli culture, I find the food here to be an amazing melting pot of different traditions; heavily influenced by the many different cultures and people who have lived in this region over the centuries.
Sophie’s husband Noah in his happy place: with a falafel sandwich at Tel Aviv’s famous HaKosem eatery.
There are three main areas I’m excited to showcase: the pita (what I might call Israel’s signature dish); the love of salads (and the first thing we need to do is define that term, as it’s different than what you might expect!); and a run-down of the country’s favorite sweets.
Meals in a Pita
Israelis love their pitas. And, for good reason! Color me biased, but I’d like to boldly state that until you’ve tasted a pita from the Middle East, you’ve never gotten a full experience of the incredible art form that is this beloved pocket bread.
Yep: I’m just talking about the pita itself—even before it’s filled with all sorts of tasty treats! The Israeli pita tells a complex and intoxicating story. It features a fluffiness, lightness, and buoyancy; the flavor is mild, the texture is rich, and the combination creates a taste that’s irresistible in nearly every iteration. And how something so intoxicatingly airy manages to be hefty enough to be stuffed to the gills with vegetables and meats is beyond me.
Another delight: for anyone who doesn’t eat gluten, many restaurants carry gluten-free pitas that are just as delicious as their glutinous counterparts!
The pita is rarely just eaten on its own, though. Its simplest application is perhaps dipped in bowls of hummus, and served alongside slices of raw white onion, tomato, and pickles. (Hummus restaurants can be found on nearly every street corner in Israel, and deserve a whole post in themselves!)
Hummus garnished with ground meat serves as the crown of this seaside meal in Acre, Israel—served, of course, with irresistible pita!
The pita is also the centerpiece of nearly every street food here. The most common three are the following:
Shawarma. This tasty shaved meat is cooked on a giant rotisserie or spit. It’s a pretty dramatic endeavor: the meat is shaved thin and then shaped into a huge cone, then shaved off in a circular fashion. It’s almost always served in a pita with a variety of accouterements: tahini-garlic sauce, pickles, diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, and some other variety of pickled vegetables and cabbage slaws. There’s another sauce, which is mango-based and a bit spicy and sweet, which is also common as a final topping. And french fries on the side are optional, but very much suggested.
Falafel. I’ve had plenty of falafel in my life, but much like my experience with pita, until coming to Israel I never realized the extent of complexity and deliciousness that could be contained within these little fried balls made primarily of ground garbanzo beans. Generally smelling and tasting faintly of parsley, garlic, scallions, and cumin, these fritters are most commonly deep fried, then stuffed into a pita with a similar assortment of accompaniments to the shawarma: raw and pickled vegetables, and then sauces on top: tahini, and an amazingly herbaceous spicy green sauce (a little packs a real punch!). Our favorite local falafel joint layers the ingredients so beautifully that the finished product truly DOES look like a piece of art—and tastes like one, too. Unbelievable.
Sabich. Perhaps less known globally, this trendy street food is wildly popular in Israel. Apparently it originated in the 1940s and 1950s as a simple breakfast, using the easiest ingredients on hand: leftover eggplant, hard-boiled eggs, and maybe potatoes for kicks. Now, it’s become a competitive phenomenon: the debate rages around Tel Aviv as to which sabich shop executes their sabich with the most craft and finesse. The centerpiece of a sabich is the crispy fried slabs of eggplant—which, in the hands of a skilled cook, are even incredible eaten alone: oily and crispy exterior, soft and almost sweet interior. In a sabich sandwich, however, they’re paired with eggs, that Israeli holy trinity (tomatoes, cucumber, onion), parsley, and—you guessed it—tahini to top everything off. Though sabich is tasty at any time of day, it’s still most common as a breakfast or lunch dish; in fact, like falafel, most joints close by 4 or 5pm.
A shawarma vendor shaving off meat on a busy street corner in Tel Aviv, Israel.
An indulgent falafel sandwich stuffed to the gills, with pickles hiding beneath layers of tahini sauce. And yep, both the pita and falafel are gluten free!
A beautifully-adorned Sabich sandwich, with strips of fried eggplant galore.
Now that we’ve explored pita in its many iterations, let’s take a left turn to another quintessential feature of the Israeli dining scene: salads.
All The Salads
Breakfast, lunch, or dinner. So many veggies!
First, it’s important to define what “salad” means in this context. Upon first arriving in Israel, I was surprised to find that salads seemed like an “all-inclusive” experience here— A spread of Israeli salads consists, essentially, of anything cold that can be served in a small dish as an appetizer.
When dining at a traditional Israeli restaurant, get ready: you’re in for all sorts of treats beyond those that you order. It’s still typical to order an entree per person (in Tel Aviv, that’s almost always a cut of meat or fish); however, before you receive your chosen dish, you’ll be bombarded with a smorgasbord of incredible small dishes—which fill the center of table with festive colors and textures. Sometimes, there are up to TWO DOZEN different options to nibble on.
Some of the offerings often found in an Israeli “salad” spread are as follows:
Hummus
Baba ganoush
Thinly-sliced ribbons of cabbage with dill in a mild vinegar dressing
Greens with chunky tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese, sumac, and lemon
Fried eggplant
Roasted cauliflower
Shredded carrots with candied walnuts
Chunky roasted beets with parsley
Parsley-heavy tabbouleh salad
Cucumbers with onion
Lightly-steamed corn kernels with red peppers and spices
Tuna salad
Pasta salad
Pickled jalapenos or pepperoncini peppers
Saucy tomatoes
Shaved fennel
…and the list goes on!
Sophie’s mother and father-in-law are all smiles before diving in to their salad course in a sunny, beachside Jaffa restaurant.
Pita is always served as an accompaniment, and sometimes, there’s another baked bread covered with melted cheese, or olive oil and za’atar, or chunky roasted garlic.
There’s something for everyone—and, if you’re like me, nearly everything is finger-licking good!
That said, I wish that salads came with a warning, as I’ve had to learn the hard way to pace myself. The small plates are generally refilled numerous times during the meal, so it’s easy to get completely full on the vegetables even before a main course has arrived!
In fact, my husband Noah and I have occasionally opted to order ONLY the salads for our main meal. Usually a restaurant charges a fee of about 35-40 shekels per person—about $12—but it’s unquestionably the best deal in town!
Salads on their own can serve as a perfectly satisfying and delicious meal in Tel Aviv. Despite the absence of a “main course,” Sophie and her husband Noah were stuffed after this filling feast!
Another difference: salads are served and eaten at any time of day. Yep: even breakfast! In fact, a traditional Israeli breakfast spread consists of bread or pastries, and perhaps a side of eggs—and then, an array of all those amazing aforementioned vegetable dishes.
But, enough of savory—let’s turn now to the treats!
Make Way for Sweets!
Sweets: different sub-categories, but “local desserts” (not European-style cafes or bakeries) are commonly nut and honey-based, and often a sweet crunchy semolina noodle is used. Also: LOVE OF ICE CREAM.
Fruit: tropics! In-season is key; the fruit at the market changes dramatically depending on time of year & what’s available. Watermelon, grapes, plums, mangos, FIGS. Always: citrus of all types, avocados (though different varieties pop up at different times!), bananas (huge banana groves in Eastern Israel!),
Drinks: soda is much more common here than in the United States! Also, the types of varieties of sugary drinks at any given convenience store is pretty damn impressive. (Twix in a bottle? Guava puree? Sparkling fruity mixers? You name ‘em, they’ve got ‘em.)
SWEETS.
Honey-based. Candy. International. Ice cream.
Even More Diversity of Deliciousness
Before I wrap today, I want to be clear: this is a non-comprehensive foray into Israeli food. There are so many different culinary experiences that can be had in Tel Aviv—it is a huge international city, and offers an impressive array of different flavors and types of food! I neglected to include a few particular enticing local treats: Jachnun, burekas (basically, dough stuffed with any array of savory things), and the food and drinks that accompany the Israeli love of what I’d call “cafe culture” (long hours spent leisurely sitting, sipping, and supping). There are also some very interesting “fusion”-dining experiences here—you wouldn’t believe what they manage to fit in sushi rolls! (Yep, that includes shawarma meat!) There’s so much diversity and deliciousness to experience here!
Sushi done right at the popular Moon Sushi in Tel Aviv, Israel.
An exploration of Tel Aviv wouldn’t be complete without mention of the beautiful spices, too—an enticing array of flavors and aromas that waft from spice shops across any of the local street markets. And though other ethnic foods can be hard to find, there are a few great restaurants that showcase foods from different parts of the world: Mexican tacos, Thai curries, Chinese dim sum, Indian thalis. There’s even excellent Ethiopian food, served on spongy injera and eaten with no utensils!
An excellent Ethiopian feast at NAME, a hidden gem of a restaurant in east Tel Aviv.
[And Yahweh knows I could wax poetic on hummus alone—the shining centerpiece of Middle Eastern food—for many more hundreds of words.]
If there’s one thing I’ve learned and confirmed about Israeli food while being here, it’s that there’s a tremendous pride and art and joy that it contains and instills. People here are voracious, joyful eaters; food serves as a conduit for community and connection, and a centerpiece for celebration and ceremony. I’ll miss these dazzling tastes when I return to the United States—but hopefully, will find opportunity to travel back to Israel through my senses over salads for breakfast, pitas stuffed with fried eggplant or falafel for lunch, bowls of silky hummus for snacks, and pistachio-studded baklava for desserts.
And I’ll never stop being grateful for the way that music and food both serve as conduits of connection and togetherness! Listening to music, and having a meal filled with delicious food, are equal-opportunity experiences; both allow people of all different backgrounds, cultures, languages, physical and mental capabilities, and socioeconomic statuses to connect and share experiences. And what a gift to share sounds and flavors with people around the world.
Wishing you all experiences with meals and music that transport you outside of your normal sensory stomping grounds!
Stay tuned for the final blog in Sophie’s Musician Abroad! series coming this winter! You can also learn more about Sophie at sophielippert.com.
On Saturday, October 29, 2022, host Andrea Murray presented at a very special episode of Club Mod, featuring the recent live performance of John Cage and KennethPatchen‘s 1942 radio play The City Wears a Slouch Hat, performed by some of your favorite All Classical Portland hosts as part of 45th Parallel Universe‘s Radio Happening event. This episode of Club Mod also featured interviews with All Classical Portland Artist in Residence María García, and Ron Blessinger, 45th’s Interim Executive Director.
45th Parallel Universe‘sThe Gemini Project performed The City Wears a Slouch Hat at The Old Madeleine Church in early October 2022. Louanne Moldovan directed the cast of All Classical Portland radio hosts Warren Black, Robert McBride, Suzanne Nance, Brandi Parisi, John Pitman, and Sarah Zwinklis.
Radio Happening, a concert event featuring several works by John Cage, explored the powerful role that radio has played in advancing artistic risk taking, innovation, and sharing classical music with wider audiences.
WATCH
Enjoy this video recording of the entire October 2022 performance, featuring James Shields, clarinet; María García, prepared piano; The Gemini Project: Sergio Carreno, percussion, Jon Greeney, percussion, Chris Whyte, percussion Gordon Rencher, percussion; Raúl Gómez-Rojas, conductor; and Ron Blessinger, producer, script writer, sound effects.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The City Wears a Slouch Hat was composed in 1942 by John Cage in just under a week, after his original vision for the radio drama was deemed impossible to produce. Initially calling for only the use of “sound effects” as instruments, the original score is thought to be lost.
Instead Cage wrote, assembled, and rehearsed a more modest take in just four days, using tin cans, gongs, alarm bells, foghorns, and other unconventional instruments. This version premiered on the radio in Chicago on May 31, 1942, with a script by Kenneth Patchen.
Slouch Hat tells the tale of a man called “The Voice” who wanders around an imaginary big city, encountering surreal circumstances and mysterious characters. The premiere broadcast received mixed reviews, and as a result Cage’s follow-up projects were cancelled. Today, the work, Cage, and Patchen are now considered pioneers of the American avant garde movement, and are credited with encouraging experimentation in music, technology, radio, and instrumentation.
Thank you to KGW-TV host Lacey Evans and the entire Hello, Rose City! team for welcoming All Classical Portland President & CEO Suzanne Nance and Recording Inclusivity Initiative Chair Adam Eccleston on their program to discuss RII and our first-ever album AMPLIFY! The groundbreaking album is now available to purchase in the All Classical Portland Gift Shop, and available to stream and download on your favorite music site like Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more.
Learn more about the exciting album and RII in our segment on Hello, Rose City!on the KGW website.
KGW’s Hello, Rose City: All Classical Portland releases AMPLIFY
BEHIND THE SCENES
All Classical Portland’s Recording Inclusivity Initiative is a response to the classical music industry’s longtime need for greater diversity, with the purpose of increasing awareness and opportunity for previously marginalized artistic communities. Learn more at allclassical.org/recordinginclusivity.
All Classical Portland Program Director John Pitman shares his latest review of a new album by British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. The album is called “Song,” and is available now on Decca Records.
Back in January 2022, (which simultaneously feels like yesterday and a decade ago) I interviewed both Sheku and his sister, Isata Kanneh-Mason, about their debut album, “Muse.”In that interview, the siblings talk about the joys and challenges of working together while forging individual artistic paths.
Now, just 9 months later, Sheku has released “Song,” which he considers his most personal album yet. And he’s not alone. There are some beautiful tracks on the album that illustrate the “singing” tone of his instrument and playing style. He also brings in friends from the classical, jazz, and pop worlds to perform both new arrangements of older music and new compositions by Sheku himself. You will get a better sense of what Sheku was striving for – and accomplished – in my conversation with him. His enthusiasm, cheerfulness and humor come across, as does his absolute seriousness when it comes to making music.
All Classical Portland and the International Children’s Arts Network proudly announce 14-year-old composer and musician Elaina Stuppler as our 2022 Youth Roving Reporter! Over the next few months, Elaina will work with the producers and hosts of ICAN and All Classical Portland to learn about radio production during her Youth Roving Reporter mentorship.
“I’m most excited about sharing my love of music and creating compelling, uplifting, and inclusive content from a youth’s perspective,” Elaina shares.
Host Amy Faust interviewed Elaina in November 2021 for On Deck With Young Musicians. Hear her episode again.
November 2021: On Deck with Elaina Stuppler
ABOUT
Elaina Rae Stuppler is an award-winning composer and singer. She attended Crossroads School for the Arts in Santa Monica, California, where she studied vocal arts, composing, trombone, and violin, and recently received the U.S. President’s Education Award.
She played trombone in the Colburn School of Music’s Jazz Ensemble and was selected for both the California and Oregon All-State Honor Band. Elaina was a member of the Premiere Ensemble of the National Children’s Choir, has performed in Annie at the Hollywood Bowl, and was invited to sing this spring at Carnegie Hall.
The Oregon Symphony named Elaina as their first Luna Composition Lab recipient, where her piece, Anxious Alignment, had its world premiere at their 125th Gala Anniversary. The Portland Youth Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Youth Symphony have also commissioned works by her. Elaina is a member of the Young Composers Project and will have her orchestral composition debuted in 2023.
YOUTH ROVING REPORTERS
Youth Roving Reporters is an arts journalism mentorship program. Through this innovative, educational program All Classical Portland on-air hosts mentor selected Youth Roving Reporters (ages 14-18), providing them with guidance and insight on what it is to be a broadcaster and arts leader in their community.
